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RSSFebruary 29, 2008: Rite Flyers, Hole in the Wall, Austin TX
Feb 29
just really terrible, bad 90s alternative rock lite, all unusually short as well
February 28, 2008: Elana James/Hot Club of Cowtown, Continental Club, Austin TX
Feb 28
Bluegrass, Country, Jazz No Comments
Rockboy was all enthused about this band now that he is officially a member of the anything-rootsy scene in Austin, I was bored silly by this band initially – western swing but it sounded like lounge music to me, and lounge music basically takes good songs and sucks the character out of them, BUT as the set went on for hours they went into their bluegrass selections and some moody wailers and the three are the fantastic musicians that they are purported to be: French jazz guitar, Elana James as lead vocalist and fiddler and then the thumpiest upright bass player I’d ever seen (he seemed to bounce his hand as he slapped so getting more out of each motion), the drummer is not always with them and did not seem to be having as good of a time as the rest of them, Rockboy heard about them through Shotgun Party connections and though Elana sometimes sings in a similarly old-timey cute girl fashion her voice is no match for her violin playing or Shotgun’s voice, the happy hour bands at The Continental are generally high quality, they’re heading out for a three week tour in Australia next week
February 28, 2008: Woods Boss, The Scoot Inn, Austin TX
Feb 28
Bluegrass, Jam Band No Comments
some amalgam of the Weary Boys, Weary Boys are super popular in Austin but have always struck me as a little too audience-pleasing, I enjoyed this group though, five or six people on stage playing in jam-fashion on a variety of instruments, Grateful Dead with a little more bluegrass
February 28, 2008: Leo Rondeau, The Scoot Inn, Austin TX
Feb 28
Americana, Country, Rock and Roll No Comments
had bad memories of this band and they were reconfirmed, he was a dead ringer for Townes looks-wise but was just an average country singer, quiet voice and unremarkable music
Feb 18, 2008 Matchbox Twenty Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb 18
Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock and Roll 2 Comments
Rob Thomas promised to play until they were thrown off the stage, and launched into a raucous two-hour set that was backed the entire night by a crowd singalong. The set was a mix of more obscure tracks and well-worn hits, but they shrewdly avoided making this a purely greatest hits outing. Their new material was aired out and just as well-embraced along with the rest. I’m telling you, the crowd knew every word. Tracks like The Difference and Argue just fit right in and sounded fresh; the band was clearly benefiting from the reunion tour (and rumors of a new album are inevitable). Thomas has one of the most affable stage personalities I’ve ever come across, and he was talkative and playful all night.
Mohegan Sun Arena has pretty phenomenal acoustics, but like most venues meant for sports not concerts, the vastness of the space can suck the energy right out of the room. Matchbox Twenty tried valiantly to connect with every fan in the crowd, with impressive results. Some of the best moments of the night were the least conventional. A gorgeous stripped down take of If You’re Gone and the main set closing spiritual rendition of Bright Lights were the best of the bunch. And what would a Matchbox Twenty concert be without Push? The background displays throughout the night were repetitive and distracting. And I kid you not, Rob Thomas invited the crowd to light up the night with their cell phones (instead of lighters) during These Hard Times. The crowd ate it up; I was appalled (in the cell phones on airplanes kind of way).
The band partnered with All Access Today to offer USB wristband’s loaded with tonight’s concert. For $35, you get the full show (maybe) and it’s a usable USB if you want to overwrite it. The one I got had only 9 playable tracks (oops) but the customer support says a full-replacement will be in the offing. Still, the concept is neat. The arena staff were probably less than thrilled as a couple hundred fans were lined up after the show, and it took them a good fifteen minutes to start handing out the wristbands. Plus, there was a separate line for VIPs that was really just a crowd of people shoved into a corner. It wasn’t well thought out queue.
Matchbox Twenty setlist
How Far We’ve Come
If I Fall
Real World
Disease
Could I Be You
The Difference
I’ll Believe You When
Back 2 Good
3 A.M.
Bent
Hang
If You’re Gone
Hand Me Down
All Your Reasons
So Sad, So Lonely
Long Day
These Hard Times
Downfall
Bright Lights / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Encore
Unwell
Argue
Can’t Let You Go
Push
Feb 18, 2008 Alanis Morissette Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb 18
Okay, I love Alanis. Love her. After years away from the concert set (we are conveniently ignoring her dreadful Jagged Little Pill Acoustic phase) Alanis took her place for a 45-minutes on Matchbox Twenty’s Exile tour. She busted out a set that was heavy on favorites with some interesting diversions along the way. Though she played two new songs (from the forthcoming album Flavors of Entanglement) they were debuted with little fanfare, followed by the Under Rug Swept track Flinch (probably not one of her better known songs). But just as the crowd’s interest started to wane, she dragged them back in with the opening bars of her version of My Humps (complete with feather boa and money raining from the sky) followed by a searing performance of You Oughta Know.
Years since her last tour, her voice sounds pristine as ever. Backed by a stellar five-piece band and roving the stage like a predator, Alanis was in rare form tonight. If there was a single complaint, it might be that she left out the new single Underneath from the setlist, or that she left the stage a little too early for my tastes. Okay, maybe that’s two…
Alanis setlist
Intro
Uninvited
All I Really Want
Eight Easy Steps
Hand in My Pocket
Versions of Violence
Moratorium
Flinch
My Humps/You Oughta Know
You Learn
Thank U
Ironic
Feb 18, 2008 Mute Math Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb 18
Alternative Rock, College Rock No Comments
Mute Math “from New Orleans!” put on a decent 20 minute opening set ahead of Alanis and Matchbox Twenty that was high on theatrics. Taking their musical cue from The Police (and even some vocal stylings reminiscent of Sting) each song was stretched and distorted, taking away their arena-rock cred but keeping the set dynamic. They upped their ante on antics on the closing tune Break the Same that included three band mates playing percussion at the same time and earlier lead singer Paul Meany doing gymnastics on his keyboard (including a flip right over the top). The best song in the set was the new single Typical.
Mute Math Setlist
Chaos
Typical
Control
Break the Same
February 14, 2008: Catfish Hunters, Carousel Lounge, Austin TX
Feb 14
sadly a return to the low-talent not-going-to-try-too-hard brand of bands, though a much different flavor than Karate Kids: more sleazy Frank Sinatra attitude with lots of alcohol fueling them, lead singer was surly and sunglassed and didn’t sing too well, guy who had previously been MCing in his all pink and red outfit (and well—he was funny) was playing the pedal steel, bluesy rock, maybe it was just an off night
February 14, 2008: Shotgun Party, Carousel Lounge, Austin TX
Feb 14
Cabaret, Country, Jazz, Latin No Comments
so good that I was in continuous state of body prickles and it wasn’t only because of the horror of the previous band, one of the most charming and engaging bands I have seen in a long time, in large part due to the charismatic lead singer – a pug girl with a shock of blonde hair and a puppy dog enthusiasm and energy, she sang in an old-timey cutesy voice – kind of playful but high high quality, she verged on insane – jaw bracing, eyes darting – and I kept waiting to see a dark side but she maintained this tremendous aura of joy and quirkiness before, during and after her set, she also played guitar, the violinist was fantastic – a wispy near-severe former gothic woman in a red satin dress and ripped arms – purportedly one of the best in town, the positive interaction between the lead singer and the upright bass player when leaning in to share the microphone also built the appeal of a band that enjoys each other and enjoys what they’re doing, mostly old-timey swinging jazz and country songs, cute lyrics, one Spanish guitar song, one more modern-sounding song that reminded me of CocoRosie, the girl has it is my point
February 14, 2008: Karate Kids, Carousel Lounge, Austin TX
Feb 14
Art Rock, College Rock No Comments
the costumes were fantastic – every band member had a rigged costume that allowed them to play instruments with the real rams and fake limbs to maintain arms-raised one-leg-crooked-in-preparation – this gave them a perpetually hyped appearance which was the only relief, an insufficient relief, from their inane tacky boring music, less talented and less creative version of They Might Be Giants, kept returning to the Karate Kid theme in the lyrics of their song, the kind of band that would amuse you if it was a good friend playing for a group of friends, low-level talent insofar as vocals and instrumentals, the sctichk was all they had
February 10, 2008: Dead Meadow, Emo’s, Austin TX
Feb 10
Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Trance No Comments
the reason we actually came and they too were a top-notch band, more straightforward 70s rock with a healthy dose of blues, pleasing undertone of riff that suited them to the drone theme of the night, reminded me of my favorites The Black Keys, very unassuming attitudes
February 10, 2008: Ringo Deathstarr, Emo’s, Austin TX
Feb 10
another band on the Chronicle top ten, shoegazer but more perky than the other droners, possibly the youngest band I have ever seen
February 10, 2008: Black Mountain, Emo’s, Austin TX
Feb 10
Alt-Country, Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Trance No Comments
fantastic, a head-bobbing repetitive drone in keeping with the theme of the night, drone overlaid by alt-country and then could expand into wailing psychedelia, female lead singer in calico sack dress without a bit of makeup (all shiny health) had a marvelous little spooky voice that could comfort and disturb, the shaggy guitarist would add fantastic quirky vocal accompaniment that was strikingly similar to The Pink Mountaintops because come to find out he is their leader!, dark stoner music that is kindred to me and made me want to be a stoner
February 10, 2008: Strange Attractors, Emo’s, Austin TX
Feb 10
Britpop, Hard Rock, Trance No Comments
shoegaze with Sabbath riffs, Kyuss and the Beta Band, as good as I remembered and so young, Asian girl on bass is too cool, found out later that on the Chronicle’s top local bands list, black boy in the audience paid tribute by falling to the ground and spasming at the end of the show
February 10, 2008: Blood on the Wall, Emo’s, Austin TX
Feb 10
Garage Rock, Hard Rock, Indie Rock No Comments
Dead Moon and the Pixies, quirky indie rock with a lot of soul, only saw the end of the set but pretty appealing
February 9, 2008: Bleu Edmondson, Gruene Hall, Austin TX
Feb 09
Country, Southern Rock No Comments
a country rocker in a backwards baseball cap with a lot of cool posing, apparently a god to the glam-country set because the girls could barely take time away from the show to pee, did a lot of bad covers
February 7, 2008: Nanosmash, Carousel Lounge, Austin TX
Feb 07
Art Rock, Hard Rock 3 Comments
anticipation built as they set up a mess of gear and wound sparkly lights around the microphone, the red glittery moog guitar player was dressed in red elf clothing and then took off his red jacket to reveal a red “Flash” t-shirt and put on historical pilot goggles, the lead vocalist came in his plaid pajama pants and leftover eyeliner from the night before, the drummer was a preppy slightly effeminate man and the electric guitarist was a squat metalist likely from San Antonio, they were sci-fi punk with departures into pretty average rock, the red man gave “spooky” narratives through a voice distorter that were often too quiet to discern, the electric guitarist played riffs that ought to have been a lot quieter, seemed like a band with a concept with potential but really poor sound management
February 7, 2008: The Ramifications, Carousel Lounge, Austin TX
Feb 07
Weezer/Death Cab, skinny little boys… with a TOTAL anomaly of an aging 80s potbellied bass player closing his eyes rocking hard and pretending that he was actually in a heavy metal band, he got his moments but in the end the boys were triumphant, I think the disjunction made for more interesting songs
February 7, 2008: Falcon Buddies, Carousel Lounge, Austin TX
Feb 07
Heavy Metal, Indie Rock, Jam Band, Prog Rock No Comments
proggy with a tinge of metal and Calexico, went from White Rabbits to Trail of Dead, little boys trying to mute their excitement: obviously from Colorado (…were actually from San Marcos and the excitement was because it was their first show in Austin), the happiest the bass player wore no shoes
February 2, 2008: Blunt Force Trauma, Room 710, Austin TX
Feb 02
Heavy Metal, Thrash No Comments
intense bald lead vocalist, hardcore, more amusing was the sorry little mosh pit: there was a preppy guy and the squattest short man you’ve ever seen strutting around but the hippy was the only one who could dance
February 2, 2008: Laughing Dogs, Room 710, Austin TX
Feb 02
singer was a shock-blonde haired aging punk, hardcore punk, guitarist was in sweatpants – couldn’t decide if I respected him for his blasé attitude or was offended
February 2, 2008: Blood of Patriots, Room 710, Austin TX
Feb 02
Heavy Metal, Thrash No Comments
straightforward speed metal, distinguished only by their wildly angular guitar, enjoyed the blurring hand of the guitarist
