Saturday, 21 March 2009

8:00PM Rachel Goodrich (The Ale House)

I really liked her sample song "Little Brown Bear," but I frankly didn't know what to make of it. It had a nifty, clean, acoustic sound common of many singer songwriters, but with a unique, catchy edge. Her voice was also not the typical shrill whiny voice of a singer-songwriter, but a rich, dynamic, breathy voice with a pleasant smile built in. But that implied smile also seemed a bit too smug. Then I perused her website, where she touts a quirky oddball image common of many talented Bohemian musicians, many of whom who will go nowhere because their quirky politics and social agendas get in the way, but some of whom have the inherent irreverence necessary to blaze their own trail and garner a throng of admirers. She could be just another Michelle Shocked, whose radical politics and social agendas isolated her to the fringe. But she could be the next Liz Phair, who eventually got over herself to make some great pop music while still staying true to her fringe artistic side on her own time. Rachel she didn't expressly tout her politics or any sort of social agenda on her website, so maybe it was just a negative image association with the Michelle Shockeds of the world. As a fellow member of the Tribe, I also wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. This show could go South in a sea of bitter leftist antics, or the image could just be just a fun, goofy schtick that compliments the music.

The reverse-matching bow-tie uniforms (see picture) and the mannish female drummer on a single bass drum did not help resolve my reservations. After the first song, JT left to find something else. And then she brought out a plastic kazoo on a harmonica bracket for a LONG quirky song where she and her drummer sarcastically chanted "1-2-3, 2-2-3" to a quick waltz rhythm and in the voice of an old British school marm who rolls her "R's" too much. She very clearly lost the crowd, and the only buzz at this show was the sound of the audience talking loudly over the music.

But all that said, I still really liked her music and really enjoyed the show. Apart from the campy kazoo song that lost the audience, her music was a refreshing and positive change from the hard rock we had pursued and enjoyed the past three days. I found myself smiling quite naturally. And she came across as very likeable and friendly, both onstage and afterwards when I spoke with her briefly. I wish she would have had more time to play, because she obviously was caught off guard when told she had only one more song left and did not get to her best song (Little Brown Bear). I bought her CD afterwards and told her how much I really liked her voice and her music. I invited her to the SXSW Softball Tournament, but she was going to New Orleans for a show Sunday night.

8:40PM Attack In Black (Red 7 Patio)

A No-Show. I don' know what happened. They were listed on the schedule for the venue but not in the band listings of the SXSW program guide. Nonetheless, this band was John's favorite band from last year, so we all placed it on high-priority and because of the mid-hour time slot, this show conflicted-out several other bands like Hot Panda . They apparently had cancelled just before the festival because they were not even listed on the door at the venue. Although we were able to wander for other bands, we did waste our time trying to go to this show, which was frustrating and somewhat threw the rest of the night in disarray.

9:00PM We Should Be Dead (Soho Lounge)

The band started off on the right foot out of a bad situation. About four minutes before the show started, they admitted, "It might not look like it, but we are in a serious crisis mode because we need a power adaptor, so please bear with us." They not only communicated with the audience about a possible delay, they got the audience rooting for them to solve the adaptor problem. Their sample had a punky girl pop rock sound to it, but the live show had less punkeyness and more of a straight rock sound to it. I also noticed that the guitarist had her guitar tuned to an "E" chord so she could just bar one fret and move it up and down the fretboard: sort of a cheaters way of playing guitar.

After the initial song, John and I debated my describing the band as "punky:" somewhat of a theme of mocking that John has found endearing to the point where he does not realize how annoying and unoriginal it has become. Nonetheless, he had a point, here. Although the guitar featured simple bar chords with heavy distortion, the beat, the melody, and the "vibe" did not feel like "punk, nor did it even sound "punky." However, John then posited that they played girl Pop Rock, to which I took issue. Debbie Gibson is girl pop rock, I retorted unconvincingly. On reflection, though, I realized that Debbie Gibson is more aptly described as Bubblegum Girl Pop. Bubblegum. The more I listened to this band's actual performance, the more it sounded like bubblegum hard rock: nothing punky about it. And the lead singer--with her pretty face, flowy garments, and riskless, passionless dance movements--reminded me of Stevie Nicks, not Nancy Vicious. So I proposed Bubblegum Hard Rock to John, and he accepted the description.

Suddenly, I realized there was a reason we were debating how to describe this band during their show. They were not that good. Using principle #2, we quickly left.


9:00PM Gentleman Reg (Beauty Bar)

Desperate for some captivating entertainment during the 9:00 hour, we walked down to the Beauty Bar to check out my third choice and JT's first choice for this time slot.

Fortunately, the third time was the charm and JT was right about this pick. Although the lead singer had this annoying, self-absorbed, effeminate quality to him, the music was quite decent. They also actually pulled off "slowing it down for a song" without completely losing either my attention or the attention of the audience. The drummer was also this cute, spunky chick with very natural rhythm. She reminded me of the fact that I once realized that girls probably could not play drums because I couldn't think of a single band I liked with a solid girl drummer. Perhaps because of Title IX, that has not been true for a while, now, because here was yet another clear counterexample to that fortunately-outdated stereotype.


10:00PM Medi & The Medicine Show (Creekside at Hilton Garden Inn)

This show started fifteen minutes late, making it difficult if not impossible to make the other 10:00 shows if it did not pan out. And not-pan-out it did! Although scheduled at the Creekside Hotel Bar, the sample from this "band" was one of the best of all the samples, and I really looked forward to seeing them: a really big, edgy, modern pop sound. Unfortunately, the leader of the band showed up alone with just his acoustic guitar, announcing that he left his band back in Paris. Are you kidding me?

On the bright side, at least I got to poop in the clean hotel bathroom while waiting for the "show" to start. But to see this "band," I missed out on The Emeralds and on Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, two of my favorite bands from last year's SXSW. I felt really frustrated and misled. False advertising is not a good thing.

10:00PM Hollarado (Beauty Bar)

I should have hit Elysium to see The Emeralds or trekked up to Submerged for Ezra Furman, but time was wasting and JT texted me that Hollarado sounded awesome. When I arrived, they had just started a solid, straight-forward, hard rock song that finally fit the bill. No frills, no gimmicks, just rock and roll as it should be.

But then after one more solid hard rock song, they slowed it down and got mired in half-witted ballad mode that really did not inspire at all. They continued the more mellow vibe for two or three more songs and lost our interest. It was not just the slower tempo, as proven by Gentleman Reg. It was the passionless play that made it look like they were just filling time between the opening songs and the final song. Their final song returned to the hard-rocking core, but the entire show was somewhat of a bust because the middle of the show simply was not inspiring.

11:00PM Ty Segall (Red 7)

From the Beauty Bar, I suggested that we go next door to Red 7 to catch Ty Segall, whose upbeat, hard-edged song was decent. John listened to it and eagerly agreed. And when we arrived, Segall not only was on time, he was a bit ahead of schedule. And the song we heard as we entered sounded just right: a catchy, driving, hard rock song. However, just like Hollarado, he similarly "changed it up" with a song featuring a passionless, syncopated, reggae-like waltzy rock beat common of many jam bands. It is as if some rock bands write songs to this rhythm simply because they feel obligated, even though it wasn't that inspiring of interesting to begin with. JT left, impatient to return to the Beauty Bar, but I stuck it out for a few songs. He played another decent song, but then changed it up again to yet another overplayed slower rock pattern that just didn't catch at all.

Then this fat chick stood next to me with a cigarette. I politely reminded her that smoking indoors was illegal in Austin, which she might not have known because Red 7 actually had a bogus "front patio" that served as a crowded smoking lounge for a throng of hipster burnouts outside the open door to the venue. She belligerently responded "Do you work here?" as if she didn't care about it unless I had some authority. I responded, "Yes, I work for the police. Put out your cigarette." For some reason, she actually bought it, and apologized and walked back out to the smoking lounge. That exchange and the inconsistent music inspired me to change it up, myself, and check out The Knux.

11:00PM The Knux (Vice)

Five out of the last six bands were inconsistent at best, so I started feeling antsy. While JT sought more hard rock, I tried to diversify.

I am not a big fan of Rap: too much of it seems redone and uninspired. The attitudes are ridiculous, and all the songs all sound the same. Also, the egotistical, braggart, bold declarations of how great you are ("All my ladies and ma homies call me Toot-sie Roll") might have been edgy and ballsey twenty years ago, but it has become a tiresome formula as boring and a J-Lo Romantic Comedy. But there are exceptions. In particular, when rappers get over themselves and sing/rap about the rest of the world, and when rappers start appreciating something good in the world instead of harping on the same old shit, I tend to like the music more.

The Knux had the funniest sample song last year, singing "I want a Fresh Cappuccino with a Mocha Twist" in a song that had a decent Gangsta Rap feel to it. The irony was hilarious: fruffy gangsta rap. I wanted to see them last year, but they were conflicted out.

The show was decent, and they played their "Cappuccino" song as the third song after I arrived. But they ultimately came across as just a little better than the ordinary rap band, with a drumbox and five guys standing onstage prancing around as if they are God's gift to music, when really they are just a bunch of guys doing Karaoke to a drumbox. The crowd also was just a bunch of white poser rap fans with no rhythm, which didn't help the vibe. The Knux were better than most rap bands I have seen, but I found myself looking for the next best thing after a few songs, and saw Greg Camp on my list at 11:30.

11:30PM Greg Camp (Smokin' Music)

The venue was mid-sized to large, but dead. Just slightly off the beaten track, there could not have been more than 30 people in the space that could fit perhaps 1000. The band seemed to respond in kind: unenthusiastically. Greg Camp's between-song banter showed his disappointment. "There are CDs over there with that guy in the corner... so you can buy one... if you want to... which you probably won't." Unfortunately, it conveyed into the music, and I found myself still looking for the next good thing. I left after three songs to check out The Gin Riots.

12:00AM The Gin Riots (The Rio)

Seven out of the last eight bands now were inconsistent at best, a no-show at worst. This night was not going well, but I still felt optimistic about this pick. The Gin Riots' song sample, The Polka," sounded like a cross between the Arctic Monkeys, the Kaiser Chiefs, and the Killers: explosive, tight alternative hard rock with the potential to break out into a dancey beat. I really like the tight, non-distorted electric guitar sound that brings the Arctic Monkeys to mind. It truly "sounds" like electricity.

Unfortunately, the band was scheduled at The Rio, which is off the beaten path and did not have much of an audience. The Rio is the former site of "The Real World-Austin" MTV show. It was a converted warehouse that did not have any of the warehouse charm. I had seen a good show by Cruiserweight last year at the Rio, where the lead singer ended the show by diving into the fountain adjacent to the stage. But even that show still felt tepid in that environment where a fountain took over an entire wall of space. This crowd was much more sparse and fairly well-behaved. With such a lame crowd, it was like watching a rehearsal, not a show. Even though I liked the band, I really wanted to see Backseat Goodbye, so I left after four songs, including their single that I really liked.

The venue was so lame that the bouncers checking badges had completely abandoned their post. The above captures the scene as I walked in the door, which did not look promising for a good rock show. (The stage is located off to the right behind the guy on his cell phone.)

12:00AM Backseat Goodbye (Cedar Street Courtyard)

I left The Gin Riots to see this "band," which turned out to be just another folk singer with a guitar masquerading as a band. I had really looked forward to this band, with a clean, acoustic, upbeat sound with decent lyrics and a clean young voice: another nice contrast to all the hard-core, punky bands we had seen. I even went despite the scheduling at Cedar Street. He was talented enough, but I can see a guy play guitar any day at a Coffeehouse open mic show. I wanted a band, and this night was tanking horribly. After JT texted me from the Silversun Pickups show (see below), I left instantly to go to Antone's around the corner.

12:00AM Silversun Pickups (Antone's)

"Just what the doctor ordered."

Back at the Gin Riots show, I had texted JT about my dismay over this night. The count was now at eight out of the last ten bands being inconsistent at best, a no-show at worst. JT was in line for Silversun Pickups and responded, "I'm a big Silversun fan, so this is close to an ace in the hole, although they do not have a "live band" sound, so we will see." I described how the Gin Riots were good, but had a lame crowd. He said that Silversun was running very late, but he would let me know how they were when they started. Later, as I lamented the false advertising of Backseat Goodbye, I received the following text: "Just what the doctor ordered." I was gone in two seconds.

Antone's had a line when I arrived, but it was not that long. While waiting in line, I ran into the guitar player for Scissors for Lefty and talked to him for a bit. He said that they had turned the lights off at their showcase so as to feature the light board that they brought to the festival. I was too polite to tell him what a huge mistake that was, nor about how his lead singer practically ruined their show two years in a row. But I did compliment their song from both year's samples. Then a drunken neighbor of mine screamed in gleeful joy at running into me, asking me sarcastically why I never, ever say hello to her. We vowed to be better friends, if only so he could be invited to next year's Super Bowl Party, which she felt left out of this year.

Anyway, the line suddenly kicked into gear, and when I got to the door, they told me I was the last person they were letting in. I took it as a sign that things were turing around. I found JT quickly in the crowd as Silversun started only their second or third song due to sound problems.

Silversun Pickups was by far the most popular band we saw the entire festival. We purposefully missed Metallica and Kanye West, but we needed an "Ace in the Hole," as JT put it because the night was turning out so lame and it looked like we also might not be able to get in to the Shiney Toy Guns show at 1:00. And Silversun Pickups single-handedly saved the night.

The set crescendoed toward their big pop hit song, which sounds a bit like an up-to-date Smashing Pumpkins. As that song steadily progressed, the bass player went from standing insecurely onstage to shaking her head in a frenzy of concentration and unity with the music, just as the guitarist burst out into a frenetic, orgasmic solo. This band was amazing and completely professional. They suffered through sound board problems without letting it affect the show. They played to the crowd and had fun onstage. Each band member added their own flair: the lead singer with his amazing guitar work and laid-back frontman banter, the drummer with his wild-hair head banging, the somewhat dorky female bass player, and the quiet, seated keyboard player.

Definitely the show of the night so far: indeed,the salvation of the night.

1:00AM Shiny Toy Guns (Vice)

I saw The Knux at this venue earlier, and it was already packed and sweltering. Vinh texted me from there, too, while I was at the Silversun Pickups show, and he also said that the venue was even more packed and was horribly hot, so he left. I had also asked the badge-checker at the door whether the crowd was there for he Shiney Toy Guns or some other band, and she said, "definitely for Shiney Toy Guns." So I did not think we would get back into the show.

Fortunately, not only did the crowd thin out, but the venue propped open the windows to allow some of the cool, nighttime spring air into the venue. I walked right in, and was able to slide easily into the middle of the crowd, dead center. After Silversun, I felt exhausted but pumped. Based on their sample, "Ghostland," Shiney Toy Guns was my top choice for the festival, and I hoped it would be a sensational end to the festival. It featured an explosive, aggressive, orgasmic, big, synthesized rock sound that bordered on dance rock but kept shifting back into solid pop rock. The sample made this show the anticipated "it" show of the festival for me.

However, the show did not deliver, and not just because I had high hopes for it. The first problem was the venue. A Hip Hop venue that had hosted some rap acts throughout the night, the sound guy was apparently deaf to bass. He kept the bass so loud that I truly could not hear any of the music for several bars, including the explosive chorus of "Ghostland." At least twenty people around me winced and plugged their ears with their fingers. I texted John, "Joel, do you notice something?" He astutely responded, "Something... unpleasant?" I finished, "... a preponderance of bass, perhaps?" I included a picture of the sound guy just to publicly display the image of the person who absolutely ruined the Shiney Toy Guns show.

The second problem was the band. Although I really liked "Ghostland" and their other hit single that had made it into the Top 40 charts, those songs did not exactly represent their body of work too well: or at least did not represent the music they played at the show. (And then the sound guy ruined "Ghostland," anyway.) After a few upbeat, high-energy songs to open the show, they slipped into a synthesized ballad mode. Tonight had featured the best (Gentlemen Reg) and the worst (everyone else) of ballad modes, and I was getting really sick of it. I left to get our bikes from the other side of the festival while John stayed behind.

I should have stayed, if only to see the way the show ended. I actually left at about 2:00 a.m., when all bars are supposed to shut down. But the band kept playing for about a half hour later. Eventually,the Police walked in and told the management to shut the show down, but the band refused to stop playing. The management then abruptly turned all the power off onstage, including the lights. The band kept singing, inspiring the crowd to sing along until the Police politely escorted everyone out of the building. (JT did note that the cops were cool about it, and just doing their job.) Pretty redeeming. I wish I would have seen it.

 

Overall, I went to see thirteen bands Saturday night. One was a complete no-show. Two turned out to be folk singers with a solo guitar masquerading as a band. Six others were rather disappointing compared to their samples and were inconsistent at best. Another had a lame crowd that made it seem like a rehearsal, not a show. That left only three good shows out of thirteen: Rachel Goodrich, who only played twenty-five minutes; Gentlemen Reg, of whom I only caught two or three songs; and Silversun Pickups, which was sensational. Even though the night started well and Silversun Pickups was one of the best shows of this year's festival, the night was definitely the shabbiest SXSW night I have experienced.