Sunday, November 9, 2008


- Fun Fun Fun Fest - Day 1 - Waterloo Park - Austin, TX -





Paul Green School Of Rock

Helping me kick off Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008 was none other the kids of the Paul Green School Of Rock.  With a bunch of interchangeable members and cover songs, I can't say that they impressed beyond reason, but they undoubtedly have talent that I will never know.  I look forward to seeing what each of them are involved with once they figure out exactly what they want to do with all those skills.

Grampall Jookabox

Grampall Jookabox's debut for Asthmatic Kitty is definitely an effort that tends to be very hit or miss with me, but live was a different story since he builds all of the songs right in front of you, which I thought added a much needed touch of accessibility to his sometimes cluttered sound.  Too bad it was only me and about 20 other people that were treated to his solid and interesting set.

I was really looking forward to Parts And Labor and, while their set was good, I think I left it feeling a little under whelmed.  Fortunately, I'm not sure that was necessarily the band's fault - they just seemed a bit out of place with an afternoon set.  I bet next time around will be better.

Parts And Labor


Parts And Labor





Centromatic

As a good friend of mine said yesterday, "when Centromatic goes rock they just sound like Tonic."  Now don't get me wrong, the band's set was solid (especially the last half).  It's just that they know they're not an act that really belongs at a festival, so they beefed up their material to entertain the masses.  Sure, that doesn't sound like the worst decision ever, but for them it unfortunately turns them into a bland rock group.  I'll need to catch them the next time they play a dark club at one in the morning.

I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting to see Pepi Ginsberg with a full band.  After all, the girl does have a great voice and is an interesting songwriter, so she needs no help!  Or something.  Anyhow, it was nice to hear that she has a catalog of good material.  Anyone have her recent full length that they maybe want to send my way?

Pepi Ginsberg







Trail Of Dead

To be honest, up until this point I was wondering if there would be anything about this year's FFF Fest that would make me want to move on from last year's.  Well, as if it was destined to happen, Trail Of Dead hit the stage and blew my face off.

I had actually never seen them before, but in hearing about all the recent issues with the band and not necessarily loving their last couple of efforts - I was pretty much only expecting awkwardness.  Nope!  Instead they delivered an epic set that showed off a couple of stellar new songs and cemented them in my mind as an act that I should never miss live.
 

Deerhoof

Deerhoof was the group that I most looking forward to on the first day, and they did not disappoint.  Their entire hour-long set was littered with selections from their diverse catalog of tunes and none of them had one single moment without a smile and some spunk in their movements.  Professional would be an understatement.

Tim Fite

At this point in the night the dust was so bad at Waterloo Park that the wife and I decided to end the first day with either Atmosphere or Tim Fite.  We went with the latter, and it was one our best decisions ever.  That's right, ever.

Much of Fite's material is pretty interesting in its own right, but the way its presented live is so wildly entertaining that it rivals Man Man and other acts that really know how to put on a show.  Part of his brilliance is certainly how kinetic and exaggerated he is when the music is going, but it doesn't hurt that he also has a screen with footage of him playing the songs (even more bizarre is that its synched to what he's doing live, so he's everywhere you look) and he employs a quasi-hype man that spends much of his time out in the crowd.  It's honestly an encompassing experience that never once allows your mind to stray.

I will never miss an opportunity to let Tim Fite blow my mind.  Seriously.

- John Laird -



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