Well it’s been
a weird week here on Side One Track One, so it should hardly
come as a surprise my temporary one-day promotion to Friday
editorial content director. Your usual host
unfortunately had business at the radio station early this
morning, so I’m filling in and making up for my missed post
last weekend.
I never much liked Deerhoof. I "do-do-do-do"-ed along to their big hit single a few years ago, and claimed to like the band, but deep down I was always suspicious of their weird cartoon-rock shenanigans that never quite reconciled with my preferences for a simple, effective melody. This weekend was the first time I’ve seen them live, and it completely changed my perception of the band. Lead-singer and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki started the show with a huge tiger mask on, hopping around the stage making goofy hand signs, but all with such a jovial, playful attitude that I couldn’t help be wooed into the good mood the band was perpetuation. They rocked a little harder than I thought they would, they drive a hard rhythm, and they don’t take themselves nearly as seriously as I had feared. For what it’s worth, Deerhoof has a new biggest fan. Here are some crazy videos and songs or something:
:Deerhoof - Offend Maggie:
Surprise 2 – Parts and Labor
Unlike with
Deerhoof, I was a fan of these Brooklyn rockers before
seeing them live. Their new album Receivers I think
is excellent, and I’ve been listening to it on and off for a
while now. So much of the album seems so well thought-out
and carefully planned though, that I guess I assumed it
would have to be dumbed way down live. It wasn’t. It was
awesome. What they lost from being unable to carefully adorn
their songs live they made up for with energy and a little
improvisation. Needless to say, I’m hooked for a while.
Surprise 3 – The Punk Stage If you took a quick break from crowd surfing and moshing to look towards the back of the stage during Leftover Crack’s set on Sunday, you would have noticed two very out-of-place guys nervously rocking along with this self-proclaimed "Crack Rock Steady" band. One of those guys was me, and I was enjoying every minute of it. Maybe it’s because of my background, but I don’t think I can ever take a band like this seriously - condemning police via music just isn’t my idea of effective protest, or even appropriate protest. But all that aside, this stage was, all day long, absolutely ridiculous-fun. Like, chugging bottles of Johnnie Walker on stage ridiculous-fun.
Let’s move on to my usual topic though: updates on the locals. Austin fell under my radar in the buildup to F3F, as mostly I was concentrating on the acts playing at the festival. So under my radar, in fact, that I nearly forgot about Sea Legs. Sea Legs - Ghost Of Alabama I’d never heard of Sea Legs when they got in touch with me a month or so ago, but I’ve sure been kicking myself for not mentioning them sooner. Their new album is the work of John Dupree and Michael Faircloth who, after moving to Austin from New York, recorded the entire thing in their home studio. For a home recording project, the album is unusually dynamic. While some songs remain in their unadulterated folk form with elements of alt-country tugging their sleeves, others are washed with thick layers of electronics and noise. Oddly enough, neither seems out of place, and though perhaps a little unusually, the two styles compliment each other throughout. The guys have since put a band together consisting of members of The Calm Blue Sea, and have redesigned some of the songs to be more conducive to live playing. Check them out if you get a chance, they’re playing November 19th at Club Deville in town. :Sea Legs - Falling Asleep At The Wheel:
- John Michael
Cassetta -
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