Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Cotton Mather

New music discovery took a backseat this year while I happily indulged in being a fangirl for bands that are no longer together. Austin band Cotton Mather reunited for the first time in a decade so that they could celebrate the reissue of 1997's Kontiki. Guitarists and vocalists Robert Harrison and Whit Williams still reside in the Austin area, while drummer Dana Myzer lives in the UK and bassist Josh Gravelin can be found in Minnesota.

I was determined to take advantage of all five opportunities to see them during the festival since the odds of another reunion are probably quite slim. During the week they mostly did songs from Kontiki, but they also played some stuff from their third and last album, The Big Picture. A reunion highlight was David Garza joining them at one of the Blurt Magazine day parties on the track Password. Everyone had huge grins on their faces, and the band sounded like they had picked up exactly where they left off a decade ago. Robert and Whit also made an appearance at one of the Big Star tribute performances singing The Battle of El Goodo with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow from The Posies and Jody Stephens from Big Star. Needless to say, I was in blissed out power pop heaven.

The shows weren't only attended by local diehards, fans from across the country and the world also were just as excited to hear their melodic gems once again. While mainstream success has eluded them, Kontiki was reissued due to fan support, and I can only guess that's also what inspired the SXSW reunion. NPR called Kontiki "the album that won't go gently," and one can only hope that Cotton Mather will find a new generation of fans who will keep their work going.

:Cotton Mather - 40 Watt Solution:

:Cotton Mather - Password:

Big Star

Cotton Mather share at least one common thread with Big Star - they were southern US Anglophiles trying to find an audience. More than two decades before Cotton Mather, Big Star was considered by many to be rock's first cult band. This year, SXSW invited the filmmakers of the work-in-progress documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me to do a sneak preview at the Paramount Theater. The screening was received with a rousing standing ovation, and after it was done there was a Q&A and a staging of the entire Third/Sister Lovers album by musician and record producer Chris Stamey.  The performance also featured the Tosca String Quartet, members of R.E.M., the Replacements, and the Posies. One of my favorite moments of it was For You sung by the only surviving Big Star member, drummer Jody Stephens. I could feel myself welling up and can only imagine that the audience was also feeling the presence of the late members - Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, and Andy Hummel. Following the Third/Sister Lovers set, the tribute performers played a bonus set of songs from #1 Record, Radio City, and the catalog of solo material from Chris Bell and Alex Chilton.

The documentary and tribute performances were outstanding highlights of my 15th SXSW. These are the kind of moments I can only dream of during a week that is simultaneously fun, frustrating, and inspiring.

:Big Star - The Ballad Of El Goodo:

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