Friday, March 19, 2010

On Friday I had to do a little bit of split duty again, working with my favorite Austin band, Zookeeper. They were playing a day show down at Fado, and since I hadn't gotten any St. Patrick's Day festivities in as yet, I decided it would be a good day to do so. After getting things managed for the band and all their gear up and running I headed to the bar to have a pint or two of the greatest beer in the world, Guinness. Zookeeper sounded fantastic, mixing in some new songs with older songs for a nice, rocking set. Ex-Gloria Record drummer Brian Malone was in town to throw down on the skins and Jeremy Gomez took his able hands to the bass guitar. Combined with Ben Houtman's excellent piano skills and Ben Lance's noisy guitar virtuosity, the 'Keeper sounded wonderful. Chris Simpson's voice was spot-on and the band was lively with energy as they rocked through some fine, fine tunes.

I headed back over to Canada House for my daily dose of hanging out with friends and getting in on some Texas-style grub. Today the Canadians were serving up some fine enchiladas, and I definitely took the time to partake in that treat. If nothing else could be gleaned from this year's SXSW, it is that the Canadians certainly know how to throw a party and keep it rolling. Simon Collins, son of drumming great Phil Collins, played at the party today, and his set was excellent. While his music tends towards the pop side of album rock, the musicians in his band were adept with their instruments and his voice is clear and rocking. The songs were interesting, with arrangements that kept the ear tuned in nicely, even with the distraction of just how uncannily the man looks like his father. At the end of his set, Simon sat down at a second drum kit to wail away on a lengthy solo accompanied by the other drummer from his band. The sound of two drummers filling a medium sized venue was wonderful, and Simon has obviously learned a lot from his dad about drumming. This five-minute-plus rhythmic throwdown was amazing, and the entire room was swept up in the energy and grace of the experience. Sass Jordan also played a lovely set while I was hanging with the Canadians. I remember (possibly correctly) when Sass' debut record came out back in the early 1990s and I remember her being a very good songwriter. This performance certainly cemented that memory as fact. Accompanied by two acoustic guitar players, Sass throw down very well, letting her voice carry the beautiful songs as the burrowed their way to the listeners' hearts. Her tour manager was delightful and we had a nice little chat before the show. I am still impressed with the wonderful way that the Canadians see the world, and look forward to having a lot more fun with them in future years.

I felt I owed it to my own countrymen (and myself) to head over to the Mile Hi-Fidelity day show, featuring a slew of great Colorado acts. The party has gotten so big this year that it necessitated two stages, and so we were treated to an indoor and an outdoor stage - and the weather outside was lovely. When I arrived, The Photo Atlas was busy blasting their way through their set… For some reason I thought that this band had kind of called it quits, but obviously this is not the case. They sounded fantastic in the small room they were playing in, full-tilt rock and roll music. They were loud and the crowd loved every minute of it. Snake Rattle Rattle Snake was playing outside, and I think I finally got a glimpse of why so much hype has been built around this band back home. I never really understood it, and I've seen the band a couple times, but it never really felt right to me… until now. This group of Colorado music scene veterans just ripped up the stage. They were playing songs with a ferocity that I had not witnessed from this band back in Denver, but things seemed to be less cluttered, and the sound more focused than I remember. Now I'm going to be out giving this band a chance soon.
Taun Taun threw down even more rock, like they tend to do. This band amazes me and every time I see them they get better and better, and louder and louder. Their songs seem to really be gelling, coming to a maturity within the band that I believe might push this band to be one of the next "big things" out of Denver. Outside, The Pirate Signal were throwing down some of the finest hip-hop I've ever heard from a local act. DJ A-What certainly knows his way around the turntables while Yonnas does nothing better than rap his heart out at all times.
The last band I heard from the Colorado embassy was long-time gothic country stalwarts Slim Cessna's Auto Club. This band continues to delight me every time I get the chance to see them play. Each show turns them just a hair more from their country roots to an almost punk rock ethos. Today was certainly no exception, as Slim Cessna and Munly led the band through twists and turns of loudly powerful and evocative songs, including a couple of new tunes. I have not heard the new Auto Club record, but am now looking forward to checking it out very much.

The night was wearing on, and I made a mad dash down the street to catch another local Austin band called Ovenbirds. This band is made up of some former members of the much-missed Zykos, including principal man Mike Booher. I almost hate to say it, but this band takes the things that were started in Zykos and builds them into something bigger and greater than that band had going on. The addition of former Gloria Record guitar player Brian Hubbard to offset the noisome magnificence of Ben Lance's playing makes for a deep, powerful sound. There are some amazing songs present in the Ovenbirds catalog, owing to more of a pop sense than much of Booher's other projects, but with the added dimensionality of layers upon layers of sound. While you've got the solid rhythm section of Kevin Bybee and Jeremy Gomez (ex-Mineral and Gloria Record) laying down throaty beats and magnificent low end, the cascading guitars and pianos really tie the magnificent melodies together, creating something that is much more than the sum of its parts. Many of the songs even have a vibe that is reminiscent of early U2, with a jangle and earnest rock sensibility that shows a tremendous leap in the local Austin scene. If a band can steal a little bit of sonic mastery from bands like The Cure and make it all sound relevant… how great could that band become?

-David DeVoe

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