I really enjoy the Mountain Goats but this is a band whose music can be intensely cerebral. Sorting through the meaning of songs and the meaning beneath the meaning of other songs is exhausting business. This point was never more obvious than the first half of their show in Portland Maine. Take Absolute Lithops Effect, a song about a shut-in that morphs (literally? metaphysically? does it matter?) into a plant. Mountain Goats fans like nothing more than to figure out which narrative voices pop up on different albums and in different songs. The Mountain Goats have inspired reams of philosophical musings on the meanings and connective tissue between songs. Try doing that with even two Justin Bieber tracks.

John Darnielle introduced most of the songs with a bit of storytelling. He talked at length about the couple (with the implied autobiographical bent) that have inspired a whole songbook from the rotting layers of their relationship in Alpha Negative to the thematic postscript Alpha Rats Nest and of course, the obvious one No Children – inciting the audience to scream enthusiastically, “I hope we both die!” He introduced the real life wrestler Ox Baker with a gently spun analysis of Baker’s probable mindset (he was famous for the Heart Punch which is exactly what it sounds like) and a fictional set of circumstances in Baker’s life revolving around a t-shirt with his famed catchphrase “I love to hurt people” that might have led Darnielle to be inspired to write the song Ox Baker Triumphant in which the wrestler gets revenge on…everyone…if only it had really happened.

Darnielle is a gifted songwriter and an equally gifted showman. There were times of utter beauty (Wild Sage) and exuberant rock ‘n’ roll (second encore Jenny which he introduced by way of asking the audience if they would kindly take a barn burning 2nd encore as his version of telling us the show was over.) He called someone in the audience an asshole – twice – “Here’s a tip,” he said, “Don’t be an asshole” for suggesting he play Free Bird. He also asked that everyone chatting in the back of the venue just go away. But he was also greatly appreciative to find an audience in Maine – he said he had never played in the state before – and I can attest that the majority of the crowd knew the music. The band cranked up the intensity with Woke Up New (easily one of my favorites of the night) and didn’t let up until the house lights came on.

And to be fair, it’s absolutely true that some songs don’t require extensive analysis. Going to Maine is about a man (with the understood autobiographical bent) who takes his affair out of state to avoid being found out by his wife. And as you can probably already guess, it doesn’t end well.

Setlist
Pure Gold
The Diaz Brothers
Fall of the Star High School Running Back
Absolute Lithops Effect
Beautiful Gas Mask
Alpha Negative
Alpha Rats Nest
Song for Mark and Joel
Wild Sage
Idylls of the King
Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace
Spent Gladiator 2
Ox Baker Triumphant
It Froze Me
Broom People
Dance Music
Woke Up New
International Small Arms Traffic Blues
1st Encore
The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton (with The Baptist Generals’ Chris Flemmons and Ryan Williams)
Going to Maine
No Children
2nd Encore
Jenny

[New Orleans, LA] An in-the-meantime band. They were quintessential Midwest rockers – Cheap Trickian – basically the hard rock you’d hear in a bar. For instance, he had a Kum N Go t-shirt on. Borderline poppy punk, borderline heartland rock – i.e., power pop. It wasn’t your typical SXSW fare but we both enjoyed it. Oy oh! Just looked them up, realized they’re Reatard-affiliated (The Bad Times), we’ve seen them before & loved them, and this is why I have to keep notes. Apologies, Reatard disciples.

[Austin, TX] This band was on my list and I kind of regretted it. They fit my initial impression during SXSW research almost perfectly: “male 90s indie rock with kind of cheesy dated lyrics – they’re kind of good – think they’re on Thurston Moore’s label.” They put on an energetic show but it didn’t make sense – it was like seeing kids in their grandparents’ sweaters.

[San Francisco] An in-the-meantime band. Interesting. 80s flavored indie pop. Couldn’t help but notice the male bassist in a high bun and lipstick. Lots of reverb and echo-voice. Keyboard and tambourine. Some afro pop. They were definitely of The New Sound – with those high clanging guitars and the quiet and loud. I’d like to hear more.

[London] A chance encounter after Royal Thunder. This kind of metal walks a fine line with me but this band stayed right on the sweet edge of the line. Super hard, super precise, and with showmanship. A speed metal version of Black Sabbath? The lead singer was a cross between Rob Zombie and a Viking forest gnome – and he would gently inquire after the crowd between ferocious songs. I was trying to figure out who we were seeing and asked a fool kid who had no idea – a more serious man ran after me to reassure me this was Orange Goblin. Just as much as I want to sit on David Lowery’s beachside porch, I wouldn’t mind going into a cave with these guys.

[San Antonio] How could you not like them? 50s doo wop with an indie styling. I heard rockabilly, Rockboy heard tex-mex – and we were probably both right. There was some oompah. They were a band for all ages. The sound at the venue was terrible this day, and we gave the band extra credits for getting past this, but after listening to some youtube stuff, it may have been more of the band than we realized. Again, a band with lots of potential.

[San Antonio] At least ten members – guitars, vibes, fiddle, etc. etc. They were Balmorhea (instrumental rock) but not as engaging, or more benign. They are a high quality, good looking band with a lot of potential. Nowhere to go but up.

[Vancouver] This was the band I’d come to see and I watched them mill around by the side of the stage while waiting through the band before them. I could tell this girl was a mean primapunk from the second I saw her – even her band members seemed to be avoiding her. Punk-white-blonde hair, skinny jeans, impossibly high wedge heels – she was the rock version of Lady Gaga. And, of course, once they took the stage, she hassled the sound guy forever, and, of course, her fierceness is exactly what works for her as the lead singer of a mostly female thrash band. I loved this band. She stood all tiny and in command, and her white translucent hands and arms, finally freed of the knitted black sweater, flew and wavered in front of her as she screamed at us. After the second song, she apologized to the audience for her throat problems – the tactics of an insecure high-strung person – setting up the reason for any possible failure before the failure happens. She managed to carry on, and well. They were kind of riot girrl but with complicated proggy guitar (male), strong bass (a goth Joan Jett), and drums (more of a dark clothing with pearls type girl). None of them outshone the princess, although the bassist was intriguing. Best of all, she ended the set by running off the stage in tears –artists will have their moments.

[Philadelphia] I’d been watching reruns of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (first-run for me), and so this band, being from Philadelphia, kept reminding me of the show what with their dirty urban look. The female lead, dirty bleach blonde, had an ironic Mickey Mouse t-shirt on. They were hard enough that they drove away a good half of the crowd. Mostly, they reminded me of the 90s. Noise rock with an atonal but melodious undertone – flat unwavering vocals – a midlevel whine dominating every song. I’m too of the 90s to describe its sound – it’s just an overall feeling for me and they had it. The Vaselines… Yo La Tengo… what have you. It was nice to hear something different but I wouldn’t listen to them.

[Oakland, CA] BetterThanSomething recommended him as a great perverted show – and he came through. He wore a dirty ragged rabbit mask, a ratty wig, torn mangled clothes, and a torn mangled body. The clothes came off by the end of the show to reveal torn mangled underwear. He mouthed his microphone, and then stuffed it in his underwear. Jumped in the crowd, pushed people. The music and his performance style is similar to Hunx & His Punx: wooing the audience in a fey way and engaging in shocking behavior while all the time singing ridiculously innocent doo wop style songs. As a young girl, I would have gloried in it. As a less young girl, I felt kind of sad that we watch artists self-destruct to appease whatever part of our selves wants to self-destruct. He was backed by a cleaner cut Ramones-esque trio of guitarist, bassist, and drummer. Don’t see this band for the spectacle, see them because they are a very good punk n roll, lite garage punk, dirty doo wop band.

[Chicago] The pretty blonde lead singer has that deep voice that somehow squeaks at the same time – reminded me of all those British soulsters that are so popular right now. She carried herself like a proper superstar too, which I mean as a compliment. The backing music (all sorts of people and instruments) was kind of tropical and had elements of ska sometimes. Rich, unusual, high quality. The whole band is also unusually attractive, not that that’s what’s important Listening to their online stuff – there’s a lot more dub than I realized – good band!

[Arizona] This was supposed to be The Show. An intimate member of the Jay Reatard family. I’m not as familiar with this band, but Jay & Alicja were involved in it. Ryan Wong/Rousseau was in Jay’s early bands (which are very good), leads this band, and is involved somehow with Digital Leather (an excellent Jay-produced band). He seems to be a powerhouse who hasn’t gotten as much recognition as Jay did. First, ‘my doorman’ turned me away, all SXSW like – the transition from happy free time to mean badge time had already begun. Sure, I could see the band, because they were playing on the porch (which is not even a stage) but I’d have to stand outside the gate on the sidewalk. Luckily I didn’t look all sad dog because the sidewalk and street ended up being packed. They were 4-5 guys (it was difficult to see, being that I was on the sidewalk) on guitars and drums. They started with reverb, like half of the bands did today. They were really hard. Ryan Wong (think an even angrier Johnny Knoxville) spent some time slapping the microphone stand, slamming the microphone into a column, sucking on the microphone. I wasn’t overcome with joy but some songs had something more, more construction, and then I was really happy. I think there is definitely a distinction in his and Jay’s sound – they’re both loud and noisy but I think Wong may verge more into the thrash/noodly whereas Jay more into garage/punk. Overall, it sounds like Ryan Wong has a diverse set of sounds and I have faith they are all worth the time investment. Praise be Jay Reatard and all of his disciples/muses.

[England] Officially speaking, I hate this genre – pop punk – cheerful encouraging vocals over hard music. This band was very Cruiserweight – I would have a non-Austin reference except I just don’t listen to these bands. I was there to visit with PatientPassion and CAPITALS, and I trusted their musical judgment. They didn’t fail! This band won me over. Male bassist and drummer fronted by a female singing and on guitar. The males were happy go lucky sorts – one in a rockabilly shirt and the other all smiles and curly hair. She troubled me (a la John Cage). She had a severe blonde bob, very dark makeup on her eyebrows and eyes, and an outfit that was a strange mix of girly/punky and severe business suit. She widened her eyeballs until there were whites above the pupils and stared at the crowd intensely (and cheerfully) when she just didn’t need to – but it worked – maybe she was hypnotizing us. In my imaginings she was a fierce young one who has grown up and created a powerful band. I really fell, though, when they suddenly segued into prog metal – almost of the Dream Theatre variety – it was super exciting! It turned into a jam session. They’re an interesting band and a class act for sure. Oh, and the best part was that the band tried to interact with LuckiestKidEver when she was on her dad’s shoulders with big pink earmuffs, she cried, and the band made note of the fact that she was the second kid they’d made cry at the end of the show. LuckiestKidEver remained mortified but CAPITALS was pleased by the whole situation.

[Lafayette, IN] At least here, the doorman remains the same… and one of the bartenders too… and the “Please Don’t Do Coke In Our Bathroom” sign. Unblah! This band was fantastic. The lead singer was dressed 80s nerd with the curly pompadour and pointy white shoes – he gyrated and he had his smoke machine. I am a massive sucker for synthy dark music so this all would have been enough for me, but this band was more than that. For one, the lead singer was also an astounding guitar player – and how many astounding guitar players choose to form a band like this? I wish they all would. They were kind of a more rocking Joy Division, a more synthy Bauhaus – but there was also something rich in their music – the band head nodded throughout, as if they were shoegazers. And I liked that the shortest band member was sandwiched between the two tallest band members and was practically reaching up to his high keyboard. This band’s sound is too reminiscent of 80s goth to be described as breaking new ground but what a welcome relief from all the new sound nonsense.

[Toronto] I just wanted to visit my beloved, which is decimated – all the wall paintings in the small room are gone, the benches in the big room are torn out, and the bartenders are bland. Blah. This band has no definable sound. Lots of noise, male and female vocals. Mostly heavy. I didn’t like them.

[Houston, TX] My first two weeks in Houston, we got a lot of recommendations from people on what/where/who a newcomer ought to do/be/see in Houston. This band was mentioned by several people, although I wasn’t sure if there were actually two bands: The Hates and The Hades. Time passed – I forgot. Then they won an award as one of Houston’s best bands through some contest put on by Cactus Music, Houston’s very fine local music store. They may have won this award because of their popular song “Houston,” but they are nonetheless a well-established band (back into the 70s). First off, the lead singer is adorable. Still very punk (brilliant mohawk, cheesy skeleton leather jacket). But all friendly and lively – loves life and people – just the sort of punk I admire most. The other band members seem to have shifted over time. So Christian Arnheiter, the lead singer, just finished a biography of his life and was promoting it before their set. He’d cut up little slips of paper with numbers, encouraged the crowd to take them, and then drew numbers to determine who won a copy of his book. Adorable, like I said. They’re upbeat 70s/80s punk – short songs, lots of ‘Oi!s.’ Some Misfits. Lots of groove really. Super proficient and very tight. The absolute best part, though, was the look of complete pleasure that swamped Christian’s face every time the music struck up. Very good and very loveable band.

On a mission to make amends for a half a year of pathetic homeboundedness. I like the looks of the place: mixed age, credibility without depravity. And then finally the band takes the stage. And they’re wearing an Austin t-shirt – what the hell!? Some Lake Travis sports reference, which I refuse to interpret as ironic, because the four boys are white and clean cut as all get out, and very likely did attend school in the wealthy suburb of Lake Travis. My other bone of contention is that Houston’s (pathetic) music scene is entirely dependent on Austin. Anyway, they are a meld of a power pop and pop punk. Watching them, I was mostly transfixed by the lead singer’s facial expressions – which could be interpreted as aggro or mental imbalance a la Charles Manson. Their songs brought to mind Fountains of Wayne, Spoon, Tom Waits, and Irish drinking songs. The keyboard player and his sound, I finally determined, are a key contributor to the character of this band. From what I saw, I’d say they’re a pretty good band.

[Houston, TX] I remained discomfited by the exceedingly genteel crowd, but this band comforted me to a certain extent. Their members pretty much explained the people in the audience who had been of visual interest. They were a spare sort of semi-dark folk, which is a genre I love. Great fiddle, minimalist keyboard, heavy drums, and some echoing backup. The lead singer (of course, one of the mean cold hipsters who had shunned me outside, with his little moustache) was poetic and convincing. It turns out the lead singer was in a dark folk band notorious in Houston: listenlisten – this is him quieted down. I really liked them.

Just a lone man on a stage with a bit of a combover and an electric guitar. He was a singer/songwriter in essence so the electric guitar was different – his sound was loud as well, almost to the point of distortion, which I blamed on the kid sound man diddling on his iphone. But it also spoke to the performer’s boldness, and really lack of singer/songwriter-ness. I really liked his deep voice. He immediately reminded me of Red House Painters – that kind of melancholy rumble. Interesting lyrics too that make you want to pay attention. After the first song, he asked the audience if they had any questions – unusual and cute. A guy raised his hand and said, “Edward or Jacob?” The only reason I got it was because my niece had asked me the very same question the week before – David Bazan totally didn’t get it, and good for him. He rallied, debated the merits of the two names, and picked Jacob because of his “Christian background.” The question asker was polite and didn’t call him on it. His Christian background came up several times (he said it like he was no longer Christian?), but I attribute the blend of passion and restraint in his music to that background. Another audience member asked him what he thought about the name Jacobo, and he didn’t get that either. Then I was starting to feel embarrassed for him, but finally he got it: “Oh you mean how people in other languages say Jacob…” I didn’t like the second more rocking song. The songs I liked the most kind of had a Songs: Ohia sound, but he performed them in the way Songs: Ohia could never pull off live (damn that band for disappointing me so many times). I couldn’t figure out why people were slinking across the floor trying to get close ups of him… I’d looked the show up and given it a thumbs up in my little black book, but then promptly forgot whatever I read. Pedro the Lion! They were The Band one SXSW – I don’t know them or didn’t like what I heard and forgot about them – but any band deserves a second chance, especially when their “lead singer and creative force” put on such an interesting show all by himself. He asked for questions after his second song too, and then it was really endearing because it seemed he was serious instead of going for an effect – and especially because he was willing to risk it after the first question session. The Jacobo guy asked him a long muffled question that Bazan repeated as whether he wrote offensive lyrics because he was trying to live up to his image…. Or… basically why? It was a great question and he gave a great answer. Basically that this is art, it’s the kind of art he likes, he immediately related to punk music when he first heard it, still loves Fugazi, and so he feels he can push people in his music in ways he wouldn’t in real life. Someone else asked what he’d be doing if he wasn’t a musician. He thought about it and said that he would probably be a junior high teacher, because it would be the sort of job with levels of humiliation comparable to touring every day. And then I really liked him – he was kind of deadpan comedian. He reminded the crowd how lucky they were to have a music store like this, how rare it is, and it’s true. Waterloo will always be number one in my heart, but Cactus Music is pretty all right. Speaking of, I particularly like the monument on one wall to two great Austin bands, Black Angels & Trail of Dead – although I think it’s more the label they’re both on than a monument to Austin – I’ll believe what I want. I also love the two cloth murals that portray Johnny Cash and Ray Charles (El Rey Charles) as day of the dead skeletons – new Texas personified. Driving out of the parking lot, I passed two people sitting at a table outside a restaurant of some sort, with a bag of Chiclk-Fil-A and martinis on their table – and that’s Houston for you.

They started with a fast Spanish guitar vibrato/tremolo but all psyched out, which I love – and then one of the band members screamed from the middle of the audience and they became kind of an indie pop version of Godspeed You, at least insofar as the very long talking portion of their music. In reality, they started as a bunch of hipsters drawing out the start time of their set, milling around, being cool. Two of them were affable musicheads, but one of them.. oy vey – he had the worst case of I’m-sure-intentional bedhair I’ve ever seen and he had a squirrel tail hanging from the butt-crack-line of his pants. The squirrel tail just didn’t make sense with the rest of his outfit: a pretty standard vintage set of intellectual hipster clothing. I had the misfortune of standing behind a middle aged rocker woman & man whom they seemed to know well. The entire band made their way over one by one to pay their respects. SquirrelTail smacked the ass of the middle-aged gentleman every time he passed, which would have been fine except I was convinced he was doing it to get attention. Oh those attention-getters, how I hate them yet love them. And SquirrelTail spoke with many pauses, as he considered whether his next words were ironic enough to utter. Well, SquirrelTail turned out to be a stand-out performer. The other two band members twitched nervously on the stage (ducking their heads, rubbing their eyes), while SquirrelTail convulsed and gyrated and generally made a spectacle of himself. SquirrelTail was entirely consumed by the personas and words of his music, which is not a bad thing. Eyes uplifted, hands fluttering, spoken word. I started wondering whether the show was actually performance art rather than music, and then I worried SquirrelTail couldn’t actually sing, but he could. And their lyrics were poignant, verging on Bright Eyes but less witty. They were interesting. But then they were sincere and sweet enough that I wondered whether they were a Christian band – that’s the sort of fear a few months of Houston radio stations will put in you. Their sound was very much Friends of Dean Martinez, The Books,… even down to some wailing lap steel. The lap steel player, the shy guy who also played the guitar with pretty gold plates that made all the psychy noodly noises, was my favorite. Sometimes he went into that dark spaghetti western sound that I find delicious. A more rocking song verged on White Rabbits. The band was playing for their record release, but this in-store version of a record release was an acoustic set with a limited number of band members. All in all, they were engaging, and reminded me how rejuvenating weirdness and art can be.

this band was the only one I saw that fit the general feel of the event – not only their sound, but also the skater ramp exactly behind the audience, putting audience members at risk of injury from flying skateboards – the ‘event’ was held in a decrepit neighborhood of warehouses – when I first arrived, there were some punkers milling about and what looked to be a rap video was being filmed on the corner (even down to two fly girls and a guy with fancy gold brass knuckles) –it was all very deserted and suspicious but then the crowd filled in and was pretty mixed, and the streets ended up being well lit and trafficked with walkers – nonetheless, I was still excited and felt like I had found a secret treasure trove of music – purportedly, the warehouse rooms slash stages also served as homes for some lucky/unlucky young souls – they did a good job of organizing things, advertising, making it happen – this show, in particular, seduced me to come in from outside with powerful female lead vocals (very Slits-like) – they were straightforward street punk, even down to the 1:30 songs – unfortunately, her vocals weren’t as prominent in the rest of the songs – my MusicSoulDoppleganger pointed out that the guy was relying on a very small set of power chords – the Latina drummer entranced me with her totally-nonhipster fuck-you intensity – again, online evidence doesn’t seem to match up so I may have the wrong band name (Houston!)

same living-room-in-a-warehouse stage but very different vibe – this band had some rock to them and immediately soothed our spirits – it turns out they were the guys next to me in the audience during the previous band yucking it up because the lead singer was moaningly offering their CDs for free to the crowd: “way to sell your band” – they knew what they were talking about – nonetheless, they have no online presence themselves!

four non-scenester guys playing semi-mopey semi-college-rock music – if I were being generous, I would compare them to Decemberists or Mountain Goats except they were far too unweird to compare to these bands – the lead singer was plenty insecure and depressed by the state of things but still too unemotional to be compared to Bright Eyes – and that was their problem – I could have tolerated a sound I don’t enjoy so much, but they just didn’t have a defined sound – two of the members had their Birkenstocks or whatever next to their mics and were wiggling their bare toes in the carpeting which was irritating – more irritating was being five feet from the band, you can imagine the acoustical nightmare – the price you pay for DIY I guess – my MusicSoulDoppelganger described this band as a ‘high school band’ – we agreed they didn’t do it for us

[New York City] Once this band hit the stage, it was very clear that they were the band the kids had been waiting for. The crowd was set afire – the best mosh pit I have probably ever seen. Neither of us were familiar with their material. I loved them – Rockboy thought they were only all right, largely because there was a tinge of screamo to them. They were tight, hard, but crowd-oriented (ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhh, oh, oh) with a lot of punk pick-up. I also really liked the looks of the band – they were Latino – the lead singer with huge liberty cones. I always get this awkward sense of white supremacy from punk, and they didn’t have that. Some of their songs were nearly industrial (I swear I heard Ministry) or speed metal (Rockboy poo poohed that it was just thrash). Although the meaning was unclear, the song with “invert the virgin” as a line made me take notice. Rockboy was complaining that the lead singer never talks but then he told a story about the boys from the Bronx who wrote this song. The singer declared Texas cops the worst – probably so. Then the band encouraged the crowd to chicken fight (kids on shoulders, trying to knock each other off) – adorably, Rockboy was appalled by this activity and its obvious dangers. “DrinkSmokeFightFuck” remained calm amid the fervor of the crowd – her boy toys made it to the stage but never jumped – I think one of their moms must have texted “no!”. The lead singer’s cones had melted by the end of the set – damn Texas humidity.

This band seemed established and well liked by the crowd. Some Misfits, some street punk. They had a song about fish n chips, which struck me as kind of funny. The magnificent mosh pit led me to develop a theory that musically striving communities have better mosh pits because the people feel they have to keep up with some imaginary ideal. I liked the anthemic song they ended with: “These are all glory days.” I went to the bathroom and came back to a riled up Rockboy – apparently the band had told the crowd that people who don’t dress the dress anymore shouldn’t be counted as punks – this started a long conversation about what punk really means – Rockboy and I were in agreement that it’s ideas rather than clothes. Ironically, I kept smelling grandma smells at the show – the downside of avant garde hair is the very stodgy smell of aerosol hairspray.

Rockboy and I saw this band years and years ago. I was bored and horrified stiff. He was ecstatic. Since then, I’ve learned a little, heard a little, and I don’t mind it when The Adicts show up on the ipod. Ironically, this show sucked ass too. But it wasn’t the band. It was a horrible sound system. I kept thinking that maybe I was just grumpy and didn’t understand how bass heavy the band is – I don’t think so. And, to be honest, it’s also their frat boy punk – it’s not for me. They’re party boys, which doesn’t fit well for me with punk ethics. The lead singer was decked out in sparkles, lights, face paint – if they had substance, maybe they wouldn’t need all of this decoration. Cases in point of their stupid lyrics: “We want you to fuck it up,” “This is the age where rage is all the rage” (a newer song – which just painfully demonstrates how old people should not try to be relevant), “We’re too young – too young to smoke drink” (don’t even pretend you can relate to teen angst as 50, 60 somethings!). I swear one of their songs included the phrase “give it to me baby” – even if it was ironic, I am appalled. They even did a song that had disco/rave influences – it’s so sad when a band can’t or won’t grow up. To be fair and ungrumpy, I will grant that this band has a good sound (recorded!) and that they don’t feel the need to conform to punk standards – they incorporated 50s sounds which were very pleasing. Unfortunately it was a very long set. As usual, I was relived somewhat by the crowd. A girl headed into the mosh pit with only a bra on – oh my. An awkward drunk guy molested his drunk tomboy friend by playing with the button on the back of her pants.

This band’s name has rung in my ears for years. I’m not sure why. I think I tried to see them at a SXSW with no luck – and then I went to a bar in San Diego where their posters were plastered and imagined I’d found their home turf. Turns out, they’re from Atlanta. Anyway, I had very positive expectations, but the band totally exceeded them. This was my show of the year. It was some mix of the sound and the weird female power on stage that took me back to being a high school girl who hated the world and loved female power. Their sound is a mix of The Fall, Babes in Toyland, Daisy Chainsaw, and the Slits. They do the quiet loud trick of modern music, and there was also a nod to Japanese nuttiness. They are post-punk, perfectly done. More importantly, these girls are raw – they weren’t scared to be crazy and freaky, and we were all drawn into their every emotion. Then they did a Gun Club cover, and we/I about capultzed. I have a crush on the entire band, for being weird and hard but still unpretentious, for switching instruments. I love this band. Rockboy, being a male, wasn’t as transformed as me, and summed them up as having the attitude, energy, and excitement of 70s punk bands who lacked real instrumental talent. I kicked his ass and told him he was sexist.

[Milwaukee, WI] This band was a great mix of Hunx and his Punks (sleazy gay 60s do-wop) and the Shins (glorious chamber pop). They’re on the Subpop label – nothing wrong with that. They varied from psychy to upbeat. Rockboy really liked them.

If three days of back-to-back performances was taking its toll on Amanda Palmer and company, it was hard to tell. From the extended introduction to Do It With a Rockstar, with Palmer barreling through the audience with a megaphone, to the crowd singalong of Massachusetts Avenue, the new tracks came alive tonight. In particular, The Killing Type packed a wicked punch and is my hands down favorite from the live performances.

The sound was better than on Tuesday night and you could hear the difference especially in the two songs supported the string quartet Trout Heart Replica and The Bed Song. The strings vibrated throughout the room and it brought the emotional force of the compositions to full tilt. There was a moment during Astronaut where the melody is carried just on the weight of Chad Raines’ guitar and it carried crisply out to the audience and completely blew me away.

Though the setlist was similar to Tuesday night’s performance, when it veered off, it went in great directions. Hearing a live version of Idioteque (one of a few Radiohead songs covered by Amanda Palmer) was completely amazing, even if the song was more frenetic than even the studio version. The band pulled out a cover of The Motel’s Total Control that slipped easily in their set and bracketed by a conversation about the band performing with the Muppets. During Bottomfeeder, Palmer tossed herself into the crowd and surfed while singing the chorus.

You can tell the band is having a good time with one another. The chemistry shines through (Raines headbutting bassist Jherek Bischoff and standing on Michael McQuilken’s drumkit and McQuilken’s dead on impersonation of Elmo. Palmer’s take on Janice was pretty funny too). They closed the show by bringing everyone onstage for a jam of Leeds United and, as if not to be outdone, Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra took one last song to the house, a Dresden Dolls classic Girl Anachronism that left the crowd winded and ecstatic.

Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra setlist
Do It With a Rockstar
Missed Me
The Killing Type
Astronaut
Trout Heart Replica
The Bed Song
Idioteque
Lost
How Awesome is My Band/Scene Change Music
Total Control
Bottomfeeder
Want It Back
Massachusetts Avenue
Berlin
Olly Olly Oxen Free
Encore
Leeds United (with Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys and Jaggery)
Girl Anachronism

I’m not sure I can adequately describe how much I loved watching Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys perform. The music hints at some kind darkly lit industrial folk tale ala the real Brothers Grimm’ The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids where the wolf eats all but one. But their songs are backlit with a perverse joy and it comes out sparkling and LOUD during their live performance. You have band members weaving through the audience playing their instruments. You have funky costumes – some ironic, some wayward – and as a band, they wander the stage like a traveling circus. Through it all, Walter Sickert anchors the performance pounding out strong melodies and baying these fierce, fuming lyrics and damn if it doesn’t come off as revelry.

The songs during the thirty-minute set were taken from SteamShipKillers released in 2010. Although Sea Song was their ode to love and opposition to hatred and bigotry, it was Feathers, (with the gorgeous vocals of Jaggery’s Mali Sastri) that really struck home to me. It was a haunting and visceral performance. They closed the set with a fantastic call and answer Off With Her Head. Half the audience shouts “Off” and the other half shouts “Head” and behind the cacophony, the band plays on. Utterly brilliant. Utterly captivating.

Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys setlist
No Room
A Friend in Goddamn
Sea Song/Love and Marriage
Feathers (with Mali Sastri)
Off With Her Head

Jaggery, only a trio for tonight’s performance, is fronted by the exquisite vocalist Mali Sastri. Their sound flirts with a lot of musical styles, but there’s an attractive cohesiveness to their music. Sastri is a wailer and her control is phenomenal. A stripped down version of Jaggery, featuring Rachel Jayson on viola and Tony Lava on…well everything, still pulled off an impressive soundscape. The songs are part lullaby, part siren’s call. It really paid to stand back and let the sound wash you clean. Nate Greenslit from Bury Me Standing kept a beat with handclaps on the last song.

[Denmark] I was looking forward to seeing this band. I may get tired of rockabilly, but I have a much higher tolerance for psychobilly. Thanks to Rockboy’s tutelage, I knew this band’s recorded material and always enjoyed it. In fact, I thought I’d seen them but it was actually their cohorts I saw – Horror Pops, whom I don’t like as much, at least recorded. Unfortunately, the venue’s sound went kaput and I found this show completely unlistenable. I did enjoy seeing the suave lead singer of Skarnales show up and spill his beer, not even caring that it was in front of one of Houston’s hot alt Latina girls who was pining for him.