[New Orleans, LA] My favorite of the day – polished rocking bluegrass. Guitar, drum, upright bass, and fiddle. They had a distinctly Austin sound to me – maybe The Gourds with more swamp boogie – and then some songs that were straightforward rockabilly. EyesPoetic was reminded of a KUT “Texas Music Matters” show that focused on music at the border of Texas and Louisiana blending sounds from both states – a perfect description of this band.

[Austin, TX] I’m ashamed to say this was a by-chance band. I’m not sure I need to review him. In all his old age frumpiness, he’s still a demon of garage psych. His backing band was the same one we’d seen him with in Houston. The SXSW gods were with us.

[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.

[Atlanta, GA] Fantastic. Of course, the powerful female vocals excite me. I had summed them up as a Black Sabbath cover band in my SXSW preview notes but that wasn’t really accurate. They are a weird amalgam of prog metal and goth country folk weirdness … but I’m lying … the guys’ beards and guitar precision were just distracting … in that this band didn’t make sense insofar as how they looked. The lead singer hunched over her guitar in a black lace dress screaming and wailing broke my heart the whole set. Their sound is kind of a rollicking prog metal with passionate vocals. I was entranced. And there were some Black Sabbath moments.

[Denmark] The band I’d chosen this venue for. They were roaming around before their set all rocker glamorous. Well, in particular, there was a fellow in striped tight pants, a midriff shirt, and a Blue Van jean jacket … who turned out to not be in the band … just a roadie or something. Embarrassing for him … but effective advertising for the band. The band was much more low-key 70s stoner looking – tank tops, lanky, shaggy hair – a look I enjoy very much. They were straightforward garage punk with lots of 60s flavor. They had some Led-Zeppelin-esque moments. I’m a huge sucker for the genre but they were so perfect I just couldn’t get excited. Rockboy’s favorite band of his one day at SXSW. Upon listening to their recorded stuff, I think the band was a lot more poppy than I realized during the live set –may have seemed harder because they were such a relief of competence after the first two more painful opening bands.

[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.

[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.

[San Diego] The doorman acted like it pained him to look at my ID, let alone look at me. The bar staff ignored me for ten minutes, even though the place was practically empty. The band was delayed because the sound was screwed up and water was leaking on them. Even if their faces had that this-venue-is-going-to-ruin-our-SXSW-set look on their faces, they remained polite. And once they started, it was as if they had ran on stage to a clapping audience of 1000. (It was an audience of about 10, and most of them were looking into their beers instead of at the band.) They’re a guy on bass, a guy on guitar singing, and a girl on drums. The guy on guitar flails around ‘schizophrenically’ – it’s a little silly but you’ve gotta to do what you’ve gotta to do. They’re loud bluesy rock. I liked them, as people really, and think they’re a cute little band with a lot of heart. Jackalope had good bands slotted for the entire day which I vetoed because of their shitty attitudes – take that Jackalope.

[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.

[LA] I stay the same age, they get older (a personal problem for sure)… and this generation is the skinniest tiniest generation yet, including the boys – I think I stepped on one hipster by mistake… and the smell of pot wafted in the air by the time Austin was in view and the smell of American Spirits was wafting at Scoot Inn. I was kind of wondering why I’d starred this band. They were good but they weren’t remarkable. Kind of a psychier The Donnas. 60s rehash. And then The Song came on. I never notice/love a song after only two listens but I did their song and so they got a star, and they deserve it. I did really really like the looks of this band. First off, three females. There was a goth Zooey Deschanel with hipster neon sunglasses. The lead singer was a punky Drew Barrymore – she gave kind of an ironic intro to the band – then there were sound issues and they had to restart – she gave the exact same ironic intro but unironically – it was funny, unintentionally. The male drummer was a hot guy who’s probably a hot mess – with his wavy faux hawk and tattooed neck. And the third girl looked so hot and flushed in her sweater I thought she was going to pass out. “Think of You” is the song you must listen to.

[Los Angeles, CA] She was late – which I will never get over being annoyed with, even if it’s something musicians have to do be proper musicians. More annoying, she spent 20 minutes haggling with the sound guy in a pretty decrepit venue with an audience of 15. Primadonna. To confirm this impression, once she had started, she would call out smokers in the audience and stare at them until they obeyed her and put the cigarette out. I understand that after years of being a rocker you’d want to preserve your lungs but her method of making a smoke-free environment happen was distracting and annoying. The sound guy (we were all interacting – it’s a small place) was really enthusiastic about her – telling me Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) requested her presence on a tour. I was doubtful, given the crowd and the club, but he was right. She was an extremely talented guitarist with a good voice. A professional, no doubt annoyed that she’s playing clubs like this now. She definitely had something of a Fleetwood Mac sound, some Heart, and a lot of Sheryl Crow. Despite all of her talent, she was kind of boring. There was just nothing new about her. It’s not fair that proficiency isn’t enough but that’s the nature of art.

[Austin TX] This band was the reason I was there. I don’t recall if I became interested in them because the WiseOne recommended them, or because they were linked to Godspeed You, or just generally because of their increasing notoriety right before I left Austin. I just know I intended to see them for a full year, never did, and decided their appearance in Houston was a ‘sign.’ The comfort of anonymity was shook by actually running into two of the ten people I know in Houston: the SexyLibrarian and the BeeryPhilosopher. Luckily they’re two I quite like. The opening bands had been a bit of a drag – the venue was just odd – but Balmorhea was everything I’d hoped for and more. Entrancing. I think it is incredibly hard to make instrumental non-vocal music engaging but they do it. They’re not as dark or eerie as Godspeed You, which puts them at a greater disadvantage as far as my ears are concerned. But I stood there waiting to hear what was coming next. There was something of Phillip Glass to them – the same mood. They’re brilliant musicians but it’s more than that – it’s the magical evocative combination of their sounds – I think they’re amazing.

we found this band during a stray from the primary ‘festival’ area – the atmosphere was markedly different: real bathrooms, a real bar, but none of that feel-good I-am-somewhere-most-Americans-would-not-know/want-to be – nonetheless, this band was kind of good – they were dressed like frat boys but had a clean rocking sound with country undertones – based on online confirmation, I am almost positive this band was not The Gents but, like the rest of the bands, they don’t have an online presence for me to check (dammit Houston!)

I’ve been mildly obsessed with this band since running across them at a SXSW. A tolerance for the imperfectability of live music is an accepted part of SXSW, and really live music viewing in general. This just didn’t apply for this band. They were slick as all hell, fancy and big – and I just loved them. It wasn’t just for all that, but also because they managed to combine 70s anthem rock with disco bass beats, and some serious light strobe action. It was a welcome relief from being indie sympathetic. So I’ve tracked this band’s live shows as I’ve tracked no others, but haven’t managed to see them when I was in Austin, in Colorado (of course), or even in Houston because they were touring so much. Turned out, my visit with Austin coincided with their visit with Austin. And then I really got to know the band. First impression: they share a lot of similarities with Chili Cold Blood, another Austin band I love for their heavy grooves and proggy funk. My music partner that night, WomanInCharge, pointed out that they sounded like the Allman Brothers, which upset me, because I was avoiding jam band music after my recent Colorado stint, but I realized she was absolutely right. This band was Southern rock (nothing wrong with that) and jam band. In fact, this explained my initial attraction to the band, because I cannot deny that I listen to southern rock when I’m alone in my closet. But this band went two ways. Sometimes, they were way too poppy and Black Keys, with their audience of pot smoking I’m-on-my-big-night-out-outside-of-tech-work audience, and then they’d draw on Led Zeppelin and be stoner excellent. They also have an electronica persona, very similar to Ghostland Observatory, as WomanInCharge correctly observed. In all, I feel conflicted about his band, which fits exactly with ThinLizzyLover’s observation from SXSW that he both loved and hated this band.

Screamo that was actually pretty good, or we were desperate. Rockboy sighed and said he was actually in the mood for metal – this is what Gunny does to Rockboy, makes him all soft and tolerant – next thing you know, he’ll have long hair. The lead singer was totally ShellFish’s Houston buddy. They were all down because they were missing their bassist but they rallied. The lead singer was kind of a mess but charming in his way. This is also probably our favorite mini venue in Denver, low key and entertaining. Lead singer to audience (by audience, I mean the 20 people bellied up to the bar): “For those who do acid, it’s time to start taking it.” Guy at bar, kind of to himself: “It’s always time.” Lead singer to audience: “Who knocked over my beer?!” Audience/lead singer simultaneously to himself: “You did! / I probably did…” Lead singer to audience: “This song is about – - – nothing.” The guitarist was a stand out, and the double drum was Exciting. Lead singer passed out bacon at the end of the show – I figured out one week later that it was because they’re called “18 Squealer” – get it?

[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.

[Southern California] Rockboy had vague poor memories of this band – I’d never heard of them. The lead singer started the set by informing the audience that, yes, their sound was different, but that difference is what punk rock is. A fine sentiment, but, unfortunately, difference doesn’t always translate to quality. They were just boring – more hard rock than punk. They had a song about a mean guy in high school. As a rule, I hate songs about high school, but this was more pathetic than usual. The lead singer reminded the crowd that punk is about making life and the world better, which was so California of him, I got a little nostalgic for my favorite state. They ended with the hit from The Proclaimers – what? I kept waiting for the punchline, but, no, they genuinely thought this was a suitable ending. I even looked the stupid song (which is fine as a pop hit) up to see if it has a more complicated history than I realize –no. Their set wasn’t helped by the unpunkness of the venue. As mentioned before, it was a clubby set-up – but when a guy with a mop appeared to clean up a spilled beer in the middle of the mosh pit, we knew for certain this wasn’t Emos. Their moments of ska-ness were their best, but nothing to write home about. Luckily, the beautiful people kept me entertained. I feel conflicted about all-ages shows – an uncomfortable mix of annoying and entertaining. The group of high school age nihilists/punkers in front of us were full of exploits. We sat next to the two guys in the lounge between sets, and one very painfully took a call from his mother. It took all of my self composure to pretend not to notice. The fierce girl in the “DrinkSmokeFightFuck” left her pack of high school male buddies to slink up to the lead singer of The Nekromantix, who was loitering near the stage and probably 20-30 years her senior. She maintained her cool, until she got back to her boys, and screamed liked a girly girl, because she’d talked to him. Because the Houston music scene is that small, the extremely tall woman was there. Best of all, the boys who were falling out from drunkenness collected in the dark corner behind us. One of them, was trying to walk around a little metal gate, somehow got attached to it and impaled upon it. It was a sad sight. Another, who had made it clear earlier in the evening that he was a very gay boy, finally rallied, heaved himself up, and pirouetted into the mosh pit. It was a beautiful thing.

The accordion player from Tim Gaitan & the Umbrella Man was in this band and I decided he’s converting me to the accordion one band at a time. The drummer may have also been from that band. Basically, the Houston music scene is incestuous, possibly more than the Austin music scene. They did the ‘beer in heaven’ song they did before, an old spiritual, and even some tejano (if I’m using the word correctly). I particularly liked their song “Bésame.” There were rumors floating that Electric Cheetah hadn’t shown and these guys were filling the spot – Electric Cheetah is not even a band as far as I can tell per google so who knows. They were enjoyable.

Really classic 50s. Has history with Sun Records & Motown. Way too Elvis for me. Enjoyed the dark edge of some songs, the down walking melody of others, and the one with a stray cat strut. Ended with a song called Long Blond Hair, and made it out to be a big hit – I didn’t recognize it. Overall, the show had a very geriatric feel to it, with comments like “You’re a wonderful audience, by golly” and silly jokes like “You should have been at my last show… somebody should have been at my last show.” Backed by the same drummer and guitarist as last few bands. In the meantime, we enjoyed the short man who was making his girlfriend take pictures of him next to the back of a massively tall girl.

High quality rockabilly, blended with rock and roll and spaghetti western (kinda). Country twang too. Tremble (sp?) from Austin was on drums. More refined guitar and drums, and well defined loops and ditties. Rockboy thought the vocals were the weak link of the band. We were exhausted by this point – Rockboy dealt by taking a little nap – I dealt by becoming a feminazi in my head. Hating on rockabilly girls who dress up like dolls for men, and alternative cultures that celebrate burlesque while all the time maintaining that they hold more progressive attitudes toward women. Amusing event #1: I walked by a group of greasers leaning against a pool table – a group of pinups walked by, and one of the girls turned to look one of the guys up and down. He was totally flustered, didn’t respond, and she sauntered on while all of his friends elbowed him and laughed. I felt like I’d happened upon a scene from a 50s movie. Amusing event #2: I went to the bar and ordered 2 PBRs – very drunk kind of scary pinup ordered a mixed drink with all sorts of side specifications. The bartender muttered to himself, “Some women are complicated, some women are not.” The pinup and I made eye contact, there was an uncomfortable pause – luckily, she laughed and changed her order to a PBR.

This band looked like your typical low-key rockabilly band except for the guy with a pleasingly sleazy 70s look (he turned out to be visiting from Austin). Nick Gaitan was on the upright bass, because Nick Gaitan is in every band in this town. Rockboy was overcome with joy when they launched into classic rockabilly (Setzer-esque, Reverend Horton Heat-esque), but was in the depths when they strayed into a more straightforward rock n roll sound. It was nearly southern rock. Some blues too. The bass was a beautiful looking instrument. As he does at many shows, Rockboy spent most of the time grumbling because they weren’t playing rockabilly and trying to determine whether the guitar was a Gretsch (per Rockboy, it was a guitar that sounds like a Gretsch but looks like a Gibson Les Paul – it was unclear to me why this was important information). Some bands can pull off a lack of identity, but this band didn’t.

Marshall Lytle, of Bill Haley & the Comets fame, is one of the originators of slap bass. He’s also famous for riding the bass. He was backed by the same drummer and guitarist, the manager of the Houston Continental Club (Pete) on keyboard, and a guy in a Houston t-shirt on the saxophone. He told a story about how the Comets and Alan Freed started the term ‘rock’ (“rock this joint tonight”). His legendary-ness was not enough to keep me from wanting my bed – no more all day music festivals.

They were 3 prepubescent boys in white t-shirts, jeans and chucks. They did covers of the Ramones, Cheap Trick, Nirvana… A mom with a stroller waved to one of them, and they left in a minivan. Sure, it was cute, but I felt like I’d seen it before. The mind-numbing heat did not improve my attitude toward them.

I go to a lot of shows I’m only minorly excited for, but this was a show I was majorly excited for. Roky’s music and I fell in love pretty much upon first hearing: dark, weird, and even supernatural but all with a pretty straightforward rock n roll foundation. In fact, I’ve come to realize that I may love The Hellacopters because they do a harder and louder version of Roky’s music. I wasn’t sure what to expect in a live show, though, with his long trail of mental troubles and advancing age. Well, he was awesome, awe-inspiring, and amazing – despite the fact that the only parts of his bodies that really moved were his lips and his strumming hand. Somehow he was able to emit the same raw rangy rock n roll voice with complete body containment. I almost cried when he opened with “Cold Night for Alligators” (a song that is covered magnificently by The Hellacopters). I hate fandom, but there are certain artists that I feel close to or whose music has spoken to me, and it’s so eerie to see them in the flesh that it makes me emotional. Or maybe I was overwrought from my mad summer. Or maybe it was because I was so happy to see a man with such a sad history able to be on stage doing what he loves. I imagine that a lot of his dark imagery (demons, vampires, zombies) is metaphorical for his mental troubles. Live, he sounded Texas garage sludge with a lot of psychedelia. The Hounds of Baskerville did a tremendous job backing him, in that their respect for him was clear, and they played without stealing the show. He was front and center, and they were clearly his backing band. The guitarist to his left in particular couldn’t seem to stop smiling shine on Roky. They were protective of him and made sure the progression of things suited him, asking him throughout the show if he approved of the next step. He closed with an encore – “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (one of the biggest hits from Roky’s band, the 13th Floor Elevators) – which was amusingly introduced as a new song none of us would know. Otherwise, he mostly played his solo material. It was amusing to see all of our freaky friends from the Roky signing earlier that day, milling about in the crowd, all freakily-like, and fittingly, when the crowd sang happy birthday to Roky (because it was his birthday), he looked more embarrassed than pleased.

We saw the band at Roky Erikson’s signing before the show. Among Roky’s motley crew of hippie, chubby, loony fans (who like him because they’re like him), they stood out with all their youth and cool. They were like Roky’s scenester wingmen plus one hot girl. It wasn’t clear whether they were backing Roky or if they were their own band – they were both. It was also confusing because there’s a band from the 60s called The Baskerville Hounds. They told us their music was similar to Roky’s to the extent that they were dark too. They were really good – had the spirit of a Jack White band but less minimalist. Keyboard, 2 guitarists, backup vocalist, drummer.

The best part of this band was the beautiful Latino guitarist with the sad eyes and the neck tattoos. The lead singer wasn’t bad but was a little over the top in a way that didn’t feel genuine – kind of Rage Against the Machine vocals, kind of one-with-the-audience with his long outstretched arms, and kind of straight disco drama. In a perfect example, he screamed “rock is dead” and threw the mic… but then he picked it up again. The lyrics were the worst part of this band. ShellFish annotated my notes to note that she ‘hated it.’

[Dallas, TX] So refreshing to hear some hard music (hand to throat). I may have been a little overexcited, but this band was great. Sludge punk, Mudhoney sound, rivers of melody with little blasts of speed metal riffs. Rambunctious lead singer. Also reminded me of Turbonegro.

This band goes back to the 80s and were described as being a mix of the Stooges, Cheap Trick, and every other great band out there. Not so much. It was just dull hard rock – particularly didn’t like the lead singer’s voice. Their music didn’t really vary and had an indescribable flatness. Our group was in agreement that they were the worst band of the night.

Their sound was about as diverse as their collection of instruments: a lapsteel, upright bass, accordion, and drums. And somehow it worked – it was some crazy mix of tejano, gypsy punk, rockabilly, 60s rock… sometimes they sang in Spanish. Nick Gaitan has a great soulful voice. It was all so lively, he had to tell the accordion player to “cool that accordion down.” There was one couple furiously swing dancing by the stage, the girl with a dagger tattooed on her upper arm smiled at me evil-ly, and the rest of the audience were wall-sized Latinos and gorgeous rockabilly Latinas. This show was about when I started thinking Houston isn’t so bad, and is possibly even rawer than Austin with its still burgeoning music scene, and all of the diverse people actually melding their music and making something new, instead of another rehash of the past.

The name of this band was familiar to me, but we actually ended up at this event (their CD release indoor picnic) as a way to fill time between other events. Their dress was moderately steam punk. There were three guys and one girl. The music was momentous, and they threw their bodies into poses that matched the grandeur of the music. They combined classical, prog metal, gypsy punk, and music that could be a film score. That’s when I remembered that I probably recognized their name because they provide live music for movies at the Alamo. “Phantom of the Opry” was an amusing song. The kids playing on the ground in front of the stage (this was a family event) with balls and hula hoops added an odd but entertaining dimension to their performance. Overall, none of us really liked them – I don’t think they’re meant for causal listening.

Traversing songs like Let It Be and Take Me Home, Country Roads as well as their own diverse original songs, Adam Ezra Group’s sound has bits and pieces of folk, alternative rock and pop music. Playing two sets at Jackson Gore Inn “until the sun goes down” as lead singer Adam Ezra Olshansky declared, they offered a deft mix of genres that managed to stay true to their own sound. So although a song like Devil’s Side evoked a Dave Matthews Band comparison and 14 Days recalled a bit of Matchbox Twenty, they had a consistent and compelling sound that bypassed any strict comparison to other bands.

Adam Ezra Group took advantage of the outdoor stage set with the Okemo Mountain in the background. The acoustics were phenomenal, giving their sets a crisp and clean sound. The band are also slick entertainers. In addition to holding a meet and greet inbetween sets (the leader singer introduced himself and his bandmates personally and warmly to everyone who came up to the table), they held a singalong/playalong number with a group of kids from the audience who crowded on stage and banged on anything within reach. They kept the audience engaged from start to finish and turned out a great evening of music.

I wanted to like this band because they had technical expertise, but they were just sort of bland and clean after the raunchy blues of the band before them. They were closer to speed metal than sludge metal, though they certainly weren’t speed metal. They kind of reminded me of Queens of the Stone Age, whom I feel the same about.