I don’t necessarily follow this band but they definitely stood out amongst the masses of current indie bands – two effortlessly remembered songs (“Cowbell” and “In Houston”) … and Rockboy was made to go… and they happily turned out to be much better than I expected – all krispy flaky guitar and bass: crisp, fast, and rich – they’re less indie and more dance-y southern rock funk – they’ve got character and soul – guess I will have to be a follower now

sigh… I think I’ve had this epiphany before but I re-epiphanized tonight… I can recognize the genius in the music but that doesn’t change that it’s just not ‘my music’ and will never resonate with me like it probably does with todays’ youth – so I report to you as a numbed-adult observer –it’s that dreamy chime-y music that devolves into harder rock every now and again – very Dirty Projectors – a little Paul Simon – the guy had the strut of an avant garde thug but the music was mostly very pretty – Rockboy heard Vampire Weekend with 70s punk which is a pretty apt description

there was something awkward and youthful about them but it worked – note: the 90s are back, get out your flannel – it was that 90s quirky alt rock with some dark undertones – Rockboy heard Velocity Girl, Belly, Curve… – I heard Joy Divison but Rockboy clarified that it was more early New Order – they also had diversity

this band plays the sort of music that settles the chaos within Dara – a more shoegaze version of Explosions in the Sky – saw them for but a moment but hope to see them again – (not as soothing on Myspace)

so Rockboy billed this band as a fantastic garage rock band he’d discovered at a previous SXSW – this didn’t really fit what I found online about them but I had faith – uh, well, not at all – they’re a mix of all of my guilty music pleasures: The Eagles, Tom Petty, The Beach Boys, Cracker, Jackson Browne – his voice was very David Lowery at times, which is definitely a plus for me – they were a tight bundle of country psych, jam rock, and southern rock – they made me intensely homesick for California and for long desert highways and for the 70s (even if all of these are ½ fantasy memories of mine) – they are from San Francisco – so their sound wasn’t necessarily anything new, but their sound was smooth and full and they came off as strikingly professional

I’d been hearing about this band as long as I’ve lived in Austin (a pretty long time now) and had never seen them so I was excited – they did not disappoint – I would like to credit DetroitRockGirl for her 50% success rate: Grand Champeen – yay!, Centro-Matic – nay… they were electric and I’m not talking about their guitars – they took to the stage and were immediately in sync and in animation – it was organized chaos and joyful pogo-rock power pop – plus they all seemed like guys you’d want to hang out with: genuine, smart, and nice – I think the Soul Asylum comparisons are because of the main vocalist – when the bassist sang (also a very nice bartender at the Hole in the Wall), I was taken back to 90s indie rock with that atonal falling-down feeling – both singers were good and the diversity was nice – there was also notes of country rock and maybe some Weezer for a second there – we also happened to stand next to their #1 fan, who was completely beside himself at finally getting to see the “#1 live band in Austin” after a long hiatus of no shows – he was also completely sober and spent many minutes discussing why I should love this band – we’re both hoping they keep having shows

a thin self-described-neurotic who plays girl rock on an electric guitar all by her lonesome, her voice was good, I thought she could be a Liz Phair for a second but her lyrics were way too average, her biggest downfall was her insecurity – she kept criticizing herself, faltering during songs, etc., Rockboy found her much less tolerable than I did but I do have a high tolerance for any female who occupies the stage all by herself and no less with an electric guitar

three average guys singing average songs, mellow jammy singer/songwriter with a country tone, reminded me of Songs: Ohia but less fabulous of course, some Neil Young, the interesting thing was that they acted as the house band for the night, playing on the window stage while the other bands were setting up, very classy of the Hole

Quiet is the new loud. First struck by Richman’s constantly dopey expression, with the eyes of a cult-member and a mouth that is always slightly open. I like some of his songs just fine and I love his early Modern Lovers work, but the last time I saw him, I was bored stiff. The music was the same tonight—Spanish guitar, tribal drums, jazzy singer/songwriter, kind of jammy, mostly anti-pop—but the vibe with the crowd was all different. It was an intimate setting, and his lyrics were allowed to shine. Jonathan to the crowd: “Don’t just stare! What’s the point?” It was a poetry slam with a Sesame Street sensibility. He managed to pull off a performance that approached The Mountain Goats brilliance at live shows, giving off the feeling that we were privy to personal revelations. The first time he started dancing like a painfully white boy, it was hilarious. Jonathan on growing up weird: “My parents trusted me on the way to bohemia…” Jonathan on the tactlessness of ‘picking up’ a girl: “Hey, let’s pick up a 6-pack, 2 tires, and 2 girls…” Jonathan on your girlfriend leaving you for her old boyfriend: “Well, she’s back with her old boyfriend… Just let her go into the darkness… You want to tell her, her boyfriend’s no friend…Just take them sheets to the Laundromat!” Jonathan on building walls around yourself: “When we refuse to suffer, we refuse to feel, we can’t fall in love, … but we can have sexual relations.” Jonathan on his pretentious adolescence: “I talked with an accent I didn’t even have… in my affected accent [Jonathan as the crowd’s response: his affected accent]… such a brat… I should have been bullied more than I was.” The thing is, he’s still that adolescent. He sang Pablo Picasso with a fake little accent. He loves to slip into singing in different languages. The kooky dancing wasn’t funny after the first few times. All of his overt attempts to be eccentric just create distance. Still really enjoyed the show.