Thursday Night Happenings

There is a lot going on in Austin tomorrow night and I expected a lot of those events to be sold-out by now. You're in luck though, because they're not! Now, you just have to decide what you do and don't want to see. Price point could be an issue here as the events available vary greatly in their cost.

I fully expected tonight's Yeasayer show at Stubb's to be sold-out but alas there are still some tickets available. This show will set you back $25 but you also get to see Daedalus as well as an after-show inside featuring The Sour Notes.


Yeasayer - Longevity video via YouTube

Maybe you think Yeasayer is over, or you don't love paying $8 for domestic lite beers while sorority girls take pictures of themselves and talk loudly through a set. Well, don't worry there are more events for you to enjoy! Akron/Family return to Austin to play Red 7 with Smoke and Feathers. This show promises to have cheaper drinks fewer sorority girls but probably equal parts talking. Also, if you're a hipster-hater then this isn't the show for you. Oh, if you're a hipster-hater you should probably just move and/or shut up and get over yourself. Tickets for the Akron/Family show will only set you back $12.

Perhaps psychedelic noise isn't your thing, AND you think Yeasayer is sooo 2010 well, first of all you're a dick, secondly there is still an acceptable option for you! Those, I don't get it, internet-"sensations" Turquoise Jeep play the Mohawk with Neiliyo. Tickets for Turquoise Jeep are also $12 and people love them so, it wouldn't surprise me if this show sold-out.

Read more!

Planning the FINAL day of ACL 2010

If you're as exhausted as I am the prospect of going back to Zilker for another long day is somewhat daunting but we're all just going to have to suck it up y'all. It's only one more day then we can relax until the next big fest in Austin...next month.

In order to serve my own laziness this post will be very short on words. In fact I'm just going to list my picks followed by sample video. So, let's plan out the final day of the fest shall we?

TV Torso


TV Torso - Live at the Parish video via YouTube


Warpaint


Warpaint - Stars video via YouTube

White Rabbits


White Rabbits - the Plot video via YouTube

Foals


Foals - Balloons video via YouTube

Portugal the Man


Portugal the Man - People Say video via YouTube

Make sure you catch The Morning Benders!! I love these guys enough to write these sentences about them!


the Morning Benders - All Day Daylight video via YouTube

Yeasayer


Yeasayer - Madder Red video via YouTube

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros


Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - 40 Day Dream video via YouTube

the Flaming Lips


the Flaming Lips - She Don't Use Jelly video via YouTube

the National


the National - Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks video via YouTube

Read more!

Austin is King of Saturday Night

You know why I moved to Austin? Well, that's a complicated answer but this Saturday night is a great example of what you're missing if you don't live here. Tomorrow night we have: Girl Talk, L.A.X., Yeasayer, Vampire Weekend, and Elton John all performing at different venues around the city. How do you like that for a spectrum of respectable artists throughout various genres? Eh? Eh? The down-side to this is, which show do you choose?

Well there are many factors here, do you have a butt-load of cash? No? Well, then Elton John is out. Are you over 21 years of age or older? No? Well, you're probably not reading my site but if you are, then head to UT youngin' that's where Girl Talk is playing (for free). Are you making a last minute decision to go out? Yes? Well, then, Vampire Weekend is out unless you want to buy scalped tickets on the street. Looks like Yeasayer it is, lucky for you that was my number one pick and tickets are available now that the show has been moved from the Parish to La Zona Rosa


Yeasayer - O.N.E. video via YouTube

Sorry for the lame, fake video. There is an OFFICIAL video, which is weird and beautiful and viewable here but alas I can not embed it. *le sigh*


Do you like how I threw L.A.X. in there with all of those brand-name bands above the break? Well, in case you're not in on the joke L.A.X. is a little Austin band that are just making ripples in the scene so far but I really enjoy them. I saw them perform at the Blue Stage during FunFunFun Fest this year and they put on a great show. They also expanded both in their sound and their numbers within the last few years and they seem to be picking up steam. I see the possibility for big things in their future if they meet the right people and/or hit the right eyes and ears. Let them hit your eyes and ears, at the LXM Pro party with Bright Light Social Hour. Enter the code "ATXBLOG" to get your ticket for almost half price.


L.A.X. - Dire Fire video via YouTube

I feel like Elton John doesn't really need any attention from me or my readers, I recognize that he is an icon and we're moving on. What is there to say about Girl Talk that hasn't been said before? I'll just sum up the Girl Talk experience in three simple words: sweaty, laptop, party.


Girl Talk - Bounce That video via YouTube

Might I add that Vampire Weekend and Elton John are the two artists in this post who are NOT FunFunFun Fest alumna. I don't know who deserves the praise in this scenario but I feel like hands should be shakin' upon this realization.


Vampire Weekend - Giving Up the Gun video via YouTube

If you're hearing the above VW song for the first time thinking WTF happened to their sound?!?! I should clue you into what its members were doing between albums in their off-time.


Discovery - Osaka Loop Line video via YouTube

Exhibit B:


the Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa video via YouTube

Read more!

Girls, Smith Westerns, Videos

I saw, the much blogged about, Girls at the new and improved Parish last night. I thought they put on a totally solid performance, with hooky, jangly tunes that wear their influences on their sleeves. Apparently, lead Girl, Christopher Owens' mother was in the audience last night. He said she hadn't heard him sing or play guitar since he was 16, which was a long time ago I suppose. Have you heard his whole back-story about the religious cult and all? It's pretty interesting, scope the wiki for the full, possibly verified story. In any case I did have the trusty Flipcam in my pocket so I did steal their souls during a few songs, just for you dear reader.


Girls - Darling video via YouTube


Girls - Ghost Mouth video via YouTube

What? Did you think I didn't shoot them performing any of their "singles"? Well I did...


Girls - Lust For Life video via YouTube

Chicago band, the Smith Westerns were the opening band, with Magic Kids playing the middle set. I'm going to try to not judge, Magic Kids too harshly because I haven't heard their songs on record yet. However, I will give you one word to describe my feelings throughout points in their set last night and that word is, "cringe". Check my twitter feed if you want some more specific feedback. Also, I wasn't standing in a good spot during the Magic Kids set so I don't have any video of their performance.


Smith Westerns - Gimme Some Time video via YouTube

As you can see, I was in a good spot for the Smith Westerns set last night and I was quite impressed. I have their self-titled album and it's a grower, not a shower. It took me a few weeks before I began to enjoy it but I was already a fan before seeing them last night. On record they sound really bratty and the mix of the album is very treble-enhanced so to actually hear the vocals and not have everything sound tin-ny was quite pleasant. It's like the band Wavves if you've only heard the records you probably don't get the hype but when you see them live you can actually hear the songs.


Smith Westerns - My Heart video via YouTube

While I'm on the subject of good mixing versus bad mixing of albums, have you heard the latest from Yeasayer yet?!?! It sounds SOOO effing good, especially compared to their last album, which sounded very far away and didn't do their songs justice whatsoever. Kudos to bands who work with great ears, maybe if y'all performed with earplugs you'd recognize when your albums are mixed like shhh. <---This comment is aimed at no specific band.

This is where I would have embedded the newest Yeasayer video if their label allowed FREE PROMO!!! WTF labels, live in the now.

Read more!

FunFunFun From Memory

So, yesterday was day one of FunFunFun Fest. I had been to the festival in '07 and had a great time and yesterday was no exception. It seems like every year the festival organizers add a few more thoughtful perks and areas in which to make the festival a uniquely enjoyable experience. This was the first year I have been granted the elusive media access as well so I'm going to talk to y'all about how that was. Oh, but I do want to apologize in advance for not having a camera with me yesterday, what the eff was I thinking right?

So I walked through the gates around 1:30 and was immediately pulled towards the Blue stage where Austin's own L.A.X. was pumping out the disco jams. The crowd wasn't very large at any of the stages at that point but the folks who were there for L.A.X. were definitely shaking their groove thangs. Toward the end of their set I decided to check out the whole media access thing so I walked toward a get to the right of the stage and walked behind the magic green fencing. As I walked through the gates L.A.X. was walking off stage and I got to give a high five and a little praise and this is when I knew it was SO on.


One of the most clever things about FunFunFun Fest is the whole P.I.P. ticket/wristband/badge scenario. Sure, I have a media pass so I can go backstage but folks with P.I.P. passes can actually get on the side stage and watch from the wings, which I can not. Isn't this a great idea for h-core music fans? They can hang backstage and mingle with their favorite artists just like us jaded media types. Today I plan to ask some of the artists how they feel about letting the masses in their private area. I'm guessing they don't mind because most of the artists I saw yesterday could be spotted on both sides of the fence. This is not your typical snob-fest these are salt of the Earth crusty punks types.

I feel like I still haven't found all the free schwag available to me as a member of the press but I will list you some of the things the P.I.P.'s and I have been secretly enjoying. For me the biggest perk is just that it's SOOOO much easier to move between stages from the backstage area so I spent all day hopping from stage to stage, also backstage porta-johns...THANK YOU! As far as free shhh, let's see, I'll just make a list: Sweet Leaf Tea, buttons, neckerchiefs and lip balm, free breakfast tacos, Red Bull, Bottled Water (Somewhat illusive), drink tickets, power outlets, energy bars, I feel like there is more but I'm blanking.


Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms video via YouTube

As far as mingling, I sat next to Alan Palomo of Neon Indian, Vega fame. He was making two lists of the equipment he was going to need for each of his two bands that were performing. I told him how the song Psychic Chasms from the Neon Indian LP of the same name, reminds me of the movie Flight of the Navigator. He seemed pleased with the comment but didn't necessarily understand the reference I think. I asked him when we can expect a Vega LP, he said probably next summer but the EP will see a re-release. Palomo also told me he'll be holed-up in the studio in January working on the Vega records with a very well known producer. I'm going to keep that on the low though, I don't want to jinx anything.


Flight of the Navigator - Music From the Film video via YouTube

I also chatted with members of Foot Patrol after their, killer, set on the Blue Stage. They had 7 +/- 3 members, all in various costumes that may or may not have been related. Apparently their band name is some reference to foot fetishism or insists or some shhh like that. All I know is I was watching the crowd as much as the band and they were drawing people in and those people were dancing. Sadly, our chat was somewhat insignificant it went something like this:

Me: "Hey I really enjoyed your set."
Them: "Thanks we had a lot of fun."
Me: "I could tell, you really drew a lot of people in."
Them: "Yeah."
Me: "Late"

I had a similarly awkward conversation with a Vivian Girl. I was behind the Orange stage watching Crystal Antlers and I look to my left and I saw the Red-Headed Vivian Girl with some tall, dark rocker dude, probably from Brooklyn, probably a band we know and <3 and I have this inspired moment.

Me: "Hey, aren't you a Vivian Girl?"
Her: "Yeah."
Me: "Oh."
***Both look back toward Crystal Antlers***

See people, this is why I'm a blogger and not a journalist haha. Speaking as a blogger I also would like to say that I'm surprised, given all of the little details that Transmission Entertainment thought of, that there isn't free Wi-Fi. To me that is the only, legal, thing that would make FunFunFun Fest a little better next year.

This post is getting out of control long, and I know your attention span is getting increasingly shorter (if you've even read this far) so here's a list of bands who I watched for at least 3 songs. I'll rate them with *.

* = That set was aight
** = That set was cool
***= That set was crazy good

L.A.X. **
Crystal Antlers **
Sugar and Gold **
Foot Patrol **
Times New Viking *
The Night Marchers **
Shonen Knife **
Vega ***
The Sword ***
MC Chris **
No Age **
Melt Banana ***
SSION **
Death **
7 Seconds **
Neon Indian **
Yeasayer **
Les Savy Fav **
Face to Face ***
Ratatat *
The Jesus Lizard **

Read more!