Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2007 > July > 11 > Entry
Ghostland Observatory and The Decemberists awe fans at ACL taping
On March 19 of 2005, I went and saw my friend Aaron Behrens (and soon-to-be-friend Thomas Turner) of Ghostland Observatory play upstairs of Treasure Island as part of a non-SXSW showcase. The gig started before the sun went down, and outside of immediate band family and me and my friend Matt Cortez, there were just a handful of bikers there who probably had no idea what they were about to witness.
The duo had been gigging for about six months, playing shows to similarly sparse crowds at places such as Momo’s back in November of 2004 and was still finding its sound and feel.
Over the next two years, they would go from small club, dance-party darlings to playing critically praised sets across the country and in England. In just a few short years, the band has taken off and delivered its unique electronic sex-pop sound to adoring fans and growing media attention from New York to Seattle.
Those Treasure Island and Momo’s shows seemed ages ago last night when we arrived at the KLRU studios to see the band perform with lit-rockers The Decemberists for a taping of Austin City Limits.
A space-limited ticket handout on Monday had led to lines that snaked around the UT campus and spilled out onto Guadalupe. A KLRU employee told me they had not seen such a rush for tickets since jam band Phish visited some six years ago. And the excitement had not died by the time we arrived last night at 7.
After talking to folks waiting eagerly in the space-available line, I soon discovered that those near the front of the line had been in place since 11 a.m. That’s 8 hours for those of you not good with math. It was a complete scene, no two ways about it.
Jason Gonzalez of Houston, who estimated his place at 15th in line, drove into town to meet friends in line about 11:30 a.m. With a double bill featuring two bands with such contrasting styles, Gonzalez figured the drive and wait were well worth it.
“I love both of the bands. I saw Ghostland at SXSW, and they were phenomenal. I also love The Decemberists and the kind of songs they write; they’re just really different from what’s out there,” he said as he tried to contain his excitement in the elevator ride up to KLRU’s sixth floor.
Once inside, Gonzales and the other 300 or so in attendance — including 100 people whose wait for space-available tickets paid off, according to one KLRU staffer — were treated to an explosive night of music featuring performances from The Decemberists and Ghostland.
I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the music of The Decemberists as much as I did. After listening to their albums, I was a bit worn out by lead singer Colin Meloy’s voice. I felt his nasal tone to be an affectation and somewhat pretentious, but after hearing him sing on the band’s opening number, “The Crane Wife 3,” I was sold.
The nasal quality of his voice gave way to a beautiful timbre that never wavered, as the singer never seemed to try too hard to push his voice beyond its range. He stayed within himself throughout the set, as the band’s narrative lyrics were backed by a lush sound, performed on a variety of atypical rock instruments, that ranged from bluesy rock to a mixture of Irish Trad and Russian gypsy folk-pop.
After the hour-long set by The Decemberists and an extended intermission, Ghostland took the stage with the energy for which they’ve become legend. A raucous “Piano Man” launched the crowd into a frenzy the likes of which I have never seen in my dozen or so ACL tapings.
It was one of those rare times when the studio actually feels like a club, except with perfect sound. For both bands, the sound was absolutely incredible, perfectly balancing the sound of The Decemberists unique instrumentation and not missing a beat throughout Ghostland’s set. Crisp, clean sound that delivers every note with stunning clarity: That is just part of what makes an ACL taping unlike any other live music experience.
Ghostland fired through an extended set featuring crowd favorites and new songs that will undoubtedly have the masses dancing upon release of the band’s next album. Major hits “Sad, Sad City,” “Ghetto Magnet,” and “Silver City” had the crowd singing along with such passion and knowledge you’d think the tunes had been radio hits for the past two years.
During a slight break for technical adjustments, Behrens acknowledged the band members’ family, who were out in full force, before tearing through another half-dozen songs and, finally, a site I had never witnessed at an ACL taping: a two-song encore.
Though seeing The Decemberists live was an unexpected treat that exceeded my expectations, last night for me was all about seeing a band come full circle.
Turner and Behrens’ dream was born here just a few years ago, and last night, the realization of that dream was celebrated with their family and friends and will soon be broadcast to the nation. Just another day in the life of two self-made stars who show no signs of forgetting where they came from.
Last night’s taping will air Oct. 13 on KLRU.
Photo of Ghostland Observatory (c) Jay Janner (AAS)
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Music
Comments
By Jorge
July 12, 2007 4:50 PM | Link to this
Incredible show
By Matt Cortez
July 13, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this
Tell me more about this Matt Cortez fellow.