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Austin’s Speak release EP tomorrow at Waterloo Records
If you braved the bitter, biting cold and post-BCS National Championship game ennui to venture out to Free Week in early January, you might have caught an electric, fun set from electropop outfit Speak. The local quartet opened for Ume Friday, Jan. 8, churning out solidly enjoyable synth-saturated ballads, including a Daft Punk cover that was a highlight of that evening.
The group celebrate the release of their debut EP “Hear Here” tomorrow with a 5 p.m. in-store at Waterloo Records, 600 N. Lamar Blvd. Front man Troupe Gammage first started creating electronic music after being inspired by the driving rhythms of video game soundtracks and has a background in video game composition. The EP — released on Playing in Traffic, which also counts Los Lonely Boys, Sahara Smith and the Steps in its roster — was produced by Chris “Frenchie” Smith, a veteran of local bands Sixteen Deluxe and Young Heart Attack who’s also produced albums by Jet, … And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Ume, the Dandy Warhols and the Meat Puppets, among others.
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KGSR hires Jody’s replacement
It’s Mark Abuzzahab, an 18-year radio veteran who held the music director position at KBCO, Boulder, Colorado’s influential AAA station, until he was laid off in April 2009 by parent company, Clear Channel.
“Mark is pumped about moving to Austin,” says KGSR boss Scott Gillmore. “We did a nationwide search (for Jody Denberg’s replacement) and really loved Mark’s background.” Abuzzahab was also previously with WOXY in Cincinnati, when it was a “real” radio station and not just Internet-only. He was named music director of the year in the AAA format in 2008 by the FMQB trade publication.
Abuzzahab, a 1995 graduate of Ithaca College, will start his job as KGSR’s music director and afternoon drive DJ on Feb. 22.
“Jody was like an auteur director.” says Gillmore. “He had his own vision. There’s been a slight change in the direction at KGSR (since Denberg’s departure in December and move to 93.3 on the FM dial). Our commitment to local music is still strong. You’re still going to hear (Austin-centric singer-songwriters) Slaid Cleaves and Patty Griffin, but you’re also going to hear Phoenix and Spoon.”
And Alanis Morissette. Lots of Alanis Morissette.
In other KGSR news, the popular Blues On the Green free concert series will move back to Zilker Park this year after a season at Waterloo while work was being done on “improving” the Zilker lawn.
Update: Abuzzahab, who hasn’t yet relocated to Austin from Denver, said over the phone that he was looking forward to getting to work. “I’ve always been a huge fan of KGSR and Austin, and as a music lover there’s no better place to be,” said Abuzzahab. Abuzzahab added that though moving from Denver to Austin would be an adjustment, it was a better fit — “It’s very different; Denver’s a bigger city, with more arena shows, but as far as the music I like to see Austin’s club scene is better place.”
As far as not hiring locally is concerned, Emmis Austin programming director Chase Rupe said that though Austin-based candidates were considered, Abuzzahab was the most qualified. “Mark was the best choice based on his experience,” said Rupe. “We have a lot of people entrenched in the community and we’ll continue to lean on them.”
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Save the Cactus Cafe files documents to create nonprofit
Members of SaveTheCactusCafe.org filed documents Monday to create a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Friends of the Cactus Cafe, to support the movement’s ongoing efforts to preserve the iconic Austin venue.
Initial board members include musician Wiley Koepp, who launched the now 22,000-strong Facebook group, attorney and political consultant Reid Nelson and Momo’s owner and chair of the Live Music Task Force Paul Oveisi.
“We want to preserve the ethos that makes the Cactus Cafe what it is today and help it build upon its well-earned reputation in a way that allows greater opportunity for students in managing and performing in the club,” said Koepp in a statement.
The Friends of the Cactus Cafe aim to protect the Cactus through a four-point plan, revealed during their Saturday meeting, that focuses on preserving the venue while also opening it up for greater student access.
The news comes as supporters of the Cactus Cafe, the University of Texas and student leadership are engaged in a spirited debate over the listening room’s future, with student leaders planning to submit a plan that would keep the room open — but managed by a student committee, and not longtime manager Griff Luneberg.
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SXSW2010: Twenty bands, ten questions #1
SXSW2010: The Minutes
In this first of a series of 20 interviews with bands coming to South by Southwest, we meet the Minutes, from Dublin, Ireland. The young trio, whose members go by their initials M.A., T.C. and S.K. are coming to Austin with a brand new album, “Marcata,” and hope to find U.S. distribution, among other goals. It’s a driving rock album that sounds a little more like Kings of Leon than Led Zeppelin, though the band probably wishes it was the other way around.
1. What steps did you have to go through to play South by Southwest? We applied thru’ sonicbids. Actually we almost missed the deadline because we were in the studio at the time with no laptop or Internet.
2. You recorded your most recent LP in upstate New York. Why did you choose that studio and what was the experience like?
We chose Marcata Recording based on a few different factors. Firstly we wanted to track the record live to tape. We had an idea of the sound we wanted in our head . ‘Brown’ was a word that had been bandied about. Referring to that sound of all those great records from the Beatles and the Stones to old blues stuff like Robert Johnson & Sonny Boy Williamson, right back to Dylan & the Band and ending in Zeppelin/The Who/Fleetwood Mac et a . That’s the sound we wanted. The studio is in a barn near New Paltz. Away from distraction and Dublin. America was calling. Its where we needed to be.
3. In recent years, Ireland’s participation at SXSW has grown tremendously. What have you heard about SXSW from other Irish bands?
Well two of us Minutes have first hand experience. We attended back in 2004 with an old band. It was a different story then . Not as much exposure for the Irish showcase as there is now. Also we were young and naive with only one show booked which was what it was. So this time at least we have an idea of what to expect. Plus the Irish crew have really gotten their (act) together. There’s definitely a lot more promo for us Irish than before. They’ve a dedicated website for all the Irish acts attending, a nice promo CD & two showcases for all the acts involved. Feedback from other bands had been pretty much to play as many shows as possible. Which we will.
4. How much is it going to cost the band to come to Austin?
A lot . All in all about $5,000. That’s flights , CD manufacturing and some PR, too. Although Music From Ireland, a government funded agency, gives us a grant towards flights of around $1600. Which is helpful.
5. There has been a great affinity for Texas music in Ireland, with such acts as Nanci Griffith and Townes Van Zandt enjoying great success on the Emerald Isle. Why do you think this is?
I think Ireland’s ballad and folk music history has a big connection with American country music. Maybe that’s why the bond has resonated thru with more modern artists. A lot of the same themes pop up. Lost loves, loneliness and some good old drinking songs. We all love a good cry when we’re drunk.
6. What do you hope to achieve by playing SXSW?
We’d love to secure a US release for the album and get In with some US bookers. The USA is where we wanna be. So hopefully we can make something happen. Tour Tour Tour Tour & get on the US festival scene. Its the only way. And we’re more than ready.
7. This year artist wristbands will allow you to attend panels, previously only available to badge-holders. But there are all these great day parties going on. Which do you think you’ll attend more?
We’d much rather play parties than attend the panels or attend parties.There are some panels we’ve penciled in, but if possible It would suit to let the music do the talking.
8. Are the Minutes playing any day parties?
HELL yes we are playing day parties. The wheres and such TBC. Keep an eye on the myspace. Soon as they’re confirmed they’ll be up. All i can say right now is watch out for Paddys Day . Its gonna be special!
9. Are there any sites in Austin you are looking forward to visiting? Apparently Barton Springs has the hottest chicks In town. We may have to pop down and try out some of the Oirish charm…
10. Bono’s not going to read this. How is he really considered in the Irish rock scene?
Personally I don’t really care about U2 or Bono. I’m not a fan. I appreciate what they have achieved and earned thru sheer hard work. I think that’s what a lot of bands in Ireland respect. And just in case Bono IS reading this, we are free to open for you ‘aul lads on your next tour.
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Brief notes from the Austin underground
— There’s something uniquely satisfying about seeing bands you like bring their A-games to a packed house. Follow that Bird, Dikes of Holland and Kingdom of Suicide Lovers did just that Thursday night to a full Beerland during night one of the Casual Victim Pile record release shows at Beerland at Feb. 4, 5 and 6. (No slight on the bands that played earlier; I didn’t see you.) Sadly, everyone suddenly remembered it was a school night and Follow That Bird ended up playing to a smaller crowd, but they still smoked.
According to witnesses, Friday and Saturday night were utterly jammed, one in and one out for most of the night for the shows headlined by Woven Bones Friday and Harlem Saturday.
— It was a last minute show that didn’t get the promotion it deserved, but former(?) Lungfish frontman Daniel Higgs played an extraordinary set at the acoustically-excellent Bethell Hall Saturday afternoon. Texas minimalist synth composer J.D Emmanuel, playing his first live set in decades, opened the show, followed by a storm of drifty electronic clouds from Christelle Gualdi, a.k.a. Stellar Om Source.
Higgs, having car trouble, was outside of Austin for his opening acts, but rolled in and hit the stage like a hip-hop star. (All I could think of was a DJ screaming, “Daniel Higgs is 20 minutes away! Daniel Higgs is 10 minutes away! Daniel Higgs is in the building!”)
About ten minutes after Gualdi ended, Higgs rolled up with banjo and harmonium, wearing traditional Higgs wear of a dark suit and massive beard and a pair of mirrored sunglasses he might as well have stolen from Axl Rose in 1987.
Asked if he wanted amplification, he let out a yell to test the acoustics, which were terrific, and declined.
His solo work has focused on acoustic improvisations and loosely constructed patterns, the lyrics surreal juxtapositions chocked with natural, biological and religious images, much like his work with Lungfish.
The first song, “Holy Bible Time,” featured his voice and a harmonium droning one chord, yet he managed to give the chorus a sticky riff, something too many Austin rock bands have clean forgotten how to do. He also appended the song with a few verses from a song from a the Star Trek original series episode “The Way To Eden (“where I first learned the scriptures,” I think he said).
Another piece freatured a “free singing” section during which the audience was invited to collaborate. They declined, sadly.
So, yeah, in sum, as far as freak folk/acid folk/new weird America/etc., there is Daniel Higgs and then there is everyone else. The end.
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CD review: Yeasayer ‘Odd Blood’
Psychedelic pop band Yeasayer came out of nowhere in 2007 with “All Hour Cymbals,” a dystopic affair recalling the Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light” and other Brian Eno-infused work. Similar to Vampire Weekend, the debut was so strong that it wasn’t unreasonable to think the band would just fade away after exhausting their best material.Songs such as “2080” and “Sunrise” were both catchy and forward-thinking; to duplicate these would be a challenge.
It seems the band felt something similar to this as well, as the first thing that stands out about “Odd Blood” is its change in direction. The dark, haunting core that defined “Cymbals” is replaced with a distinctively brighter vision. “Ambling Alp,” while staying faithful to the band’s tendency toward layered synth effects and rhythmic experimentation, is notably different with its feel good chorus, “stick up for yourself son, never mind what anybody else does.” Similarly, the companion tracks “O.N.E.” and “ONE” seize upon a dance pop sound that locates them closer to contemporaries like Cut Copy than the Talking Heads. While “Odd Blood” might not win as many new fans as the debut, it represents a big leap forward in the band’s development.
Yeasayer have two shows scheduled — April 10 and 11 — at the Parish. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 at the door. www.theparishaustin.com.
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West Campus to host massive SXSW side party benefiting Haiti relief
If there’s anything Austin reliably loves, it’s the convergence of music and charity — well, music, charity and beer, ideally — and Couch Professor Entertainment is teaming up with a quintet of Drag standbys to give the city just that with “Six Stages Over Texas,” a two-day, (obviously) six-stage benefit for Yele Haiti Saturday March 20 and Sunday 21.
Three stages will be found in the Hole in the Wall, with one stage each behind Cream Vintage and Terra Burger, and a further two stages set up outdoors on San Antonio St. Highlights include the Crystal Method, Alejandro Escovedo, Lions, the Black and White Years, L.A.X., Ben Kweller, and above all else a DJ set from Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. Yes, that is apparently a thing that is happening.
Tickets go on sale from Ticketfly tomorrow. Current confirmed artists are after the jump, and keep your eyes peeled to our SXSW side parties list to keep tabs on party announcements both official and unofficial.
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Shearwater’s ‘The Golden Archipelago’ now streaming on NPR
Just last month NPR Music offered up a slice of brand-new Spoon early, streaming their entire album “Transference” a full week before its release, and now they’ve got another full-length album for your listening pleasure from another critically acclaimed batch of Austinites.
This time around, it’s the new album from from Shearwater, the earnest and aspiring outfit fronted by thoughtful, examining bird and nature enthusiast Jonathan Meiburg. NPR is streaming “The Golden Archipelago” in its entirety for a limited time ahead of the album’s digital release Tuesday, Feb. 16 and physical release Feb. 23.
NPR recommends giving the album a listen “without interruption and on headphones, if possible,” and that’s fair advice — the third of a triptych of thematically linked albums, it’s a grand, intricate work deserving of a special level of attention.
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New York Times on the Cactus flap
The New York Times has published a nice piece on how Austin is changing.
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Gipsy Kings to play May show at the new Backyard
Revered French flamenco pop pioneers the Gipsy Kings will bring their distinct fusion of Latin American and Spanish styles to the new Backyard venue Thursday, May 6, music production company Direct Events announced today.
The show is only the second to be announced at the new Backyard, which is slated to open sometime this spring. Willie Nelson’s annual Fourth of July picnic is also scheduled to take place at the new venue, which is currently under construction.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 13.
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Meet the Casual Victim Pile band: Woven Bones
Ahead of tonight’s second night of the release show for Austin-centric Matador Records compilation “Casual Victim Pile” (see our interview with compilation architect and Matador co-owner Gerard Cosloy here, review here and photo gallery of the bands here), we’ve talked with three of the compilation’s most notable bands. Tonight’s performers Woven Bones are below, and you can also check out yesterday’s performers the Dikes of Holland and Follow That Bird!
Save for Matador Records signees and certifiable buzz act Harlem, dark fuzz rock trio Woven Bones might have a higher profile than any other band on “Casual Victim Pile,” with a writeup on popular music blog Stereogum and a debut album due on Chicago’s HoZac Records in May. The band’s putting the finishing touches on the record, which vocalist and guitarist Andy Burr says mines more accessible territory than the band’s previous releases.
“There’s been some maturing over the last year as far as hooks and stuff are concerned,” Burr says. “It’ll have some sort of semblance of a pop sensibility, which we wanted. Although it’s not bubblegum in any respect.”
The band was relatively new to Austin when they flew onto the radar of Cosloy, who attended several of the band’s shows and approached them about contributing to “Casual Victim Pile.” At the time, Woven Bones were steadily releasing 7-inch singles, and offered Cosloy use of one of the unreleased songs they’d recorded for those sessions. For Burr, the appeal of “Casual Victim Pile” had everything to do with the opportunity to work with Cosloy.
“He’s such a big fan of a lot of bands around town and goes out and sees them all the time. He’ll come to our show, and be like, ‘As soon as you guys are done I’m going to see this and this and this,’ ” Burr says. “For us it was way less of an ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to be on Matador’ thing and more a ‘Oh, god, Gerard is such a cool dude and we could be involved on something he’s doing’ thing.”
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Texas Union board member bemoans “total lack of input…”
The Save the Cactus (Austin, Texas) Facebook page has passed 20,000 members, including Texas Union faculty board member Dr. Thomas J. Garza, who posted this yesterday:
“As one of three faculty members on the Union Board, I would like to comment on the total lack of input on this decision from Board faculty. All three of us were absent during last Friday’s decision (the item was not explicit on the distributed agenda), and our voices should have been crucial to any decision. I know that at least two of us are frequent attendees to Cactus concerts — and have been for several decades. I join your voices in objecting to this hasty decision made with little input from those who actually benefit from the many joys the Cactus Cafe provides.”
Dr. Garza, an associate professor at UT’s Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, could not be reached for further comment Friday morning.
Yesterday evening the Union board’s student members released a statement that said they didn’t vote on the Cactus phaseout.
Meanwhile, here’s some interesting reading from 16 years ago, when beleagured University Unions head Andy Smith led the charge for privatization of food services in the Texas Union.
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Superchunk, the xx, others to play free show at SXSW
Village Voice Media has announced the lineup for their SXSW party Saturday March 20 at La Zona Rosa from noon to 5 p.m. Superchunk, the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Surfer Blood will play a show that is open to the general public. No badge required.
Here’s the official announcement.
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Student members of the University Unions Board of Directors issue statement
The student members of the University Unions Board of Directors, which makes recommendations regarding use of the University of Texas unions, including the Texas Union, issued a statement Thursday night clarifying the board’s role in plans to close the Cactus Cafe. The statement was sent out to UT’s student body.
“The board members in attendance did review and support the proposal after careful consideration, but did not vote,” reads the statement. “… The student members of the board expressed support for management’s decision to repurpose the Cactus Cafe and cancel informal classes effective August 2010. The student members respect and appreciate the Cactus Cafe and what it has meant to the UT and Austin communities. The room, however, will go back into the room inventory, and student organizations will be able to reserve and utilize the room for their own performances and programs.”
The statement reiterates that the student members of the union board endorsed — but otherwise had no active role in — the decision, made by Wm. Andrew Smith Jr., executive director of University Unions, and his staff. Student Government President Liam O’Rourke said late Thursday, after the statement was released, that there are no plans to alter or modify the room itself. While the immediate plan for the Cactus Cafe is to include it in the inventory of rooms available for student use, O’Rourke said, student leadership is planning to develop a plan that will keep the space music-oriented. What direction that will be, however, is still up for discussion.
“We’re very committed to keeping it primarily a music venue,” O’Rourke said. “The union board supported the management decision to address the operational issues to meet budget needs, but we have not come up with procedures, rules, or plans for the room just yet. We wanted it to be a space for student musicians and performances.
“The big change will be that the people setting the agenda for the room will be primarily students.”
You can view the full statement here.
Update: SaveTheCactusCafe.org, the official Web site of the now 20,000-strong Facebook group, will hold an informational meeting tomorrow, Saturday Feb. 6, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Maria’s Taco X-Press. Organizers plan to “provide the background to the planned closing of the Cactus Cafe, announce a plan for saving the legendary listening room and enlist volunteers to begin organizing and mobilizing to urge the university to reverse its decision.”
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NYT: Mary Bruton contests husband Stephen Bruton’s will
Two months before he died of cancer, Stephen Bruton filed for divorce from his wife of 13 years, Mary Bruton, and willed the bulk of his $1.2 million estate to his brother Sumter, the New York Times is reporting. But in contesting the will, Mary Bruton is claiming that her husband was not in sound mind at the time and manipulated by T-Bone Burnett, his childhood friend and co-music supervisor on “Crazy Heart,” which received three Oscar nominations this week (though none for Bruton.) Stephen Bruton left his photographer wife $100 in addition to their community property.
The article is rife with anonymous sources and does not include any quotes from Mary Bruton or Burnett, who both declined to comment. It also doesn’t mention where court papers were filed.
Having researched in preparation to interview Burnett for this story, I can attest that T-Bone has erroneously compared Bad Blake’s career to that of Bruton’s. Stephen Bruton never drove 300 miles in a rusted out Suburban to play dives. But he knew people who did and was fascinated by them. Bruton hadn’t touched drugs or alcohol for the last 20 years of his life. In advising actor Jeff Bridges, who was never more than ten feet away from Bruton during the filming, Bruton no doubt drew on his experiences with Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver and Lowell George.
In the interview with Burnett, I was impressed that he gave Bruton the majority of credit for “Crazy Heart“‘s music. Bruton would’ve love what’s happening now with his movie. It’s a shame that, at a time when Austin’s silver fox is finally receiving his due as a songwriter and musician, this bit of ugliness has to surface.
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Weekend picks: Charging rock, house wrecking gospel, Casual Victims
(Pictured: The Gary. David Weaver FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
FRIDAY
Joseph Arthur at the Cactus Cafe. ‘El Prolifico’ released four EPs and his eighth studio album in 2008, but you can do that when, as the Ohio native Arthur, you’re a recovering alcoholic and all of a sudden the days are four times as long. Since this gig is without his somewhat sloppy Lonely Astronauts band, we can hope for more songs from his great 2000 album ‘Come To Where I’m From.’ Arthur returns to the Cactus on Saturday. 8:30 p.m. $20. 2247 Guadalupe St. utexas.edu/txunion. — Michael Corcoran
Also recommended:
- Jerry Jeff Walker at the One World Theater
- Moonlight Towers at the Hole In the Wall
- Graham Wilkinson, Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir at the Continental Club
- Alec Ounsworth at Emo’s
- Casual Victim Pile bands at Beerland
SATURDAY
The Gary CD release at the Scoot Inn. The Gary is primed to have a very big 2010. After releasing a sensational EP of blue-collar, irony-free rock with 2009’s ‘Chub,’ the Austin trio returns with the charging, nine-song debut album ‘Logan.’ It’s an impressive first album that builds on all the strengths that made ‘Chub’ so headbang-worthy, and the band celebrates its release on CD — it’s been available digitally since December — at the appropriately straightforward charm of the Scoot Inn. 9 p.m. $5. 1308 E. Fourth St. www.scoot-inn.com. — Patrick Caldwell
Also recommended:
- Casual Victim Pile bands at Beerland
- I Luv Video 25th Anniversary with the Diagonals
- Ghost Knife at the United States Art Authority
- Bowerbirds at the Mohawk
- the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Stubb’s
SUNDAY Bells of Joy at Stubb’s Austin’s greatest gospel group, whose 1951 single ‘Let’s Talk About Jesus’ was cited by Ray Charles as the inspiration for ‘I Got a Woman,’ no longer has the great A.C. Littlefield on vocals, but it can still wreck a house. Two seatings at this Gospel Brunch are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Call 480-8341, ext 4, for reservations. 801 Red River St. www.stubbsaustin.com. — M.C.
Also recommended:
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UT regents staying out of Cactus Cafe flap
Don’t expect the governing board of the University of Texas to get involved in the dust-up over plans to close the Cactus Cafe.
The UT System Board of Regents, which oversees UT-Austin and 14 other campuses, is meeting in Dallas today, and I asked Chairman James Huffines about the cafe.
“That’s strictly a campus decision,” he replied.
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Local supergroup the Coveters debut at the Continental Club tonight
The Coveters — something a Momo’s supergroup composed of many of the beloved local players who rock the West Sixth Street club on a regular basis — will make their public debut tonight, First Thursday, at the Continental Club. The band includes solo vocalists Suzanna Choffel and Dan Dyer, Band of Heathens singer Ed Jurdi, and violin and fiddle player Warren Hood, with a rhythm section including the New Bohemians’ Brad Houser and Jeff Botta.
Dyer and Choffel got the ball rolling on the new band after both decided they wanted a low-key outlet for their music.
“Myself and Dan Dyer were sort of complaining about the stress of our careers and what-not, and how we were both kind of stressed out and had a lot on our plate,” Choffel said. “So we kept talking about a side project that might just be fun, no pressure.”
The band began rehearsing in late 2009, and has a full set of original material, though they’ve yet to play a gig. The lineup was designed so that individual members could come and go as their own projects demanded — Dyer, who is on tour, will be absent from tonight’s show but should play with the band at their next performance, March 4 at Momo’s.
“I see it being a once a month or once every two months kind of thing,” Choffel said. “It’s kind of one of those things where we’ll probably have irregular shows and see how much people dig it.”
The show kicks off at 10 p.m. and costs $8. The Texas Sapphires, playing a release party for their new album “As He Wanders…” will follow the Coveters at 11:30 p.m.
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Todd P goes to Mexico
Todd Patrick, better known as Todd P — the concert organizer and promoter who’s too cool for a period — has announced via his Web site that he’ll debut a new, post-SXSW music festival, the MtyMx All Ages Festival of Art and Music, in Monterrey, Mexico, this year.
Austinites might best recognize Todd P as the organizer of a series of popular SXSW day parties at Ms. Bea’s in East Austin. This year, he’s elected to set his sights on Autocinema Las Torres in Monterrey, a drive-in theater with a 5,000 person capacity, where he’ll hold his own festival from Saturday, March 20 (the last day of the SXSW Music Festival), to Monday, March 22.
Further details are available at the Web site, but here are the bullet points: two stages and 75 bands (with staggered sets to keep acts from overlapping), tickets $30 for all three days, with a visual art component including murals and video projections, on-site camping available and thrice-daily shuttle buses running between Austin and Monterrey to ferry attendees. Confirmed bands so far include Dan Deacon, No Age, Neon Indian, Toro Y Moi, Das Racist and dd/mm/yyyy. Deacon and No Age are exclusive to the festival and won’t be performing at SXSW, according to the announcement.
“Monterrey, Mexico is roughly the same distance as other ‘next stop on your tour’ cities like Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, El Paso, etc.,” reads the announcement. “The idea of the festival is to provide bands with another option during those 3-4 days after SXSW, where they risk playing under attended, money losing shows because a) it’s spring break, b) it’s a Sunday night in Oklahoma City and c) every other band in the world is also trying to play a show on a Sunday night in Oklahoma City!”
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Meet the Casual Victim Pile band: Dikes of Holland
Ricardo B. Brazziell/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Ahead of tonight’s release show for Austin-centric Matador Records compilation “Casual Victim Pile” (see our interview with compilation architect and Matador co-owner Gerard Cosloy here, review here and photo gallery of the bands here), we’ve talked with three of the compilation’s most notable bands. Tonight’s performers the Dikes of Holland are featured below, you can check out Follow That Bird here, and tune back in tomorrow for an interview with Friday performers Woven Bones.
Most bands are lucky to have one skilled songwriter. The Dikes of Holland have three.
John Paul Bohon, Trey Reimer and Christopher Stephenson share the spacey, psychedelic punk band’s songwriting duties, each penning their own individual songs. Instrumentally, the band is every bit as adaptable — Stephenson alone plays the drums, guitar, bass or keyboards, depending on the needs of the song.
Although that variable approach gives the Dikes of Holland a certain freewheeling energy, it also meant that when Cosloy approached the band to participate in “Casual Victim Pile,” they had three songs to pitch, with one from each of its writers — and wanted some outside help to make a choice.
“We had like three songs recorded at that time, and we just kind of showed them to some close friends of ours and asked which one they thought was the best, and it was kind of unanimous,” says Stephenson, 27. “We talked to people we had made music with in the past and people that had similar tastes to us who could make a judgment about what sounded best. Because sometimes a song that feels good to play live doesn’t really translate to the recording, and what you’re not too excited about comes out sounding great.”
The unanimously chosen song was Reimer’s “Little City Girl,” a blast of psychotropic, atmospheric, hard-driving rock that clocks in at less than three minutes.
Stephenson has no idea what — if any — fallout “Casual Victim Pile” might have for its featured bands. But his hopes are modest. Inquire about what he’d like to see emerge as a result of the compilation’s release, and he doesn’t talk about label deals or added publicity. He’d be happy if it gave everybody more excuses to hang out.
“It would be great if it just brought bands to each other’s shows. It was really cool to see everybody there for the photo shoot,” Stephenson says. “With all the bands there it was like a packed show without anyone playing. It was cool to see everybody in one place at one time, and it’d be great if that happened more as a result.”
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Meet the Casual Victim Pile band: Follow That Bird!
Ricardo B. Brazziell/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Ahead of tonight’s release show for Austin-centric Matador Records compilation “Casual Victim Pile” (see our interview with compilation architect and Matador co-owner Gerard Cosloy here, review here and photo gallery of the bands here), we’ve talked with three of the compilation’s most notable bands. Tonight’s performers Follow That Bird are featured below, you can check out the Dikes of Holland here, and tune back in tomorrow for an interview with Friday performers Woven Bones.
When powerfully confessional folk rock singer Bill Callahan headlined a show at the Parish back in July, he chose a seemingly unlikely opener: the thunderous pop-rock trio Follow That Bird. If Callahan’s dark, intimate ruminations seemed an odd pair with Follow That Bird’s riot grrl-descended rock, well, they thought so, too.
“I asked him about it, because I was like ‘Bill. What are we doing here? Tell it to me straight,’” drummer Tiffanie Lanmon, 23, recalls with a laugh. “It was weird, because the two times we’ve played really big shows were both at the Parish, and they were with Bill Callahan and Shearwater. Shearwater was a CD release show and they had all these orchestral instruments and … we were Follow That Bird.”
But Follow That Bird’s cachet with accomplished locals like Callahan and Shearwater speaks highly to their status as one of Austin’s (relatively) hidden rock ’n’ roll gems. Lanmon started the band with vocalist and guitarist Lauren Green, 21, in 2005. Bassist Mitchell Tellstrom, 28, joined up last year (as a former member of the Persimmons, Tellstrom manages the impressive trick of having played in two “Casual Victim Pile” bands without actually appearing in either’s songs on the compilation).
Their high-energy, straight-ahead rock, anchored by Green’s Joan Jett-by-way-of-Chrissie Hynde and Siouxsie Sioux wail, also impressed Matador Records’ Gerard Cosloy. The longtime supporter of the band asked them to appear on “Casual Victim Pile” early on in the selection process.
“He presented it as ‘This is really selfish. This is what I want to hear. I want it in one place and this is what I’m doing. It’s just stuff that I’m excited about and maybe want to show everyone else what’s going on,’ ” Lanmon says.
Without much persuasion needed, Follow That Bird signed on and recorded “The Ghosts That Wake You,” a driving anthem that provides the perfect opening for a compilation that has an impressive breadth.
“It has a really broad scope for being, for the most part, bands that play at Beerland. It’s at least an idea of all the different things that go on there,” Tellstrom says. “The difference between No No Hopes and Kingdom of Suicide Lovers is gigantic. But at the same time, they probably all live in the same neighborhood, and they make sense together.”
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