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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Weekend Picks: Austin faves, karaoke remixes and more holiday fun
Friday: The Skunks’ Holiday Reunion at the Continental Club. Austin’s first punk rock band plays a holiday show. I still think their version of the Velvet Underground’s ‘Sister Ray’ is a dead ringer for the Modern Lovers’ ‘Roadrunner.’ (Not too big a difference, I know.) I wonder if their version of ‘O Holy Night’ sounds like ‘Roadrunner’? With Teisco del Rey. $10. — Joe Gross
Friday: Sounds Under Radio at Stubb’s. Big, slick rock ‘n’ roll ready for prime time. The band’s Sony/Epic debut and first full-length ‘Cinematica’ is slated to hit the streets in February. You might recall their song ‘Portrait of a Summer Thief’ from the soundtrack to ‘Spider-Man 3.’ $10. — J.G.
Saturday: Future Clouds & Radar at Stubb’s Their ornate pop translates live in really interesting ways. If power pop (or Todd Rundgren) (or the Beach Boys) is your thing, you owe it to yourself to check them out. But can any rock band resist playing ‘Little Drummer Boy’? With Lalaland. $10. — J.G.
Saturday: Indieroke Holiday Party at the Mohawk. Unleash your defiant alcoholic alter-ego with an extra-slurry version of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.” Reinvent mopey Cure songs from the 80s as breezy pop tunes. Remix the famous dance from OK Go’s “Here It Goes Again” video—- heck, remix the whole song if you feel like it. It’s the Austinist’s Indieroke Holiday Party, an anything goes karaoke event. Get your shine on. $2 —-Deborah Sengupta Stith
Saturday: Gary Clark Jr. at Antone’s. Austin music fans have long recognized Gary Clark Jr. as one of our city’s young lions on the rise. Recently his authentic blues-to-the-bone persona landed him a part in the upcoming John Sayles’ flick “Honeydripper” in which he plays (you guessed it) a young blues man. He also has a couple tracks on the soundtrack. The movie goes nationwide in February. Catch Gary now as his ticket prices could very possibly go up soon. $10-$12 —-D.S.S.
Sunday: More Fire, Bexar County Bastards, Zenith Fuzzbomb. Between these three bands, something tells me you could get any Motörhead or Who song you wanted to hear just by asking nicely. Or buying them a Jaeger shot. Room 710, 710 Red River St. 476-0997. — J.G.
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In the clubs with Grimy Styles
Dub reggae has been the music of the future for more than 20 years.
Science-fiction writer William Gibson thought dub’s slippery, disorienting sound, with its languid beat, weird echoes, random sounds and ease with electronic manipulation, made it the perfect music to beam out of a satellite in his 1983 cyberpunk classic “Neuromancer.” In the ’90s, dub became the hipster music of the moment, thanks largely to the rise of techno and rave culture, bands such as Tortoise incorporating dub techniques and a resurgence of interest in the career of Lee “Scratch” Perry. (See issue No. 2 of the Beastie Boys zine “Grand Royal” for the complete story.) With its association with marijuana and traditional reggae, it appealed to jam band culture. Suddenly, dub seemed au courant as anything topping the charts. It’s been on a low boil as a hipster concern ever since.
Of course, dub is not the first genre people associate with Austin. Singer-songwriter? Sure. Cosmic cowboy? Yup. Whatever the heck you call what the Butthole Surfers did? Absolutely. But since 2001, Grimy Styles has been trying to change that. These four guys — guitarist Matthew Beebe, keyboard player Martin Moeller, bassist Chris Nerren and drummer Jacob Benenate — put their own (purely instrumental) spin on dub’s sound and structure. Not sure about these white guys’ bona fides? The band has played with acts as diverse as Bernie Worrell, the Skatalites and Thomas Mapfumo, and members have worked with reggae producer Stephen “Gibbo” Gibbs on tracks for artists such as Capleton and I-Wayne.
They eschew lyrics in favor of soundscapes and fold in other genres when need be. Their live shows are beloved by fans for their spacey improvisational approach. Sounds mutate into other sounds, instruments fall in and out of the mix seemingly at random, the music takes a three-dimensional cast. This is dub for the 21st century sound, just like Gibson predicted.— Joe Gross
In the clubs: Grimy Styles play New Year’s Eve with the Mau Mau Chaplains and Dr. Dubbist at Flamingo Cantina, 515 E. Sixth St. $15 in advance. 494-9336, flamingocantina.com.
(Pictured top: Left to right: Martin Moeller, Matthew Beebe, Jacob Benenate, and Chris Nerren. All photos by Tammy Perez FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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SXSW 2008: A few more bands confirmed
A few more bands have confirmed for SXSW:
Buzz band of the moment Vampire Weekend is playing. A demo version of their debut album, the final version of which is due in January on XL records, may make some critics’ year-end list for ‘07, a bit like Pavement’s “Slanted and Enchanted” did back in ‘91.
The Breeders, whom you’ll recall from quite a run there during the Clinton administration (and a comeback album called “Title TK,” which is a joke only journalists will get, which indicates the band knows its remaining fanbase quite well indeed.)
Neo-shoegazer buzz band A Place to Bury Strangers
Danish pop types the Ravonettes
Heavy psych-rock revivalists Black Mountain
British indie darlings/ Sex Pistols warm-up act the Cribs
Look for a showcase from the completely excellent Ohio label Columbus Discount .
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