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Friday, March 21, 2008
Review: Bob Mould at Antone’s
- Photos: Bob Mould at Antone’s
A week earlier, pretty much all of Austin was slammed with SXSWers, including Antone’s, which was uncomfortably packed for Vampire Weekend’s ridiculously hyped showcase. Thursday’s patently ferocious Bob Mould show at the same venue was a great way to reclaim our town.
Late of Husker Du and Sugar, the bellowing alternative rock icon and former Austinite opened by plowing into “The Act We Act” and “A Good Idea” (the one-two opening punch from Sugar’s debut, “Copper Blue”) and barely took a breath until almost two dozen career-spanning songs passed. By this time, longtime fans know what they’re going to get: a killer band, a taste of the newest record (in this case the fine “District Line”) and not much if any banter. The guy, with a shaved head and gray, elder statesman beard, is all business and as aggressive as ever.
The new record, while unapologetically guitar-based, has a slight whiff of Mould’s other life as a sometimes-DJ and electronic musician, which wasn’t so apparent Thursday. Rather, the set showcased a body of work going as far back as “Chartered Trips” from Husker Du’s 1984 double LP “Zen Arcade” and including “Again and Again” and a sprinkling of other tunes from the new record. Mould may not have been the first to hitch great melodies to the sonic wallop of a monster truck, but does anybody do it better? (Let me answer that.) There was also room for the occasional freakout, such as “Hanging Tree” from Mould’s appropriately titled “Black Sheets of Rain.”
For old fans (and in case you haven’t heard I’m a little bit partisan) the sweet spot came at the close, before the encore, with the Huskers’ “I Apologize,” “Celebrated Summer” and “Divide and Conquer.” For somebody who once somewhat cheekily claimed to hate alternative rock, Bob Mould certainly knows how to wield its power — and he’s somehow managed not to calcify into a nostalgia act. Which is why people will be listening to Bob Mould when Vampire Weekend, much as I enjoy them, is little more than the answer to a trivia question.
(Musician Bob Mould, right, plays Thursday at Antone’s. Photo by Larry Kolvoord/AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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T-Bone, Old Settler’s and more
A new T Bone Burnett album titled “Tooth of Crime” (Nonesuch) should arrive in stores May 6. It is something of a collaboration with playwright/former Holy Modal Rounder Sam Shepard — the songs vibe off of Shepard’s 1972 play of the same name. Session players include Marc Ribot (who contributed some amazing guitar to the Burnett produced Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album “Raising Sand”) and drummer Jim Keltner.
Former Austin act Windsor For the Derby releases its new album “How We Lost” in May. I suspect it will sound like it could have been on Factory Records circa 1984, but that’s just a guess.
The 21st annual Old Settler’s Music Festival takes place April 17 to 20. Participating acts include Delbert McClinton, David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, The Waybacks, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Bettye LaVette, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, The Jones Family Singers and many more. Check out www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org for more information.
Hey, a Feelies reunion with Bill Million! Attention C3 Presents and Transmission Entertainment: We’d love to see them at ACL or Fun Fun Fun. Thanks.
