Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > March > 22 > Entry
Shhhhh! Music being played
We hear a lot about the music business “going green” these days, but noise pollution is a much worse problem in local clubs. Austin audiences are known for their understanding of and passion for live music, but this town is turning into Dallas, where half the audience has its back to the bands, while they’re chatting away.
I went to Momo’s last night to see the amazing South Austin Jug Band, who could be the best band in Austin, now that Spoon’s Britt Daniel lives in Portland, Okkervil River’s Will Sheff moved to Brooklyn and the Gourds’ heyday has passed. Dennis Ludiker and Brian Beken are master stringmen and with the addition of drummer Rob Kidd, SAJB is more musical, more driven than ever before. I’ll have a story in the paper on them next week.
The set was marred, however, by two groups of unbridled jabberers. There was the table of four women, practically shouting to hear each other over the music, and a trio of burly, guffawing, beer drinkers who were carrying on like they were at a backyard barbecue. An incredibly fluid musical conversation was happening onstage, but these louts were lost in their trivial nonsense. I mean, I don’t think they were discussing Heidegger.
Rather than spending time on campaigns like Troy Dillinger’s “Year of Austin Music,” Austin should get behind a citywide awareness program to get people to stop yapping when guitars are a’strummin.’ Maybe print bumper stickers that say “Paying cover doesn’t give you a license to jive.” Or something like “Nobody’s here to hear you” at the entrance of clubs. When I asked the guys at Momo’s to pipe down, they got defensive and a bit belligerent, but they eventually took their chitchat out to the patio. I think a lot of folks have no idea that their prattle is rattling the rest of us.
I love what Lane Gosnay does at the Bugle Boy in La Grange, giving a little speech before the show about how talking will not be tolerated. Our clubs have got non-smoking sections; why not implement blather-free zones? Churches have crying rooms; why can’t clubs have chatter boxes in the back?
I’d like to see Momo’s, which has a great inside/ outside layout, take the lead on this, by putting up a sign by the sound booth that says “Listeners only beyond this point.” And I’d like to see Mayor Wynn spearhead a campaign where a concerned citizen group, like Curtis Sliwa’s Guardian Angels, goes from club to club, looking for blabbermouths. When they find some, they hand them balled up pairs of dirty gym socks as a message to put a sock in it.
Let’s let the world know that we truly are serious about live music here and we’re not going to let the experience be negatively affected by a couple of loudmouths debating whether or not D.J. Augustin should go pro next year. (He shouldn’t, by the way, unless Texas makes it to the Final Four in San Antonio.)
Comments
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By Brody
March 22, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
I had a similar experience at the Mean Eyed Cat during SXSW. I went to see the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash not knowing there was going to be a private party there as well. The party members were clearly not there for the music, dressed in designer jeans and shirts and fancy cowboy boots. Backs were turned away from the stage and mouths blabbering. They’d clap a couple of times in between songs without even turning to acknowledge the band and for the last song the men took their trophy wives to dance two feet in front of the stage. It was the most contrived act of fandom I’ve ever seen. You can attribute it to SXSW, but why not just go to a restaurant if the only thing you’re going to do is eat and talk anyways?
By the way, Augustin is going pro. The good ones always do.
By Stan
March 22, 2008 6:50 PM | Link to this
I had the same experience with Liam Finn @ the Ale House. A couple of badge holders spoke over the music, the louder Liam was, they louder they spoke. I asked them to respect the artist and they laughed at me, but they left.
By SJM
March 23, 2008 1:28 AM | Link to this
Same thing at Roky Erickson’s Ice Cream Social at Threadgills. Roky came out to play and a crowd formed at the front of the stage. A (jerk) in a cowboy hat and a gaggle of women were standing in front of me who just kept yabbering on like they were in their living room at home. It’s scary how oblivious obnoxious people can be. I opted to move rather than tell them to shut the ** up, though. My 22 year old son and his friend were with me and nobody wants to see their mother act like a punk.
By Jimmy
March 23, 2008 1:33 AM | Link to this
You want people to come out to see music but you dont want them to socialize? Geeez…
By drewloo
March 23, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this
Yappers are extremely annoying, but I absolutely LOVE IT when the artist kindly (or not so kindly) asks the yappers to shut the heck up. The look on their face is usually PRICELESS. It shouldn’t have to get to that, though.
By GiGi
March 23, 2008 6:14 PM | Link to this
I agree completely. It’s rare to go out anymore and NOT have some moron talking constantly over a show.
By the way Jimmy, yes we want you to come out and see the music, but could you be so kind to wait till AFTER a set to talk so loudly about crap that nobody else cares about? Thank you so much.
By k2 music mgmt
March 23, 2008 11:39 PM | Link to this
right on michael!! you said it man!!
how about wearing buttons: “shhh.. music being played”?
i do “shhh!!” folks at clubs but also know i add to the noise in doing so .. like at mean eyed cat monday march 17 with austin artists gurf morlix and sam baker !!!! on stage .. man did i get some “mean eyed” looks from those high toned talkers!
and to jimmie above .. please .. we want folks to come out to HEAR music .. if you only want to SEE music .. perhaps you might want to stay home and watch your TV or DVD .. you can talk all you want there, np ..
just the same, love being here in austin! thank you all
By Dave
March 24, 2008 7:14 AM | Link to this
Nothing ruins a good show faster than a group of self-centered jackasses who only came out to drink and talk. If you want to socialize loudly, do it between songs, between sets, or for pete’s sake - move to the bar away from the stage. It’s just common damn courtesy. If your mother didn’t teach you, hopefully someone else will.
By SpandTex Pants
March 24, 2008 10:24 AM | Link to this
Mr. Corcoran, I totally agree with your premise here but “the Gourds’ heyday has passed”?????— come on, give me a break. Have you heard the Gourds lately? They are tighter than ever.
By Bastard Son of Emo's
March 24, 2008 3:06 PM | Link to this
Hey Michael, I’m digging back for this one, but one of the worst cases of interruptions of a musical set by a bunch of SXSW “hipsters” was around 1994 at Emo’s. Johnny Cash was playing his solo set before the Tennessee Three came out to join him. The chatter was incredible (as was the dropping of beer bottles on concrete!)during Johnny’s set! It was not only embarrassing but so disrespectful. It was as if people were more interested in jabbering about the fact that they were witnessing a truly great performance than actually listening! I should know…I was there and was recording the show on video and still occasionally watch it and shudder with embarrassment at how people behaved during that legendary set! (Now, as I recall, Beck followed Johnny Cash and his was the WORST performance I had ever seen. I think the chatter stop only because people were amazed at how crappy he was! And yes, I turned off my video camera right after Johnny Cash as I too was appalled!) Ha!
By mary
March 26, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this
This actually has been an ongoing problem, that I have observed being committed by any number and types of people attending concerts that really are more interested in networking and being seen. I stopped attending concerts at the Backyard several years ago, because of this. I even implored the staff to hush the talkers…they said it was not really an issue they were concerned about. There is nothing more frustrating than paying $$ for a concert that is interrupted constantly by such rudeness.
By DavidL
April 9, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
Complete agreement with all but the Gourds comment - you probably couldn’t hear them well. Very annoying/disappointing to pay hard-earned cash and not hear the show. I wish the clubs would have the backbone Jon Dee Graham displays when he tells the boring drunk yappers to ‘shut-the-f%$&-up”!