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Fun Fun Fun Fest review and scene report: Centro-matic
Maybe it was the UT football game in progress up the street, or maybe because it was 2 p.m., but Waterloo Park was empty in the initial hours of day one at the Fun Fun Fun Festival. The early draw was Dengue Fever on stage four, where a hundred or so people (compared to maybe 50 over at the punk stage) crowded in the small shaded area by the main entrance to hear the Los Angeles band’s bouncy psych-rock.
At first glance, the festival appeared toned down from last year, with a modest T-shirt sales area on the deck and some merchants selling typical music festival schwag — glass bongs and posters.
By the time Denton-based Centro-matic went on at 2:45 p.m., the crowd was steadily growing. Frontman Will Johnson declared an era of good feelings because of the election and the foursome did seem a bit sunnier than usual. The band, who play Austin quite a bit, didn’t offer up anything radical, but they are good at what they do — rock with a slight country tinge.
The set, which included crowd-pleasers such as “Flashes and Cables,” seemed too short to give the band time to really flex their muscles. On “Fidgeting Wildly,” Johnson and Co. demonstrated that they’re also good at being loud and somewhat cacophonous, but not so much so that it doesn’t sound great. I wouldn’t be surprised if Okkervil River’s Will Sheff isn’t a fan, as there are definitely similarities between the songs and the emotional presence of the two groups.
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Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Fun Fun Fun Fest
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By Zach
November 10, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
Actually, Centro-matic has played with Okkervil River several times (2000, 2002, 2004) because the bands are mutual fans of one another. (Including May 29, 2004 at Stubb’s, where Okkervil opened for Centro-matic!) They are label-mates with Okkervil’s sister band, Shearwater. Additionally, Will Johnson of Centro-matic had/has a side project called South San Gabriel that released a split single with Okkervil River in 2002. They’ve got a long history together and, to me, it would be incredibly surprising is Will Sheff was anything but a true fan and friend of Centro-matic.
By Matt
November 10, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this
Those who saw Dengue fever on Stage 4 missed a great set by Parts & Labor on Stage 1A. Guitarist Sarah Lipstate is a revalation, getting truly new sounds out her instrument. New drummer Joe Wong is strong and gave the songs a driving dancable beat. Parts & Labor deserve your attention.
By Peter Mongillo
November 10, 2008 2:55 PM | Link to this
Zach, thanks for the info.