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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > March > 22 > Entry
SXSW review: Jimmy Webb & the Webb Brothers
(11 p.m. Saturday, Prague)
As far as Your Humble Correspondent was concerned, Saturday night was Family Night at South By Southwest. Let’s see, there was Alyssa Suede (sister of Beck) playing on one end of Sixth Street while Solange Knowles (sister of Beyoncé) was playing on the other. And then there was Jimmy Webb and the Webb Brothers, who were billed to perform in the dungeon-like confines of Prague, near Fifth and Congress.
Jimmy Webb? The “MacArthur Park” and “By the Time I Get To Phoenix” Jimmy Webb? And there were Webb brothers? Who knew?
Turns out that not only are there Webb brothers (that is, Jimmy’s sons), there are a mess of ‘em. James, Justin, Christian and Cornelius Webb all joined their dad onstage for a musical family reunion. “This is the first time Jimmy Webb and the Webb Brothers have played in Austin,” he announced, adding, “Or anywhere else. This project has been a spiritual experience for our family, and we’re glad to share it with you.”
The evening began inauspiciously, with one of the boys beseeching the crowd for a pair of reading glasses they could borrow for their dad. And, sure enough, in one of those not-infrequent moments of happy SXSW propinquity, the needed spectacles were promptly provided.
On their own, the Webb Brothers have released three albums, including the acclaimed 2001 set, “Marooned.” But on this night, their main role consisted (apart from singing two original compositions) of backing up dad.
And that’s not a bad assignment. Webb, after all, has been responsible for some of the most enduring pop songs of the past 40 years, and his and his sons’ all-too-brief set permitted only the briefest overview of his repertoire.
Still, fans were treated to up-close-and-personal renditions of “Galveston,” “The Highwayman” (the inspiration for the country supergroup of the same name), “If These Walls Could Speak,” “Wichita Lineman” and, after a thunderous ovation, an encore of “Adios.” Throughout, the family affections shone through, lighting up the dark confines of the underground club.
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