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Saturday, July 17, 2010
Live review: Ghostland Observatory at Whitewater Amphitheater
With its rumbling screech n’ beat sound, Ghostland Observatory isn’t the most musically gifted band in town. But they’re the most savvy by a mile and a half. Not to mention that they’ve built a live show that had many in the crowd of nearly 5,000 at the Whitewater Amphitheater Friday night experiencing a complete double rainbow they could dance to.
With tonight’s show sold out well in advance, Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner sold about $300,000 in tickets for what’s becoming one of Central Texas’ biggest yearly events. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s the most money ever grossed at a two or three-night stand by an Austin band not part of a festival. More than Stevie, more than Willie, more than Pat Green and all the guys from Lubbock combined.
GLO’s genius is in making rock fans realize that they like techno and vise versa, with a smoke and laser extravaganza that even Kenny G fans can appreciate. Gauzy lighting that made Behrens look like a dancing ghost, plus a new song (“Listen” it could be called) that was like beat poetry set to the Jimmy Castor Bunch, point to the GLO sound becoming more textured with its next recordings. Less like a mallet to the brain’s funk receptors. Meanwhile, the duo’s Wizard of Oz/ Dorothy makeup is being washed away in reds, blues and greens, both sonically and visually.
But the rest of Friday was classic GLO, who make the best music to walk to the port-o-potties to. Their sound (cribbed from Eno’s “King’s Lead Hat”) struts on such numbers as “Piano Man” and “Dance To Vibrate,” so folks weren’t just moving confidently in front of the stage, they were pimpin’ as they waited for food (Big ups, Wahoo’s Fish Taco’s) or trekked to the facilities.
Whitewater Amphitheatre, which has the Guadalupe River rushing less than 20 yards from the back of the stage, is a fairly undiscovered gem to those not into Texa-homa country rock bands such as Cross Canadian Ragweed and the Randy Rogers Band. It was strange to hear Jason Boland and Roger Creager cranking out of all the tube-rental places nearby while walking to the Ghostland scene. But the pristine venue- in an absolutely stunning setting- is perfect for the duo because there are no neighbors (though GLO’s gigantic bass will test that) and there’s plenty of room and picnic tables to get away from the crazed dancers and heavy marijuana smoke for a few minutes to recharge in the freah air.
Though Ghostland was the only band to play, they programmed the night perfectly, with stripped down ambient blips and blinkles for the first 90 minutes after the gates opened, then bringing out a deejay for an hour long mini-rave that got the party started in boisterous fashion.
The four-year-old Whitewater Amphitheater, built from a former campsite with a stage, is becoming the Red Rocks of Texas. Expect other non-country bands to take GLO’s lead. Playing Labor Day weekend are Foreigner, Blue October and Clay Walker. And playing next year, and every year they’re together: Ghostland Observatory!. A new summer tradition.
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Live Review: Shearwater at the Austin City Limits Studio
When the audience clapped at the mention Shearwater’s most recent album, “The Golden Archipelago,” on Friday night, frontman Jonathan Meiburg joked that it was the warmest response it had received since its release. While the unassuming rocker might have been being a bit hard on himself, there was a kernel of truth in what he said. Unlike other Austin music that’s been successful on a national level, Shearwater’s music, often characterized by dark, brooding moments that give way to controlled chaos, isn’t the most accessible. Dig through the band’s several albums and you are not going to find anything resembling “The Underdog,” but that’s not what the band is about.
What they are about, and what they demonstrated during their set Friday at the Austin City Limits studios, the latest in the “KUT Live” series, is having a precise handle on the mood of their music. Meiburg’s voice is a dominant instrument, complemented by a skilled group of players, including drummer/percussionist Thor Harris. From the start of the set, which began with “The Snow Leopard,” the two were in constant conversation; Meiburg, on the piano, started softly, Harris answered with a quiet force, instantly changing the tenor of the song. The night continued in a similar vein, with each member adding layers of tension as they explored music that spanned several of the band’s albums.
Also setting Meiburg and company apart Friday was their versatility. As skilled as they are at coming together as a tense, noisy orchestra, they are just as capable of creating surreal, dreamlike moments. During the haunting “Castaways,” from the “Golden Archipelago,” Meiburg’s vocal acrobatics created an illusion of multiple singers; at several points Harris abandoned the drum set in favor of percussion vibraphone (often with bassist Kimberley Burke joining in), clarinet and what looked like a homemade hammer dulcimer. Another highlight of the set was “White Waves,” an older song which allowed the band to show off their bluesier side, a bit of a departure, but one just strange enough that it fit right in.
Setlist:
The Snow Leopard
Black Eyes
Landscape at Speed
Castaways
Meridian
White Waves
God Made Me
Corridors
Hidden Lakes
Leviathan, Bound
Failed Queen
Rooks
Century Eyes
I Was a Cloud
7475
Uniforms
Hail, Mary (encore)
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