Hello Darlings….
Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 is off to an absolutely fantastic, funtastic start.
With seemingly more people than ever this year, this growing festival is still a great experience, still with plenty of room and without people fighting for their turf up front.
After catching early shows from Sugar and Gold and the mega-funky Foot Patrol (music for those with a foot fetish), I caught Shonen Knife’s set. This all female trio from Osaka, Japan showed us what women can do with guitars and choreographed stage moves. They wowed an exuberant crowd with their poppy songs and eye-popping fluorescent dresses.
I next heard Vega, a disco rock dance that put on an exciting performance with their combination of synthesizer, bass and drums. Keep your ears out for this outfit in the future.
Then came the highlight of the day for many, including me – The Sword. Playing with purpose and enthusiasm, they blew away the audience with their combination of killer tone and incredible riffs. It got me to thinking that great riffs are one of the things that are sadly lacking from rock n roll today. Thanks to The Sword for bringing them back!
Athens, Georgia’s Dead Confederate rocked me with their reverb and delay drenched sounds. Their dynamic music was both atmospheric and driving, and the members were completely absorbed in their performance, drawing you in along with them.
The much anticipated group Death started their set as night began fall, and were mightily impressive. They were nearly unheard of before their recently discovered 1974 demo was found in an attic and released by Drag City records. Proving themselves way, way, way ahead of their time, this Detroit trio played garage rock that would have sounded progressive even if it had been written ten years later.
Day 2 of Fun Fun Fun Fest promises to deliver many more thrills. Be sure to stop by Waterloo Park and catch it if you can. My picks for the day include Street Dogs, Lucero and Mission of Burma. Look out for me at those stages Darlings, and keep an eye on the Daze website for photos, interviews and more reviews.
There is much to be thankful for after day one of Austin City Limits 2009 edition. The Spring-like weather made outdoors at ACL a pleasureable experience as opposed to previous years oppression. Some great performances were turned in by Medeski Martin and Wood, The Knux, Them Crooked Vultures, Kings of Leon and special guest, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
Medeski Martin and Wood actually played two sets on Friday. The first was part of the breakfast time, KGSR Live series held at Threadgills downtown during the festival. The short time format was not ideal for MMW as they tend improvise and play longer songs. The music was spectacular though, with John Medeski leading tight-knit threesome through two rollicking, jamming songs.If fans were not already awake with excitement at the first day of ACL, they were after MMW’s set. Read the rest of this entry »
Austin’s mayoral elections are heating up and the Daze sat down with candidate Brewster McCracken to get to know more about his plans for Austin. Get out and vote Saturday, May 9th.
AUSTIN DAZE: Brewster McCracken is…
BREWSTER MCCRACKEN:…a father of a 5-year-old boy who loves music, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day, and playing Chutes and Ladders with his dad…
…a novelist, guitarist, surfer, technophile and avid reader…
…an admirer of Pike Powers, Michelle Greer, Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Avellan, Barack Obama, Sara Hickman and his great grandmother Maude McFadyen…
…a husband who feels incredibly blessed by his wife’s love…
As a struggling writer, who has been self-employed since leaving NYC 4 years ago, much of the economic national crisis is beyond my scope. I don’t have a 401(k), I haven’t had health insurance since I left New York, and I’m one of the fortunate few who bought my house at an obscenely low price (thanks to those now not-so-fondly referred to “liar loans”). What I do have are fears of never mounting my next play, deadlines and writer’s block, and the waxing and waning anxiety about having made some really bad life choices. Day to day this takes the form of a throbbing, pulsing headache that seems to close down on me in the most inopportune times. In keeping with the slightly out of sync American way, I’m against treating any of the aforementioned ailments with medications—Xanax, Paxil, or Wellbutrin—opting instead for plenty of sleep, lots of yoga, and one or 12 cocktails when all else fails. A friend recently suggested acupuncture, which I’ve never tried. Specifically, Eastbound Acupuncture, a place upon further investigation seemed to be created for people like me. In my never ending quest to kill off the beast throbbing between my temples, I promptly made an appointment. Read the rest of this entry »
Nakia–Water to Wine– Nakia got a nod from Sharon Jones at this past year’s ACL by pulling him onstage for an impromptu duet. An Austin local, Nakia produces an album that is southernly delicious and joyous accompanied by his back-up band The Southern Cousins and his back-up singers The Fresh Up Girls. He echoes a soulful voice that is deep into American roots music and Water to Wine is fully potent of this sound. 5.5 McRiprock’s Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN DAZE: I know this started this as an improv project. What made you consider going forward and making this more formal?
BAND OF HEATHENS: We were in a Roman Bath House together scrubbing each other’s backs. We were exfoliating.
AD: That would do it.
BOH: We were all doing individual shows, everyone was having a good time playing each other’s stuff, sharing each other’s girlfriend’s and wives—it was a real party.
AD: Exfoliating, baths, and wife swapping. Sounds like the perfect combination for a band.
BOH: Plus we’re all brothers—same mother different fathers. Pretty soon after that we all got on stage and it was fun and we just started doing it. Not long after that we decided to record and have it just for our own posterior. So at first we weren’t going to do anything with it, and then we decided to put it out—we realized we wouldn’t lose money on it, which is good.
AD: When you decided to do the live album, did you think, “Ok, we have to actually come up with some shit for this thing because they are going to record it?”
BOH: We had a rehearsal. Some of us got there at 7 and some of us got there at 9. We did about a half hour of stuff and wrote down about 12 or 15 songs we knew we wanted to get to in the show. We ended up doing two shows because some of them didn’t come out usable. There were some glitches.
AD: Performing glitches or recording glitches?
BOH: Performing glitches. And technical glitches. And tequila induced glitches. We weren’t the perfect band that we are now. We’ve really come a long way.
AD: And the Austin Music Awards. It’s been written a few times that that was an official turning point in deciding to do this. Is that a PR story or a real story?
BOH: We were pretty wrapped up full time at that point. That was icing on the cake. The project is probably three and a half years old, but it’s really only like a year and three quarters because it wasn’t until January 2007 that we really took anything seriously. That was our first tour. By the time the music awards came we had already played a lot and were doing what we wanted to do.
AD: This was such an organic thing when it started, did the dynamic change once you were doing something more official? Did you have to regroup? Did someone have to take the lead?
BOH: We weren’t sure what would happen but it stayed the same.
AD: Were you nervous about it?
BOH: No. I think it felt pretty natural with all the wife swapping that we had done.
AD: I guess once you’ve seen somebody else’s wife naked…
BOH: We also had Ray Wylie Hubbard to referee which turned out to be a bunch of fun and he just fit right into the vibe. His advice tended to revolve around, “Well that’s pretty good but I think you can make it a little cooler. Why don’t you go make it a little cooler.” Very specific stuff.
AD: How did he come on board?
BOH: Well like us, He’s seen fire and he’s seen rain. He’d seen sunny days he thought would never end. Ray does a radio show. We got invited to go down and do the show and we hit it off really great and he told us to come back next week so we did. And then really informally, we started talking to him about doing a record. So we bought him a tuna sandwich and the rest was history.
AD: What was that like?
BOH: The tuna sandwich was great. He’s great. He has really strong opinions but has a cool way of letting you know them. It’s not about, play this note here or lets go fix this, it’s just try it again and capture the vibe. It’s about the overall vibe; the bigger picture.
AD: You’re all talented in your own right, but do you think you had seen the bigger picture before?
BOH: We don’t really like what any of us do but we realize there isn’t anything we can do to change it.
AD: You suffer through.
BOH: It’s a band. Everyone came from a place where everyone was doing their own solo stuff. Now you may have written the song but everybody is going to have a final say in it. It’s about the extent of your final say; your involvement of how it is going to go. But that’s cool because that’s what makes it sound the way it does.
AD: You guys have had experienced both SXSW and ACL. What are some of the most obvious differences between the two?
BOH: We were like chickens with our heads cut off at SXSW. Both years at SXSW were like 18 gigs non stop. Last year was like, play for 14 minutes pack your stuff up and then go play for 17 minutes. It was still fun.
AD: And ACL?
BOH: ACL is taking it right to the people. You cut out the middle man. We’ve seen a lot of people come up to us at shows since ACL and said they saw us for the first time there. It seems to be having an impact that is pretty immediate. We did get a European record deal out of SXSW this year. It’s just different. What they have most in common is that there is a lot of press—that was the working part of the ACL show and the rest of the time we went and saw bands.
AD: How do you feel about dealing with the press? What about the business side of things? I see you have a list of people involved now.
BOH: They just do what we tell them to do. We’re very apprehensive about press and interviews in general.
AD: There is a lot of talk about bands going about the business differently, with Myspace and the whole “fuck the label” route. You guys seem to have both the traditional outlets and your own.
BOH: We released the record ourselves—raised the money for it and everything. The band definitely comes from the new model of doing it ourselves—we are very hands on; cut from that cloth. We are hands on about the website, the way the t-shirts look.We actually spin our own cotton.
AD: You stay up late making those shirts? Make the pattern?
BOH: Yes.
AD: How’s that working for you?
BOH: Slow. We sell about three shirts a week.
AD: Let’s talk about the music a little bit. I’ve read a few times, “sounds like The Band.” How do you feel about that?
BOH: That’s a good one.
AD: What do you get that’s bad?
BOH: The Eagles. But if you want to cover one of our songs, we’ll talk. Early Eagles would be OK. Then again, how awesome did the Eagles do?
AD: What’s the worst band you could ever be compared to?
BOH: Richard Marx. Michael Bolton.
AD: What are you guys up to now? Are you writing? Recording?
BOH: Blogging. On the trials and tribulations ofbeing a professional musicians. This record came out five months ago so we are going to ride that thing right into the ditch. We’d like to do another record sooner than later.
AD: Anything else you want to add? Some plugging and promo?
The dust kicked up forcing many fans to place a bandana over their mouth (I had my pink paisley one on), but it didn’t seem to stop anybody from having fun, fun, fun.
The biggest highlight for me on Saturday was Killdozer. Even if you’ve never heard of them before, you have certainly heard them. Trace the lineage of the music that became known to us as grunge, and you will find this band listed as direct ancestors. Their set that afternoon was pulsating and electric. Singer/bassist Michael Gerald proved that one can actually play an instrument and drink beer at the exact same moment, and guitarist Bill Hobson raced up the scaffolding, climbed on top of the loudspeakers, and used the metal structure to play slide with. The trio left stage with amplifiers feeding back, and the crowd (including members of the headlining acts) screaming for more.Read the rest of this entry »
These gracious guys let us in for an exclusive just before they took the stage at South Padre Island. OK, fine, we actually snuck in ninja style and made them talk to us. Then we forced them to say they love Austin. Watch the video and learn our secrets of coercion.
Maker Faire has come and gone but thanks to the web many of the artists and food makers that participated are still around. Seeing as Halloween isn’t here yet and already Thanksgiving paraphernalia has invaded most stores, I thought I would leap frog right to the Gift Giving Season and offer some ideas from vendors that participated at this year’s Faire. Check them out:
Tobiah P. Mundt, Under the Licorice Tree – she is an artist with a love of all things felt. Her beautifully crafted sculptures are haunting. What struck me the most was how alive they seem—their expressions capture something rarely seen in a stuffed animal. Check out the gallery page on her website to see these little creatures posing for her. She also sells “Make Your Own” kits—perfect for kids. www.underthelicoricetree.com
August 31, 2008 the greatest running event on the planet, the Nike+ Human Race
As you know, on August 31, 2008 the greatest running event on the planet, the Nike+ Human Race, will take off at unimaginable speeds. Leading up to the Human Race in Austin, TX, runners can join the last Nike training run at Guero’s Taco Bar, located on South Congress, on August 26th at 7:00 p.m. Come join runners from all over the state as they participate in fitness training and fun, followed by a live music concert by Austin legend Gary Clark Jr. Throughout the state of Texas, Nike training runs have proven to bring together hundreds of runners and music enthusiasts, and the last run at Guero’s Taco Bar is sure to be the best!
NIKE+ HUMAN RACE IN AUSTIN.
Labor Day weekend don’t miss out on making history at the Nike+ Human Race, the world’s largest 10K running event, Sunday at 6:30pm. Austin has been selected as one of 25 host cities around the world and this is one event you won’t want to miss, read below for the top 10 reason why! Sign up before sell out at www.nikeplus.com! Read the rest of this entry »
Its 9AM. The sun has been up for only a few hours. A bead of sweat slowly rolls down my cheek meeting with another. A tributary to the river that will develop in a half an hour. I am barely awake. The pillow, from which I have just raised my head, is soaked. I hazily remember shifting restlessly through the night surveying for a dry spot. Folding, flipping, positioning, seeking the maximum level of dry coolness. Read the rest of this entry »
Where will the best music in Austin be this weekend? You may be surprised to learn that it will be at the Austin Convention Center as part of the second annual World Wellness Weekend. Combining great music, spirituality, environmentalism and fitness, this dynamic event brings to Austin a remarkable schedule of speakers, classes and opportunities to get down. Read the rest of this entry »
St. David’s Church, 3.15.08. I have found religion.
SXSW is synonymous with sensory overload. 5 days, 10 bands minimum a day, it becomes hard to tell one from the other. The venues aren’t helping either. The smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke left over from the days when it was still legal, blur the doors that separate The Dizzy Rooster from The Dirty Dog. That, coupled with the same skinny black jeans and rocker tees you swore you just saw on the four guys moaning into mics next door, and you could be in any of the shot bars on Sixth Street. And if it was in fact any other week in Austin, most of the industry types here to check out these bands probably wouldn’t dare to be seen in them. Read the rest of this entry »
[fa:p:id=2113794806,j=r,s=s,l=p]One of our favorite bluegrass outfits, Green Moutain Grass packs the house at Ruta Maya every time they play. Christine and Hilary caught up with these cats at the South Padre Music Festival.
AUSTIN DAZE: We are here in Beautiful South Padre Island with Green Mountain Grass: Dave, Jesse, Pickles, Trevor. How long have you been playing together?
DAVE: The Band’s been around quite awhile. The current lineup has been together for 7 months or 8 months since we picked up Trevor in a flea market in Tucson, AZ. Read the rest of this entry »
[fa:p:id=2113016097,j=r,s=s,l=p]AUSTIN DAZE: How did you first get into music and when did you know that was going to be your path?
TAB BENOIT: I first got into music at birth-probably before birth-my mom said I used to kick to the beat in her stomach. As far as I could tell I’ve been playing something all my life. But I didn’t think about doing it for a living until I was out of high school. It didn’t seem like it would be possible-coming from a little bayou isolated life. Read the rest of this entry »
[fa:p:id=2113796904,j=r,s=s,l=p]AUSTIN DAZE: This is your second time to Austin this year. What do you think of the “Live Music Capital of the World?”
CHRIS BAILEY: You can go out any night of the week and see 50 different bands anywhere. I saw that on the Tele in the hotel–I thought that was astonishing. But is it really true? Read the rest of this entry »
Okay, here’s the deal… my life has been spent in the pursuit of excellence on many levels, not the least of which is gastronomic splendiferousness. Today is no exception. However, today I’m in search of something specific, something arguably ambiguous, yet, in my mind, very specific. Today, my quest is simple. I must find the most get down burger in Austin (or surrounding areas), and nothing less will do!
In my checkerboard, brawlcrawling existence I’ve sampled some of -what I consider-the best burgs to ever pass between two lips. Read the rest of this entry »
Austin’s mayoral elections are heating up and the Daze sat down with candidate Brewster McCracken to get to know more about his plans for Austin. Get out and vote Saturday, May 9th. 
Nakia–Water to Wine– Nakia got a nod from Sharon Jones at this past year’s ACL by pulling him onstage for an impromptu duet. An Austin local, Nakia produces an album that is southernly delicious and joyous accompanied by his back-up band The Southern Cousins and his back-up singers The Fresh Up Girls. He echoes a soulful voice that is deep into American roots music and Water to Wine is fully potent of this sound. 5.5 McRiprock’s 
participated are still around. 
Its 9AM. The sun has been up for only a few hours. A bead of sweat slowly rolls down my cheek meeting with another. A tributary to the river that will develop in a half an hour. I am barely awake. The pillow, from which I have just raised my head, is soaked. I hazily remember shifting restlessly through the night surveying for a dry spot. Folding, flipping, positioning, seeking the maximum level of dry coolness. 
