Bloody Knives at The Pedicab

There aren’t many options for listening to good music in San Antonio, so when I found out Bloody Knives were playing at a local jip joint in Southtown, I was “’bout it”.  Slammed some rum and coke, took a bit more for the road, then made myself as comfortable as possible in one of the smallest back seats in which my long legs have ever been crammed.

Newly outfitted with synth/samples guru Jim Moon, Bloody Knives’ co-founders Jake McCown and Preston Maddox shattered eardrums with their unapologetic rock that feels as much “shoegaze” as it does thrash.  Preston, the band’s towering frontman, whose innumerable curls whipped around his head as he unleashed a dizzying battery of notes per measure, punished his bass instrument throughout the set’s duration, trying desperately to rip it from its strap, slamming its strings against the black pickups.  The urgent way his fingers walked up and down the fretboard produced hectic melodies akin to the final frenzied seconds of any given level on NES’ Super Mario Bros.

Then there was Shoeless Jake McCown who tried to bust his drum heads and crack his cymbals during every song.  His driving tempo was so energetic that even the hodgepodge of b-boys in the back had to stop and listen.  In its entirety, Bloody’s set flowed smoothly with webs of atmospheric noise unifying each song, filling what are usually awkward silences for bands, or inappropriate opportunities to introduce each band member and the instrument that member plays.  Whether it was courtesy of groaning feedback from Preston’s bass, or diving knob turns from Jim’s table of gadgetry, the songs maintained a soaring, psychedelic-tinged theme that grabbed up the audience in a tight grip and only let go when Jake put his shoes back on.

Blonde Redhead – La Zona Rosa

© copyright Andrew Youssef 2010

White glossy mask.  Conceptual horse’s skull, perhaps…  It shone white and glossy, glossy white as wet, white paint, with horsetail whiskers trailing, tumbling down below the long, sad hollows of empty eye sockets – tearless, terrorless, eternally forlorn. 

© copyright Andrew Youssef 2010

Standing in a field of electric marigolds, ineluctably bathed in brilliant blue, fuchsia, yellow, green, and white that tangled inevitably in cobwebs of smoke.  Kazu’s voice a colored smoke cloud.  Amedeo’s voice timid and touching the colored cones that hung guilty upon the smoke.

And if it all sounds and feels like art… it is.

“ I like playing museums,” drummer Simone Pace once commented in an interview with SFburning.  Last night at La Zona Rosa in Austin, TX, Blonde Redhead had the benefit of being an installation.  Visually and aurally, they stunned a large crowd that gathered in a spacious venue tucked away at the end of 4th Street.  Roving spotlights reached out across the stage and audience, alternating colors, collecting heavily in the clean canvas of the band members’ white garb.  Their light, ethereal set, largely composed of Penny Sparkle‘s haunting soundscape, could have drifted away like the colored fog that enshrouded the stage, but the trio nailed down their work with rocking jaunts to the past, revisiting most recent albums Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, Misery is a Butterfly, and 23.

At times singing from behind an eery mask, Makino touted one of Blonde’s greater appeals: her beautifully shrill, wafer-thin voice, which only elevated in charm during their new material.  Made for the electro-influenced minimalist direction of Penny Sparkle, her voice laid lightly atop the music, too light for the smoke, even, and rained down her trademark cascade of provocative lyrics.

© copyright Andrew Youssef 2010

If Penny deviated too drastically from previous albums for most of their fans, it wasn’t evident at last night’s show.  The crowd stood enthralled as Blonde impressed with a perfect balance of past and present, electronic and organic, soft and loud, fast and slow.  Makino and guitarist Amadeo Pace switched from guitar, bass, keyboard, and samples frequently throughout the set as they navigated songs such as “Not Getting There”, ”In Particular”, “My Plants are Dead”, “Spring and by Summer Fall”, and “23″.  Even drummer Simone alternated between real drum heads and synth pads to achieve overall band harmony during their relentlessly engaging electrorganic set.

And only when the stage returned to complete darkness for the last time did anyone disappear outside on the cool winter air like embers.

Disclaimer: The images in the post are from Blonde Redhead’s November performances at The Music Box and The Glass House in California, which Andrew Youssef captured.  Attire and stage design were the same for the La Zona Rosa show.

Come Together, Right Now, Over in Southtown

There once was a man named John Lennon.  He seemed a mythical character who moved girls to tears and faint; who moved people to expand their minds; who moved people to love.  He was a revolutionary for peace and harmony, arguably the “best Beatle”, and he became enshrouded in mystique and controversy with his avant-garde lover Yoko Ono.  He was enigmatic, charming in a quiet, moody way, and despite the irony of his tragic death, existed as a reminder of the inherent potential for beauty and goodness in the human spirit.

Saturday, October 9th, marks what would have been Lennon’s 70th birthday, and there’s no better way to celebrate it in San Antonio than at All Together Now: The South End Human Be-In, an event tagged as a “gathering of peace, consciousness, and creativity.”  Curated by the Flop House Art Gallery, the happening will feature a number of activities from group meditation to face painting as well as forums for buying, selling, and trading books, art, and crafts.  Attendees will also be able to donate gently used clothing to refugees and the homeless via Catholic Charities Haven for Hope.

From 5p-11p, the Flop House will host several bands between two different stages (see below for a complete schedule), featuring original music by S.A. artists.  As an amalgam of meditation, art, music, and philanthropy, the South End Human Be-In celebrates Lennon’s birthday not in an outright way, but through a continuation of his movements toward peace, love, and understanding.

SOUTH END HUMAN BE-IN SCHEDULE

Front Porch
4:00 p.m. – Drum circle w/ Slow Motion Hippies
4:30 p.m. – The Heavy Feathers
6:00 p.m. – Mery Kid
7:00 p.m. – Saturday Night Satellites
8:00 p.m. – Triptych
9:00 p.m. – The Great ’85
10:00 p.m.  – Travis Simpson and the Bexar County Skill Cranes

Back Porch
5:30 p.m. – Conspiracy of Doves
6:30 p.m. – Chris Maddin
7:45 p.m. – Electric Mangroves
8:45 p.m. – MARA
9:45 p.m. – The Microwaves
10:45 p.m. – Negative Rules

The Flop House Art Gallery
118 Lone Star Blvd.
San Antonio TX 78204

Film School Take On The Parish

My experiences with Film School’s live performances haven’t always been positively memorable.  There was the first year I “saw” them at SXSW in 2003, which was more of an hour-long drive for buttons, an EP, and friendly chit-chat with Jason Ruck and Ben Montesano as the band loaded up their gear after I watched only the last few minutes of their set through a window.  The second time I saw them, which was in support of Hideout at Emo’s in 2007, was marred by too many rum and Cokes, and embarrassing drunken conversation with the band in which I may have admitted a crush on Lorelei Plotczyk.  I was hoping this time would be different.  After last night’s show at The Parish, one of Austin’s better venues, I was almost convinced that it was different, but something bugged me all the same.    

photo credit: Phillip Sada

Despite Fission‘s heavily synth-infused sound, the band pulled it off organically live.  Ruck calmly managed keyboard responsibilities with one hand and laptop adjustments with the other as his bandmates moved energetically to the sounds of their new material.  Each member, decorated in a conceptual display of colored lights representing Fission‘s album art,  leaned into the music and filled the rich folds of The Parish’s acoustics with the complete warmth and depth of the new album.    

After the set’s opener “Still Might” (one of the album’s more even-tempered songs) drifted to an end, it was clear that Film School wanted to establish Fission‘s angsty pop feel as they burned through songs like “Heart Full of Pentagons“, “When I’m Yours”, and “Distant Life.” Unfortunately, and due to no discredit of theirs, the crowd seemed unresponsive to their new shift.  Were these people at the same show as I? Were they hearing the same songs?    

While Film School’s new album is a bright beacon distinguishing itself from their earlier work, it’s nothing to thumb your nose at, and marks a mature progression toward their evolution as a group.  I mean, how long do you really want to hear your favorite bands play the same old shit?  Though the crowd seemed most energetic when shouting “play old school Film School”, the new school Film School raged on.  Plotzcyk showcased her prominent vocal presence on the new material, bouncing lyrics off of Bertens’ with a voice full of breath and sunlight.  Their lyrical interplay resulted in an endearing charm that was exciting to watch as they, full of smiles, engaged in musical conversation with one another.  And when Bertens strummed the intro to “Sunny Day“, it was only his shimmering guitar that could match the quivering beauty of her voice.    

photo credit: Phillip Sada

On they played, tearing through the new album’s majority, stopping only to question the audience’s liveliness and to blame a few small hiccups on “too many Lone Stars”.  At last (at least as far as some audience members were concerned), they endulged in a little “old school Film School.”  I expect a band to play their new stuff when touring in support of a new album, but I must admit a certain penchant for hearing some of the old songs that forged their career.  Let’s just say I was not at all disappointed when they unveiled “Compare”, easily my favorite track on Hideout.  They further appeased the indignant crowd by playing “Two Kinds” and “Lectric” (which was shouted out as a request several times by a drunken reveler whose favorite past time, aside from bothering Bertens pre-performance, was bumping into everyone within a 10-foot radius).    

When they ended with “Meet Around 10″, I was fearful the band’s disillusionment with the crowd would result in the lack of an encore, but they responded rather quickly, going “against the English” by performing not one, but two additional songs (the last of which was “Breet” from their 2006 self-titled LP).    

photo credit: Phillip Sada

Personally, I could’ve done without the lackluster crowd, but Film School is never disappointing as a live act.  They’re one of those bands for whose concerts you can pay the nominal ticket fee and confidently expect a tight performance.  Last night’s show was an absolute manifestation of the swells and lulls for which fans have adored Film School albums, and despite Fission‘s different sound, its content is the glorious sum of their foundational elements: layered guitar tonality; heavy bass riffs; tight drumming; and atmospheric keys/samples; plus, the addition of a rhythmic dance frenzy that will at least have your shoulders shaking if not your hips swaying.

BRMC + STP = NO SATX

For those of you confused/wondering about Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s performances in Texas (specifically, San Antonio), here’s a bit of news:

Due to issues opening for Stone Temple Pilots in Texas, BRMC has had to postpone their headlining shows in San Antonio, Dallas, and Little Rock.  Not too sure what problems caused the cancellations, but they probably had something to do with STP’s late start times and Weiland’s onstage blathering.  While the group has properly rescheduled their Little Rock show, the San Antonio and Dallas dates still remain uncertain.  The band had this to say on their website:

We have rescheduled our headline show in Little Rock, AR for OCTOBER 17th!  All previous tickets will be honored. More news on Dallas and San Antonio coming soon.

The band will return to Texas in October, hitting Austin and Corpus Christi, but have San Antonio’s and Dallas’ chances at hosting BRMC ‘gone to shit’?

UPDATE: SAN ANTONIO SHAFTED, DESERVEDLY SO?

BRMC officially announced that they will not come to San Antonio as part of this tour.  While they rescheduled the Dallas show, the band has opted to bypass the River City due to scheduling difficulties (?).  The below excerpt is from the band’s website:

So sorry to all of you who bought tickets to San Antontio. Due to the new touring schedule, we will be unable to route back and reschedule that show. We were really looking forward to playing there.

No word as to whether or not the tickets will be refunded, or if the group realized they misspelled San Antonio (could it reflect their general disgust with the city?).  Did San Antonio lose one of its few chances to host a popular indie band to a city that’s even less progressive?

Ditch the Fest for the ‘Ditch the Fest’ Fest

Got ACL fever, but no ACL tix?  Not to worry!  Austin’s weekend-long, highly publicized music festival has become too trendy for even the most hip of Austin hipsters.  That is why Lucy the Poodle is trying their hand this year at the first ever Ditch the Fest Fest, a free alternative to Austin’s most well-known music festival whose ticket prices have remained high while its lineup integrity has gone steadily (arguably) downward.

Ditch the Fest Fest will take place Saturday, October 9, at Cheer Up Charlie’s, an all ages, always-free venue located on East 6th Street.  From noon until 2 a.m., more than 40 bands will rock, roll, hip, hop, pop, and lock their way to your hearts, helping you to save the expense and hassle associated with the overcrowded ACL Festival.  While DtF Fest’s lineup may have you initially saying “WHO?!”, Lucy the Poodle is hoping that your curiosity and support of Austin’s up-and-coming artists (not to mention the fact that ACL tickets are sold out) will ultimately have you saying “Oh, what the hell…”

Described as “a veritable who’s who of some of Austin’s best emerging talent“, Ditch the Fest Fest may not appeal to all Austin and San Antonio residents out of touch with original music on such a localized level, but it’s still music, it’s still free, and it’s still potentially more fun than you could have on any given Saturday. 

Ditch the Fest Fest Lineup (in no particular order… maybe)

Free Moral Agents (featuring “Ikey” Owens of The Mars Volta)
Woven Bones
2Mex (Strange Famous Records)
Golden Arm Trio
Yellow Fever
The Carrots
Yppah (Ninja Tune Records)
Follow That Bird!
Ringo Deathstarr
Weird Weeds
Shapes Have Fangs
The Ugly Beats
Missions (ex-Clap Clap)
Transmography
The Boxing Lesson
Agent Ribbons
Butcher Bear and Charlie
Richard Henry
Cry Blood Apache
Neiliyo
Death Is Not a Joyride
Spells (formerly Moth!Fight!)
The Low Lows
The Hi-Tones
Cowabunga Babes
No Mas Bodas
Pataphysics
Amplified Heat
The Jungle Rockers
Megafauna
Ryat
Silent Diane
Gobi
Red Leaves
White Dress
The Happen Ins
Hatchet Wound
A Giant Dog
Panjoma
Ripe
The Sour Notes
Art Versus Industry
Planet Rye Co.
Os Ovni
La Snacks
Low Line Caller
Super Lite Bike
DJ Hot Britches
Wolfteeth
Girls Rock Camp

BRMSi, Se Puede!

Move over, Cinderella…

Lately, San Antonio has been on a roll in terms of bringing in good national alternatives.  It’s at least a start.  June saw the Psychedelic Furs light up the dismal interior of the White Rabbit, and now West Coast rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will do the same.

In support of Beat the Devil’s Tattoo, which was released March 8th in the US, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (thankfully dubbed BRMC) has embarked on an extensive North American and trans-Atlantic tour, adding only yesterday two stops to their schedule: Pomona, CA and San Antonio, TX.  So save yourself a trip to Austin and catch BRMC live at the Rabbit if you can handle the pissed off rowdies who may or may not rumble when they realize Cannibal Corpse isn’t opening.

While Beat was certainly no monumental step forward for BRMC, it’s definitely a novelty to have such a cult underground favorite stop by the River City.  Will they be as chagrined as Rich Good about the Strip?…  Find out in September!

Richard Butler Touched My Hand

Richard Butler - Psychedelic Furs

 

It’s crazy imagining that,  after all these years, the impact of Psychedelic Furs’ frontman Richard Butler reaching out to you from the stage and shaking your hand mid-song would still be electrical. 

That is, unless you’ve seen the Furs perform live on their 2010 tour. 

Last night’s performance at the White Rabbit in San Antonio was nothing less than electrical.  The Brothers Butler – with help from Mars Williams, Paul Garisto, Rich Good, and Amanda Kramer – filled the stuffy hardcore venue with energy that seemed to stem directly from the Furs’ 1981 American debut; and the relevance and potency of their music after close to 30 years was palpable.  Every head in the crowd bobbed, every body in the room swayed, and not a moment of it was lost on the variously aged audience that stood enthralled before the stage; for well over an hour, teens, 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and beyond wouldn’t give up an inch of floor. 

Rich Good and Richard Butler

 

Unlike openers, She Wants Revenge, the Furs didn’t stack their setlist with the most popular, accessible songs toward the end.  In fact, they ripped right into the audience with one of their most identifiable tracks, “Love My Way,” followed it up shortly therafter with “Ghost in You,” and never looked back.  All smiles and laughter, Richard Butler danced and weaved about the stage during every song, pleasing the audience with his signature ‘elbow-leaning-on-the-mic-stand’ and ‘prayer-hands-above-the-mic’  moves.  He even spun around during “Heaven”… f— yeah!  If his charisma and energy grew throughout the set, it was hardly noticeable, as he hit the ground running with high-intensity, effortless dancing and nonstop crowd engagement. 

Mars Williams

 

But saying that Richard Butler’s presence was the only memorable part of the experience would be a tragic error.  Mars Williams wailed his saxaphone to life on songs like “Heartbeat” and “Sister Europe,” often leaning into the crowd in an amazing spectacle of strained neck veins and flash-fingered fury.  Tim Butler, cool behind dark sunglasses, galloped across the stage and interplayed with Rich Good, who was tearing up the strings of a smooth white-on-white Fender Jaguar.  Meanwhile, Garisto adroitly laid the thumping framework of each song as angelic Amanda Kramer (Information Society), stood smiling behind two massive synthesizers. 

 A band as successful as the Psychedelic Furs can’t very well stack a setlist when their entire discography is loaded with cult hits and chart-ranked songs; the whole set was stacked.  They showcased a range of styles from the rough-edged “President Gas” to the melancholic “She Is Mine” and finally arriving at the infectious “Pretty in Pink.”  And when they, at last, thanked the crowd (for the umpteenth time and after returning for an encore), the White Rabbit was that much more empty for them having left the room. 

Look out, Austin… here come the Psychedelic Furs.

The Life and Times of the Life and Times

We got to the Mohawk in Austin, TX early Thursday evening – May 27th – excited to see K.C.’s The Life and Times, and maybe even a little excited to see This Will Destroy You. These two bands paired up for a 10-day tour of the Midwest & Southern U.S. and for some reason, This Will Destroy You was headlining all the Texas dates. A band called Low Line Caller got the ball rolling that evening. They belted out a bunch of tunes in the vein of Spoon/The National/The Walkmen, etc. Not bad stuff, although nothing spectacular.

Shortly after, the Life and Times set up on stage and blasted into familiar tunes from their most recent effort, Tragic Boogie. They also threw in a few new songs to spice things up. It was great to hear them play the title track from Tragic Boogie and end their set with “The Politics of Driving.” All of us in the crowd who were familiar with the group expressed our enjoyment. The only let down for me – other than the fact that the Life and Times was not headlining the show – was not getting to hear them play “The Sound of the Ground.” Other than that it was a fantastic performance.

“Old Souls“

I was curious to watch This Will Destroy You despite the fact that I’ve seen them many times in the past (they were a local band before they found fame outside of the San Antonio scene). They started their set with a quiet guitar part which slowly grew into a messy array of swirling, delayed guitars and ear shattering bass riffs. I did manage to pick out a few familiar tunes in that ball of noise. “There are some remedies worse than the disease” took me back to the early performances I’d witnessed of this band, though Chris King’s lap steel guitar was oddly absent from the end part. I don’t know if the crowd was just friends of the band or if everyone was stoned, but the whole place had this house party ambiance. After about an hour of blowing out ear drums and looking like they were generally unenthused about being there, TWDY ended their set the way it began: swirling, delayed guitars slowly fading away even as their drummer began removing his kit from the stage. Their performance lacked the intensity of their past shows and live shows of similar bands in the post rock genre.   All I saw that evening appeared to be a road-worn band just going through the motions.

My bro conversed with the guys from the Life and Times before we split. I sat back and took in the scene of This Will Destroy You’s merch guy using his iPad as a credit card machine (in case anybody came to an indie rock show expecting to pay for merch with a credit card). If I had felt I hadn’t gotten my money’s worth before, witnessing this made me feel differently; now I’ve seen it all. It was certainly an unforgettable show.

- Van Damn

Machine and Dead of Night Light Up The Pedicab

In case you missed it, the most exciting thing in Southtown – and possibly most of San Antonio – last night was Dead of Night and Machine performing at The Pedicab.

Though temporarily hindered by electrical problems during their first song, Dead of Night screeched onward with a wailing, guitar-driven sound reminiscent of post-punk skate video soundtracks.  Dueling guitars, delicately distorted and revved-up to a car crash frenzy, provided nice atmosphere for Danny Holloway’s confident vocals.  Showcasing some of their musical influence, Dead of Night unveiled a song apiece by Joy Division and Nirvana.

Austin’s electro-duo, Machine, drenched The Pedicab in enough warbles, deep bass, and blips to suggest that the multi-colored liquid display projected behind them was a reality.  High-pitched, clear synth tones fell adequately like crystal orbs of rain into the rich pool of electronic modulation that undulated beneath the captivated youth on the dance floor.  Masterminds Jonathan and Chase bobbed adroitly back and forth between keyboards, turntables, gadgets, doodads, whatzits, and general hodgepodgery during their creation of what can only be described as mind-altering dance psychedelia.  And that’s a good thing.

Dead of Night and Machine will share a stage again July 3rd at Thirsty Camel with The Vanity Press.

Catch Machine at their free Pedicab weeklies:
June 8 w/ The Headshrinkers
June 15 w/ TBA
June 22 w/ TBA