Tag Archives: Beatles

Hey! Hey! Those Were The Monkees!

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Such a weird, contrasting time last Wednesday at the The Long Center in Austin, Texas.  On one hand, you had the Sound & Screen series rocking out to School of Rock and some cover band.  On the other, you had a show going on inside that spanned many generations.  What was it?  Well, it was The Monkees.  An American answer to the Beatles that comprised of some actor-musicians.  It started out as a show and turned into an actual band.  They were touring again and I just had to see them. Continue reading Hey! Hey! Those Were The Monkees!

White Denim Rocks Out and Doesn’t Fray

I strolled into Antone’s Saturday night and notched my wcall for some local Austin music.  The top bill, White Denim, was who I was out for, but the opening acts kept the intrigue going.  I already pulled a 4-band-er Thursday and was anxious to see if they could last as long.  Where Thursday’s bill built up in awesomeness, this rock party was way more imbalanced.  Never fear, dear, as White Denim made it more than worthwhile and will last as one of the best small concerts I’ve ever been too.  Seriously, it was that good.

Continue reading White Denim Rocks Out and Doesn’t Fray

SXSW Day 4: Cold Weather Doesn’t Stop Hot Rock

The last day of SXSW proved to be much chillier than what I expected down here in Austin, Texas.  Winter wasn’t going out with  a band just yet and on the first day of Spring, a cold northern wind and storm brought things back to winter like conditions.  I speculated before the night time shows that the crowds would thin out.  I was only partially right, which is a testament to all of the  music fans who showed for SXSW.

During the day I hit up some of the SXSW sponsored and witnessed some free flowing music, along with some free flowing drinks.  I recharged at the IFC Crossroads house, hit a local pizza joint, and then headed out for the night shows.  By the time the winds calmed down, the night time air was more than manageable.  I didn’t stay out until 2 am, but we did get another full day of tunes under the belt.  Here’s the good stuff of what I saw:

  • The first stop for the day saw us hit the Soho Lounge for an Mpress Records Showcase.  The Meiko Canon played along and while they didn’t blow my lid off, the mix of folk and rock along with the female vocal marked a good start for concert going.
  • After a quick detour to the day stage at the conference center, we hung out at the Hauge party tent.  Nicad played and picked up the energy even more.  The lead singer push his voice toward Weird Al Yankovic territory while the punk rock rythms flowed through.
  • The Capital Records tent next door kicked off shorthly thereafter and I had a couple of drinks while watching Mackintosh Braun.  My interest didn’t pick up until they played their last song.  The synth and keyboard filled ambient noise washed over a baning drum set.  It’s worth checking them out.
  • I had a thirst for more food and drink so I went to the Aussie BBQ Showcase at Maggie Mae’s.  Andy Clockwise cursed like a sailor and rocked out like a soldier.   What better way to get your blood flowing to keep you warm than a nice hard rock set in the middle of the day?
  • The show off the night was at the Billboard.com Bungalow.  Street Sweeper Social Club brought down the tent with its funk infused rock and covers set.  Little known fact:  Tom Morrello of Rage Against the Machine just happens to be the guitarist.  Oh and it showed too.  That guy is an official guitar god in my eyes.
  • Hoofing it over to the Alehouse, I was expecting some Celtic music from the Mighty Steph.  What I got was a blues/country/irish mix of music that sat perfectly with the run down atmosphere of the joint.  If I ever need to just get drunk alone in a dank bar, I will be sure to play the Mighty Steph when I do so.
  • Finally, the last set of SXSW for me saw it being performed in the most fitting of places: the Driskell Hotel Cafe.  The Wave Machines are a British band from Liverpool and they sound like the evolution of another Liverpool band, the Beatles.  They had an impressive collection of drum machines, synths, and all things electric.  But they also had the standard rock setup of drums, guitar, and piano.  The didn’t go overboard on the instruments, however, picking and choosing the right piece for the right song.  All of it smooth, poppy, and dancy.  A great way to finish SXSW.

SXSW Day 0: What Happened Before Music Was Official

For those of you coming form my other blog, Hoketronics, welcome!  For the others following along, howdy!  I’m down here in Austin checking out SXSW.  I rocked the Interactive and Film part and now I’m diving down into the Music part.  Now before I talk about the official Music events, there were a couple of bands I checked out in support of the Interactive parties.

The first being the Computer Blip Blop Bull#$%# party.  The Found Footage Festival guys hosted the event but there was also some kick ass music, too.  Mike and Moonpies opened up and my alt country blood was a flowing.  They also did a sweet cover the Beatles “Don’t Let Me Down.”  The rain came and we moved inside.  The Laughing took over and rocked my head off.  You should really check them out.

Next up I headed over to the Interactive Closing Party and stayed just long enough to check out The Sour Notes and Mariachi El Bronx.  The Sour Notes really didn’t do anything for me, but Mariachi El Bronx rocked.  I remember looking at the guy and wondering if he was the lead singer of The Bronx, an LA based rock band I saw open up for The Hives a couple of years ago.  Welp, after I got back and checked it out, it was!  So they decided to do some rocking Mariachi because acoustic rock sucked and I have to say it worked out great.

That was the party leading up to the parties.  Check out this blog to see what happened on the first big SXSW Music day.  Hasta Pasta!