SXSW Day 1: Take Out Those Lame Earplugs; You're at a Rock Show, for Christ's Sake!

From David:

What a fantastic start to SXSW 2007! We were supposed to have pics, but Carina (**The Official Wife of Jason/The Official Photographer of Smarmy Hipster**) dropped the ball and forgot the camera last night. But it's SXSW, a time for forgiveness, so I can't stay mad at her. We will definitely have the camera tonight, and I promise rocktastic snapshots of today's festivities.

Let me just say that the beards so far have been pretty good, but I'm expecting a lot more. We did see one guy at the first show sporting a fairly stupendous molestache, so that's something. I have high hopes that by the time SXSW is over, I'll have seen at least one Rollie Fingers-style mustachio. Also, did I miss the memo about Chucks being the preferred footwear of hipsters the world over this year? Nothing marks you as a unique individual like having the same shoe as every other hipster in the club. Maybe next year, we can all decide to kick it on the haberdashery tip and wear fezzes.

Anyway, on to the show reviews:

We started off the night watching Tacks, The Boy Disaster at The Tap Room. I first heard this band a couple of months ago after seeing a recommendation on a blog somewhere (maybe Austinist?). I'm a big fan of their oft-mellow, keyboard/synth-driven brand of rock. I was a little worried about how it might translate live, but they were great. A really tight set, with plenty of volume and energy. I suggest picking up their album, posthaste. Frozen Feet is a tremendous song.

Next we went to Lambert's to see Dionysus. For those of you not familiar with Lambert's (and I wasn't until yesterday), it's an upscale barbecue joint in the new 2nd Street District. Yeah, you read that correctly — it's a restaurant serving "upscale" barbecue. If you ever find yourself eating barbecue at a place that has cloth napkins, it's seriously time to re-evaluate your life. Maybe you should start by pinpointing the exact moment you became such a mega-yuppie douche. But misgivings about the venue aside, Dionysus put on a show that's going to be hard to top in terms of sheer energy. I was first introduced to them 5 years ago, when one of my roommates who spent the summer in France came back with tales (and a CD) of an insane band made up of Gallic misfits and gypsies. Their songs of Jedis and John McEnroe instantly intrigued me, as I am an unabashed nerd. But even knowing how "out there" their music is did not prepare me for the badassitude of the live show. The band is fronted by a tiny little man (he looks like Seth Green's older, more haggard brother) with giant enthusiasm. That little guy loves to rock, and it shows. He started off the set by informing us that it was the band's first time in "the Texas," and exhorting everyone to crowd in closer to the stage, saying he wanted to "fuck" us, and that we all must be much closer so that we could all "fuck." He then made a French spectacle of himself, as the band played their unique brand of hard rock that seamlessly incorporates violin, ukelele, and banjo. He capered about the stage, dancing much as I imagine Ed Grimley would, were he on a massive meth bender. He twisted and turned every which way, interacting directly with the audience as much as possible by talking directly to people and taking glasses, hats, etc. and wearing them onstage. He made a chicken noise, motioning for a guy in the audience to mimic him, and then informed the guy that he was "the best chicken in all the USA," and that he now wanted to "fuck" him. He began crowd surfing in the middle of the second song. He brought an infectious French energy (or Frenchergy) to the small venue that ran through the crowd like a case of gonorrhea through the French Foreign Legion. There are certainly better bands out there, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one that was more fun to experience. If they ever come through the Texas again, they're not to be missed.

Next up, we checked out Birdmonster at the Habana Calle 6 Annex (which is an awfully long, involved name for what turns out to be a tent across the street from the Habana on 6th). The venue left a lot to be desired, mainly because it's at the sketchy, filled-with-opportunities-to-purchase-crack edge of 6th. It attracts the bare minimum of window shoppers. Which is a shame, because I thought Birdmonster had built up a decent amount of buzz before this SXSW, and I was hoping that more people would come out to see them. I'm a big fan of their album, No Midnight. Before I talk about the Birdmonster show, though, let me tell you a little story about a band named Tally Hall (note that they get no linky — that's no accident). Jason and I hadn't really heard too much about this band, but they were on while we were waiting for Birdmonster. I regret getting there early. This 5-piece band from Ann Arbor, who came out in matching uniforms (which few bands can pull off, and certainly not some lame college rock outfit from Michigan) of white shirts and skinny ties, totally underwhelmed me. Trite lyrics and a complete lack of depth are the band's calling card. They also have this barbershop quartety-way of harmonizing that drove me nuts, and made me think they were about to break into a chorus of Goodbye My Coney Island Baby at any moment. At one point, they played a Caribbean-style song about a banana, in which — surprise, surprise — the banana was a double-entendre for the dude's wang. How droll. But enough about them. Birdmonster took the stage, giving no break or warning from the end of the warmup to the start of the first song. They rocked me ever-so-rightly. The San Francisco quartet has great, original lyrics, driving rhythm, and solid guitar work (so they're pretty much the opposite of Tally Hall — ok, last shot, I promise). More than half the songs they played were new, and they were all great, which makes me really look forward to the possibility of a new album. The best part is that they play with a fire and passion that wasn’t tempered at all by the fact that the crowd was small and slow to warm up. They're back on tour after the SX break, so check them out if you get a chance. If you're looking for a song to get you into them, I suggest Balcony.

Well, that's it for now. We took it kind of easy last night, because we're saving ourselves for the Quack! Media day party (with The Walkmen and Okkervil River, **The Official Favorite Austin Band of Smarmy Hipster**) and the completely sick lineup of shows tonight at La Zona Rosa (Elvis Perkins, Cold War Kids, Architecture in Helsinki, Ghostland Observatory, and What Made Milwaukee Famous).

This Blog Written While Listening To
Alligator, by The National (the new album comes out 5/22!)