The evening showcases kicked off with Austin’s own Strange Boys, who hit the stage at Emo’s Jr., inside, at 8:00 pm. These guys (and one gal) have a very retro, ’60s garage rock sound. They’ve been generating some local buzz and the room was full of onlookers. Singer/guitarist Ryan Sambol has a gritty rasp that fits the R&B-flavored tunes well, but this sound is going to be an acquired taste for some. I don’t think it was quite my thing. I suspected this might be the case, so I had lined up a backup plan.
Category: Artists (Page 65 of 262)
Exiting the Levis/Fader Fort, I heard a bluesy sound coming out of the Independent across the street. The Maldives out of Seattle were rocking the stage with a honky-tonk, roots rock sound that recalled Neil Young and maybe Ryan Adams & the Cardinals. There were three guitars, pedal steel, banjo and fiddle along with the rhythm section and free Pyramid Hefeweizen on tap, which really hit the spot since it was rather steamy inside.
(Editor’s note: we went to add a picture from the band’s MySpace page to this entry, but received one of those fake anti-malware messages, so no picture. Sorry, Maldives.)
Over to the Levis/Fader Fort, which I’d seen described on Twitter the night before as a “funhouse for hipsters.” I wanted to check out Philadelphia buzz band Free Energy, and therefore braved a ridiculous 45-minute line to get in. I was rewarded with free drinks, which are often served at the sponsored day parties, but the power-pop rock quartet turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. They have catchy tunes, vintage gear, a great name and cool looks, but something seemed to be missing. The band members seemed like they were into it, but the tunes kept falling a little flat, like the musicians lacked the chops to propel the songs higher in a live setting. I wanted to love this band, but I just wasn’t feeling it and the crowd seemed to feel the same way. I wanted to catch one of their other showcases to give them a second chance, but was unable to do so. The Fort was definitely a great venue though, with lots of spots to chill, beer pong, a blogger’s lounge with laptops, a Korg soundlab with musical toys and more.
Walking back up Red River on this beautiful sunny day, my ear caught a Beatle-esque sound coming from Jaime’s Spanish Village, a Mexican restaurant across the street from Stubbs BBQ. The Eggmen were set up on the tiny patio with a rotating lineup that included seven people at this point. The addition of fiddle and ukulele to the standard band lineup added a more exotic flavor to great renditions of “I’m Only Sleeping,” “Fixing a Hole,” “From Me to You” and “All You Need is Love.” Some kind of Beatles marathon was taking place and these tunes were a great fit on a balmy afternoon.
I tried to catch buzz band Broken Bells doing an impromptu 1:00 PM set in the Red River Street garage that was hosted by AOL Music, but the line was too damn long. I wandered up the street to see what was happening at the Mohawk, one of Austin’s finest smaller clubs. This was where I made my first surprise discovery, in the form of Yukon Blonde. The Vancouver-based quartet were rocking a vibrant sound on the outdoor stage that recalled My Morning Jacket and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Three-part harmonies elevated the tunes further and it was clear this band had both excellent musicianship and strong songwriting skills. A powerful jam at the end of their set brought things to a rousing conclusion before the appreciative audience.
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