[Kill The Critic] The Independent Entertainment Blog [Film-Theatre-Comedy]

Will Zom Zoms Move Back to Tuba City, AZ?

Zom Zoms Pre-SxSW Show - March 14, 2006. Photo: Ben Aqua

A Special* Live Show Review
Emo's Wednesday Night
August 16, 2006
Zom Zoms
Manager's Choice
Chad Raines and The Simple Pleasures

2.5 out of 4 tubas for those who can't count.

Austin, TX doesn't deserve Zom Zoms.

There. I "said" it. It's out there, and I won't take it back. But this review isn't all about one band's short but entertaining performance that was all but ignored by drunken Austin music lovers. I must give time and space to all the bands on the bill who made this show almost completely enjoyable. I'll get to the crux of this "article", the "almost" part, in a moment. So please keep your pants on, people. (That means you too, Mike.)


I got a screen print poster from Manager's Choice. Print by Rural Rooster. Nice.

The show started later than I expected for an all ages venue (almost 11:00!), and Emo's surprised me with a cover that would keep most teenage fans away on a weeknight. I mean, I know they can't [legally] drink at the club, but I think charging the young ones $3 a head extra (during the summer) is a bit much. Or maybe I'm just a stupid ho with no business acumen.
(I gotta be fair and balanced like Faux News because I live in fear of getting kicked out of the club by that guy wearing the "Guilty" shirt. Everytime I see him, he looks at me like I'm gonna start a drunken riot, even when I've had plain water instead of the fire water. And just what is he guilty of, anyway?)


Back on course... I met Chad Raines of Chad Raines and The Simple Pleasures minutes before they hit the stage, and he is an engaging young fellow. He's lived in Austin and now calls New Haven, CT home. When the band finally got on stage, I had to do a double take. Mr. Raines had somehow transformed from a black to grey t-shirt and jeans to a pimped out white suit (complete with a striped poly or silk shirt) and he goes into disco dance mode. The band's South Side member Jessie England, bubbly keyboardist of Manager's Choice, was clad in white too. It was a solid performance minus the early technical difficulties - mainly an uncooperative computer. (According to Raines, "This is what happens when you fuck too much with machines.") the bass lines were a but too heavy for my taste, and I love my hip hop. The speakers were popping, literally. Damn!

And now for the simple pleasure: The party finally got started when he introduced three members of Hill Country Strings (WTF?), and Jeff Merrill, another member of Manager's Choice who did his thing on trombone. The sax player/violinist was a definite plus to the performance. I won't go into too much detail because this review is already long enough (and I didn't take notes), but there was a little bit of soul and reggae mixed, with danceable rock beats, and I enjoyed the strings attached. (Please don't sue me Will Taylor.) Toward the end, Chad Raines and The Simple Pleasures won me over; even when Raines went back to a simpler set up, sans strings and brass.

Manager's Choice brought a new wave reggae/dancehall vibe to Emo's that would probably bore young Austinites already hooked on rock with frenetic disco beats. All four shared vocal duties and it didn't overwhelm me. Lead vocalist/bassist Lee Davila's robotic moves, England's deliriously fun keyboards, Merrill's whimsical guitar & heavy brass chops, and J.J. Campbell's rhythmic playfulness on drums are a pop treat. But don't think this foursome was too sweet. Listen to the lyrics on the new s/t demo/EP (now available at local stores like Cheapo's) and you'll know what I mean.

And now, to remain emotionally detached from how pissed off I was that the crowd was so damn thin to see a headlining performance from Zom Zoms, I will now refer to myself in third person.


And will Zom Zoms release an unplugged album someday?
Photo: Richard

A little background info about diy-danna's live and recorded experiences with Zom Zoms: She met these guys, three of them anyway, a year ago at a sweaty but somehow cool venue called Flamingo Cantina, and she hasn't been the same ever since. Zom Zoms are that special*. Although she tries to avoid playing favorites (at least publicly) these four Devotees are diy-danna's favorite live band in Austin, simply because you can feel the strange love of music oozing out of their pores, even during the most painful performances. And it was oh so painful to see and hear them play for less than a dozen people the other night, when you know anywhere else outside Austin, outside the state of Texas, they would probably deal with more insane fans, and people walking out in disgust, pity, or amusement in the middle of the performance. Only a few people walked out of Emo's that night, and it seemed that it was only because it was so darn late. The rest of the "crowd" remained to be zonked out by the synthesizer and drum heavy polka-dotted rhythms. At one point, Zom heckled the crowd, and diy felt special* when he singled out her lack of physical attractiveness and fashion sense - "Yeah, I'm fat-ass black chick who carries a droopy purse. Let's all stop and watch another freak show!" That was the sarcastic comeback diy-danna came up with two minutes ago. (Somehow it seemed funnier two minutes ago.)

Back to first person narration: I left Emo's with the title song of their latest album and a new found respect for Zom Zoms in my heart. Their sound gets more incredible, and less "RIYD: Devo" everytime I hear them. Yeah, they love Devo, but they've got their own bizarre zolo sound. It's a shame Austin hipsters just don't get it, and they will kick themselves someday for not being seen at one of their shows before (if) Zom Zoms leave town for good.

But then again, maybe that's a good thing. I think Zom Zoms will kick ass back in Tuba City, Arizona. Or Japan.

In hindsight, maybe this show deserved 3 whole tubas. This humpday show got me excited about witnessing three bands on the verge of success. Let's hope they don't become spoiled and lazy when the local hipsters or scenesters take notice. But on second thought, two-and-a-half tubas seems fair enough. I can't get over the lack of interest from the citizens of "the live music capital of the world" in a band that has worldwide appeal. Check myspace.com/zomzoms for proof. They're playing the Devo & Psychedelic Furs Afterparty Friday August 25, 2006 in San Antonio, TX. If you aren't worried about running out of petrol (like me), check them out!

OK. You may now continue listening to The Lemurs.

~ Eat Me

*By "special", I don't mean retarded or nice.

Eat Me is currently listening to:
Optiganally Yours
"Geppetto"
from the still unreleased Exclusively Talentmaker**
and VU featuring Lou Rabinowitz
an Absolutely Kosher Records Sampler

**Optiganally Yours: Please release this album, if you are a real band. I've already heard that same song on another sampler. It's a fly song, but I want to hear more!!!