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

The Daily Fix in The ATX: 7 Days in "The Live Music Capital of The World" (May 13 - 19)


Bright Eyes: Don't It Make Your Bright Eyes Blue?

Sunday, May 13th
The Return to Texas: Bright Eyes at Bass Concert Hall

So what if he hates Texas? I'm sure the indie music songwriting genius Conor Oberst still loves Austin. Or at least tolerates our mediocrity. Otherwise, why would he step foot on Texas soil? On behalf of musicians who loathe Texas but want to play in Austin, I would like to petition the government and asked that Austin be declared a state, independent from the rest of Texas. We're pretty much a lone star when compared to the rest of the state, especially when it comes to our music taste and voting record. But this blog is supposed to be about Bright Eyes appearing tonight at Bass Concert Hall on the UT-Austin campus. If you can afford the ticket or can score a press pass, unlike me, don't miss this show.

w/Oakley Hall and McCarthy Trenching
UTPAC - Bass Concert Hall
8:00 pm
For ticket info go to utpac.org.

Awesome Cool Dudes: They don't like talking about the abduction.

Monday, May 14th
King Kong, Awesome Cool Dudes, and LaLaLand @ Emo's: No, We Haven't Become Hollywood, CA

I'll be honest and admit that I have never heard the bands King Kong (Louisville, KY) and LaLaLand. But I finally listened to both bands on MySpace last night and decided that it was worth mentioning that the Awesome Cool Dudes were playing with another great line-up at Emo's, and then I decided to write a preview instead of posting a bland bulletin. And this is a good excuse to post the alien abduction picture from MySpace that once included the headline "Take me to your dealer."

Emo's (Inside)
603 Red River
Austin, TX
$7/$5 21+
Buy Tickets Here (Service Charge Incl.)
Doors: 8:00 pm
Show: 10:00 pm


Hans Hinrich, Cry Blood Apache Guitarist. Cigarette?

Tuesday, May 15th
An '80s Music Lover's Dream (and More): Cry Blood Apache, Ghosthustler, and Finally Punk

That, um, occasional percussionist, Pahn Zhram, looks a lot like the bass player who stole Cry Blood Apache's master tape for their next album. Since I reviewed the last year's promising debut Performing Diversion Acrobatics (INsite) and interviewed the band for Whoopsy! (February '06), the mystery of the stolen tape remains unresolved. Was it a grand hoax orchestrated by the band, the doppleganger Zhram? Who really cares? If you haven't heard the band live lately, visit the MySpace page and you will notice CBA has dropped the almost funk bass lines in favor of more atmospheric loops and drum sound f/x courtesy of Zom Zoms alumnus Seth Nemec and the newest addition of the busking band, Maxx Hole, a quiet electronics madman ("Let Fantasy Begin"). Kaspar Glass still delivers the discombobulating lyrics, with an ode to the offspring of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ("Silent Birth"), and Hans Hinrich still favors the guitar above attending handsome boy modeling school ("Master of the Quarantine").
Ghostlhustler is red hot electronica that might replace my fascination with the success of Ghostland Observatory. Oops... Yeah, I went there. The Denton, TX trio has an edgier, sexier approach that makes me want to give the green light to that strange boy on Red River who keeps giving me "that look". You know who you are... I've never heard the band live, but they had me hooked when I heard "Busy Busy Busy" online.
I would like to claim that I was the first person to interview Finally Punk, when they were still swapping out instruments and playing crazy one-minute tunes about manatees and Johnny Depp. Oh, they're still doing that live? Well check out some of their newer tracks on MySpace, which include the tongue in cheek tune "Boyfriend Application" and the more complex, mature "Environmentality" - sounding less reminsicent of the riot grrrls and more representative of female musical pioneers from the 1970s and 80s, like The Slits and The Raincoats. Every time I hear these ladies live, I get goosebumps, wondering when everyone else will realize they are witnessing a great band in the making? Whatever...
If you miss Finally Punk at Beerland (Tsk-tsk...), don't make the same mistake twice - they're opening the Melt-Banana (Tokyo, Japan) show on Saturday May 26th at Emo's. The reunited XBXRX (Oakland, CA) is also playing.

Beerland
711 1/2 Red River
Austin, TX
21+ Only/$5
10:00 pm



Darling New Neighbors: Austin's musical version of "Children of the Corn"?

Wednesday, May 16th
The Odd Coupling: Darling New Neighbors and 101X Homegrown Live

When I heard about Darling New Neighbors playing at The Parish I was, to put it simply, a happy fan. One of my favorite bands performing at one of my favorite live music venues. Besides boasting a sweet bar, the acoustics are great due to the lofty space, and it's easy to view the stage from every angle and distance. And then I graduated from contentment to excitement when I heard that the sponsor of DNN's next show was KROX 101.5, which hosts the Homegrown Live series, shows featuring promising local talent.
The line-up is a grab bag of Austin's stellar bands, with one non-surprise: The Lemurs. The buzz surrounding this band has grown to an electric saw's roar, as they cut through danceable rock beats. I've heard them at Emo's last summer and witnessed the hype myself. The Lemurs started off strong and sounded very radio-friendly, but I became a little bored somewhere in the middle of their performance. The arrangements of songs and lyrics sounded a bit too familiar, and at the end I couldn't remember what they sounded like. I got a reminder on MySpace with a new track "Breaking You Down". When the singer begs "Have I broken you down?" I can't help but reply, "No, not yet." Maybe they'll blow me away this Wednesday.
Also playing: the effervescent Oh No, Oh My!, who make it alright to like taking walks in the park and saying hello to strangers - with a wink.

The Parish
214 E. 6th St.
Austin, TX
Homegrown Live
All Ages - $1.01 (But I don't think they'll mind if you don't have the penny.)
8:30 pm



Music or Medicine Head?

Thursday, May 17th - Saturday, May 19th
Chaos in Tejas Fest: It's Not The Thrilla in Manilla, But...

18 touring punk, thrash, and hardcore rock bands descend upon Texas in three days equals...Musical chaos - the good kind. The line-up is subject to change, but the highlights include reunions, ex-members of ex-bands and side projects, and of course, legends. I wish that the festival included local Texas hardcore bands like When Dinosaurs Rules The Earth and Total Abuse, because they live in Tejas too, brah, but obviously the folks at Emo's think punk rock in Austin sucks. Kidding... You can probably hear the local thrashers at Headhunters, Room 710 and Red 7 any night.

It was tough finding MySpace links, but I did my best...

Round One - I mean Day One (Thur. 5/17):

La Fraction (Vive Punk Rock! Vive La France!)
Pisschrist (Aussie thrash)
Dropout (Jacksonville Beach, FL - reunion show?)
Spazm 151 (Harcore Dallas Style - Sho'nuff!)
Bastard Sons of the Apocalypse
+ One Band T.B.D. (Deep Sleep Punk 'n' thrash from Baltimore, MD, maybe?)

Day Two (Fri. 5/18):

The Kids (Punk from Belgium since 1976 - fan site)
The Persuaders
Government Warming
Complications (Quebec, Canada)
Punch In The Face (Hardcore from The Windy City)
Sex/Vid
Repercussions

Day Three (Sat. 5/19):

Gordon Solie Motherfuckers(OHIO!)
Dropdead (Providence, RI)
Born Dead Icons (Montreal, Canada)
Peligro Social (San Francisco, CA)
Brain Handle (Pittsburgh Pennsylvania)
Mind Eraser (Hardcore from Boston, MA)
American Cheeseburger (Athens, GA)


Click on the thumbnail above for show times.

Emo's
603 Red River
Austin, TX
All Ages $11/$13
Ticket Pre-sale
Go to emosaustin.com for show times and festival updates.

Look for another edition of the daily fix next Sunday, May 20th.

~ sayanythingrrrl