 There's nothing like the smell of fresh pot in Zilker Park on a late September afternoon. We'd scarcely been on the hallowed grounds of the Austin City Limits Music Festival for half an hour when the pungent fragrance that characterizes ACL made its debut. That's when you know it's all begun. That, along with heat, dust, scantily clad bodies, and music. Lots and lots of music.
The LRLM.net contingent arrived around 1:00 Friday afternoon. Chris Denny from Little Rock kicked things off for us at the Austin Ventures stage, with a little help from Graham Wilkinson and the Underground Township. Seems Denny's band left him high and dry prior to ACL. Despite some minor technical hurdles, Denny and the Township held their own, and held the crowd's attention, for an admirable first-ACL performance. Denny's only regret must have been the good-natured banter he had with some Texas fans over the upcoming football game against the Razorbacks. I'm sure he'd like to take that back.
I followed up Chris Denny with What Made Milwaukee Famous. Although I didn't stick around for their full set, I've got to say this band didn't make a big impression on me. I have no plans to travel to Milwaukee anytime soon. Vampire Weekend was next, and these guys were a pleasant surprise. It's easy to dismiss bands like this (compare Arctic Monkeys) as no-talent, sweater-wearing, pretty-boy hipsters, but I was impressed with the band's unique mixture of musical styles and their offbeat delivery. I'll probably download their latest album. VW were followed by Jamie Lidell, an English soul singer. I went over to the Dell stage asking myself, "What does an Englishman know about soul?" Listening to Lidell's performance brought me no closer to an answer. M. Ward entertained with his smooth voice and deft guitar skills, but Jenny Lewis disappointed. It was only fitting that the best of Friday was saved until last. Ryan Bingham made us remember why he made such an impression when he came through Little Rock a few months ago. Bingham brought the house down and left them begging for more at the end of his oh-so-short one-hour set. Manu Chao rounded out the evening with a show that can only be described as breathtakingly energetic.
Unfortunately for us, we missed Langhorne Slim Saturday morning (although we were fortunate enough to see his incredible show Monday night at Sticky Fingerz). Jose Gonzalez was the first big surprise of the day, though. Swedish-born but of Argentine heritage, Gonzalez has become a hit in Europe with his haunting vocals and classical guitar mastery. CSS, the Brazilian electro-punk band I had such high hopes for, was a disappointment. Maybe it was the heat. Beck wrapped up what ended up being the weakest of the festival's three days with a satisfying performance.
As far as I was concerned, Sunday belonged to Neko Case. Although I can't get enough of her work on Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, I had never seen her live and was prepared for disappointment. After hearing her much-too-brief performance, though, I was left in awe of this woman's incredible talent, both lyrically and musically. Her delivery, timing and pitch in a live performance were as close to perfect as any performer I've ever heard and I was left wondering if they really have to do much editing at all when they record her. I walked away from that performance an even bigger Neko Case fan and am highly anticipating her next album, which she played a couple of songs from. The new material sounded very similar to her material from Fox Confessor, and that's a good thing. The Raconteurs won me over after three or four songs. These guys are wickedly talented musicians and they produce a sound and a performance that can't help but draw you in. Truly mesmerizing. Then the Foo Fighters played some stuff and it was all over.
This was my second ACL in a row and I think I could become a junkie. If it gets to the point that I need a new drug, I suppose there's always Bonnaroo.
- Richie Graham
 The other night I arrived at White Water Tavern expecting to see two decent acts. Right after I paid my cover at the door, I was informed that The Boondogs cancelled. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed because I’d never seen them, and was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer. So, basically my night didn’t get off to a great start.
Ill feelings aside, Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers stepped in and saved the day. This was my second time to see them, and I’d love to see more of them. I think this show was fantastic, and ranked right up there with how great they were the first time I saw them. The only difference in the sets was that this time “Champagne Supernova” was not covered, but so is life. Crain does a killer job covering that song, and while I wished she had sung it, one can’t always get what they want.
If you didn’t read the first write up on Crain, I highly recommend that you do. She is not a tall person, but if you were just listening to her, you would never know. She has a wonderful voice that penetrates the air and encompasses everyone in its way. I can’t quite attach a name to a singer I think she sounds like, which is great because I love unique voices. However, when I hear her, the first thing that pops in to my mind is hauntingly beautiful. During one of her songs, and I must apologize because I don’t know which one it was, when she hit a couple of her high notes, I actually got goose bumps. She has such a powerful and domineering voice and when I listen to female artists, that is one of the most important things I’m looking for. Not since Beth Ditto’s vocals with The Gossip and Alison Kraus in general, have I felt this way about a female vocalist. Crain has power and oomph, and I’m glad she brings it to the stage.
Even though she is just that good, she is still very humble and really nice. I haven’t heard that loud of applause for a band from that few people in a long time. However, the applause I heard filled White Water, even though there could not have been more than 35 people there. After every song when the applause died down, Crain would say thank you, and I found that really endearing. I love that she seems so down to earth, and I can’t wait to hear her full length when her record label decides to release it. I will make time to see her and the ‘Shivers again in the future because they always leave me craving more and hopefully they’ll swing back through Little Rock in the near future.
--L
 That's the first saying that came to mind after seeing John Paul Keith & The One Four Fives live. Looking around the venue there was an obviously electric buzz flowing through the audience and it was only a matter of time before it traveled to every person at White Water Tavern. It merely took a couple of songs to get the audience crowding the stage and tapping their feet to the beat of the band. Self proclaimed indie/rock/country music; the songs for the most part are a relatively balanced mix of all three. That being said, they have seemingly effortlessly blended their sounds to create a feel to the music that no band I’ve seen recently has done. The set was relatively long, but it never lacked in energy and one could tell by watching and listening to the audience. After almost every song, one enthusiastic fan kept yelling JPK. Each time he did so I chuckled and agreed with him because he deserved to be cheered for. People were smiling and dancing up until the last song of the night and that’s always a tell tale sign that a band is great.
I spent a little time after the show talking with some of the members of the band and they were ridiculously nice. They took the time to sign posters and chat with their fans, which in this day and age, is sometimes hard to find. They were humble and just all around good guys that people are excited to see back in Little Rock in the future. I hopefully expect them to be back by either the end of the year or early on next year. Memphis is just a hop, skip, and a jump away and as time goes on I find that it turns out so many great and talented acts. I look forward to hearing more from them and for them to release a CD because I currently do not have a way to play a 7” record, which frankly makes me a little blue, but it’s something to work towards in the future.
To sum all of that up, they put on one hell of a good live show. They do a killer job at covering Brian Setzer. They get people to dance, which is a great thing because a lot of bands I have seen in the last year or so have had problems getting the crowd to loosen up. Finally, their Myspace band page does not do them justice because they are a band that should definitely be seen live, and last but not least they leave their fans happy and wanting more music which is never a bad thing.
--L
 Every once in a while it is refreshing to encounter a seemingly more soft-spoken, quieter band. I had the pleasure of seeing Band of Annuals the other night at White Water Tavern and was absolutely blown away by their music. I had only heard them prior to that night through their Myspace page, and I thought how could this band be any better? Simply put they were fantastic live.
The six-piece band casually made their way up on stage and jumped right in to playing. They did not try to distract the audience with bells and whistles, but instead lured them in with their catchy music and great lyrics. The best thing about getting the audience’s attention, in my opinion, is that they were quiet enough to get the crowd to move towards the stage, and once people moved up and really listened to the music they were disinclined to leave the front. Flat out, that’s just how good they were. Throughout the evening I kept overhearing many people saying, “wow, these guys are really, really good.” I myself was one of those people and would definitely say it again if asked about them.
This band is definitely worthy of keeping on my radar, and I look forward to their eventual return to Little Rock. I anticipate this to happen anytime within several months to the early months of next year because traveling expenses from Salt Lake City have to be ridiculous at the moment, but I can say almost without a doubt the next time they book a show here, I will be there.
-L
 What exactly is Aristocrunk and where can I find it?
This past Friday night, I had the pleasure of seeing some of the best live, hip-hop music I’ve seen in well over a year. The Rev Room was slow to fill up, but by 10:30 there was a mass of people crowding the bar and dance floor. When the house lights went down and the stage lights went up, most everyone packed on to the dance floor. I had not seen the Rev Room that crowded in quite some time, so it was nice to see all of the different ages and faces there. The Rev Room chose two amazing acts that were, in my opinion, perfectly suited for the venue.
Al Kapone, is most notably known for his songs “Whoop That Trick” and “Keep Hustlin’-It Ain’t Over” from the feature film Hustle & Flow and for co-writing Lil’ Jon’s “Snap Yo Fingers.” Kapone and a friend, whose name I did not get, got up on stage and brought the audience to their feet. As soon as he started rapping, the crowd was a large mass of happy, dancing people. I had never had the pleasure of hearing his music before, or at least I thought I hadn’t. He brought up the hook for “It’s Hard Out There For A Pimp,” which got the audience’s attention. However, he moved on to “Whoop That Trick” which united the crowd when the chorus came up, and I soon realized I had heard of this man, even though I previously could not attach a name to the song. Kapone rapped for about half an hour and kept the attention of everyone in attendance. His lyrics are catchy, the beats are fierce, and he is one of the finest rappers Memphis has to offer.
After Kapone left the stage, the crowd was left standing sweaty and in good spirits. Ten minutes later, the lights came back up and MysterE ran up on stage followed shortly by Maurice Eloise XIII and Lord Aloisius Treadwell, or known more simply as Lord T & Eloise. This trio boasts the use of one of the most intriguing named music genres, Aristocrunk, that I have ever heard mentioned. Most people would find that the concepts of aristocrats and crunk music would never mix, but lo and behold these men make that happen. Aristocrunk blends baroque instrumentation with witty lyrics full of social commentary and satirize many of the topics other contemporary artists rap about.
Enough of the back story though, this performance was a spectacle in itself. Eloise entered the stage in a tuxedo shirt and pants, a bow tie, rollers in his hair, and his skin painted gold. Lord T entered donning a fantastic wig of white hair, a period costume reminiscent of the Baroque era, and black aviator sunglasses. MysterE entered looking somewhat more contemporary in a gray suit, black tie, and sunglasses. I was a bit confused as too why these particular outfits, but in further searching at www.lordtandeloise.com, I was given the answers. They are relatively outlandish and humorous, but I will let you look for yourself instead of summing up what they have to say about themselves.
Lord T & Eloise’s set lasted about an hour and was full of dancing, crazy antics, and some performance art, including pantomiming riding a horse. They never once lost the audience’s attention and kept them dancing the entire set. I did not see one disappointed face as I left the venue. Everyone got their money’s worth and seemed to have been happy that they had chosen to spend their Friday night there.
To sum everything up, if you like hip-hop music with some ridiculous flair, or just want to experience Aristocrunk for yourself, check out Lord T & Eloise. If you like a little more traditional, dirty south, Memphis rap, check out Al Kapone. Both acts hail from Memphis and definitely earned my respect and I would go see them again in a heartbeat. Each act kept me entertained and kept me focusing on the witty lyrics and catchy hooks, and because of those two reasons I had a great time and will most definitely be checking out each group more in the future.
--L
 Bob Dylan came to town this week, and after the concert, I heard several complaints - but mainly two: (1) his voice is terrible, and (2) you couldn't recognize his songs until they were almost over. Well, people, give the poor man a break. See how well your voice sounds when you're 75, or whatever; see who recognizes your songs. This was Bob Dylan, and while everyone is free to say whatever they think, I don't believe one should come expecting to see a curly haired kid with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica draped round his neck. Sit-ins are no more, my peacenik friends, and neither is Bob Dylan of the sixties (or seventies or eighties).
The last time I saw the man (a few years back in Tupelo, Mississippi, of all places), we were subjected to two hours of country & western music - it was his current genre. He will always surround himself with great musicians, however, and the concert ended up being okay, just not great. This week the crowd was treated to a number of Dylan classics, growled through by the Pulitzer Prizewinner. The arrangements were definitely different, though I'm sure his reaction to the critics would be similar to that when he went "electric". But this night, the band was tight, the sound was great, and maybe I'm just easily satisfied. I don't think he's out here for the money, and I don't think he'll be out here many more times at all, so I was glad to get what may be my final chance to see the legend himself.
|
RSS Feed