Austin Sound

(Photos By Amanda Klaus)

Although the buzz was a buzzin’ at Emo’s Lounge about Oh No! Oh My!, who were just back from their European tour, Legs Against Arms and Corto Maltese stole the spotlight with their effervescent energies and incredibly catchy set lists. But, let’s start at the beginning. Before opener Gulf of Mexico had even started, there was a decent amount of people shuffling into a poorly lit Emo’s Lounge. The Lounge isn’t quite the pinnacle of the Emo’s trilogy, if you know what I mean… Even so, if you build it, and call it Emo’s, they will come.

Unfortunately, Gulf of Mexico wasn’t entirely worth showing up on time for. The guys seemed a tad in shambles. Besides the fact that they seemed less than enthusiastic to be there in the first place, it sounds like their basslines and melodies are in two different time/space dimensions. Greg Tenenbown was out front on bass, which isn’t exactly how I remembered them and seemed odd, but given that the sound in the Lounge doesn’t usually do any band’s vocals justice, it wasn’t too bad for Gulf of Mexico.

Following was Legs Against Arms, a fairly new quartet to the Austin music scene. They exploded off the stage with enthusiasm and excitement. Bruce Ewing was a fireball bouncing off Daniel Dillon and visa versa, the dual front man combination making for a versatile and dynamic show. The differences in their vocals and instrumental contributions add a lot of depth to a unique sound, while the rhythm section keep up the momentum and their ability to switch instruments and still work cohesively gives them an edge. I would have liked to here more saxophone, though, especially when it is placed within a song so perfectly.

(Legs Against Arms)

Paired with Corto Maltese, the two middle bands were the tasty cream filling in this little cookie of a show. The crowd thinned out a bit, but there was no lack of body bobbling in that little area upfront made just for bobbling, which is my favorite part of this Emo’s venue. Corto Maltese kept the audience engaged with their upbeat poppy rock songs. Fun melodies are even better when its obvious that those performing them are also having fun. Intertwining intense songs with more upbeat ones, they keep the ball rolling and put on a good show and likely left more than a few people humming those songs on their way home.

(Corto Maltese)

Don’t let my sweet tooth for the filling fool you, though; headliner Oh No! Oh My! was the cherry on top, if you will. They seemed like veterans and play together like a well-oiled machine. There is a chemistry between the four of them that is visible on stage, and everyone in the audience can feel it radiating off the stage. Their confidence and stage presence has definitely evolved from the point they were at a year or two ago. Their brand of Sixties pop mixed with simple lyrics makes for inviting songs that hook listeners.

(Oh No! Oh My!)

Overall the show had a big turnout, and I’m sure everyone who showed up for Oh No! Oh My! was pleasantly surprised by the bands that opened for them. Corto Maltese is going to be recording their EP for a couple months, so you won’t see them for a while. Legs Against Arms is going be recording as well in the studio of ONOM, so we can expect only good things to come of that! And if you wanna check out Gulf of Mexico for yourself, they play July 16th at Emo’s.