Austin Sound

Thursday at the Mohawk offered up a delectable variety of southern inspired indie artists that ranged from blues and country to psychedelic rock and Americana. First up was Tyler Jordan who performed with cellist Erin Davis and drummer Robby Pettinato. It made a real difference, and resulted in, what I consider to be, a huge improvement from the last couple of times I’d seen him solo. Jordan’s songs are heavy on acoustic guitar with simple chord progressions that really hook you.

On a quiet (or not so quiet) Monday night at Momo’s, I overflowed. I walked away overflowing with the overwhelming feeling of being touched by a musical performance bigger than the stage it poured from. Momo’s has a way of doing this. Some of my favorite bands I discovered within its dimly lit walls, cementing themselves stealthily within the monthly rotation of resident bands and musicians. But then again, nothing less could be expected from a location that gave birth to the South Austin Jug Band.

Moral of the story: on Monday night, Tiny Tin Hearts gave me faith once again that there is still exciting, stimulating music being made within the city limits. These eight people, who were until very recently strangers, leave me speechless every time. First time I heard them I was freaking out, texting everyone I knew who had the slightest connection in Austin music, about the little known band who had just blown my mind.

“I don’t know what else to say except, be prepared to fall in love with this next song.”

Those were the words of vocalist Marc Ferrino during Low Line Caller’s set at Mohawk on Saturday night. Fall in love?? Did we ever! Not just with the song, but with all they offered. What a great way to begin one’s evening. Luckily, up next was The Lemurs celebrating the release of their new EP - Million Little Bits. Low Line Caller was a tough act to follow and the Lemurs did it with ease. It was a packed patio at The Mohawk, and it wasn’t just hype. Both acts were talented and put on a great, entertaining, rump shaking show.

The dog days of summer are upon us and it’s hot outside, it’s hot inside, it’s hot everywhere! Yet still, on Friday night myself and a multitude of other indie lovin’ Austinites packed tight into the sauna that is the inside stage of Mohawk for The Eastern Sea EP release party. Why this show did not take place on the outside stage I may never know. But I suppose the heat and sweat was just one more reason the night was pretty much amazing.

Diego Olano started the show with his brother Tomas, on drums, and Jess Graves on keys, the former two familiar from their work with the Interest Kills. It was the type of music that filled up the room, not because it was loud or complex, but because it was interesting in it‘s simplicity.

Friday night I thought I’d go check out the Tangled Snark Summer Parties at the Monarch, which I, for some reason unbeknownst to me, figured would be a good idea. Little did I understand that I had just stepped into a melting pot of drunkenness, violence, and downright craziness in its lowest form; in other words, my naïve ass just got thrown into the middle of a punk show. Mixed in with the raw coolness of chick drummers and intense bassists, there lingered angst-riddled fans, the spilling of much innocent alcohol, and miniature mosh pits where guys took off their shirts and leaped onto stage. Well, they attempted to leap on stage anyway, but mostly just ran at the stage missing it the majority of times, so they’d fall and then try to do it again about a hundred times. I kept thinking to myself, “Holy shit! What the hell did I get myself into this time…and how many more times is this guy gonna fall down before we call an ambulance!?” Of course, that was nothing compared to the insanity that would explode onstage by the end of the night.

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.

I distinctly remember the first time I was introduced to Silver Pines - one night in Dallas, I struck up a conversation with a couple guys from The Theater Fire. Once they discovered I had gone to school in San Marcos they were baffled to know I had never heard, according to them, this amazing band. Needless to say, I immediately got on the internet and was swiftly consumed in the whirlwind of musical sorcery that is Silver Pines. This encounter was only the first of many that I would have with multiple musicians who also confessed a deep love and admiration for this group of artists. The seemingly universal respect of their peers aside, the devotion is more than justified and similar to their self-proclaimed influence Kaleidoscope, in that, although their sound isn’t mainstream and popular to the general public, it is obviously born of tremendously unique and talented musicians.

What is traditional beauty? Something that is refined, soft and smooth around the edges? Something that makes sense and fits in its appropriate place? Perhaps the intrigue of beauty is the ability to not fit in any place at all; to confuse, be taken aback and to wonder - what the hell is this? Southern Drama’s self-released debut album, Little Broken, has that factor of forcing a double take. Not necessarily because it is classically pretty and you want one more glimpse, but because it takes a second glance to fully grasp the beauty that lies not in smooth soft edges, but in a raw, unabashed form. Southern Drama is not easily characterized; there is a slight touch of pop sensibility, but it’s buried in an almost Old World gypsy jazz, both sultry and dark. It is something to experience.

I love how so much of the music we are hearing today is like a time capsule shoebox buried then miraculously recovered. It’s got bits and pieces of the psychedelic sounds from the Seventies mixed with the digital playfulness of the Eighties along with grunge rock that surfaced in the Nineties. Add a pinch of poppalicious melodies from emo and soft punk that had us all in fetal position ten years ago, and you get an experimental, dark, rock n roll sound catchy and progressive enough to draw a crowd. This is the Fever Dreams my friends.

I have a thing for brothers. Who doesn’t? And I promise that after listening to Masonic’s latest album, Things I Am Guilty Of, you will have a thing for brothers too. The band’s core trio of Mason brothers (John, Kevin, and Brian) have gone through a series of singers on their three previous offerings before finally finding the beautiful and talented Eryn Gettys as lead vocalist, whose ethereal voice hazily balances between French pop and shoegaze. Accented by master arrangements of keys and guitar, and percussion that isn’t too heavy and complimentary bass lines courtesy of Trey D’Amico, the quintet delivers diverse melodies that stand out amongst the mass of Austin indie pop with an universal appeal.