Austin Sound

Night One of the three pack of shows celebrating the release of Casual Victim Pile could not have gone off much better for curator Gerard Cosloy, Matador Records, and – most importantly – the five bands representing the Beerland-centric compilation. Sure, it might have been more reassuring to see their home turf packed with only familiar faces, but no one was complaining that many in the full house were hearing (and enjoying) the tunes for the first time. Blasting out five tight, blistering sets on a chilly evening, The Persimmons, The Distant Seconds, Kingdom of Suicide Lovers, Dikes of Holland and Follow That Bird generally did their fans, friends, and the Austin underground proud.

Matador Records’ Gerard Cosloy doesn’t give a shit who you think are the most noteworthy bands in Austin. You can take that Spoon and shove it up your ass! Cosloy’s much anticipated Austin comp, called Casual Victim Pile (”Casual Victim Pile” = “Live Music Capital”, get it? Good one there Rose Clad Orgy!), will be officially released on January 26. It features 17 local artists, and two from Denton, that occasionally stumble out of Beerland’s cave to blink at the daylight - let’s just hope they sound better on the record than they do in Red River’s hallowed cinderblock fortress. We do have to give Cosloy credit for his awesome comments on naming the album in the press release today, though: “I was also advised that while ‘Please Kill Bob Schneider’ rolls off the tongue rather nicely, Matador’s legal fees might skyrocket if someone did indeed, harm a hair on the multi-talented singer-songwriter’s head.” Ouch. Watch out Cosloy - there’s a rabid pack of sorority girls coming for you! As we prepare for the album to school us on the proper Austin Sound, we get a taste of two of the tracks from the upcoming comp. First off, Follow That Bird! delivers “The Ghosts That Wake You”, which kicks off the album, and then Love Collectors (who for some reason changed their name from the Modern Fuckers) deliver their punky little tirade “First 48.” Awesome. Full previously announced tracklist below, and more info on the Matador blog.

By year’s end, Austin will have boasted an impressive number of singles. Credit the the downturn of the economy, the upturn of vinyl, or the changing culture of Mp3s and singles, the result has been a boon for short-stack lovers. No doubt, however, that these four recent vinyl releases serve as a nice capstone for local one-offs this year, with Follow That Bird and the Sour Notes both offering up excellent follow ups to debuts that appeared in the past year, and the much anticipated new project of Sound Team’s Matt Oliver, TV Torso, delivering a double shot of 7″ vinyl as a debut. As indicators of what might be around the bend with bigger releases for each band, all of the efforts suggest next 2010 will be a good year for local music.

Perhaps a quick history lesson is in order. Long ago, in the very distant past, there was a magical time when you couldn’t walk into a club without hearing a Riot Grrrl band. We’ll call this era “the late 1990s.” In those years (the tail end of third-wave feminism), Riot Grrrl bands sprung up in massive numbers, with idealistic (if sometimes convoluted) messages, and ambition that usually far outweighed their musical ability. They made it from show to show by shamelessly copying predecessors – the Bikini Kills, the Sleater-Kinneys, the Bratmobiles. The best of the early Riot Grrrl bands continued to evolve into new and better things (see: Le Tigre’s self-titled debut and Sleater-Kinney’s “One Beat” and “The Woods”), while other, less talented musicians drove the movement off a cliff, and into musical oblivion (see: Hole). It is impossible to listen to Follow That Bird’s new EP without referencing the Riot Grrrl context, as so much of what Follow That Bird does is rooted there (whether consciously or not). Thankfully, however, Follow That Bird combines indie rock and punk rock in a way that breaks with a lot of the cliché’s that brought down the Riot Grrrls. In doing so they have delivered a gem of an EP – one uses a vintage basement-lofi sound to capture the charming aesthetic of an old Kill Rock Stars vinyl.

Follow That Bird! has been quickly gaining force in Austin over the past year, and with the release of their new self-titled debut EP, will likely only be getting bigger. The trio delivers a heavy yet melodic punch, bruising riffs and basslines accentuated by Tiffanie Lanmon’s fervent drumming and Lauren Green’s punkish, jagged vocals. There is a distinct base of Nineties’ Riot Grrrl fury to the band, but they transcend that influence by stamping it with their own unique mark. As their answers below reflect, the trio is sarcastically playful and full of energy, but combine to unleash an infectious blast that continually surprises behind contorting rhythms and shifts and vocals buried deep into the onslaught of distortion. Catch Follow That Bird! this Friday at the Mohawk as they support La Snacks cd release show along with Transmography and the spinning of DJ Gross.

UME - Photo: Anthony Rathbun

A day late but no less jam-packed with events, it’s Weekend Preview.

Two super lineups dominate the weekend beginning with UME, Ringo Deathstarr, Haunting Oboe Music and more at the Monarch Event Center. Then Sunday, KOOP plays host to a fundraiser where you have the chance of winning a scooter, and the guarantee of good music, compliments of The Bellfuries, La Snacks, Peel, and Foot Foot.

I was fully expecting for the evening to start and end with Shearwater, but to my surprise at 9pm another local known as Follow That Bird took the stage. Personally, I couldn’t help but think that the trio’s sound, which is essentially very raw indie rock with some pop sensibilities, seemed like an odd choice to get people ready for an orchestra-backed Shearwater, but they’re a good act and I certainly wasn’t upset at the opportunity to see them again.