I am about to start the last day of Austin Psych Fest 2013 and I have a lot to say about that, but I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the show I saw on April 20 at the Swan Dive by Boston bands Jaggery and Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys — one of the most psychedelic shows I’ve seen in a long time.
It was an amazing show. My only regret is that there were not more people there to see it.
I enjoyed the hell out of both bands, but the highlight for me was Walter Sickert. He was wearing a kind of feather head dress, big sunglasses, dreadlocks, and a wedding dress. Kind of like a demented Dr. John. He joked several times about being on acid. As the night wore on, I came to the conclusion that it was somewhere between plausible and likely that he really WAS on acid. “Stop fucking with me. I’m on a lot of acid! My home town is blowing up while we’re on the road. Fucking terrorists! But it happens…”
Most surprising thing was how good the music was. Stylistically, it was mostly acoustic, reminding me a bit of the Asylum Street Spankers. It featured a drummer, melodian/accordion, bass violin and viola (played by the musician from Jaggery). There were dark cabaret influences, but at times, they rocked as hard as Jimi Hendrix. At one point the singer from Jaggery joined Walter in a song that included an excerpt from the song, “Love and Marriage.”
One song really got hold of me and brought chills — and end of the world song called “28 Seeds.” Here it is:
It was even better live.
“Devil’s in the Details was another great one”:
One of my friends exclaimed, “I’m in their fan club after that.” I felt the same way. I will definitely be purchasing some of their music online. I got a big kick of of their closing song — the Ghostbusters theme. “I went back in time to the ’80s to write this song,” Walter said. There were a few lyrics I didn’t remember from the movie. “If a ghost tries to fuck you in the eye, who ya gonna call?”
Very unique group. Visit their website and Bandcamp page. Buy some of their music and see them if you ever get a chance.
Jaggery (appropriately named after Indian brown sugar) features Mali, a wonderful singer and pianist with incredible power and range (she kind of reminds me of a less scary Diamanda Galas), harp, viola and string bass.
Their music was powerful and dramatic. reminiscent of acts like Rasputina and the Dresden Dolls.
Some of it is incredibly beautiful.
One song which seemed to be about witchcraft, got kind of screamy (hence the nod to Galas), but it I found it really moving and chill-inducing. Mali joked that it probably scared the country bumpkins in Victoria when they gave a free show earlier. She took back the part about bumpkins, but she was probably right. I grew up in that area and kinda was a bumpkin at one time. It’s good for folks around there to experience something strange and different once in a while.
Check out Jaggery’s website and Bandcamp page. Buy some of their tunes if you feel so inclined and definitely catch them live if you can.
I’ve been a Sigur Ros fan for over a decade. Their 1999 album Ágætis byrjun was my introduction to postrock. They really opened my mind to what can be accomplished using the human voice as an instrument. I find their music mesmerizing and variously melancholy or uplifting. I love getting caught up in their soundscapes. I finally got a chance to see them at the Cedar Park Center on April 10. As great as their music is, I couldn’t imagine how they would pull it off live. I’ve been told they put on a great show, but I had to see it for myself.
I was especially surprised at how much they rocked. Powerful crescendos set off by their amazing lighting and projections.
They started out playing behind something called a scrim – a screen that looked a bit like gauze to me. The lighting effects – especially in the beginning – made it resemble an aquarium, with deep shades of green, threaded with other colors and textures. You could see them playing through it, but the lighting cast huge shadows of the band on it from behind, making the band members look like giants. One image of Jónsi Birgisson bowing his guitar in silhouette was quite striking. At one point the stage went dark, except for a scattering of tiny gold stars. Beautiful. Whoever handled their lighting was brilliant.
Later on in the show, they dropped the scrim, and you could see projections on a screen above the band. Images and textures, and scenes from their music videos – underwater scenes from “Sæglópur,” gas mask scenes from ”Untitled #1″ (aka “Vaka”) and the gorgeous ballet from “Svefn-g-englar.”
Because they sing in Icelandic (or is it Hopelandic?), I don’t always remember the names of the songs, but I know them when I hear them. I recognized several from Ágætis byrjun, ( ), and other albums. Their performance of ”Brennisteinn,” from their upcoming album Kveikur really blew me away.
The seating in Cedar Park Center was a bit cramped for my taste, but the music was so good I didn’t really notice. Kudos to my girlfriend Melissa for getting the tickets and snapping a few photos of the show.
If you haven’t seen any of Sigur Ros’ videos, do yourself a favor and check them out. Here are a few that really impressed me:
Oneohtrix Point Never
I have to put in a word for the opening act, Oneohtrix Point Never, aka Brooklyn-based musician Daniel Lopatin.
He plays vintage synthesizers and creates some interesting textures and soundscapes. I read something that referred to his music as “gnomecore.” No idea what that could mean, but I found myself on the verge of getting carried away in several of his pieces. Some made me think of dark ambient or glitch pop. Some made me think it was like what people in the ’80s thought the future might sound like. The kind of music you might hear in a night club scene in a 1980′s sci fi movie. I only wish I could have heard him in a more intimate setting. People were still filing in late for Sigur Ros and it was distracting.
If I get another chance to hear him, I will. Maybe he’ll turn up in another show in Austin soon. Here are a few examples:
My relationship with heavy metal has been spotty over the years. I grew up on the stuff they started to call metal later on – Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC and the like. Once the hair bands of the ’80s turned up I started to lose interest, getting more into grunge, postpunk and indie rock. And death metal with the cookie monster vocals has always turned me right off. But certain metal bands can still, as a friend of mine put it, melt my face off – in a good way. One of those is an Austin, Texas-based band called The Sword.
I discovered them at Fun Fun Fun Fest back in November. I saw several good bands – it was a frustrating night as several bands I really wanted to see were playing at the same time. Got to check out Peelander Z and Disappears again. Both of those rocked as expected. And I got to see Public Image Limited. That’s the legendary act that convinced me to go in the first place. Johnny Lydon (known to many as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) is overweight, but still kicks ass. My concert buddy Chris Kinney thought they sounded dated, but I still got into it. Maybe I’m dated.
But just as he promised, the top band of the night turned out to be The Sword. They had a ton of energy and reminded me of a somewhat sped-up Black Sabbath. I wouldn’t know it because I don’t play D n D, but I was told a lot of their lyrics are based on Dungeons and Dragons scenarios. Per Wikipedia, they also get a lot of inspiration from Norse mythology and science fiction writers like George R.R. Martin. Whatever the source, they come across as bad ass. Lots of science fictiony, Frank Frazetta-looking videos to be seen on Youtube.
Is this badass or what?
And check out this cover of ZZ Top’s Cheap Sunglasses. Wish I’d been there to see this.
Edit: I was just informed that the band actually has its own hot sauce that can melt your tongue off while their music melts your face off. Tears of Fire, was made to the band’s specifications by Tears of Joy hot sauces “banned in most galaxies” it is apparently incredibly hot. I’m afraid and tempted at the same time. If you dare, you can get it here.
Einsturzende Neubauten is one of those groups I always put in the category of “respect more than enjoy.” (Also, I never could and probably never will pronounce their name correctly – I finally gave up and took to calling them “Ein” for short).
They were among the pioneers of industrial music – an aesthetic that takes what used to be considered just plain noise – and incorporates it into songs. I have gotten into some of their early stuff, but honestly it comes across as abrasive and hurts my ears after a while. One exception – an old school song that I always enjoyed is “Yu Gung” – very exciting stuff and catchy in its way.
Thanks to my friend Chris Kinney, I recently discovered that there is more to Einsterzende Naubauten than I new – especially recently. The group has left much of the abrasiveness behind and taken a much more melodic approach.
“Sabrina,” from their 2001 album Silence is Sexy, is a pretty good example.
A few weeks ago, I attended a showing of Glasshouse at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, an event co-hosted by The Church of the Friendly Ghost. Glasshouse was a silent film about Danielle de Picciotto’s last night in New York City in 1987. Accompanying the film was an ensemble that included Ein member Alexander Hacke, Danielle de Picciotto (who gave a spoken word performance about her experience) and Algis Kizys (The Swans, Foetus).
It was on a Sunday night and I was a bit drowsy – I had already had a very busy weekend – so the music and scenes drifted in and out of my consciousness, very dreamlike. Some of the sounds were darkly beautiful, others more abrasive and strange. At times it was almost catchy. All in all a very surreal experience.
I can’t find any video of the Glasshouse performance, but here’s an interesting collaboration between Hacke and de Picciotto.
My Education
My Eduction from Psych Fest 4 (where I could’ve seen them, but for some reason didn’t)
As interesting as the main act was, I was most impressed by the live opening act, an Austin-based ensemble called My Education. Chris liked them so much, he bought several of their albums. I will probably buy a couple of them myself.
The group consisted of drums, piano, bass, guitar, slide guitar and violin. They performed a beautiful, flowing postrock that reminded me a lot of another Austin group, Explosions in the Sky.
Hailey Tuck, framed between two hipsters at East Side Showroom.
The first time I heard Austin’s Hailey Tuck, I left wondering if she really was as impressive as she seemed. I turned up late for her set at the Butterfly Bar during SXSW and only got to hear a few songs. A couple of weeks ago I finally got to hear more of her and yes, she is that good. I also got to check out the East Side Showroom, a place I’ve been curious about for a while.
Hailey is a torch singer of sorts. She’s young, beautiful, and has a gorgeous voice (If you liked Amy Winehouse, you should definitely check her out). She also genuinely loves jazz music. She performed jazz standards, as well as some songs I hadn’t heard before – and spent a little time sharing her knowledge with the audience.
Hailey was accompanied by a keyboard player and a drummer – who on this night was her father. I guess that shows where she gets her love for jazz.
The venue added quite a lot to the experience. Like Hailey, East Side Showroom was like a throwback to an older, classier era. The antique decor and lighting makes it resemble a speakeasy from the Prohibition days. The menu is unique – both the food and the cocktails have made the place popular with local hipsters. It’s also rather pricey. (It apparently costs a lot more to be a hipster than it does to be a bohemian.)
I had a tequila-based cocktail called a Devil’s Left Hand. Very tasty. I think I’ll try a Moscow Mule next time though. I hear good things about that one.
I couldn’t help but notice the silent movie playing overhead as Hailey sang. Buster Keaton was a genius. I definitely enjoyed the vibe of the place.
I went with my girlfriend and one of her friends and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Yes, the experience could be described as pretentious (the waitress tried to seat us someplace we didn’t really want to be, but it pretty much went over my head – girlfriend ensured that we got the table we wanted, with a good view of Hailey).
Speaking of my girlfriend, she blogged about her impressions of Hailey and East Side Showroom. Check it out here.
Hailey will perform at the East Side Showroom again on Aug. 14 and 28 and Sept. 11 and 25. I would highly recommend you check her out. Let me me know what you thought of Hailey and what cocktails you tried.
Sometimes a smartass is just a smartass. But sometimes that smartass has something important to say, something that will make you think if you wipe the smirk off your face and open your mind. Negativland falls into that second category.
The U2 album incident
If you know about them at all – and not enough do – you probably know them because of their “U2 album debacle.” For a long time, that’s how I knew them. I basically viewed them as smartasses and pranksters who went too far and let things get out of hand.
(In a nutshell, what happened: They put out an album called U2 with a picture of a U2 spy plane on the cover. The album contained samples from U2′s upcoming album Achtung Baby, as well as some profanity-laced tirades by American Top 40‘s Casey Kasem. Negativland released the album right before U2′s album was set to come out. That stunt got them sued by both Island Records and their own label SST; it also got their album pulled from record stores and banned – and earned them some notoriety. Expensive publicity, but it did put them on the map. Wikipedia gives a pretty in-depth account of what happened.)
So, just pranksters? Not quite. Even the U2 incident made some pretty good points, about how how the act of sampling and collage-making IS an art form in itself, how overzealous copyright enforcement can stifle creativity, how shallow and false media can be (who would’ve thought the real Casey Kasem had such a temper and such a foul mouth? Could the friendly, avuncular Casey we all knew be nothing more than a persona?)
Perception vs. Reality
Are you conscious? Do you believe what you believe? Are your thoughts really yours or somebody else’s? Are you being controlled by governments and corporations without even realizing it? These are very important questions we rarely ask ourselves.
What Negativland does is rip away the veneer that you think is reality and show how manipulated we are by words and images. That’s not a prank, that’s a public service.
Listen to their ambush interview with U2′s The Edge for Mondo 2000 and you can get a feel for how smart they are and the amount of thought they put into what they do.
The Live Experience
I was disabused of my false opinion of Negativland by my friend Chris Kinney, who told me about the Negativland show he saw in 2000. I say show, not concert, because they are not precisely a band. They are not even especially good musicians. They are artists, however. Brilliant ones. The show he described was one of surreal beauty combined with incredibly subtle and astute social commentary, one that left the audience moved nearly to tears. I wish I had been there and I hope I one day get to see one of their multi-media spectacles myself (that was their last tour, hopefully not the final one). Meanwhile, here’s Chris’ account of what he saw and heard in Austin back in 2000:
I saw the show right after I moved here [Austin]. I dragged my girlfriend at the time out to the show. I had already been listening to them and she hadn’t. It was at the outdoor venue at Stubb’s, which was either sold out or very near capacity.
The stage was set up with 40 different screens. Anything from projections to TVs. The band members were all wearing white jump suits like hospital scrubs. Hospital masks covered their nose and mouth. A lot of projections were going on them too.
One thing I really remember was “Orange Crush.” They were playing old soda pop commercials from the ’70s. They were pure images, but with the song and the editing, the images became twisted. It somehow sexualized them in a creepy way. There were teenagers at the beach drinking soda, innocent children, then adults enjoying a beverage. It perverted the intent of the original footage.
Also, whoever was controlling the videos was masterful. There were so many images, so many screens. Sometimes different images on all screens. Sometimes just one image on one screen. Sometimes images juxtaposed with images on other screens took on new meanings.
They had anything from 12-inch TVs to 10 x 10 projection screens. It was almost telling a story. Your eyes were constantly darting around from screen to screen. It was almost disorienting at times. Film or images would shift from screen to screen. The only real stage lighting came from the projections and TV screens. It was like you were being bombarded visually and bombarded with sound and music.
They were very strange songs, talking about surreal things, using all this found footage and old advertising. It was almost anti-commercialism, or commercials for the surreal.
There was no real message, but you listened to their music and got caught up in these strange stories. It was more about the journey. None of their stuff is really linear.
At one point they turned off all the projection and there was just one 40-inch TV in the middle of the stage, with a guy who looked like Orson Welles but sounded like William Burroughs. Everything was turned off except this one black and white TV.
He was telling a story about renting a steam carpet cleaner that took you through time and space. We had been bombarded with images and noise and now everything else was silent and there was just one TV, so you got sucked into this story. And the steam cleaner takes you into another dimension. Your mind had been going crazy all this time and suddenly there was one thing to focus on. Very memorable.
The music was mostly really simple – guitar, loops, samples.
At the end of the show, there were all these beautiful images. Then it went into a nice ambient-like tune, something that almost made you want to dance. They were projecting with a couple of projectors and melting the film while it was running. Images were forming and bubbling during the song. One guy was running the film and lighting it in a little controlled fire. It was truly gorgeous. And that was the end of the show.
It was almost like being on a psychedelic drug during the whole show. Then they do this.
I felt really uplifted. I could barely speak. I felt physically and mentally changed after the show. My girlfriend was just blown away. We walked in silence back to the car till we kind of got back into the real world.
I was a fan of Negativland when I was a kid, as a teen and in my 20s. It was great to get stoned and listen to one of their albums. Just wind down and put it on in the background. I just thought it was crazy and weird. I always thought they were an interesting band, but not something I wanted to listen to all the time. They can be abrasive at times.
After seeing this show, I had a totally new respect for the band. I know their history. I know their antics. But their show – it was art. All the projections and images… They really changed your perception of the everyday things you see.
They are a very visual band. They take things you see all the time and take for granted and turn them on their head.
I don’t know if they really have a message as a band. If they have a message, it has to do with the way they bombard you with information and how they can mess with you just by the way they they convey that information. They just want to fuck with you. Make you think, make you conscious.
Music changes your perception of reality. If you’re driving down the road and a song comes on, the world looks different. Negativland are masters at doing that by the way they manipulate videos and images.
I have been to some great shows, but this one is really special. This was 12 years ago and it still stands out as one of most amazing experiences I ever had in my life.
As a Negativland fan, Chris recommends the following albums for adventurous people who would like to explore the band:
Escape from Noise – “I had a lot of fun with that. That one has ‘Christianity is Stupid,’ ‘Car Bomb,’ ‘Nesbitt’s Lime Soda.’”
“Helter Stupid and Negativland are also good albums.”
And of course, if you want to get an idea what was on the banned U2 album that got the band in so much trouble and made them famous – and find out what Casey Kasem is like when he loses his temper – check out These Guys are From England and Who Gives a Shit.
Check out this visual and sound collage video for “Freedom’s Waiting.” Brilliant commentary about the way words are used to manipulate us – often completely without our knowledge.
Just got a great Facebook update from Zach Anner of Austin, my favorite wheelchair travel show host/comedian. He is about to start a new travel show that looks very promising.
I got to see most of the episodes of Rollin’ with Zach. I liked them, and I think it was a great launching pad for his career, but I didn’t think it demonstrated his real potential.
I got the feeling the show’s producers didn’t know quite what to do with him and were calling too many of the shots. He was funny and he had some interesting and adventurous experiences, but he didn’t get to be as spontaneous and funny as he can be.
The new show could be just what the doctor ordered. It will be “by the Internet, for the Internet.” He’s teaming up with Reddit and will make his travel choices in the U.S. and Canada based on input from Redditors. That’s an audience that can appreciate some adult humor, believe me. He’ll be able to be himself, and I bet it will be a lot of fun.
How do you define musical success? Lots of money? Lots of fans? Most dedicated cult following? Major label deal? It just keeps getting trickier and trickier.
A few weeks ago a friend loaned me his copy of Dig!, a documentary about the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols. Two very talented and trippy groups that had very different career paths – the Dandys got a major label deal and got really popular, especially in Europe; the BJM got more and more dysfunctional over time, with rampant drug use and constant fighting.
It also follows the changing relationship between BJM’s volatile singer Anton Newcombe and the Dandys’ Courtney Taylor, who started out as great friends and ended up as bitter rivals.
I recently saw both bands at Emo’s in Austin. The Brian Jonestown Massacre played at Psych Fest and The Dandy Warhols played later at their own show. I loved both bands, but I think I would’ve appreciated them a lot more if I had seen Dig! beforehand. I didn’t realize how awesome it is that Anton is keeping it together as well as he is right now, or that tambourinist Joel Gion still tours with the band after quitting/getting fired/getting in fights, etc. so many times. (BTW, Joel was my favorite “character” in Dig!, just laughing and clowning and partying through it all, the quintessential stoner.)
So which band succeeded? I would have to say both. The Dandys had more commercial success (Although Capitol has since downsized, dropping them from the label and turning them back into a “true indie” band). Their songs are catchier.
Brian Jonestown Massacre make consistently great music that will stand the test of time. They’re like some of the great psychedelic bands from the ’60s before they got big and lost their edge.
I think the Anton and Courtney love/hate relationship is fascinating. Anton envies Courtney’s success with the Dandys and Courtney loves and envies Anton’s songwriting ability. Here’s hoping they get back to the point where they can hang out and perform together again.
If you’re a fan of either of these bands and haven’t seen Dig!, you owe it to yourself to watch it. Even if you never heard of either band, watch it. Best documentary and in fact best movie I’ve seen in a long time.
Last week I finally got a chance to see the Dandy Warhols, one of my all-time favorite bands. Avant garde yet catchy, nice and psychedelic. I saw them at Emo’s in Austin in the company of some good friends.
One of my friends referred to them as the coolest-looking band on the planet, and he could be right. They don’t do a lot of jumping around on stage, they just look really cool. As cool as they sound. I sort of get the impression of lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor as someone who’s been around and seen and done pretty much everything, kinda sleazy, druggy and wise.
The Dandy Warhols are still on tour. Check here to see if they’re coming to a town near you.
Didn’t manage to get a decent photo with my cellphone, alas, but check out this video of my favorite Dandy Warhols song. They killed on this one.
They also had some really kickass songs that I hadn’t heard before, many from their new album, This Machine.
On Friday night, May 18, I got a chance to see one of my favorite French musicians – one of my favorite musicians period – Yann Tiersen. I’ve been a huge fan ever since I saw Amelie and heard his gorgeous soundtrack. Later on I discovered Les Retrouvailles and Rue des Cascades, both wonderful albums. I was surprised at how “rock ‘n’ roll” the concert was. There was a full band featuring Yann on keyboard and synth, two other guys on electronics, a bass player, guitarist and drummer. Yann is a multi-instrumentalist, as are several band members. Yann also played guitar, sang, and absolutely tore it up on violin. The best song by far was Yann’s violin solo on “La Vie Quotidienne” from Rue des Cascades. Here is a good overview of Yann’s career from Austinist magazine. Opening for Yann was a one-man band calling himself Piano Chat. Not much piano involved. He played drums and guitar and used a lot of loops. The highlight of his show came at the end, when got into the audience, placed a small harmonium on the floor and sang into a mic, while the crowd sang a chorus. Check out Yann’s website, where you can hear some of his music, watch some videos, and order a copy of his new album, Skyline.
