While I'm no fashion expert, we do live in a place where it's 75 degrees in December. The wisdom of skintight clothing eludes me. Okay, so I might not be a fan of the stereotypical indie-kid wardrobe, but it's hard to not like some of the music they dig on.
Tonight at Common Grounds, local gents Building the State will combine their version of that indie sound with The Julius Airwave and Look Mexico. The lads of Building the State might tell you they play ambient, indie rock. I take umbrage at that implication.
It might be slow, it might be chock-full of head-swim guitar effects and it might be the type of thing for which stoner-rock fans make the crossover, but ambient it is not. In the vein of more classic, electronic ambient acts like, say, Future Sound of London, BTS's music keeps you anxiously awaiting the next sonic incursion. In and of itself, that trait is highly pedestrian.
Recently returned from a three-week East Coast tour, this will be BTS's final show of the year and for the next several months. The band will be taking a break to work on their new record, so you might as well catch them while you can. The Julius Airwave, while similar in taste, brings another approach to the stage.
A bit faster and keenly direct, this group exudes quality in their performances. They rely more heavily on the vocal aspect of their act mdash; and that's a sturdy leg to stand on. Backing that up, a simplified complexity of timed guitar riffs and song-driving drums.
Like I said, it's really hard not to like this stuff. They too are in the process of making a new record, in the mastering phase of their full-length The City The Forest. I can't say when it'll be available, but they're not Metallica, so probably sometime this decade.
The third band on the bill, Look Mexico, fits snugly in the style gap between the other two. The proverbial just right porridge. It's not that State or Airwave are extremes.
It's that Look Mexico's inclusion in this particular show creates a smooth flow that may have otherwise been missed. There's a balance of sound and voice to be found within this group created to be appreciated. Their often-paced drum rhythms backbeat to slightly-quicker guitars.
Balance is beauty in music as well as faces. So, go ahead. Squeeze in to those tight pants.
Dig up that pair of JNCO's you've had since 1997 if you please. Tomorrow night at Common Grounds, there is a rare sight to behold: a regional-sound act that is actually representative of the region in question. It's Mississippi-style southern blues by Jimbo Mathus.
With so many suburbanites putting their sticky fingers in the sound, it's nice to hear from someone born, raised and incarcerated in deep Mississippi. Also tomorrow, yet another case of schizophrenic booking comes to The Side Bar in the form of The Legendary JC's and Oh No! and the Tiger Pit.
It's not a negative thing. Bringing together a southernesque soul group and a lo-fi rock 'n' band is as good for the soul as it is for the education of the public. On Saturday, 1982 presents a 75 percent hardcore night, with Borealis, Battle!
and Luca Brasi. All three have quality mdash; and the energy mdash; to move a crowd. Stevie D and the No Shows are also on the bill, despite the admitted lack of hardcoreness.
But they should constitute a fine break in the heavy action, with an entertaining pot-luck of all things rock. Over at CG on Saturday, those Buzz radio boys are putting on another free show. It's a Christmas-style theme mdash; or holiday, if you prefer mdash; this time around, but not unlike any other such party.
Plenty of booze and bands to be had. Hospitals on the moon, the untimely death of..
. and the behemoth madness of Whiskey Binge McKinney are on tap. I know this is the spot where I suggest what shows to see, but I am compelled to note one not to see.
Saturday at Side Bar, there will be a local tribute to A Perfect Circle. There's no offense intended to the other two bands playing (both of which are quite good) or the individuals making the tribute. But the idea that a band that formed in 2000, released two original albums and one full of covers, and gained most of their fans from the fact that their singer is in a different, better band, is deserving of a tribute mdash; that is a deplorable notion.
Also on Saturday, the lineup makes it more than worthwhile at Lillian's Music Store, which hosts a CD-release event for Dbl Wide. Supporting them in their endeavors of countrified delectability will be two more similarly entertaining acts, Ones to Blame and Empty Fifth. Lastly, Monday brings yet another highly original and talented act to Common Grounds: Rasputina.
Although made famous by their song Transylvanian Concubine, these cello-touting ladies have much more to offer than dark-overtoned, semi-sexual tunes. Clad in late-19th century costumes, Rasputina comes with a sense of character-play absent in most modern music. Even better is their constantly-changing lineup, which brings fresh perspective to their old songs, and new direction for future creations.
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