Pavement: Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater, Austin TX, Tuesday, September 28 (Eight Magical Days of Live 90s Music continues)
If there were any doubts as to whether or not Rachel and I were smart to keep our second set of Pavement tickets and see them twice in 5 days, they were gone about 5 minutes into show number two last night at Stubb's. Episode Three of our tour through the 90s took us back home to Austin for Pavement, Luxe & Reduxe. Once again, the band was in top shape, and coupled with a typical strong Austin audience, it turned into another memorable night of live music.
The band wasted no time getting the crowd into the affair, kicking off with the great Buddy Holly-esque "Silence Kit," the first track from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (album openers often seem to be good concert openers too). The audience -- a pretty even mix of young hipsters and older (ahem) fans -- was pretty good from the start, but really got going during a raging performance of "Unfair." Multi-instrumentalist and sometimes vocalist Bob Nastanovich put his all into his lines, coming across like a punch in the gut in contrast to Stephen Malkmus' slacker wail. All night long, the band was full of the key ingredients that Pixies were missing: Passion, emotion, raw energy -- lots more than some of today's "young" bands that we've seen. All five members -- Malkmus, Nastanovich, guitarist/vocalist Scott Kannberg, bassist Mark Ibold and drummer Steve West -- all seemed to be having a great time. Malkmus, who isn't much of a talker from what I understand, was increasingly engaging and loose as the night wore on. Kannberg did some nice moves during a Malkmus solo and climbed the speakers a few times. And Nastanovich, as usual, was all over the place.
Amazing songs too. The band played a seemingly endless bag of them. Throw in a great Austin crowd, excellent sound and a good view from our favorite spot to the left of the sound board, and perfect weather, and you have yourself a memorable night of rock music. Probably the single best show I've seen this year. Not bad for a bunch of rusty old slackers.
Silence Kit Frontwards Box Elder Date w/ Ikea Unfair Starlings of the Slipstream Stereo Rattled by the Rush Grounded Perfume-V Shady Lane Fin Cut Your Hair Spit On a Stranger Nastonovich slide whistle solo Zurich is Stained Gold Soundz Fight This Generation Trigger Cut Conduit for Sale! Range Life
Encore In the Mouth a Desert Two States Here
Second encore Kennel District Summer Babe (Winter Version) Stop Breathin’ AT & T
Pavement plays "Stereo" on Fallon (9/23/10) with contest winner Up Next
Guided By Voices (tonight) at the new East Side Drive-In. The opening act happens to be the band that graced the shirt of Pavement front man Stephen Malkmus on Tuesday night at Stubb's. Coincidence, or cosmic event tied to the positive energy we're creating with our Eight Magical Days of 90s Live Musical Goodness?
Back in Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we looked somewhat critically at Pitchfork's list of the best tracks of the 90s. This time, Rachel and I are documenting our journey -- quite literally -- through the 90s via a series of concerts. In 8 days, we'll have seen Pixies, Pavement (twice), and Guided By Voices. All bands that have broken up for a good chunk of time. And while Pixies really were as active in the 80s as they were in the 90s, all three bands possess a solid amount of 90s cred. Witness eight magical days. Think of it as our own sort of Hannukah.
Pixies: Austin Music Hall, Austin TX, Wednesday, September 22
90s Credibility: Bossanova (1990) -- #28 - Pitchfork's Top 100 Album's of the 90s -- A - Robert Christgau, Dean of American Rock Critics TrompeleMonde (1991) -- #83 - Pitchfork -- A- - Christgau
To kick off the 90s, Pixies really mark the transition from the prior decade. The term "alternative music" has always been a large umbrella musically. It has always embraced all sorts of music with a basis in rock or pop, the main criteria being that it doesn't quite fit in with the mainstream. Still, various styles within "alternative" music dominate, and in the mid 80s, softer British music ruled. Pixies were one of the bands that helped transition the alt focus back to American hard rock. For example, Nirvana, the ultimate early 90s alt rock band, owes a huge debt to Pixies, as Kurt Cobain repeatedly shared.
So it was perfect that we opened our 8 magical days with Pixies, especially since we tragically missed a chance to see them years ago in Worcester, MA despite having tickets. This tour, the band is playing its great second LP Doolittle in full, along with B-sides. After a 40 minute sonic assault by Fuck Buttons and a short wait, the lights came down. Pixies? Not quite. First, we were treated to UnChienAndalou, the oddball (eyeball?) film by Luis Buñuel that inspired album opener "Debaser." The band did arrive after that, but before launching into said "Debaser" we were treated to several songs that, as bassist Kim Deal put it, so obscure that the band had to basically learn them from scratch to perform them on this tour. Some of the songs were decent, but quality is often a factor in why songs end up as B-sides and not album cuts. The band also had a tendency to leave pretty big gaps between tracks. Was the band baiting the audience for some reason by testing its patience?
Then Doolittle. The band was tight and loud all night. The music generally sounded good. In terms of musicianship, each of the four sounds as skilled or better than they did back in the day, particularly lead guitarist Joey Santiago, who alone seemed to strive to add something new to the familiarity of a set of songs that most people in the audience have heard dozens if not hundreds of times over the last 21 years. Maybe it was Joey's parents in the audience, as Kim announced?
Despite all of this, it was a fun night. Pixies didn't sound devoid of passion, although it was clearly less than at their peak. Getting to hear a solid band play great songs in a place with great acoustics goes a long way. And honestly, the band ripped through two versions of "Wave of Mutilation" and pleased the crowd with "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man." And after the B-sides and occasional filler-songs from Doolittle, the band soothed the crowd (another great Austin crowd) with an encore including older favorites "Gigantic" and "Where is My Mind?" I left satisfied, but not blown away. Unfortunately, that's about what I was expecting.
Pavement: Central Park Summerstage, New York, NY, Friday, September 24
90s Credibility: -- #9 - ranking of 1990s artists on AcclaimedMusic.net "Gold Soundz" (1994) -- #1 - Pitchfork's Top 200 Tracks of the 90s Slanted and Enchanted (1992) Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994) -- A - Christgau -- 5 stars - Allmusic..com
When Pavement announced they were getting together for a show or two in Central Park, we jumped and got four tickets. Plan would be to go up and join my sister and her husband for the show, visit with family, eat some good grub. That was a year ago, long enough, apparently, for several poor folks to lose their tickets. We guarded ours for those months and made our way up to NYC as planned, with a list of good breakfast and lunch joints near our hotel and a reservation with the big family at DBGB Kitchen and Bar.
What a great day for a show. Lots of sun during the day, in the 70s for much of the show. We couldn't decide what to have for lunch, so we stopped at two nearby places and split gyro and a pretty scrumptious Cambodian sandwich for lunch). The four of us headed over to RumseyPlayfield in Central Park near the 72nd St. entrance a good hour before Pavement hit the stage.
For those of us who guarded our tickets, the wait and the effort in this case was worth it. This was their last of five nights in New York, and I think they went out with a bang. And on stage was a rock band that looked really into what they were doing. The music sounded great pretty much from start to finish. Malkmus' voice was in top form. The setlist couldn't have been better. Everything you wanted to hear was tossed in, and then some. Pavement played for what had to be over two hours over a long main set and two encores, finishing with a rousing "Range Life." And yes, they did still mention Stone Temple Pilots.
Pavement @ Central Park Summerstage - Sept 24, 2010 (pic by Greg Cristman)
Coming Up Tonight and Thursday: More Pavement and Guided By Voices
Long after Rachel and I got our NYC Pavement tix, the band announced that they would be touring the states, including a stop at Stubb's in Austin. We got tickets, figuring worst case scenario we'd sell either one of the dates. Well, no need to cancel came up really, so we're doubling down on Pavement tonight with some friends. Thursday, we stay in the 90s for Guided By Voices at the new East Side Drive-In. We'll be sure to fill you in.
The official ACL festival website just released iPhone and Android apps. "Plan your Custom Schedule (or sync with your saved schedule on our website), check out bios & videos from this year’s artists, navigate the park with the Festival Map, update your peeps on Facebook and Twitter, and much more." Free too. Details on the ACL website.
More interested in music? The ACL website has also been profiling this year's performers in its weekly "Discover" series of posts. This week both Sonic Youth and The Temper Trap are featured. Sonic Youth has been, the profile reminds, "consistent without becoming complacent or annoyingly self-referencing for almost thirty years now." Lydia Simmons, meanwhile, makes a convincing case that Australia's The Temper Trap is more than a one-hit wonder (“Sweet Disposition” has been featured in movie (500) Days of Summer and on TV in both shows and ads from some pretty big companies).
In other news from the big guys, the Austin American Statesman's Austin360.com came out with its ACL Fest 2010 staff picks yesterday. There's a split opinion on the debate between The Soft Pack and Those Darlins. Regarding The Soft Pack, Joe Gross calls the band's music "Anthemic" and "perfect for jumping up and down before it gets too hot (or too wet)." On the other hand, Michael Corcoran casts his vote for Those Darlins, warning that the stage banter may be a matter of taste, but "when they kick in with their country garage rock it's magic." Check it the whole set of picks in slide show format.
Yet one more way to get into this year's festival. Another Statesman product, All Ablog Austin, reports that the Statesman is giving away a pair of 3-day passes. Just "like" the Statesman Facebook page, then comment or "like" some piece(s) of content. Shazam! You're entered in a drawing. Bonus for active participants: Each time you provide feedback constitutes a separate entry. Share your opinion and increase your chances of winning! Deadline for entries is midnight 10/3. Full Rules.
I have already chimed in that Friday is the most loaded day. Want help for Saturday? Austin Girl Music Guide tells you what bands to see, starting at 11:20 AM with Balmorhea. Too early? C'mon, make like an Austinite and grab a breakfast taco and a cup of good coffee, brush off last night and head to Zilker.
If you think you can't come to ACL if you have kids, think again. Not only should you be doing your required duty as a good parent and introducing your children to the joys of good music and concertgoing early, but there are lots of ways to have fun with your kids at ACL. As long as you're willing to sip the fight for real estate close to the big stages, there's plenty of room to spread out and picnic. There are a few spots here and there that are comfortably big enough for frisbee and the like. Most importantly, there's Austin Kiddie Limits, ACL's stage that always has the young set first in mind. This year, kids music blog Zooglobble plans to be there to document the fun.
Similar to my "matchup" posts of the past, Austin Town Hall has its view on some "ACL Battles." Read now about a tough four-way battle: LCD Soundsystem/Gogol Bordello/Monsters of Folk/David Bazan.
Finally for today, Covert Curiosity shines the spotlight on one of the artists I'm planning to catch, Deadmau5. Check out the post for audio, video and a short bio on the mouse-helmeted electro-wizard.
Can you already taste that chicken cone? The official Austin City Limits Music Festival website has just added the list of ACL 2010 food vendors. If you've been to ACL over the last couple of years, many of these names are familiar. We'll be back later with a breakdown. In the meantime, below is the list.
Austin quartet The Bright Light Social Hour is a band to watch. After beating out over 1,000 other bands to win an early slot at last year's Austin City Limits Music Festival, BLSH has continued riding the wave. In 2010, the band was named Best Indie Band at the 2010 Austin Music Awards. Is it bassist Jack O'Brien's mustache? Nope, couldn't be that, could it? White Denim and The Black and White Years are doing pretty well with the 'stache thing too. More likely it's the ability to successfully blend hard-driving modern rock with slick funk and dance grooves? Well, is that so unique these days anyway? Both of the aforementioned bands also do that pretty well.
Then it must be the cookies. Huh? Well, according to Addie Broyles at Austin360's Relish Austin blog, The Bright Light Social Hour bakes a pretty mean brown sugar cookie too. What are they putting in those cookies? We can only speculate, right? Fortunately, the article includes the recipe. So bake some, and while you do so, check out the video for "Back and Forth." This one gets a lot of play time on ME TV, and it is a fave of Rachel's and mine.
The Bright Light Social Hour: "Back and Forth" Buy the new single Back and Forth
Should we go to see this aftershow on Friday night? Black Lips, Those Darlins and The Ettes at Emo's downtown? We have a full day planned at the festival on Friday, plus aftershow tickets for Saturday night already. Too much? I don't think so. Tickets are still available.
A few news and notes about some of the bands at this year's festival.
The Strokes (Fri 8-9:30, AMD Stage) played a "surprise" gig last weekend at the Met for Tommy Hilfiger's 25th anniversary party. Apparently the secret was not too well kept, hence the quotation marks. Jada Yuan provides a brief, humorous look at the festivities on Vulture (New York Magazine). Most important note: "Neil Patrick Harris, the Gossip Girl cast, Russell and Kimora Simmons, and Jennifer Lopez were there, but they weren't part of the enthusiastic dance party on the Met steps, so forget them." Elsewhere, Refinery29 offers a slide show from the evening and interview with another famous attendee, Jeremy Piven. If you want something a bit more about the music, NME also offers a report and a short fan-shot video.
Say this 10 times fast: "Is there a bigger gig than Hilfiger?"
In other important news, Ted Leo (Sun 12:30-1:15, Bud Stage) has really done it this time! The hardest working punk singer-songwriter in indie rock pissed off the cast of the Green Day-themed musical "American Idiot" (which, by the way, I didn't even know existed before writing this). Ted and his band The Pharmacists' shot a video for recent single "Bottled in Cork" that according to Spinner.com apparently "lightheartedly mocks the production." Leo then proceeded to fool some into believing he too was putting together a stage show based on his music. Among the fooled? "Idiot" cast member Michael Esper, who had this to say about the affair: "Well, Ted Leo can suck it." So, who's the Idiot?
MOG Blog reports that Gayngs (Sun 3-4, AmEx Stage) will make their network TV debut October 4 on the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. A few days later the rising band will be here in town for the festival. You can also read about how prince "kinda" appears in their new video clip on Pitchfork.com.
Who's on a bigger streak than The xx (Sat 5:30-6:30 AmEx)? Just picked up a little Mercury Prize. For now, the band is taking it slow. After just one album, the band has no plans for a second ... yet. Can you blame them? What did you do (or what do you plan to be doing) when you were 21?
Gogol Bordello (Sat 6:30-7:30 AMD), the punk Gypsies, have a political side. Read about how they push for immigration reform in their new video for “Immigraniada (We Comin’ Rougher)” on PasteMagazine.com.
ESPN's TrueHoop NBA blog is one of the best sports blogs out there and truly one of the best of ESPN's many products. One great TrueHoop feature is a daily rundown of good basketball stories in the form of a bullet-point list. We can't keep up with that sort of schedule, but for the next few weeks we'll try to do an occasional compendium of good ACL related content we find.
Good news for those of you students who don't have tickets to the sold out festival. ACL is holding a Special Student Day Sale on Friday: "The 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival has been completely sold out for months, but this FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th we will be holding a special Student Day Sale. Three-Day Passes will be available for $145 for students presenting a valid High School or University-issued ID. There is a TWO ticket per person limit and sales are CASH ONLY." The sale takes place at the HEB Plus on 2508 Riverside Drive during store hours (6 AM to 1 AM). Make sure you read up on the details before heading over.
If you aren't a student, LastFM is also giving away tickets via its Fly Away To The Austin City Limits Festival To See Two Door Cinema Club contest: "Energizer and Last.fm Discover have teemed up to send one lucky winner and a guest to the Austin City Limits Festival to see Summer Sessions alums Two Door Cinema Club perform alongside headliners Muse, Phish, The Eagles and The Strokes. Enter this flyaway contest now, before entries close on September 24, 2010."
Austin360's Austin Music Source blog interviewed KGSR DJ/News 8 music man Andy Langer about his thoughts on their "buzzmeter." The buzzmeter basically uses the ACL schedule tracker feature and ranks bands by the number of people that are planning to see them. Right now Muse sits on top, slightly ahead of The Strokes. Langer opines on which bands will draw the biggest crowds, what acts he thinks will surprise or disappoint, and possible breakout acts. He also offered this keen observation about Phish's prospect for a big crowd: "The problem with Phish is the reason you book Phish for a festival is Phish fans will come from around the world to see Phish because it’s a destination and you sell tickets because of that. The problem with Phish at ACL is you’ve got a festival that was already sold out before they announced Phish was playing, which means for people who have already bought tickets you’re putting Phish upon them when only a percentage of that crowd will be interested in Phish. Phish makes perfect sense as a festival headliner for a festival that is having trouble selling tickets or will need a push. It makes very little sense at ACL, the way ACL sells out in advance." Happen to agree with him about the Vampire Weekend show at Stubb's.
Not too different a conclusion, but perhaps a slightly more hopeful delivery, on Phish's ACL gig from Mr. Miner's Phish Thoughts: "Playing overlapping sets with The Strokes, the hipsters may evacuate the Phish stage in favor of New York’s neo-garage rockers. When the lights drop for Phish, the scene may not be so unfamiliar, as Phish fans are sure to flood the festival grounds on Friday night. Given a large stage and two hours, a lot can happen in Austin if Phish wants to go that route. But perhaps more of a payday than an intent to make any statement at all, the band may fill their time with palatable music and move onto their own 3-night bash to kick off fall for real"
Notice a fixation on the Austin City Limits Music Festival here on From Boston to Austin lately? Around this time of year, we tend to start thinking more deeply about ACL: The band schedule, how to arrange our day, who we'll be looking out for in the crowd, what new gear we might need. It usually corresponds with the change of season. Fall is in the air. Sure, even here in Central Texas, there are signs of autumn's arrival, although they're a lot different from what many of you are used to (i.e., when you don't immediately feel like you're going to pass out from heat exhaustion if you step outside, then fall must be near in Central Texas).
From now until the gates open at 11:00 on October 8, From Boston to Austin is going to keep its all-seeing eye focused on ACL 2010. To get into the spirit, we've added a few new items on the right: The playlist we mentioned a few posts ago, a countown, and a mix of some of my favorite artist photos from the last few festivals. I hope they don't bog down the website too much!
Expect some posts too. We hope to cover a variety of aspects of the festival, like which bands we're excited to be seeing, where to eat and drink, news from the organizers, and tips on withstanding the heat.
If you're coming to ACL, please don't plan on doing much drinking at the festival. First and foremost, the weather will likely be pretty hot, even in early October. There's nearly no shade at the Zilker Park grounds. So if anything, you should drink lots and lots of water. Besides, one of the most commonly heard complaints among people I know who've been to ACL the last few years is that the beer at Zilker Park is shameful. There are a few places that serve wine, but to me a cold beer is much more appealing on a typical scorching ACL afternoon.
While the beer at the festival is stinky, there are a ton of great places to grab a drink both within the vacinity of Zilker Park and closer to downtown where the ACL shuttle busses drop people off and many visitors stay. What you're into shouldn't matter to much. Options exist for all types, from the dive bar denizen to the wine swiller.
Beer: Austin's Favorite Drink Beer is one thing that we do well here. Austin has a number of good microbreweries and plenty of places that proudly serve them.
Local Brews
Skipping Shiner today, which is more of a regional beer than a microbrew, here's a rundown of a the local brews you can find at many bars, restaurants and stores in the area.
(512) Brewing is one of the newer local breweries, but its well-crafted beers have quickly been embraced. The wit is my favorite of the many local wheat beers, and Rachel and I both like the coppery pale ale as a good everyday beer.
Independence Brewing Co. has developed its own Austin tradition. On the first Saturday of every month, Indpenedence opens the doors to its South Austin brewery for tours and tastings. It has become so popular that hundreds of people come with friends, lounge chairs, food and sometimes pets and hang out all afternoon in the brewery's lot. The last time I went they served three shades of ale: pale, amber and brown.
Live Oak Brewing Company beers are perhaps the most ubiquitous at the local bars. Our favorite neighborhood joint, Billy's on Burnet, carries the very good hefeweizen, the amber lager (one of the few lagers Rachel will drink), and my favorite, the crisp pilsner.
Real Ale Brewing Company is in nearby Blanco. They sell a six pack sampler with two bottles each of pale ale, pale rye ale and brown ale, all of which are easy drinking. Real Ale's Fireman's 4, a blonde ale, is one of the most locally popular of all of the readily available hometown beers.
Where to Drink 'em
Now that you know what to drink, here are a few of the best places near downtown and the ACL site to sit down and enjoy a glass.
Downtown
The Ginger Man, 301 Lavaca St. Huge selection of beer on tap, often including a cask-conditioned ale or two, plus a nice outdoor area (smaller than the old site from which it moved a year or two ago). You can also find darts and some sofas for lounging. We've covered this favorite of ours in other blog posts.
Taps at the Ginger Man
Little Woodrow's, 520 W 6th St. Another spot with a good selection (over 100 beers, not all on tap) and a laid back atmosphere, plus an on-site taco truck. Pretty good outdoor area with TVs usually tuned into a game.
Alamo Ritz, 320 E 6th St. Want to watch a movie with your beer? Not just movies either. Alamo is the place for all movie-related entertainment. Blogged about it a long time ago.
South Austin
Uncle Billy's Brew & Que, 1530 Barton Springs Rd. If you walk to the festival from South Austin, you'll probably head down Barton Springs Road, where you'll pass a string of places to eat and drink on the blocks just before you hit Zilker. Look on the right for Uncle Billy's. They always brew four varieties and usually have one or two additional special beers. Everything always tastes fresh. Full BBQ menu, large, clean outdoor patio and roomy interior.
Zax Restaurant & Bar, 312 Barton Springs Rd. Further way but also on Barton Springs, Zax doesn't have as much space, nor does it brew its own, but the selection is good. Decent pub grub too.
Black Sheep Lodge, 2108 South Lamar Blvd. Excellent burgers and a good beer list. Not the best outdoor area, but nice interior with a few pool tables.
A few other places for a can or a bottle (i.e., don't necessarily go for good ale and stout):
Dive Bars
Mean Eyed Cat, 1621 W 5th St. Johnny Cash themed, no pretentions, occasionally live music.
Casino El Camino, 517 E 6th St. Another place with a following for its burgers.
Wine
Cork & Co., 308 N Congress Ave. Small place, small food menu but right downtown.
House Wine, 408 Josephine St. Newcomer, tucked in behind Green Mesquite in a cool area. Nice diverse wine list.
Paggi House, 200 Lee Barton Dr. Great wine list, especially Burgundy, and also one of Austin's best restaurants. Located in a pretty historical house next to a giant new building. Great happy hour.
Uncorked, 900 E 7th St. Across I35, perched atop a hill, the deck offers great views of downtown. Nice wine list and small menu of solid food.
All Purpose Bars
Lustre Pearl, 97 Rainey St. In what could be the next happening part of downtown. Small food menu too.
Clive Bar, 600 Davis St. Sister (brother?) bar of Lustre Pearl, and if you get hungry late, it's right across from G'raj Mahal.
Peche, 208 W 4th St. Old school design, great space, creative cocktails, pretty good mussels, and a variety of absinthe if that's your thing.
Making it through all three days of the ACL festival requires some stamina and common sense. Even when the festival has taken place in early October as opposed to late September, there have been days with few clouds and temperatures hovering at the 100-degree mark. The festival gates usually open around 10:45 or so each day, and the music doesn’t stop for 12 hours. If you have tickets to a late night “aftershow,” even more careful planning is necessary.
Leaving aside the schedule and which days your must-see bands are playing, if there is one day to go all-in at ACL, it would be Friday. The crowds tend to be lighter. A lot of locals with three-day wristbands work all or part of Friday and show up late or don't bother going until Saturday. Some people coming from out-of-town can’t get in until Friday afternoon or later for various reasons. Those light crowds simplify so many things: parking, navigating the festival grounds, getting close to the stages, food and t-shirt lines, etc.
This year, Rachel and I got aftershow tickets to go see Sonic Youth on Saturday night (yeah, I know, I'm a fogey). The schedule this year is front-loaded, too. Lots of bands I want to see play Friday. It’s a bit early to lay out a final plan, but our preliminary strategy is going to be to pack a lot in on Friday, then go for a shorter stay on Saturday to conserve energy for the late show.
Friday, Friday, Friday!
While you won't lack for good music on Friday this year at ACL, there really aren't that many conflicts. Last year, there were all sorts of time slots where Rachel and I couldn't decide who to go watch until the last minute. If you make it there before noon this year, you might be forced to decide whether to check out Vonnegutt, a foursome whose music the ACL website describes as the “unlikely recipe” of good rapping, pop sensibility and a rock & roll ‘tude, or the cheery indie-pop of GIVERS. From about 2:00 on, though, there seem to be clear paths forward for nearly every taste.
Is your taste a bit more urban/dance oriented? Maybe the choices are slimmer, but you will find a bit of hip-hop (Vonnegutt, Chief) and electronic music (Bostich + Fussible, Miike Snow) scattered around.
1:00 - 2:00: Those Darlins vs. The Soft Pack
From 1:00 to 2:00, the festival schedules gets full of names I don't know too well or at all. The two acts that grab me the most in that period are The Soft Pack and Those Darlins.
Home Base: -- San Diego, CA Members: -- Matt Lamkin – Vocals/guitar -- Matty McLoughlin – Guitar -- David Lantzman – Bass -- Brian Hill – Drums
The Soft Pack used to be The Muslims, until controversy caught up to the band and they decided that enough was enough and changed their name. So what does the new name mean? Singer Matt Lamkin commented on that: "The Soft Pack describes us as a group of well mannered young gents. It is also a fake flaccid penis that can be worn in the trousers of someone who doesn't have a penis that wants to convince people otherwise."
Musically, The Soft Pack give you straight ahead garage rock. Classic, no frills, guitar-driven. The songs are short and built on simple, catchy hooks. In other words, they play the sort of stuff that sounds good live. Which is why we might go see them. If anything gives me pause, it might be that when I do a YouTube search, almost every video that comes up is a version of the same song, "Answer to Yourself." Does the rest of the material not hold up? I haven't listened to enough to really know. The little that I heard on Grooveshark did suggest that the band had the ability to stretch out a bit on tracks like "Mexico," which sounds somewhat like a Walkmen song both musically and in the song title. "Beside Myself," from their days as The Muslims, sounds like it could have warped in from England in the late 60s (early Who, Kinks) or 70s (Buzzcocks, Undertones). To me, it sounds like The Soft Pack have enough material for a 50 minute set. I'm not convinced, though, that a mid-sized stage at a big festival in the afternoon will be a good environment for the band.
The Soft Pack: Answer to Yourself (official video)
The Soft Pack: SXSW 2010 interview & live performance
I've seen Those Darlins described in reference to lots of other musicians. ACL's website notes that Those Darlins' music has been called things like "The Carter Family meets the Black Lips." Amy Granzin from Pitchfork went with "Vivian Girls' hillbilly cousins." I don't know about all of that, but what I have heard so far, I would describe as a mix of roots country (bluegrass) and rock (rockabilly) with a bit of a punk aesthetic, filtered through a modern indie lens. Can they sing? Yes, enough so that I'll give them that one. Can they play? Depends what you mean. Are the songs good? Well, some show promise. I happen to like the country-leaning material better. One last thing I'll add: As soon as I heard them, I pictured some young women wearing little dresses and cowboy boots playing old school guitars. Turns out that that's exactly what they look like performing. So you might find their image a bit of a cliché. You can decide if that means anything to you. It does seem to me like these young musicians have some presence live, which can go a long way. Again, like with The Soft Pack, maybe a late night club show would be better, but that isn't what we're talking about. I think they'll be good on the small Austin Ventures stage.
Those Darlins: Wild One (live at South Paw)
Those Darlins: "The Whole Damn Thing" (live, Philadelphia, 7/11/09)
So who should we go see? We would love your feedback. Help us decide - leave a comment!
Look to the right, just below the Blog Archive. I added a new jukebox widget from Grooveshark. Spin a mix of songs from almost every artist playing at the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival. From Friday's opener Two Tons of Steel to Sunday's closer The Eagles, From Boston to Austin's got you covered.
Heard of Grooveshark? Check it out. The sound quality seems really good on my system. The widget was a snap to create, too.
I don't want to ruin the fun (yet). The final piece of Pitchfork's Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s list just came out Friday, and some of you might actually want to read through it from 20 to 1 without knowing who's at the very top. I will say that the consensus seems to be that my three rules all held true. Maybe I'll come back and do a full rundown after the list has been out for a few days.
So then, back to the theme of my last post: Jon's Underlistened Tracks of the 90s. The problem with any endeavor like creating that post is that you can only invest so much time doing research and due diligence. As a result, you invariably think of a few other good potential entries just after hitting "publish." Pitchfork's list started on Monday, and I wanted to have my post done while the list was still being uncovered. That gave me until Thursday. Factor in work, sleep, etc., and that doesn't leave much time. Within a day after I published the post, I already had thought of a new batch of songs from the 90s that I could strongly argue were varying combinations of underexposed, underappreciated, and forgotten.
Hip-Hop Music in the 90s: Acceptance and Invention
Feeling the need to put some framework around this series of posts, I decided to make this entry all about hip-hop. Two qualities stand out when I think about hip-hop in the 90s: popularity and innovation. The former can be chalked up to a few factors, the seeds of which were sewn in the final years of the 80s. The scene spread to both coasts and in-between. Young suburbanites started listening. MTV decided it was ready to embrace hip-hop, starting with a one-off special called "Yo! MTV Raps!" that turned into one of the channel's most popular regular video shows. A guy making slick R&B-influenced hip-hop music dropped the "MC" from his name and sold 10 million copies of "U Can't Touch This" as just plain "Hammer."
Innovation also was big in the 90s, and again, the foundation for that was laid at the end of the prior decade. There has been hip-hop labeled as "alternative" from the old school days (the recently deceased Rammellzee for example). It wasn't until the late 80s, though, when the so-called golden age of hip-hop gave way to what was called "new school" at the time, that the boundaries started to get nudged in the directions they would go in later on. Rakim decided to play with complex rhyme schemes and pushed the art of MCing to new heights. In 1986 or so Schoolly D started making something close to gansta rap in Philly. De La Soul and their fellow Native Tongue groups like The Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest decided that there was more than James Brown beats and started exploring new places for samples, at the same time adding intelligent lyrics to their songs that appealed to the college crowd. Hip-house foreshadowed the influence that dance music would go on to have on hip-hop, particularly after sampling became tougher following successful legal challenges from the sampled artists. There was also commingling with reggae (BDP) and soul (Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D). On the DJing side, the simplistic scratching and mixing of the old-timers ceded to a new wave of innovators like DJ Cash Money, ushering in the golden era of turntablism.
Back to popularity. Maybe something like "U Can't Touch This" provided a clue, but when hip-hop to went mainstream in the 90s, it took a lot of people by surprise. By 1993, even "gangsta rap" (I never liked that moniker, hence the quotation marks this time) was selling big. Dr. Dre dropped "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," which gave many people their first dose of a new rapper who still went by the full name Snoop Doggy Dog. It sold a million copies and was on BET and MTV nonstop.
Once it became apparent that hip-hop sold, the whole game changed. As a side effect, a number of artists who were bored with the highly-produced, glossy styles of money-making hip-hop took all of the ideas that spawned in the late 80s, went underground, and made some incredible music. While Snoop and Dre ruled the charts and the suburbs, groups like Black Moon and Freestyle Fellowship were making heads bob in the places where rap music started out: the inner-cities.
Throughout the decade, I tried to stay up with what was happening on the fringes of hip-hop, which appealed to my creative side. At first, it was easy. At Tufts, I DJed from 1990-1994 on WMFO and had access to a great deal of music at the station. Plus I was in Boston, "the big city." After that, I moved to Connecticut, and the scene got tougher to follow until decent internet connections arrived later in the decade. Digging back into my memory banks, I came up with a few cuts from the less commercial side of hip-hop in the 90s. Maybe you've heard these songs before, maybe not. The level of obscurity varies quite a bit. I'm betting if you did hear a few of them, you forgot about a few of them or haven't heard them in a while.
Some of these songs may not have official videos. I'll post one of the better unofficial videos I find.
So, in vaguely chronological order, I give you ...
Jon's Underexposed Hip-Hop Tracks of the 1990s
"Kickin' Afrolistics (Clark Kent Superlistic mix)" - The Afros (1990)
Who were The Afros? What were The Afros? Sort of like a cross between Digital Underground and Biz Markie, The Afros looked a bit like novelty acts with the wigs, but they brought it musically. Sonically, this one's a bit more old school than the others on the list, but it was still only 1990.
KMD was an outer-ring member of the Native Tongues. They released one good album in 1991, got tied up in a legal tussle with their label, dealt with the tragic loss of one member, then vanished. I picked up Mr. Hood pretty soon after hearing "Who Me?" Loved it and waited for that second album that never came. Much later, when it was revealed that KMD emcee Zev Love X was rising underground legend MF DOOM, it made a lot of sense to those of us who had been around for KMD. That second album did eventually come out in 2001, but KMD forever died with the passing of DJ Subroc (Zev/DOOM's younger brother).
"Who Me?" is worth listening to carefully for its commentary on racism. It also has a cool beat based on a funky strumming guitar riff. And Bert (yeah, that Bert).
Diamond D (Joseph Kirkland) was an integral part of the soundtrack of my senior yer at Tufts. My cousin turned me on top Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics, and I brought it back to Boston with me. Rachel, I and our friends listened to that CD from start to finish countless times during our pre-going out routine (typically involving drinks and Sega Genesis). Stunts, Blunts and Hip-Hop holds up pretty well, and although there aren't necessarily any classic tracks, there isn't much filler either. "Sally" probably got the most exposure of the singles released from the album. Put it on in a room full of hip-hop heads today and they'll still nod.
Another one from my Tufts days. Black Moon's first single, "Who Got the Props?" got some play on BET's Rap City. I was immediately blown away by the razor-sharp emcee skills of Buckshot Shorty (he later dropped the "Shorty," much as the aforementioned Snoop dropped the "Doggy"). I got the cassette of the first album when it came out, but the version of "I Got Cha Opin" that I started hearing on radio shows was a slower, slicker version that was absent from the tape. I went out and got one of the very few "cassingles" I ever purchased just to have this remix.
(sorry for the lame video, you can't imbed the official one -- instead, click here)
I was tempted to pick "Suspended in Time" because the song lives up to its title. It really sounds like East Coast hip-hop circa 1995. "Livin' Proof" is more of a jam though. Gang Starr's DJ Premier produced the album. You can really tell that Wu-Tang has happened in listening to Premier's production, and with him on the mix, it's no surprise that beats are top shelf.
"The Fire With Which You Burn" - Company Flow (1997)
If we want to talk about innovation in the 90s, the very beginning of Allmusic.com's review of official debut LP Funcrusher Plus (1997) justifies the inclusion of Company Flow: "Funcrusher Plus, had a galvanizing effect on the underground hip-hop scene. It was one of the artiest, most abstract hip-hop albums ever recorded, paving the way for a new brand of avant-garde experimentalism that blatantly defied commercial considerations." From Funcrusher Plus, "The Fire With Which You Burn" shows that innovation doesn't really need to be complex. Company Flow was one of the reasons Rawkus Records was a go-to label for heads in the late 90s. It is a good example of why the acclaimFuncrusher Plus received was warranted.
Not all boundary-pushing hip-hop came out of the Northeast in the 90s. Innovation spread west, south, and overseas. The West Coast was a hotbed for invention as well as hits, from Digital Underground, Pharcyde, Del & Hieroglyphics on downward.
Visionaries were part of a very active underground scene in LA in the late 90s. The large, politically aware group tends to focus on the bright side of things, bringing back the positive focus that was a cornerstone of East Coast hip-hop during the golden age (late 80s). Though never big commercially, Visionaries' output has been prolific. Following the Wu-Tang model, the large group's membership has released over a dozen albums as a collective and individually. UndergroundHipHop.com had this to say about the 1998 debut album, Galleries: "The album captures the essence of the Los Angeles scene and how the crew ascended to the top of it. Featuring the production creativity and dexterity of members DJ Rhettmatic and KeyKool along with guest spots from other Cali natives Evidence and J-Rocc this is a no-brainer for hip-hop historians as well as fans of dope rhymes and radiant beats."
Cocoa Brovaz started out as Smif-n-Wessun and later returned to that tag. In 1999, while they were Cocoa Brovaz, emcees Tek and Steele laid down some good rhymes atop a beat based on the music and sounds featured in all-time favorite video game, Super Mario Bros. It sounds silly, but they pull it off. Tek and Steele are tight as they cleverly turn some of the game's plain sound effects into a chorus. This one was never officially released, due to copyright issues. I discovered it by ordering a mixed tape on UndergroundHipHop.com (still going strong after all these years).
"Space Cadet Ace reporting from base." Anything with Aceyalone rapping on it seems to bounce. Aceyalone has been delivering great beats and rhymes with a sufficient dose of underground cred for what seems like forever. Starting out with the Fellowship in the early 90s and throughout the rest of the decade and beyond with other projects like Haiku D'Etat, Project Blowed and his solo material, Acey has had a bit of the underground hip-hop midas touch.
If I had to put together a Justice League of 90s Emcees, Aceyalone would probably be on it. These two tracks show the growth he had during the decade. On "My Fantasy," which was included on Freestyle Fellowship's first album To Whom It May Concern..., Acey sounds like he's basically laying down a spaced-out freestyle over a beat that's a little eccentric but still sounds firmly planted in the early 90s. Still, you can hear the emergence of his syncopated and stuttering delivery that would influence a lot of West Coast rappers later that decade (think Bone Thugs-n-Harmony).
Acey stayed strong throughout the decade. By 1999, he was in top form. "Planets Ain't Aligned" was released on a Ubiquity Records compilation that I ordered on-line back when. Produced by DJ Nobody, this one features Acey's Fellowship and Haiku mate Mikah 9, another dude who could make his case for the 90s underground rap Mt. Rushmore.
