Moonface - "Whale Song (Song Instead of a Kiss)" and "All Fires" Live @ Emo's, 07.25.11

Here's a couple clips of Spencer Krug's first performance in Austin under his Moonface moniker. The first video is for "Whale Song (Song Instead of a Kiss)," which comes off the impressive new album Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped. Below that is video for a song originally done by one of Krug's other bands, Swan Lake. It's called "All Fires" and take a drastic turn from it's original quite tone.

Enjoy, and after the jump check out a few shots from the evening.

Jessica Lea Mayfield - "Run Myself Into The Ground" and "Standing In The Sun" Live @ Emo's, 04.23.11

To put it simple, Jessica Lea Mayfield is pure gorgeousness at all levels. Saturday's show was without a doubt the best performance I've seen from her. As I pointed out in my review of her last album Tell Me, Mayfield showed some evident stage shyness in the past . That now has definitely changed. She's more confident and has fully embraced her role as a performer. She shared stories, joked with the crowd, and of course gave us a handful of spectacular songs sung beautifully.

Check out the video below of Mayfield performing my favorite track from Tell Me, "Run Myself Into The Ground." We were also treated to a new song that is yet unreleased, "Standing In The Sun." On the latter clip you can see how Mayfield was engaging the crowd, and how just about everything she does is completely adorable. Then see more evidence of her utter hottness after the jump.

Live Pick: Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Emo's this Saturday, 04.23.11

This show is not just my pick of the week. It's really my pick of the month. I don't shy away from gushing over Jessica Lea Mayfield. Just take a peek at the several times I've mentioned her on this blog. If there is ever an artist that I recommend the most to people these days, it is definitely her.

Here are the basics, Jessica Lea Mayfield is a young lass (currently 21 years old) from Kent, Ohio. She got her big break when her bedroom recorded EP landed in the hands of Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. In turn he produced her debut LP in 2008, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt. That album was pretty much universally acclaimed across the board and picked up comparisons to Cat Power and Hope Sandoval/Mazzy Star. Now the not so basics, Jessica Lea Mayfield writes and sings some of the most heartbreakingly sad songs you will ever hear. Sung with a barren country vocal, her tales of love and loss cut deep.

Her latest album released earlier this year, Tell Me, is as equally praised as its predecessor. This venture finds Auerbach behind the boards again as Mayfield stretches her reach as a songwriter and performer. While not completely shedding her skin as a tortured soul, Mayfield does find a niche for a more pop friendly sound. A couple weeks ago she made her network television premier performing on David Letterman. From the clip below you can see how she has evolved her music from her alt-coutry roots while still keeping its sincerity.

Saturday night, 04.23.01, Jessica Lea Mayfield will stop in Austin to play the inside stage at Emo's, with Nathaniel Rateliff opening the show. Doors open at 9pm. Again, this is my pick of the month. I can't recommend Mayfield enough. She is without a doubt one of my most favorite new artists of the last couple years.

Live Pick: The Raveonettes & Tamaryn @ Emo's this Tuesday, 04.12.01

Raven in the Grave, the latest album from The Ravonettes, is possibly the band’s darkest and most gloomy effort to date. And those of you familiar with the Danish duo know that is saying a lot. Calling the Raveonettes dark is like calling water “wet,” or describing outer space as “big.” After all, their previous release In and Out of Control contained dance floor anthems regarding drug overdose and rape. Now this time out Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo treat their melancholy lyrics with equally as melancholy beats. In their 10 years the Ravonettes have continuously found ways to morph their two-part harmonies over a growing palate of genres. They’ve been surf-guitar rockers, a synth-driven electronic band, and shoegazers. What has stayed consistent is their ability to make you feel cold to the bone after listening to them. For example, Raven in the Grave standout “War in Heaven” rides its atmospheric melody with only two barren lines of vocals appearing/reappearing in the song.  The video for the album’s first single “Recharge & Revolt” is posted below.

This Tuesday, 04.12.11, the Raveonettes make a stop in Austin when they play Emo’s outside stage.  Accompanying them is up-and-coming band Tamaryn. Beginning the show will be locals Shapes Have Fangs. 

Based out of San Francisco, Tamaryn is among the recent group of goth revivalist making noise these days. They released their debut The Waves last year on the Mexican Summer label. The duo consists of vocalist Tamaryn (from whom the band takes its name, obviously) and producer Rex John Shelverton. Much like the headlining band, they fuse fuzzy guitars to their shadowy poetics. The title track from that release, my favorite of the album, can be heard over here. 

Chairlift @ Emo's, 9.11.09

You're a indie band that just released your debut album Does You Inspire You. On this album is a catchy pop song about doing "handstands for you." Next thing you know, that catchy song ends up in a iPod commercial and now everyone knows who you are. Said popularity continues to grow as you are picked up by Columbia Records who rereleases your album.

In short that is the story of how Chairlift got introduced to the world.

This past rainy Friday (09.11.09) the Brooklyn based trio made a stop in Austin as they played the inside stage at Emo's. It was a show that probably surprised many of those only familiar with band through "Bruises" (the previously mentioned iPod song).

Chairlift's sound goes deeper than that catchy pop tune. The band tends to border more on trip-hop and at times post-punk/synth-pop. Their unique blend was displayed on kick off song "Garbage." Following that was "Dixie Gypsy" one of the few songs where guitarist Aaron Pfenning takes lead vocals, and one which shows off some serious Banshees influences with its heavy tribal-like drum beat and gloom lyrics. But of course all eyes stay on Caroline Polacheck, the petite beauty whose voice sometimes has a Bjork-ish thing going on. One of her highlights on the album became the highlight of the show as the dark turns of "Territory" captivated the crowd. The set ended with the infection song that sprung them into the the spotlight, "Bruises." However even that one was given a shadowy undertone as the performance of it was transformed into a punk rage at the end.

The "Ceiling Wax" video is one that better displays the darker side of Chairlift. It's artsy, atmospheric, and trippy. See it below...

Earlier this year Chairlift's Aaron Pfenning was intereviewed by SSv. So also take a pop over their to read that.

Crystal Antlers @ Emo's, 6.06.09

Crystal Antlers is one of my favorite new finds. Their debut album Tentacles is definitely a highlight of the first half of this year.  My review of the their show a couple weeks ago at Emo's has been published on Stereo Subversion. So click the link below and check it out. 

[SSv Review: Crystal Antlers Live]

And here is the video for their track "Andrew."

Digable Planets @ Emo's, 11.19.08

It was a blast from the past when Digable Planets took the outside stage at Emo's. It was also like a dream come true for me. Having grown up on hip-hop music, Digable Plants were one of my favorite groups during my early teens. Of course everyone knows them for their mega-hit "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," but that is only one song on an album of great material found on their breackthrough debut Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space). Yet the fans know that it's their second album Blowout Comb that is a true hip-hop head's gold mine. 13 years after their break up Butterfly, Ladybug, and Doodlebug joined together again for an awesome show.

Even being a fan, Digable Planets will always remain an enigma to me. It's mainly because I don't understand how their legacy is not more prevalent in the annals of hip-hop history. Their brand of jazz infused rap came at a time before the term "alternative hip-hop" was even coined. They even won a Grammy for their efforts. But when it comes down to it I do understand; it comes down to the fact that after 1994's highly critically-acclaimed Blowout Comb became a commercial flop, the group disbanded with all three members disappearing into almost total obscurity. Yes there was Butterfly's band Cherrywine and Ladybug Mecca's solo album, but those were small scale compared to what they could have achieved together. It's almost painful to think that if Digable Planets would have stayed together and released another album or two they could have joined the ranks of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul as hip-hop legends. However they are now more likely grouped with others like Black Sheep as those who let icon status slip through their fingers by breaking up.

Digable Planets did reunite in 2005 to promote a "best of" collection that was released and rumors of a new album have been following ever since. This is what brought them to their current tour stopping off here in Austin. Performing some of their best known songs–"Nickle Bags," "Where I'm From," "Dial7 (Axioms of Cream Spies)," and "9th Wonder"–they also mixed in some unheard songs that could be from an album in the works. By the looks of it the Brooklyn based trio has not missed a step.

As evident by the jam pack crowd at Emo's, I am not the only person that would enthusiastically welcome new Digable Plants material. Lets all hope that the new album rumors are more than just rumors.

Jaguar Love @ Emo's, 10.25.08

Jaguar Love is a love ‘em or hate ‘em type band with no middle ground. Even as they started their performance at Emo’s Lounge you can see people in the crowd light up with approval or cringe in annoyance. It’s all in the way you perceive lead man Johnny Whitney. If you can see his top-of-the-lungs yowl and flamboyant stage presence as refreshing, when so many indie bands are beginning to sound alike, than you fully appreciate this band. If not, you think he’s annoying and would rather have the sound of his voice erased from your memory.

I lie on the side of the fans. Not only because of Whitney,but also because of drummer Jay Clark who was a guitarist in one of my most favorite bands Pretty Girls Make Graves. Jaguar Love is actually an indie supergroup (if this oxymoron term can actually exist) made up of PGMG'er Clark along with Johnny Whiney and Cody Votolato both formally of The Blood Brothers. When those two Portland bands broke up in 2007 the three came together to form a new band that keeps its sound rooted in that of both predecessors and simultaneously stretches to new corners of art-punk. Their debut album Take Me to the Sea was released earlier this year on Matador.

The live performance this past Saturday (10.25) at Emo's was pretty much what should have been expected after listening to the album– an assault on the senses. Whitney struts and jives like he’s living his own Saturday Night Fever and sings in a high-pitched squeal that probably resembles the screams of small children thrown into a fire. And despite what you're take on that is, one can't deny that there wasn't a moment when the band didn't give their all. Clark looks like he has made a smooth transition to the drums and Votolalo's guitar provides all the needed momentum for his blood brother. Whether is was the full-on punk of "Highways of Gold" or the power ballad “Bone Trees and a Broken Heart,” Whitney bounces from one side of the stage to the next and gets the crowd grooving right along with him.

Incidentally, a video for “Jaguar Pirates” was just released showcasing what their live performance consist of. So check it out…

Broken Teeth @ Emo's, 7.19.08

“Rock & roll was the best friend I ran home to everyday after school.” That was part of the great anecdote that Jason McMaster shared with the crowd at Emo’s. He told of himself as a teenage outcast being mocked for wearing the same Kiss t-shirt everyday. But he explains that it wasn’t because of a lack of other clothes to wear; it was because that’s how dedicated he was. He has lived and breathed rock & roll since those days and it has made him into the man currently onstage. McMaster is the lead vocalist of the band Broken Teeth.


McMaster and the rest of Broken Teeth took the inside stage at Emo’s and immediately you knew that there was going to be some serious rocking going on. The five-man band was decked out in the tightest of tight black jeans and tees, while some sported the traditional heavy metal, shoulder-length locks. They look the type of guys that you don’t want to run into in a dark ally, or the type you want on your side in a bar brawl. McMaster, Dave Beeson and Jared Tuten on guitars, Brett McCormick with bass, and drummer Bruce Rivers personified what it means to be rock & roll.

The aforementioned story of teenage rock love came right before “Electric,” the title song off their latest CD released last year. Listening to the album is like jumping into a time machine and heading back to the glory days of bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest. Their live performance reflects that as well.

From the second the guitar hits, Broken Teeth have the crowd throwing up the devil horns. And to say that those guitars are fast paced would be an understatement. It’s more like speed has been injected straight into the instruments and McMaster’s snarl is the only thing that can corral the sound into a glorious mash of music.

Along with choice songs from Electric, they played some new tunes including “Explosions” and one I believe was titled “Down on Monday.” The new stuff smacks you just as hard and fast as any from their back catalog. McMaster even jokes, “We really just play the same song over and over again, and just add some new lyrics. I hope you’re ok with that.” To which the crowd answers an astounding, Hell Yeah!

By the time Broken Teeth end the show with “El Diablo,” I’m exhausted. Not because its 1:30 in the morning, but because my heart was feverishly pounding in my chest for the last hour. But it feels good; that’s the way you’re supposed to feel after a show. No matter how tired you are, you want to rush home or just to the car to crank up the stereo. You remember that music is your best friend and that it has been for years.

As for Broken Teeth, they have several shows coming up with one on August 8th at Room 710. Then they head out on a little tour of Texas soon after that. Keep an eye on their myspace so you can catch them live for a pure shot of rock adrenaline.

-William Trinity

photos by Mandy Russell.

This blog was first published on austinme.com.

101X The Next Big Thing @ Emo's, 7.18.08

The Next Big Thing showcase gave the stage to three up and coming bands with The Warlocks, The Vandelles, and Austin’s own The Boxing Lesson.

As I arrived The Boxing Lesson were kicking off their set, and what a wonderful greeting it was. This trio once again put on a show-stealing performance. They provide a hard rock, space age like soundscape, which kind of has a hypnotizing effect much thanks to their use of synthesizers. As they made way through the impressive songs “Lower” and “Dark Side of the Moog,” I found it hard to even look away from the stage. The Boxing Lesson’s next Austin show will be on August 17th at Emo’s. Do yourself a favor by going, and while you’re at it pick up their latest CD Wild Streaks & Windy Days. Both the live performance and album get the official stamp of approval.

Next to take the stage were The Vandelles out of Brooklyn, NY. This four-piece band definitely picked up momentum as their performance went on. With the guitars turned up and vocals turned slightly down, I couldn’t help but notice an inkling of influence from the legendary My Bloody Valentine. I would also compare them to the noir sound of The Raveonettes. And credit is due to drummer Honey who hits so steady her drums almost sound like they’re programmed.

Cranking up the smoke machine to full blast, Los Angeles’s The Warlocks closed the evening out. Like the other bands, The Warlocks were much on the experimental side in creating an atmosphere of sound full of reverb. They kept the night’s psychedelic feel going by seemingly appearing out of the fog to bring Emo’s the rock. It was an appropriate way to cap off the night.

The Warlocks and The Vandelles are continuing across the country on their summer tour.

-William Trinity

Photos by Mandy Russell.

This blog was first published on austinme.com.

101X The Next Big Thing @ Emo's, Preview 7.18.08

I’m really quite excited about 101X’s The Next Big Thing show at Emo’s on Friday, July 18th.  There will be three bands showcased with The Warlocks headlining. The Vandelles will also take the stage, but the band I’m most stoked about is The Boxing Lesson.  I saw their set at the Exit Music Festival not too long ago and in my opinion they put on the most impressive performance of those I caught that day.  They’re a little psychedelic, a little hard rock, and pretty much all awesome. So that is why this show is my pick of the week.

- William Trinity

This blog was first published on austinme.com.