SXSW Day 2

Back for more...the beardo look is fitting in just fine here in Central TX.  There are so many beards here, that its catching on with the ladies too..or maybe thats just an effeminate grindcore frontman....on to the shows.

First was I Wrestled a Bear Once(Shreveport, LA). I wasn't expecting much from this very young metalcore band..but then lead singer Krysta Cameron came out dressed like a furby/ penguin hybrid and started in singing...I've never heard a female voice like it. her's is 30/30/40...Bjork on helium/shrieking piglet/and a very cute but powerful death growl. She has total possessed control of her vox..amazing to hear..even if you don't like this sort of music, and I don't. the band messed together genres with interludes of jazz, Mr. Bungle outtakes and math rock.

Next was Tia Carrera from Austin. Heavy power trio with rotovibe blanket...their thing is that they improvise every single show from start to finish, much easier to do with no vocals..

Next was Suplecs from New Orleans....I sat next to one of their superfans and asked him to describe them to me before the show..he said they've got that stoner heavy swamp thing going on. I asked him to go deeper for me and he told me "all you journalists are the same". I told him "look, I know what a heavy stoner swamp thin is, but maybe readers don't...and he said you know ZZTop /Allmans...I just smiled.......knowing that there are very few swamps in Texas or Georgia. He had gold fangs.

Next was The Meat Puppets !  What a show...older, yes they are..Curt Had a very large beer belly...looked like he was in his second trimester...but they blew me away with rolling desert jams, country beats, tumbleweeds rolling in a hoedown and massive spaces full of tight cactus rock..

next was Souls.. one lanky drummer, bassist and guitarist were lightskinned black skinhead lookin', singer was Long curly haired "Maiden fan" lookin'.  Then the music...explosive anger, 2 minute point and pump shotgun blasts length songs, a fury whip pit of arms and arterial spray. I was actually scared of their music....kind of brought out the feral in every member of the audience.

Next was Who made Who from Denmark- Two dieter looking dudes with manicured mustaches and suspenders churning out some tasty live disco beats..but the kicker was the guitar..funky greasy and sometimes spacey swoops of slide guitar...and it worked. Their voices in tandem rang out like a faster Brian Ferry ...a major surprise...I almost got out on the dance floor..but really now, the only move I know is the white man dance/Angus Young two step.

On to the Tee Pee records showcase where i was entertained by a very loud stoner band called Iron Age from Austin...another one of a kind vocalist sounding like a much louder Rob Halford if he was gargling small pieces of glass...also watched a J Mascis side project called Sweetapple, with members of Cobra Verde and Witch.

At 1:30 I had my last Lone Star which almost came up as I sang Big Star's "Thirteen" on the late night bike ride home.