Your ass just left me a message!

Yes! Angel and I went to see All That Remains on Monday, as their roadshow passed thru Austin. Emos ( http://www.emosaustin.com/ ) outside has evolved into a pretty fucking decent area for seeing some live music. As the Texas nights get cooler, I am sure the acts will get hotter and I cant wait for the next opportunity to see another show out here. I will DEFINITELY look forward to being down in front, center stage, for any number of bands that could perform in this tight little area.

So Angelina has had this band on her list for quiet awhile. I was very happy to get a last minute opportunity to check out the show with her. All That Remains ( http://forwearemany.allthatremainsonline.com/ ) is what Angel affectionately labels a 'Screamo' band. Whatever the label, it was fucking kick ass. I loved the lead singers casualness with the audience (and the fact that being from Massachusetts he actually had an appreciation for football - the national religion of Texas!) and the bass player scared the hell outta me when she started busting out the gutturals!! WHOA!

The audience was totally in sync and harmony with the band and were right on top of the vocals the whole show through. Between the deafening beats of the drums and the battling guitar riffs I was actually able to over hear two guys behind me proclaim how 'bad-ass the drummer is!' Ahhhh lets hear it for drum triggers, none the less, there is NO DOUBT it was great, the crowd was great and Angel had a nice little spot to see the band. Without any questions this set should have been 45 minutes longer and would have been just as fantastic and been more kick ass in leaving the audience out of breath. But alas, I think the lead singer was gonna melt from the humidity.

P.S. - On a really odd side note, I am telling a friend of mine about the show and off he goes rattling information about All That Remains and their ties with Killswitch engage. "WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!" Now I remember the voice and the lead singer. This is Phil who me and Angel saw back in March as the fill in lead singer for Killswitch Engage when we saw them and Devil Wears Prada at Stubb's.....DUH!!!

OH this kid is good...check them out, buy the album brutalize your ears it's worth it!

BTW, The title of the blog comes from Angelina's phone. While she was changing clothes on the way to the show she kept butt dialing me. After the second time her phone actually stayed connected long enough to go to my voice mail.

Laters

I think I was amused

So what is currently happening around town is the battle of the bands for the Bmused III Festival that runs concurrent to SXSW. This particular night at the Dirty Dog was round two.

The Dirty Dog ( http://dirtydogbar.com/ ) is another of my many favorites. A great place to go have some drinks, watch some sports on one of their MANY TVs, and/or listen to some bands. There have been many performances here, from all sorts of genres of music, and this night was no exception.

Boys On the Inside ( http://www.myspace.com/ryankelsey06 ) was first up and without the drummer in tow (apparently ABI claimed another luggage victim, HA!). So sans the drummer the duo preformed a very nice set. Some covers mixed in with the originals was enough to have some in the light audience singing along. Would be nice to actually attend a performance with the full band, but on the whole, it was still an entertaining performance.

 

Jansen Hawkins ( http://www.facebook.com/jansenhawkins ) may not be the name of the band that was up next, but this is who was onstage. With a guitar and a cello, myself and a friend, were decidedly perplexed at how this would sound or turn out. Very singer songwriter style, a Sunday afternoon out in the backyard with a glass of wine on a beautiful fall day. What totally and without question BLEW me away was the cellist (sp?). This guy had an amazing ear and was able to rock the cello so good it went beyond bad ass to almost jaw dropping. What a very fun performance.

Destruction Evolution ( http://www.destructionevolution.com/home.html ) were standing around all night gnashing their teeth and pacing the floor, anxious to jump up and take the night to a new level! With a larger crowd in attendance, they started it hard and fast and ended it hard and fast. It was fucking relentless!  Although it was the first time I have seen these guys perform (after a previously missed opportunity) I am glad I took advantage of this one. The sound felt familiar, but still fresh and fun. Speaking of fun, the lead singer 'Sin', did an awesome job of running the show. There he is onstage and I swear to you the moment I blinked or looked away, he was off the stage and roaming through the crowd. He did this several times and I swear it surprised me each time. I would look up and there he was right next to someone in the audience screaming into the mic and leaning on them like they were lifelong pals. What a great showman. I will let you in on their next appearance and I hope to see you there!

Don't quite remember the name of the band that hit the stage last, but they had all the energy of rabbits jacked up on Red Bull. These kids were ALL OVER THE place.

Laters

The "Last" Great Performance

The life of James 'Jim' Elwood Williamson.

All things

said good
and sad



A final, solo, performance by his son Stephen Reese Williamson, on clarinet.



So with labored breathing

and blurry eyes

I write this final goodbye.

Peace Cap'n

10/02/2010



It finally happened!

Look back and read any of my previous blogs about Bobby Bookout. My opinions and feelings about his performance and the feeling of the music should not require me to rinse and repeat! HOWEVER, now that I have had the opportunity to actually follow my own advice (look I tell ALL of you to go see any of these performers for all of the positive reasons I list - why should I have to do it myself!), It was AWESOME!

One2One ( http://www.one2onebar.com/ ) is still a happenin place to be, AND with a new stage arrangement it is just getting better! The rooftop deck kicks ass, great place to hang out on these cool Austin nights and the general vibe from the place is fun (put a TV feed on the deck for the live show downstairs or for watching some football and I might never leave Gregg)!

Bobby Bookout ( http://www.bobbybookout.com/ ) has always entertained and been fun, but OMFG! It was really true. Take a date, go have dinner. There is nothing like that bluesy kind of groove that Bobby makes with his music. Cale (Bobby's guitarist) absolutely melted the panties with his licks (oh! pun intended!!!). It was described as, "His music is definitely panty droppin'! I absolutely loved it!"

You know there is really NOT a whole lot more to say about 'The Ultimate Date Music Band" than that! I couldn't have and wouldn't have said it any better myself. Thanks for a great night, thanks for the great music, and thanks for being a great person....as for the rest of you, NO EXCUSES - JUST DO IT!

Laters

Mo' music at MOMO's

So this is about a week or so behind the show date. BUT, I do not write this so you can relive the performance, I write this so that you can get a feel of what it was like to be in the audience and make you're decision on who you want to see any given night that you wanna hit the town!

What was supposed to be an early evening checking out Michael Dillard at his debut performance at MOMO's ( http://www.momosclub.com/ ) turned into a long evening of great music and new things. AS ALWAYS, I was pleasantly surprised at the turn of events and music for the night! Albeit, I was not prepared for a long night so my recollection of the bands is a tad off, but I am gonna try this anyway (and by recollection I DO NOT mean anything other than the bands names as I clearly remember the performances....DUH!!!!)!

Michael Dillard ( http://www.michaeldillardmusic.com/ ) was the early evening part of the menu with a start time of 6:30pm. I was happy to get off of work a little early and step downtown during the daylight hours (try it you'll like it!) and even more excited to chill at MOMO's for a nice set of music. As always (and yet getting better) Michael was having fun with the band and the audience. With some laughs in tow and a VERY nice size crowd for that early. Michael did an amazing job of filling the room with the rockin sounds of his debut EP, some covers, and other originals that will soon be on his upcoming LP (look for it DAMMIT!). With the ages in the crowd so varied it was especially nice to feel the positive response from everyone about the music and the performance itself.

Autmn and Austin Mayse, this duo had a very Americana feel to them. With taking turns on vocals, it was very cool, laid back, easy sound. No doubt something you could easily chill to in this lounge (or any other nice lounge for that matter) with a cocktail in hand.

Meggan Carney ( http://www.facebook.com/people/Meggan-Carney/600021280#!/profile.php?id=600021280 ) back again at MOMO's and this time it was just Meggan and a guitarist. All I think I am allowed to say without getting anyone in trouble is "OOoooo the things she makes you feel when you hear her music and voice from there onstage." Always another early evening, chillaxin kind of songstress and performance. Love it, enjoy it, and toast to it!

Now this next thing turned out to be a totally surprising musical performance. The band loads up and then I see this guitarist, I am like "damn that guy looks familiar." Couldn't place him, couldn't place him, couldn't place him. So this is 'The Coveters' ( http://www.facebook.com/coveters ) and the guitarist was none other than Wayne Sutton (look him up dammit, you're on the 'net reading this anyway, fool!) Now I will not take away from the other performers/artists in the band, but I was still surprised to see this and even happier to hear it.

This music was fresh, the band held a sense of humor and almost irreverence of themselves that made it great and easy to sit through and enjoy. Another band to chalk up on the board as one who knows how to perform for the audience. Again, I don't know how big their following is, but during their very first song the band breaks out into hand claps. Without any prompting from the band, the audience fell into suit and played right along. This is definitely fun and crowd control if there ever was.

Last, definitely not least, and with a fraternal organization or two in tow was Hudson Moore ( http://www.myspace.com/hudsonmooremusic ). This was a helluva sight, guitarists lined up onstage as far as the eye could see. keyboards, drums, damn near everything and everyone onstage (I swear I saw a kitchen sink.) Not knowing what to expect but expecting to like what I heard, I was right. With MOMO's busting at the seems with this crowd, the band kicked it off and showed a polished sound that I will say is pretty damn impressive with the mob onstage. Clean, tight, and completely irresistible to tap your foot too. This was the debut performance as I was told earlier in the night and will tell you that in know uncertain terms it really can only get better for these guys. Look them up, check them out as this is Moore or less (oh god I couldn't resist that one) an evening performance type band to swing away into the night with!

Laters