the other half of the 3rd

So, as reading this, you realize and know that Angel Skye (my beautiful and talented daughter) wrote up the Aimless Gun performance from Carlos n Charlies 3rd of July Beach Bash. If you didn't read it or didn't know, your a douche bag and should now stop reading this, scroll back to the earlier post, and check it out. Because Angel Skye was so diligently watching ALL of the performances she will be assisting me with this entire blog, so enjoy and see if ya can tell where her input is vs mine.

Aimless Gun, The Will Evans Project, Eyes Burn Electric, Mothers Anthem, Hebegebee's, and Vallejo. REALLY, and you weren't there. C'mon y'all it was the 3rd of July, not the 4th. None the less it was a hot, humid day on the beach, the sun was out and the crowd was beautiful. People on the upper outside deck, the lower outside deck, and a few brave souls out early on the beach. As the evening drew on, the crowd did get bigger on the beach right up to the Hebegebee's, then the fireworks, and then (OF COURSE) Vallejo exploded onto the stage. The selection of music was so different and eclectic that everyone HAD TO have a good time. An amazing day turned into great evening.

Aimless Gun was up first (see http://livemusicinaustin.blogspot.com/2010/07/greatest-4th-of-july-on-3rd-ever.html ) and then Will Evans Project ( http://www.willevansproject.com/home.html ), here again we have some unassuming guys take the stage and really light it up. Will Evans Project has more of an Alt rock feel than Aimless, but very fun. They really came onto the stage and proved how eager they were to play for the crowd by firing it up right away. What made them so impressive was that they didn't seem like they were playing for the crowd but for the love of playing the music. More great tuneage for hanging at the lake (or on a boat as Angel Skye so eloquently put it earlier). Here we really got to see a little more of the early evening crowd that enjoyed Aimless swaying and rockin to the beat of WEP. Good thing that the beer was a flowin this evening because DAMN! it was getting hotter with the music and the sun. Check out the Will Evans Project page for club/appearances in Austin and the surrounding area. Here is a link to the video shot from the show ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPMu3JO0uRo ).

Eyes Burn Electric really stepped it up another notch with their performance. Not really hard rock but was something with more of an edge to it. This is where the audience really started participating singing along and dancing to the music. A few covers thrown in with their upbeat groovable originals, but the performance was the hook that proved these guys are audience worthy (undoubtedly). The power of these guys were enough to have the rain gods let it all out after their rendition of 'Billie Jean'. And like some signal from the unknown, it poured (damn the rain felt good too)  but right on Que it stopped with the end of their performance...these guys are Voodoo good.

Mothers Anthem - in Angels humble opinion, they brought in the biggest crowd of the evening (outside of Vallejo). The energy and intensity of the lead singer was contagious and showed that they were about the show and performance for the audience. To leave the stage and have everybody remember their name really seemed like their goal. "And i think they did a great job because they had tons of people lined up at the merch booth getting autographs and taking pictures." The lead singers voice was powerful and smooth, almost an "edgy R&B sound" and it's proven in the song "God Save the Queen". These guys really rounded out the evening for the first three bands to this. I think that whenever they perform here in town you HAVE TO check out a show AT LEAST one show, then maybe more if you really get the fever for Mothers Anthem.

Now for the real Latin rhythm and performance, the Hebegebees just stole it from the other kids and didn't give back the lollipop. The dual vocals were so perfectly matched it can't even be described, an R&B Latin mash up that you can't wait to hear. The crowd now filled the beach and swayed to such a smooth groove, here is where ya danced with the ladies!

OK! This is written after the fact. I saw the C & C fireworks and then saw the fireworks @ Auditorium Shores. UHHMMM, C & C was way WAY better...and I am just talking about the fireworks, nothing to do with performances just the fireworks presentation...WOW!

and now for the meat of the evening, a first for both Angel Skye AND me! Vallejo!!! From hearing these boys practice in South Austin, listening to the albums, watching the video performances, and hearing friends talk shit about how great they are live....HERE WE WERE! Got to spend some time hanging out with Omar during the day, great story teller and a genuine and friendly guy (you know the truth is he's with Vallejo and is a Vallejo so he could be a dick, but uh-uh!). Angels description was almost in tears. The music is so amazing, the performance is so energizing, the audience participation is there. They ARE showman! and not just front man A.J., but all of them, hamming it up, laying it out, and baring their souls to all of us. The variety and selection of music is breathtaking and stunning. Shit you know, stuff you didn't know you knew, and new things to make you believe in music and live performances again! Angel described that being down in front (and she was literally DOWN IN FRONT) was so powerful an that she really had to fight back the urge to jump onstage. WHOA girl, daddy ain't got bail money for a 14 year old stage crasher, LOL. To sum it up for the Vallejo performance, it was something for the generations...in fact THREE generations to be exact as I found my father in the audience enjoying the show, my daughter at the stage, and I was just grateful to be there.

Thanks Omar and A.J. for a lifetime of memories!


photos by: Angelina Tompkins and her daddy
special thanks to Angel Skye for her invaluable input in the writing of this piece. Love you baby girl.

Laters

as I wandered in

Friday night 07/02 and I'll cruise DT and meet and ex-neighbor to have a couple of drinks and check another old friend on stage tonite, Bobby Bookout.

Like I have said before (and recently) you wander into a new place or an old favorite and you will be bound to find something different and great here in Austin. Tonight it was different and great! Found a new band based out of El Paso/L.A., Tommy Mora ( http://www.myspace.com/tommymora ). GD what a good night!

Tommy Mora and his group pulled out a sound that I haven't heard in an Austin club, say short of Antiones and touring band blowing through! Completely rocking sound, a harder edged Santana, or a latin power sound that will refuse to let you sit in your seat the whole time they are on stage (Hell I never sat down myself)! Decent crowd, both in size and attitude, cause everyone there was enjoying the performance thoroughly.

Now because these cats are from L.A. via El Paso, and after speaking with the bass player it seems like the rest of you are just gonna have to check out his MySpace music page (follow the link I provided above) to see if and when we, here in Austin, will be lucky enough to have them cruise through again. No matter what, remember the name and enjoy his game because Tommy Mora is some serious shit. Find him in L.A., out on the road, in El Paso, wherever you can find him and enjoy  some great rockin sounds, I did and so did everyone else tonite.

All of you here now about my friend Bobby Bookout ( http://bobbybookout.com/ ), just had the CD release party and now he's is back grinding it out on stage. Somehow the moniker "the ULTIMATE date band" music seems to be sticking (nice to here other people make this reference before, during, and after the performance). And this is a great thing....Hell, I HOPE I'm gonna have the pleasure of taking a beautiful woman to one of Bobby's shows sometime soon. Still just fun, fun, FUN...has the edge to make you enjoy, lyrics that are striking and have you singing chorus' that you didn't know you knew....and OOOHHHWEEE he can make the women get up and groove it out. Swear to ya Bobby, when I go out on my next first date you damn well better be playing, cause THAT is the first impression I want to make.

Laters

The greatest 4th of July on the 3rd EVER!

Alright guys and girls, this is Angel Skye, the daughter of the original blogger, Will. So I have never really done this before! It's all new to me. My dad and Doc (father of lead singer of Aimless Gun Cody) had some weird epiphany that I should write the blog for Aimless Gun's performance at the 3rd of July Beach Bash, so please don't be harsh. Or I think I will have to put you through a window, HA! Just kidding! So I'm gonna make this as fun and real as possible...

I only have one word for you, AMAZING! This was my first time seeing Aimless Gun perform live. Sure I have listened to a few tracks when my dad was playing their EP, but I have never actually seen them perform. Missed opportunities I guess you could say, but now I am truly a HUGE fan!

'The Perfect Lake Music' is how I would describe the sound! What do I mean by that?  I mean simply this, the music they have is so relaxing and calming, not to hard, not to soft, but just perfect. It's the kind of music that makes you want to get on a boat, ride out onto the lake and just chill with family and friends for hours. I can honestly say that these guys were made for the big stage. They definitely seemed to have fun on a big stage with more 'leg room'  then what they normally would have in the small bars of downtown. The sound seemed to attract more people, and while the show carried on, the crowd began to make their way to the beach to see what band was creating such a great sound.

When you looked back at the crowd and you see people moving and swaying along with the songs, a beer in hand, on a hot, sunny Texas July 3rd afternoon, it couldn't have fit the music any better. I think EVERYONE there was dedicated to the music, just to stand in the humidity proves the band was worth way more than just listening to. Aimless Gun seemed to have a great time playing the music for everyone there.  I had a great time at the show and I personally loved the "Good Summer" time vibe that seemed to be emanating from the band.

Vallejo couldn't have picked a better band (thanks Omar and AJ). The show was great all the way around and I think that everyone in the audience would tell you that too. I am really looking forward to plenty more of their shows, and I can tell you that when I do, they will be better and better. Everyone look out, cause Aimless Gun is going to be doing great things, real soon! So whenever you can, check out one of their shows! I promise you won't regret it!

P.s. - Hola people, this is Spineless Willy, I was going to post the rest of the blog for the other bands that performed... but after reading this breathtaking review of the Aimless Gun performance at the Carlos n Charlie's 3rd of July Beach Bash, I couldn't bear to sully this amazing write up! (Shit, reading it almost made me cry, knowing that my daughter wrote this). I will let it stand on its own merits.

Check out the video from their performance on the beach of '51 Cards' on youtube  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRlaxwRy1O0