Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 // Blogs,SXSW
Late on Thursday night at the IFC Crossroads House, Matthew E. White and his five piece band took the tiny stage at Vice Bar and completely took me by surprise. White just recently released his first record, BIg Inner, on Spacebomb, a local Virginia label. Big Inner is an extremely toned down record. Although full instrumentation is definitely there, White’s vocals sit quiet and low behind the instruments, making you strain just a bit to make out what he’s saying. The first time I listened through the record, I found this refreshing. In mixing, White could have easily popped his voice into the foreground, making it the obvious point of emphasis, but by keeping it enmeshed in the music, it creates a much more cohesive and smooth sound. The tempo of the songs is also extremely slow and steady, making it both relaxing and entertaining, something you don’t come across too much in the indie rock genre. Or at least without it being another washed out vocal surfy-rock sounding band.
In a live setting, White seems like an extremely happy and interesting guy. He’s young, in his late twenties, with a full beard, and long whispy hair down to the middle of his back. He could come off as overly hip but it doesn’t happen, because the look fits him. He’s a rocker from Virginia and his set to close the night out on Friday night definitely proved that he and his band have chops.
Taking the sound of Big Inner into consideration, I did not know what to expect from Matthew E. White live, and other members of the crowd on Friday shared my curiosity. The answer, we were soon to find, was that White had supercharged the record for live performances. Where his voice was a whisper on the recordings, it was a powerful rough tone mixing well with the southern rock jam band that White surrounded himself with. Big Inner’s four minute songs turned into eight minute jams, sliding in and out of the song’s verse-chorus structure and keeping the crowd guessing as to which song was coming next. As is key at SXSW, with bands normally getting 30-40 minutes for their sets, White and his band were extremely enthusiastic and seemed to be having a great time. The restraint and artfulness of White’s song is not lost in his live show, but the energy is turned up and makes for an enjoyable time. Check out Big Inner, but if you like what you hear definitely search the internet for a taste of White and his band live.
Post and photos by Eden Weingart.
Monday, March 18th, 2013 // Blogs,SXSW
Half Moon Run is a band best delivered live. For three guys, they exude energy and skill unlike any band I’ve ever seen. They have music running through their veins. This is especially apparent in their song “Call Me In The Afternoon.” The lead singer ditches his guitar for a drum and a cymbal, the keyboardist picks up a guitar, the drummer plays drums and keys and they bring a fourth member onstage to augment this percussion-laden song. All four people onstage sing and create one of the best-performed songs I’ve ever seen. Below is a live version from their tour with Metric.
Aside from this, Half Moon Run delivered a soulful and skillful performance of their unique brand of dark folk. Their show was delivered at an event that involved lots of socializing, but by the end of their show, the audience had turned from their side conversations to watch the band with rapt attention and appreciation. If ever anyone gets a chance to go see Half Moon Run, it’s well worth the time and money.
Post by Kyle Henson. His DJ show “The Roots of Pop” airs Sundays at 6 p.m.
Monday, March 18th, 2013 // Blogs,SXSW
Local Natives were just as awesome as one would expect them to be. They came onto the stage at the Mohawk at 1 a.m. and the place was packed. There was a line winding around the block outside. Many weary fans who crowded into the tiny audience area instantly gained energy as the band took the stage. With only 40 minutes to play, Local Natives played their most well-known songs, including “Airplanes,” “Wide Eyes,” “Sun Hands” and a few from their new album Hummingbird, including “You and I” and “Heavy Feet.” The audience knew every word to every song and swayed along as Local Natives delivered their famous reverb-laden harmonies and guitar riffs with exceptional quality. The harmonies were mostly spot on, and at some point in the show every member of the band played a percussion instrument, further reinforcing the band’s unique reverb-driven folk-rock. All in all, I was impressed with Local Natives. They came out with a lot of energy and delivered their songs really well. They extended a few songs and engaged the audience with some singing and clapping along. They seemed thrilled to be performing at such an intimate venue for a crowd of huge fans of their music and the joy that they seemed to experience onstage rippled out to the audience to create one of the most sincere performances I saw at SXSW.
Post by Kyle Henson. His DJ show “The Roots of Pop” airs Sundays at 6 p.m.
