If you haven't seen local, piano-indie popsters SNAFU Kitties before then you better head to Emo's inside stage Saturday night, 'cause it's your last chance. It's true dear reader, my information comes from a source very close to the band (the drummer) and he tells me the lead singer will be moving to Europe. I think he said Denmark but it might be the Netherlands or Germany I forget. So, in the interest of great journalism, I'm going with "singer moved to Europe" as reason for the bands...disbanding. Oddly enough, the final performance will also be a CD release party, so we can remember them as they were. Actually that's a great way of becoming a unicorn band that is more popular reunited than they were to begin with.
My friends over at 'Nites Blog are also a source close to the band. They've captured some really great SNAFU Kitties performances that you can find on their YouTube Channel as well as a slew of other great, and largely unrecognized, other, local, Austin bands. Here's a video they made for the Kittie's song Nerve:
Here's all the pertinent information about the show and the CD direct from the band's release about the show:
SNAFU Kitties have officially been a band since our first show on May 22nd, 2007 at Beerland. Since that time, we've played steadily in and around Austin, and as far as Mexico City. We've had a good run. Sadly, all good things must eventually reach their end. Our wonderful singer, keyboardist, and songwriter, Jessie, will soon be off to Denmark to embark on an exciting new adventure with her husband, Mads, marking the unfortunate end of SNAFU Kitties. LET'S SEND HER OFF IN STYLE.
Your presence is sincerely requested at SNAFU Kitties' FINAL PERFORMANCE. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see the band you've "kept meaning to check out," or enjoy once more for the last time. Not only that, we will finally be releasing our long-awaited and laboriously produced self-titled album. This is a LIMITED RELEASE, y'all. Each one is hand-printed by our bass player, J.J., the Rural Rooster and will only be available at the show. Once they're gone, they're gone for good.
Mark your calendars, folks. Doors are at 9pm, and for a mere $6, you will enjoy a diverse lineup: We Aim To Try, Paper Shapes, Zorch, and SNAFU Kitties.
I don't really know about the other bands on Satuday night's bill but the line about "enjoy a diverse lineup" is a bit ominous. That could mean, "be prepared to see some crazy-ass shhh before we go on" but I'll enter Emo's with an open(ish) heart(ish).
I really debated whether or not to mention tonight's Phoenix show at La Zona Rosa considering it's sold-out and it starts in a few hours. However, I am so over-the-top excited to finally see them perform live that I felt like I had to mention it. Hopefully I'll have some exciting follow-up post about the show tomorrow. In case I slack on the follow-up, I'm betting my homeboys over at, the fabulous, Ultra8201 will be posting some fly video. If you're reading this Ultra may I request you film Armistice? Please and thank you. If you are really bummed about not getting tickets to this sold-out show, try checking Twitter Search after the show has started. You never know someone may have an extra ticket or some shhh.
Phoenix - Armistice (Live on KEXP) video via YouTube
The Phoenix show at La Zona Rosa tonight is sponsored by the repugnant, 101X, if you've ever read my site before you know that I have an extreme disdain for their music programming, but their concert programming seems to be pretty on point. I saw Bat For Lashes earlier in the year, at the Parish room and that was a 101X show as well. Unfortunately you rarely hear the artists who play the concerts on the radio station itself. They'd prefer to let you hear Pearl Jam's Jeremy than anything by Bat For Lashes. I have actually heard them play Phoenix on the station but only after they killed at ACL Fest. Speaking of bands I've never heard on 101X...
White Denim will be taking the opening slot tonight with Portland Oregonians, Hockey following. Hockey is probably a great band and everything but if you're going to call your band Hockey then you better be from Canada. When I discovered they were from Portland, OR it was pretty much over for me. I think the tweens will really get into the Hockey sound though and they'll probably become insanely popular in the near-future. This is not an endorsement, nor a shame statement just a thought/prediction.
Hockey - Song Away (Live on Jools Holland) video via YouTube
The buzz for White Denim has been bigger than the band itself. At this point they've been blogged to death, they keep running into problems distributing their music and more people have heard about them than have heard them. At the root of all that mess though, is what started the buzz to begin with, a raucous, passionate, killer, live performance. I feel like the Let's Talk About It Ep came the closest to capturing the frenetic energy of a live White Denim show. I haven't seen them perform lately, now that their sound has gotten a lot more prog-psychedelic ala King Crimson or Love so, I'm interested to see if they still have that coked-out party band vibe with the new tunes. You can actually buy the newest album from White Denim in U.S. stores now thanks to Downtown Music, which, incidentally, is the label that Sean "P. Diddy" Combs got his start in the record biz with.
Free Mp3 from the Let's Talk About It Ep courtesy of a hella-old link (64 Blog Years) that Spin probably forgot about, but Google didn't.
This is the time of year when all of us concert-going types, in Austin, get to collect our thoughts and breathe and mentally-prepare for SXSW 2010. That's right, the concert season is, relatively, slow this time of year. There aren't as many bands touring in the winter anyway, and the venues are all preparing for one of my favorite times of year, which is Free Week. Yay Free Week!! Woooo. Anyway, I mention all of this because I'm going to do something I don't, generally, do. I'm just going to hype this EP by the Middle East, I don't think it will make very many year-end "best of" lists since most of those focus on songs and LP's but I wouldn't be surprised if the song Blood from, The Recordings of the Middle East makes a lot of lists. I would rank it as a top 5 song of '09 for sure. I bought my copy of the EP from my friends over at End of an Ear for $3.99 so just glance around you'll see it somewhere.
Seriously, how gorgeous is that song by the Middle East?
I'm thinking this year instead of participating in the List-Culture with a best LP's of '09 list from Austin Bloggy Limits, I'll just compile some of my favorite lists. So, I suppose I'm still supporting List-Culture just in a more meta, pseudo-rebellious, hipstery kind of way. I do love lists, I think it is in the DNA of every music/film geek that you want your favorite things to be validated with a good number. We can't just love Radiohead's Kid A, we're not satisfied to just enjoy it as a beautiful piece of art. No, we need others to recognize and bow down to Kid A as one of the best records of the MF decade y'all! Seriously, people bow down, it's Radiohead. Anyway, I had a point here and it was about the band Girls their, appropriately-titled, Album has been popping up on a lot of year-end lists and I just want to throw my hat in the ring here. I proclaim Album by, San Fran band, Girls to be Bloggy-approved and worth your hard-earned ducats.
My San Francisco homies over at Rhino Knife Films shot some nice live videos of Girls this summer. The sound clips at a couple of points, but it's still a really nicely captured performance. It's also the first time this song was ever played in front of an audience. Check out the loud, drunken woman screaming at the beginning, it's kind of hard not to notice.
If you haven't seen Girls perform here in Austin yet, you have another chance at the end of January. They'll be playing, one of my favorite venues, the Parish room. Tickets will set you back $12 before fees and the show is sponsored by, the loathsome, 101X. Have you EVER heard 101X play a song by Girls? I know I haven't, but I guess I don't listen very much anymore. I can only hear Hey Man Nice Shot so many times in my lifetime and 101X has already exceeded my limit on that song. Along, with the 12-16 other early 90's alt-stalwarts they refuse to relegate to classic-rock. But I digress.
I noticed, when I was looking at the calendar for the Parish that they'll be participating in free week this year! That's exciting, I love the Parish, it's wood floors and beautiful sound. Not to mention, I've never been to a show there where I thought to myself, "There are a dangerous number of people in here right now. If shh went pear-shaped we'd all be effed." (I don't even think swears I promise) Looking at you Emo's. What is the capacity of Emo's? 'Cause I think they sell like 50 more tickets than that and then the door guy has like 30 or so friends he lets in for free. I kid, I kid...don't beat me up Emo's I'm just s blogger.
I was trying to find a video that illustrates how bonkers and packed Emo's gets but most of the video I found are focused more on the stage than the crowd, who'd a thunk? Bands who play Emo's it is your mission to start filming the crowd so my out of town friends know what I'm talking about. I am finding some amazingly terrible videos from Emo's, seriously people leave the zoom alone! Don't effing touch it! Ok, I give up trying to find the perfect video to illustrate my point. Check this out out though, it's the Gossip playing Emo's in 2001. The sound sucks, I'm including it more for historical value.
See I'm not totally hatin' on Emo's, I was just using them as an example of something typical, that you won't experience at the Parish Room (most likely). I've seen a lot of great shows at Emo's but that's another post or series of posts unto itself. I'll close this out with one most burst of randomness, I saw this band open for MGMT on Emo's inside stage the Tuesday night that Oracular Spectacular came out. I couldn't find footage from that night so I'm just going to include one of my favorite Yeasayer songs...ever.
You can kind that Yeasayer song, on one of the greatest compilations in recent memory, Dark Was the Night. You should buy it, it's 2 discs, proceeds go to charity plus you'll get mad, indie-cred on the streets (2 Blogs years ago).
