SXSW Day 2: The Best, the Worst, and the Rest
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Vivian Girls / Photo by Christy Kurtz
THE WORST
Worst Performance: Peter Bjorn and John
Peter Bjorn and John’s beat-heavy new album, Living Thing, is a welcome departure from the indie-pop sound that made them famous -- their live performance, however, is not. Relying largely on recorded backing tracks instead of instruments, the songs left frontman Peter Moren hopping around aimlessly sans guitar. And the hip-hop banger "Nothing to Worry About" rendered drummer John Eriksson motionless, as Moren spat short rhymes over a thick track of break beats and young children singing. Moren’s energy is still there, but in a live setting the new tunes just don’t show it. -- WG
THE REST
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
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Fan Appreciation Award: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
There’s no better way to thank your loyal followers than by launching tennis balls at their faces -- which is exactly what Seattle quintet Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band did during their spunky and upbeat set at the Mohawk. Percussionist Traci-Eggleston-Verdoes picked up a bass drum and her husband/ singer Benjamin Verdoes hurled tennis balls at it, sending a barrage of speeding bullets into the crowd -- one of which hit me in the face. No worries, songs like "Cheer for Fate" made up for the slight swelling. -- WG
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Bridge Parties: Not Just for No Age
Something in the air here (or maybe it's in the beer) makes a person do things s/he wouldn't ever, ever do at home. Like befriending nine strangers on the street and piling into a band's windowless, seatbelt-less cargo van to check out a DIY party on one of Austin's many bridges.
Philadelphia rockers Drink Up Buttercup made the offer, and after said strangers helpied them haul gear halfway across the Colorado River, they belted out three acoustic jams for about 70 folks, who drank in the show with the urgency of panhandlers begging for whiskey money. Brooklyn's So So Glos followed with a plugged-in, three-song set. No, it wasn't the massively attended, damned-if-you-missed-it No Age show from 2008, but it's comforting to see some dedicated peeps keeping the DIY flag flying high in the Lone Star State. -- PG
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