Hey guys this is Dan. I’m excited to share with y’all my experience of the Kids Are Alright Fest.
A bunch of us from OVRLD checked out the fest this past Saturday. And it was awesome. The festival benefited The Horse Boy Foundation, an organization that works with children with autism.
Not only were there a bevy of local bands at the festival, a skate and video game competition were in the mix too. These different activities, along with all the different bands, brought in a pretty eclectic mix of Austinites. Tweens, punks, hipsters, skaters and scenesters were all there in good number. In fact, a kid no taller than the skateboard he was riding slipped us some VIP wristbands. Shout out to that lil’ homie; we appreciate it.
But yeah, the thing with festivals is that you can’t possibly see every single band that is playing. That is unless you’re Stretch Armstrong who can stretch his ears to different stages and comfortably enjoy two bands at the same time. But alas, no stretching appendages here. That didn’t stop me from enjoying 5 bands in the short span of a drizzly Saturday night though.
The Shears
The Shears brought some indie-electro-pop awesomeness to the indoor stage that got my legs moving. This is despite the fact that I am a true believer in the philosophy that gangstas don’t dance. With synth hooks backed by tight drums and running bass, these jams made me wish I had more hair to whip back and forth. The Shears have a throwback sound that is reminiscent of new wave. The front woman, Inne, has a captivating voice that powers all the songs. The Shears closed with an exquisite cover of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll” that got the crowd singing and grooving.
The Shears have a show coming up on March 3rd at ND at 501 Studios with Paperthreat and DJ Orion. It’ll be a great night in Austin Electro history.
The Frontier Brothers
The experience of seeing the Frontier Brothers live is super fun and brings you through a journey of many emotions. Their music would be the perfect soundtrack to a night of binge drinking. Elation and feelings of camaraderie, similar to the initial feelings conjured by alcohol, came with the anthemic song, “You Should Start a Band,” which offered catchy riffs and singalong choruses. If one continues to drink through the late hours of the night, thoughts often turn to romantic ventures. “Burning Panties” offers a viewpoint on this tough topic and also, as Carter pointed out, may be one of the only songs in its genre to name drop West Virginia. Finally as a night of heavy drinking comes to an end, thoughts often turn to self-reflection as explored in the lyrics and expressed through the guitar melody of “Don’t Try to Take My Guns.”
MoTel Aviv
MoTel Aviv definitely bring a unique sound to the Austin music scene. Comparisons to The Smiths and New Order come to mind for me but the sound is definitely an evolution of these influences. Cole, the guitarist, creates some very intriguing effects and seems to be a master of reverb, echo and the whammy bar (sorry for dorking out on the guitar lingo.) Rodney, on vocals, has a voice that grabs you by the ears and chills you. The bass lines and the drums strongly back up the jangly guitar riffs and create a really danceable post punk rock. Also impressive, is how well the bassist, Misty, dances while playing. Being a bassist myself, I can tell you it’s pretty difficult to groove whilst making music with such a heavy piece of machinery. Yes, I am jealous of her dance skills. MoTel Aviv bring impeccable musicianship and a captivating stage presence to every show they play and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing their signature disco ball lighting and listening to their inspired tunes again in the near future.
MoTel Aviv’s debut album, Post Modern Nation is slotted for April. We’ll keep you guys updated on the album details.
The Riverboat Gamblers
The Riverboat Gamblers, who are Texas music heros, brought with them the fast and high energy punk rock that they have been perfecting since ’97. Mike, the lead vocalist, crowd surfed, flung across the rafters and paced around the stage throughout the whole show. The energy and the wall of sound the Gamblers produced drove the Mohawk wild.
After The Riverboat Gamblers, the OVRLD crew saw Zeale but Imma let Derick finish that one up.
Be looking for that to be posted soon.
~Dan