Fun Fun Fun Fest Preview: TV Torso

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

Next up in our series of Fun Fun Fun Fest Austin band previews is TV Torso, the indie rock four piece consisting of stalwarts of the Austin music scene. The group is led by Matt Oliver who, along with drummer Jordan Johns, were in Sound Team the ATX-based avant rockers who burst onto the national scene, signed a deal with a major label and then imploded. All of the guys in TV Torso have been involved in the Austin music scene for years. Matt’s other gig is running the Big Orange studio which is frequently used for recording Austin bands’ Daytrotter sessions. Other members include Jimmy Rhea on bass and Ben Maddox of Hundred Visions on guitar.

TV Torso mixes up some elements of avant, post-rock, classic rock and even folk into their tunes. Their latest EP Status Quo Vadis, available at their Bandcamp page, gives an overview of a lot of these influences. For instance, the song “Slouch Hat City” with its clean guitar and sweeping minimal licks represents TV Torso’s harkening back to folk rock roots. But on “Elegy,” the closing track of the EP, the band veers toward the experimental and explores repetition and discordant tones. Check out the tracks below for a sample of their multi-faceted sound.

First track up is the recently- released cover of Paul Kane/Joe Meek’s My Fair Baby’s Coming For Me. TV Torso put their spin on this classic track from the 60s era super-producer.

“Slanderers’ Stew”  is an epic track off of Status Quo Vadis that crescendos almost throughout the whole song to a beautifully orchestrated climax.

You can catch these guys on the Orange Stage at 12:30pm on Friday. TV Torso are also currently writing songs for their upcoming LP. No release date has been set yet. But we’ll keep you guys informed. Have fun at the fest!

-Dan