Record Reviews

Sister Seven

Live (DualTone)

It's not until the conclusion of Sister Seven's bootleg-quality live epitaph that one starts missing the disbanded local institution. One of Austin's most popular bands of the Nineties, Sister Seven's marquee status as last surviving jam band from the formerly scene-defining Steamboat/White Rabbit/Black Cat Sixth Street circuit resulted in two major-label opportunities for the tight-knit quartet. Last year's Wrestling Over Tiny Matters, their second full-length for Arista, hammered this road-tested aesthete into tight, tuneful, AOR-worthy nuggets. Since radio is dead, so was the LP on its release, and now with it, the band. "Just Like a Dream," the first of three studio tracks rounding out Live, delivers the same confident guitarock muscle that distinguished Wrestling. Frontwoman Patrice Pike reigns in her tendency to oversiiinnnggg, while the band wastes not a note. It's here that 10 long years of sweat and growth spell maturity with a capital "S." With such an investment, seems a waste to throw in the towel, particular with a throwaway live recording such as this. Poorly miked drums are the main culprit on Live, but no less jarring is the overall mix. While the ragga rage of "Smith & Wesson" and the simmering, 11-minute groove of "Guilty Sin," which features strong work from guitarist Wayne Sutton, bassist Darrell Phillips, and drummer Sean Phillips, definitely have their moments, it's telling that three of Sister Seven's best songs, "Polishing the Looking Glass," "Only Thing That's Real," "My Three Wishes," which round out the live portion of Live, are not particularly inspired performances. Another one bites the dust.