Day Party Crawl

Rachel Goldstar & the Colorforms, Tunng, My Education, Brothers and Sisters

End of an Ear, Wednesday, March 15

Last SXSW, End of an Ear was still a work in progress for owners Blake Carlisle and Dan Plunkett. Now, the South First record store has taken a place in every Austin record nerd's heart. Since opening last summer, the comfy space has held hands with a string of local and national bands, and Wednesday's Tonevender/Thirty Ghosts in-store hosted some of the loudest and most bearded. Rachel Goldstar & the Colorforms (actually not bearded), featuring Rachel of Austin's Experimental Aircraft on guitar and vocals, spun through quiet, gold-dusted Sixties/Nineties pop and landed in the dancey, keyboard-heavy closer, something akin to Berlin, 1985. From over the pond came the band Tunng, playing what could only be described as "wilderness rock." The drummer played with what looked like palm fronds, while preprogrammed beats and whispy acoustic guitar camped out in extended jam territory. At this point, beards are everywhere, as well as lots of props and percussion and recording devices spitting out demonic voices. Locals My Education and their slow-cooked noise bombs left everyone in a daze after that, sparking melody against gas-soaked drone. Afternoon's closer, locals Brothers and Sisters, made it all OK though. The elegiac "California" and stompy "New Life" took it to the river, dropped it in the water, all tambourine and harmony and guitar sunshine. Three cheers for beards.