TCB
By Christopher Gray, Fri., June 1, 2007
Bullet the Blue Sky
With apologies to Oat Willie's, the motto of the 36th Kerrville Folk Festival might as well be "onward through the mud." Last weekend's record rainfall in the Hill Country swamped the festival grounds at the Quiet Valley Ranch south of Kerrville, at one point cutting it off from town as Turtle Creek overflowed. Festival director Dallas Austin says that although attendance was doubtless down due to the weather, no performances were canceled, merely moved to the ranch's somewhat drier amphitheatre. With a much better weather forecast, Kerrville continues through June 10, with Terri Hendrix, Judy Collins, and a Lost Gonzo Band reunion up this weekend.
Austin's latest indie overachievers keep raking in national accolades. Voxtrot is one of three bands "Breaking Out" of Spin's July issue (Marilyn Manson cover), though Pitchfork rates debut LP Voxtrot a tepid 5.9: "[Voxtrot] stumbles from the band's enthusiastic, ambitious attempt to produce it immediately." Peek-a-Boo pranksters Peel, however, have been dubbed "a bunch of jolly honkies" by Vice and will attempt to prove as such Saturday at Emo's with Octopus Project, Palaxy Tracks, and For Those Who Know. Outside, meanwhile, expect plenty of porkpie hats and pickin' up change as Nineties ska-punk heroes Gal's Panic crank up the skank with the Total Foxes, Tricker Treats, and Catfish Hunters.
Save the tiger: TCB has learned that suspiciously soon after the Chronicle's less-than-positive review of debut LP Tiger Cry, formerly color-coordinated synth-rockers the Laughing have retired both their matching outfits and stuffed tiger mascot Svan. "They're evolving," says manager Rosa Madriz. TCB can live with(out) the clothes but believes more bands should adopt zoological familiars, not less. Talk some sense into them June 23 at the Independence Brewery's Draft Sessions.
