Emo’s IV Garage Rock Party
Emo’s, Thursday, March 16
With the Emo’s dynasty just having assumed control of a new room Tuesday – now they own the entire corner of Sixth and Red River – Emo’s IV was both spartan and loud. Lots of hard surfaces, and at 12:45pm, not much flesh to soak up the sound. Monsieur Jeffrey Evans of Memphis garage institution ’68 Comeback eased the small assemblage into noise with a solo set of shout-outs to Charlie Feathers, Doc Watson, and the Gibson Brothers. There was nothing easy about Austin’s Nervous Exits. The skronky sextet flew the flag of Captain Beefheart as they sailed choppy seas of distortion in a two-guitar/one-sax battleship held together with duct tape and chewing gum. When they went flying off on fiery instrumental tangents replete with Mitch Mitchell drum-fill derring-do, you got the sense that things were falling apart, which made their spot-on landings even more impressive. Next up were the Willowz, a flailing art-punk quartet from Orange County, who captured a nice slice of the crowd leaving Emo’s Jr. after a set from L.A.’s sensational Cambodian pop hybrid Dengue Fever. With long hair parted down the middle, vocalist/guitarist Richie James Follin looked like the forgotten Redd Kross brother, but he sang with raging, high-pitched fervor perfect for hot-boxing behind the high school. Local guitar/drum/guitar trio Faceless Werewolves continued the thwacked-out flail with their blues-baiting tribal punk vibe, exorcising the room of countless Jell-O shot improprieties once and for all.This article appears in March 17 • 2006.
