Check Yo Ponytail 2
Emo’s East, Thursday, March 15If Thursday afternoon’s sparse turnout at the cavernous new Emo’s East is any indication, the Riverside reach of South by Southwest’s extraterritorial spread is still developing. Bay Area rapper K. Flay boasted skull-cracking beats and impressive word flow, but it all got swallowed up in the mix. San Francisco’s Dirty Ghosts fared better with its sharp-edged post-punk, which was delivered with all the spunk you’d expect from ex-Parchman Farm guitarist Allyson Baker, who took the stage wearing a ripped D.R.I. T-shirt. The split stage setup made most set changes efficient, but the technology-heavy Geographer ran late. The San Francisco trio’s atmospheric, OMD-channeling electro pop got extra heft from effects-heavy strings and earnest vocal delivery, but it had to shut down before finding its groove. The Coathangers‘ herky-jerky jag and yowl was definitely undercooked but intriguing and plucky nonetheless. Blondes‘ cinematic electronic wizardry recalled a poor man’s Tangerine Dream at times, while Mndr‘s one-woman, synth-sonic, air-raid disco attack scored on pure enthusiasm. Despite a muddy mix, Mississippi’s Bass Drum of Death exuded a fine Memphian garage buzz. As curfew approached, Brooklyn-based Theophilus London‘s eclectic mash of hip-hop, rock, and reggae made a nice appetizer for the Dum Dum Girls. With coquettish frontwoman Dee Dee leading the way, the quartet’s tightly packaged, flange-laden fuzz-pop carried the day.
This article appears in March 16 • 2012.
