Sleepers for March 18
All showcase times subject to changeTHE ADDICTIONS
8pm, Hard Rock Cafe It’s not every day one of the better folk-rock bands in town recasts itself as GN’R-loving badasses. Quatropaw abandoned their acoustic guitars for a volatile mixture of Sunset Strip sleaze; last year’s eponymous debut has been making waves on regional radio. – Christopher GrayFIRES WERE SHOT
8pm, Copa John Wilkins and Clay Walton do things the old-fashioned way: two guitars and an armada of guitar pedals. Last year’s second LP, Solace, brought this Austin bedroom project into the light with post-classical moodscapes that rival Flying Saucer Attack’s best moments. – Michael ChamyAQUALUNG
8pm, Stubb’s Already a UK hit, Aqualung, London’s Matt Hale, now sets his sights on this side of the pond. Columbia’s Strange and Beautiful capitalizes on American audiences’ familiarity with Aqualung’s odd rock through such hit TV programs as Nip/Tuck, Smallville, and The OC. – Jim CaligiuriSPOTTISWOODE AND HIS ENEMIES
8pm, Habana Calle 6 Has Tom Petty gone cabaret? According to Englishman-cum-New Yorker Jonathan Spottiswoode and the rockin’ soul of his heady debut, Building a Road, you can guess the answer. – Raoul HernandezDAVID BERKELEY
8pm, Pecan Street Ale House This melancholy Atlantan’s After the Wrecking Ships has AAA hit written all over it. Berkeley’s recent Johnny Mercer Songwriting Award was well-earned from ASCAP. – Andy LangerDAVID RYAN HARRIS
8pm, Cedar Street Courtyard Like David Garza or Jon Brion, this Atlanta-raised singer-songwriter’s strongest asset is his audience of peers. Although slicker than the groundbreaking Follow for Now might have indicated, last year’s Soulstice was undeniably funky and eclectic. – Andy LangerTEITUR
8pm, Drink Although it came out on Universal, this shaggy young singer-songwriter’s marvelous debut, 2004’s Poetry & Aeroplanes, wound up as obscure as the Faroe Islands, the tiny Danish-ruled kingdom he hails from. – Andy LangerTHE LASHES
8pm, Emo’s Main The Lashes are a sassy, image-conscious Seattle septet that gleefully plumbs the infinite goodness of raucous geek-pop in the vein of the Buzzcocks and Weezer. Their big-league jump to Columbia results in a debut LP this year. – Greg BeetsTITAN GO KING’S
8pm, Caribbean Nights Audrey Kimura, head of Tokyo girl-punk label Benten, says calling a punk band “silly” is a compliment in Japan. Titan Go King’s aspire to just that on Benten release two, Gut’s Idol. The trio’s take on the Rising Sun girl-punk rubric is heavily influenced by surf rock and malt shop serenades. – Greg BeetsHOPELESS/SUB CITY SHOWCASE
8pm-2am, Redrum Southern California’s marriage of kamikaze tempos and harmonies has been happily propagating through Van Nuys’ Hopeless Records since 1993 with the likes of the Weakerthans, Samiam, and Thrice. Here, the burning fuse of Chicago’s Break the Silence, hard and fastcore thinned by SoCal harmony, opens. Nural flexes classic rock muscle funneled through live wire punk élan; ’04’s The Struggle Continues EP births an LP this summer. Kaddisfly’s new sophomore disc, … Buy Our Intention; We’ll Buy You a Unicorn, floats similar dynamics, only with better guitar tones and a dash of hardcore. Hopeless’ 4-year-old offspring, Sub City, funding a multitude of nonprofits struggling with child abuse, HIV, and suicide (www.subcity.net), sponsors the candy store punk of Orange County’s Melée, outworking 2004 jawbreaker Everyday Behavior. Hopelessness never gave you a sugar rush. – Raoul HernandezIGNORANCE PARK
9pm, Whisky Bar Often mislabeled as simple punk rock, Ignorance Park shows are Stones-y grind one minute, sleek New Wave the next. A follow-up to the locals’ 2000 keeper, Bad Luck … or the Plan?, is overdue, but frontman Johnny Walker lets it all hang out onstage anyway. – Christopher GrayACID KING
9pm, Room 710 Who’s responsible for this low-end stoner rock nightmare? Why, the ex-wife of Melvins drummer Dale Crover! Her S.F. trio has churned out sludge since the dark ages of stoner rock, and upcoming III hits the mark like L7 shacking up with High on Fire. – Michael ChamyTHE ANUBIAN LIGHTS
9pm, Cedar Street Courtyard Hop-scotching their way across genteel psychedelia, spaceward techno, and sundry elements of used vinyl ephemera, L.A. DJ duo the Anubian Lights entered a new dimension with the addition of veteran vox Adele Bertei for Phantascope (Rhythmbank). – Greg BeetsINARA GEORGE
9pm, 18th Floor @ Crowne Plaza SoCal certainly did us a favor by birthing Inara George. Her debut, All Rise (Everloving), is a free-flowing coastal breeze, melancholy as fog on a mountain highway. The singer broke out on her own after doing time in other SoCal bands and is now poised to give Norah Jones a run for her money. – Melanie HauptIDA
9pm, Friend’s The sweet, moody sounds of Ida were made for falling in love. Their 1996 album, I Know About You, attests to that. They make the closest thing to lit rock – songs that build in narrative, climax, and resolve. The quartet’s chamber pop can also be heard on their brand new album, Heart Like a River. – Audra SchroederBLANCHE
9pm, Emo’s Main The hauntingalt.country strains of Blanche provide a soundtrack for Detroit’s urban ruins. Against a patina of steel guitar and banjo, husband-and-wife vocalists Dan and Tracee Miller plumb love and loss. Their 2004 debut, If We Can’t Trust the Doctors … (V2), is a warm statement of purpose. – Greg BeetsJAMES BLUNT
10pm, Buffalo Billiards Former UK Army Captain Blunt spent time in Kosovo and returned with a battleground troubador’s hopeful heart and a clutch of songs as hauntingly lovely as rose garden despair. Atlantic debut Back to Bedlam is just out. – Marc Savlov
JEFF PLANKENHORN
10pm, Lounge Ohio-born Jeff Plankenhorn has carved out a wide niche as a six-string sideman since moving to Austin from Nashville, plucking his Dobro and Telecaster for Bruce Robison, Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Susan Gibson. His bold, rootsy debut, Plank (Blue Corn), came out last year. – David LynchCHRIS & THOMAS
10pm, 18th Floor @ Crowne Plaza Singer-songwriter duo combining beautiful harmonies with sparse instrumentation and thoughtful lyrics, L.A.’s Chris & Thomas released their EP, Vista Street Sessions, last summer. Airplay by hometown jock Nic Harcourt on KCRW’s Morning Become Eclectic has garnered them interest nationwide. – Jim CaligiuriGREY DELISLE
10pm, Pecan Street Ale House Before she married Murry Hammond of the Old 97’s, Grey DeLisle found herself emotionally stranded in L.A. while her true love endured his exile in Nacogdoches, Texas. That sweet heartbreak was the inspiration for The Graceful Ghost (Sugar Hill). – Melanie HauptTWO COW GARAGE
10pm, Continental Club This young trio from Columbus, Ohio, has following the loud and proud roots rock path trampled by the likes of Drive-by Truckers and Slobberbone. Their second blast of cowpunk, The Wall Against Our Back (Shelterhouse), was released in 2004. – Jim CaligiuriATTACK FORMATION
10pm, Whisky Bar AF approaches music like a science project, something to be taken apart and put back together in all sorts of head-scratching ways. Eight or nine people onstage and any number of instruments, with the rhythmic drive of Broken Social Scene and genuine strangeness of local precursors Brown Whörnet. – Christopher GrayROLLING BACKOUTS
10pm, Eternal Not only is it a great moniker, it’s entirely apt; the fierce tangle of post-punk angst and classic rock churns ever out of this banging SoCal quartet. Last year’s Black is Beautiful (Record Collection) caused song amnesia from one sneer to the next. – Raoul HernandezTHE MARTINI HENRY RIFLES
10pm, Blender Balcony Welsh NRAs whose gnashing, 2004 debut, Superbastard (FF), takes potshots at American indie art-punk with sharp aim. All press mentions Brainiac, but think the lurching post-punk that gave birth to Nirvana. – Raoul HernandezTHE CRASH
10pm, Drink Look deep into the synth-pop abyss of the Crash’s Melodrama (Warner Bros. 2003). This fun-loving Finnish foursome takes androgynous vox and hot basslines; adds elements of disco diva Sylvester, Let’s Dance-era Bowie, and Hedwig; and twists it into a satisfying emotional rescue, winking and nudging all the way. – Kate X MesserSPINNING CHAIN
10pm, Hard Rock Cafe Think hard rock is lost in a morass of metal-industrial-retro-glam hyphenates? Austin’s Spinning Chain feels your pain and offers classic rock bolstered by chain-drive rhythms and a take-no-prisoners attitude. Union Underground’s Jimi Scott takes charge. – Margaret MoserSASQUATCH
10pm, Room 710 L.A.’s Sasquatch realizes songs with longevity have more than a few riffs. Their self-titled debut came out last summer on Detroit hard rock indie Small Stone, greatly pleasing fans seeking feeling over technique. Like their namesake: big, hairy, and heavy. – David LynchK-RINO & The SOUTH PARK COALITION
10:30pm, Fox & Hound A Houston rap pioneer whose first record as a member of Real Chill surfaced in 1986, K-Rino persists as a prominent figurehead within Southern rap, as evidenced by 2004’s The Hit List. – Robert GabrielLOS MOCOSOS
11pm, Mambo Kings These vatos from S.F.’s Mission District are currently riding high in the wake of their socially conscious, party-hardy third album, American Us. The band’s supercharged, street-smart sound brings together rock, hip-hop, funk, salsa, ska, and soul jazz. – Jay TrachtenbergFULL WHITE DRAG
11pm, Chuggin’ Monkey If the title of Full White Drag’s latest EP holds true, Everything Will Fall on One Night. Pitting the Ontario quartet’s weird time signatures and tempo changes against their obvious love of Nineties rock, their sophomore album, The Independence, hinted at Detroit’s gritty rock history. – Audra SchroederTYRADES
11pm, Beerland If you like your music lewd, crude, and rude, Chicago’s Tyrades deliver. Singer Jenna Tyrade, drummer Franky Dynamite, guitarist Jimmy Hollywood, and bassist Robert Miscellaneous indulge in explosive two-minute punk bombs on their latest self-titled album. – Audra SchroederLARGE NUMBER
11:20pm, Latitude 30 Ann Shenton, aka Large Number, incorporates a calliope, guitar loops, and all manner of cast-off sounds and audio anomalies into a cohesive whole. Call it experimental if you must, but new CD Spray on Sound is as organic as it is electronic, fusing theremin wails, harmonica sprays, and eerie vocals. – Marc SavlovMAE
12mid, Vibe The Christian hammer of Seattle’s Tooth & Nail Records is divine. Like the emo-lodic sweet tooth of Norfolk, Va.’s Mae, whose pop-rock flash can go from acoustic to electric rapture in the time it takes to cross yourself. – Raoul HernandezL’ALTRA
12mid, Copa Chicago’s “feminine other” is like an edifying meditation session – all peace and quiet till the revelations hit the solar plexus. Driven by the yang of guitarist Joseph Costa and grounded in Lindsay Anderson’s refreshingly earthy vocals, this duo began as a collective in the Windy City’s emergent electronic scene. – Kate X Messer
CHARANGA CAKEWALK12mid, Cedar Street Courtyard If this were SXSW 1975, Esquivel would be the special guest at this showcase. Austin’s jack-of-all-instruments Michael Ramos whipped up an addictive cocktail of neon Latin lounge, titled it Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge (Triloka/Artemis), and went back on tour with Patty Griffin. – Raoul Hernandez
SUNSHINE
12mid, Lava Lounge Patio There’s no shortage of SXSW acts melding classic New Wave influences with modern psyhedelia and electroclash, but few connect the dots more cunningly than this Czech Republic quartet. Last year’s Electric! Kill! Kill! EP is singularly filthy, danceable, and magnificent. – Andy LangerTHE HIGH STRUNG
12mid, Soho Lounge Detroit’s High Strung plies Kinks/GBV-infused power pop with an emphasis on power. Though currently labelless, the scruffy quartet already has Moxie Bravo, the follow-up to 2002’s acclaimed These Are Good Times (Tee Pee), ready to go. – Greg BeetsORDINARY BOYS
12mid, Exodus Proof enough that you can’t judge a band by its covers, this East Preston, UK, quartet nicks a page from the Specials via anthemic pub-rock guitars and comes up smelling like Captain Sensible’s New Roses. Possessed of a cheeky sense of humor (debut, We Am the Ordinary Boys), they’re anything but ordinary. – Marc SavlovGRAM RABBIT
12mid, Pecan Street Ale House Joshua Tree, known for its country rocker cremations, let slip this trio of compilers from the Royal Order of Rabbits. 2004’s Music to Start a Cult To (Stinky) was a sly, brainwashing affair, beats and synths wrapped like barbwire around desert roots. Have some brown Kool-Aid and live to trip about it. – Raoul HernandezSARAH BORGES
12mid, Lounge She’s a singer-songwriter from Boston, but Sarah Borges is anything but another boring New England folkie. Her debut, Silver City (Blue Corn),is straight-up American roots rock performed with immeasurable heart and stunning confidence. – Jim CaligiuriLEDERHOSEN LUCIL
12:10am, Latitude 30 This Toronto synth-popper sings about food, drops a dancey beat behind it, and has created an infectious debut in Tales From the Pantry. Lucil is the alter ego of Krista Muir, who channels all her energy into the most absurd, Sprockets-fed kraut pop this side of Berlin. Think Peaches without the potty mouth. – Audra SchroederTHE LASCIVIOUS BIDDIES
12:45am, Elephant Room NYC’s Lascivious Biddies are back after a successful national debut at SXSW, following their self-released 2002 debut, Biddi-Luxe. The all-lady jazz, pop, and cabaret quartet just released Get Lucky, featuring a four-part harmony version of the Smith’s “Ask.” – David LynchVISIONARIES
1am, Flamingo Cantina Recently inducted into Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation, L.A. supergroup Visionaries caps nearly a decade with a symbolic crowning jewel. With DJ Rhettmatic inspiring a Benetton ad of MCs including Key Kool, LMNO, 2Mex, and Writer’s Block (Zen and Dannu), true-school hip-hop aesthetics are preserved in hyperenergetic fashion on 2004’s Pangaea. – Robert GabrielTELEFON TEL AVIV
1am, Copa The New Orleans duo of Joshua Eustis and Charles Cooper submerges fragments of the known within anomalous curiosity. Enlisting the Loyola University Chamber Orchestra on their sophomore album, Map of What Is Effortless, TTA casts itself as the shutterbug of your most peculiar dreams. – Robert GabrielGHOSTY
1am, Habana Calle 6 Six-year-old Lawrence, Kan., indie rock enigma Ghosty is still scrapping away for its shot, despite a guest appearance on the Flaming Lips’ Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell EP in 2003. Let’s hope their excellent, unreleased debut, Grow Up or Sleep In, gets picked up soon. – Melanie HauptEMBRACE
1am, Buffalo Billiards Britpop darlings when they hit the scene in the late Clinton years, England’s Embrace have since experienced peaks (an American deal) and valleys (three-year hiatus). The quintet is back in the limelight with last year’s Out of Nothing (Independiente/Epic). – David LynchTHE BLUE VAN
1am, Drink Like a Sonic Kink-fest in Who-ville, the Blue Van, from the small burg of Bronderslev, Denmark, lashes out with classic rock muscle. The four fine Danish dandies with rocker pageboy cuts, tight slacks, and ascots knotted rock on their new The Art of Rolling (TVT). – Kate X MesserTHE LIKE
1am, 18th Floor @ Crowne Plaza A band since high school, L.A.’s the Like is a winsome femme trio that’s already toured with Phantom Planet and Maroon 5. Darkly compelling pop-rock with shades of Sixpence None the Richer, third EP, Like It or Not, suggests June’s Geffen debut will have a lot of kids liking the Like. – Christopher GrayHEAD OF FEMUR
1am, Blender Bar @ the Ritz Tours with Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, and the Decemberists tell much of these Nebraska-to-Chicago transplants’ story, but Hysterical Stars, due in May on spinART, is the real tale. Matt Focht’s Big Country vocals are cut with a literary circus of song and sound, but it’s “Song for Richard Manuel” confirming this might be the Band. – Raoul HernandezHACIENDA BROTHERS
1am, Continental Club The Hacienda Brothers are Chris Gaffney and Dave Gonzalez exploring their shared love of classic country and soul. Dan Penn, who produced their just-released eponymous debut, has dubbed them Western soul. – Jim CaligiuriMEAN REDS
1am, Eternal Tuscon’s Mean Reds are fresh out of high school, were almost kicked off last year’s Warped Tour, and wear very little on stage. “Cave Moms” off Some Kind of Adventure Through History, and “Get Yr Face out of My Grill” from 2003’s Destination Imagination will make your parents angry. – Audra SchroederOXFORD COLLAPSE
1am, Blender Balcony @ the Ritz Brooklyn trio Oxford Collapse throws its hat in the indie beat punk ring with debut Some Wilderness (Kanine). They’re just now putting the finishing touches on their sophomore album, which draws from Mission of Burma, the dB’s, and Sonic Youth. � David LynchTHE VACATION
1am, Jackalope Straight off the Sunset Strip, there are enough solid cock-rocking choruses on April’s Band From World War Zero for these sleazy upstarts to have already made a fan of Sex Pistol turned deejay Steve Jones. Slots on last year’s Reading and Leeds festivals have earned them next-big-thing status in the UK. – Andy LangerTHE STEPBROTHERS
1am, Velvet Spade Austin’s Stepbrothers could be an episode of Little Steven’s Underground Garage: choice nuggets of punk, rock, and soul, without commercials. Led by former Raunch Hand Mike Mariconda on lead guitar, last year they released Baby It’s Over, an instant party-starter with the energy level of Robin Williams on crank. – Christopher GrayYOURCODENAMEIS:MILO
1am, Lava Lounge Patio If Interpol and At the Drive-In had an illegitimate child raised by Fugazi, he would sound a lot like YourCodeNameIs:Milo. April’s Ignoto should garner more post-hardcore accolades than 2004 shocker All Roads to Fault. – Darcie StevensThis article appears in March 18 • 2005.