Diamond Rugs

(Partisan)

Rawkus supergroups drawn together primarily for a good time now include Diamond Rugs. That’s to be expected from the prolific and ornery mind of Deer Tick’s John McCauley, teamed with members of Black Lips, Dead Confederate, Six Finger Satellite, and Steve Berlin from Los Lobos. The surprise isn’t that their eponymous debut LP turned out terrific, but that it got made at all. Gritty and boozy comes as a given, and McCauley’s whiskey bottle vox are in full effect on country-cut garage rocker “Gimme a Beer” and the Stones-y “Call Girl Blues,” but Berlin’s sax snaps give both an effective jolt. Confederate’s Hardy Morris leads “Country Mile” by antagonistic contrast, torturing a country lope with sludge guitars. “Totally Lonely” sounds as if they drowned Leonard Cohen. “Hungover and Horny” unfurls as you’d expect, but closer “Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant” turns in Tom Waits’ sadness and charm. (Sat., Yellow stage, 9:05pm)

***.5

This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.