Winslow has had quite a year. The Austin quartet played its first show April 1, 2000, at the Hole in the Wall, and plays its first SXSW showcase at Ruta Maya tonight. Its self-titled EP, originally recorded as a demo to get live shows, came out in January on Praying Mantis Style Records. They play more weekends than not, which isn’t too bad for four guys whose musical tastes don’t always line up.
Guitarist/vocalist Ken Hatten cops to constantly spinning the Cult in college. Bassist Justin Bankston raves about the new Rainer Maria album and says he thought Bedhead was “the coolest.” Drummer John Wilkins’ first time at a rock show was U2’s Unforgettable Fire tour. And guitarist/vocalist Zack Logan confesses an adolescent fondness for Skinny Puppy and Slayer. Quite a mixed bag. Yet there are plenty of bands they can all get behind: Yo La Tengo, Jane’s Addiction, Slint, and … AC/DC.
“We all love metal,” Hatten says. “Though we disagree over Van Halen.”
It’s certainly not afraid of instrumentals, but not much about Winslow’s EP is metal. It’s too melodic, too measured, and above all, too slow. Save “The Answer Is,” which starts off floating on a double helix of guitar arpeggios and snare-drum cracks before erupting into the sort of psychedelic rave-up once associated with Austin’s Flying Saucers and Sixteen Deluxe.
Semantics aside, Austin’s fraternity of hallucination-inducing ensembles is flourishing. Experimental Aircraft, the Swells, Wave Station, Explosions in the Sky, and Palaxy Tracks regularly turn the Ritz or Red Eyed Fly into venue-sized (albeit crowded) bedrooms where it’s all too easy to close your eyes and be whisked away into a lysergic wonderland, even if the only thing you’ve dropped is $3 on a Lone Star.
Still very much fans, they wonder if they’ll have a chance to catch any Mogwai songs before tonight’s 1am showcase, but say they probably won’t risk it; they’d be discouraged by the Scottish sleep-rock prodigies. When it’s pointed out Winslow represents an ideal post-Mogwai comedown — Ruta Maya is mere blocks from the Music Hall — they quip about not being completely used to the idea of having their own fans just yet.
“We’ve never done anything anybody liked before,” Logan says.
This article appears in March 16 • 2001.