Grand Champeen
Dial T for This (In Music We Trust)
Fourth time’s the charm! Grand Champeen has had its flashes of brilliance in the past, but where 2003’s The One That Brought You fired far more bar band than studio savvy, Dial T for This overflows with pop hooks that would make Cheap Trick purple with envy. The high-octane Austin quartet leaves some of its Replacements’ brattiness behind for mature melodies and the occasional, almost stately backdrop, but there’s still enough punk underpinning to remind you that their next drink is making its way to the stage. While most bands these days make tracks for download, Alex Livingstone, Channing Lewis, Ned Stewart, and Michael Crow proffer a rock & roll experience that’s best as a whole. From nearly orchestral set-opener “What It Beats,” scampering “Wounded Eye,” and ringing harmonies of “Cities on the Plain” to melancholy closer “Olivia,” Dial T should well ring up among Austin’s best in 2007. (Wednesday, March 14, Room 710, 10pm)
All Showcases Subject to Change
This article appears in March 9 • 2007.