The Unbearables

Just One Bite: Selections From “Bitten!: A Zombie Rock Odyssey” (Stem and Leaf)

With an appetite for destruction and a storyline that falls somewhere between Night of the Living Dead and Grease, the Unbearables’ soundtrack to Just One Bite, staged last year at Austin’s Dougherty Arts Center, does zombies proud with their very own rock opera. For starters, the local quartet expanded to 14 members, which includes the Zombie Girls Choir, whose grandiose vocal arrangements add to the epic proportions, especially those of leading lady Amanda Walker, who portrays the character of Amelia. The horn section also gives a much-appreciated symphonic lift, à la Polyphonic Spree or Sufjan Stevens, and Erik Wofford’s production pulls the whole thing together. Most importantly, the band doesn’t forget to rock in the process, unfolding the two-act play through a series of danceable, garage rock gems led by Ian LeClair’s Orbison-inflected croon. One bite isn’t enough.

***

This article appears in February 9 • 2007.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US