Tump

Jack Parker, Davie Murray, Jonah Holt, and Curtis Pierce are Tump, a big, chunky blues-rock outfit with plenty of meaty guitar hooks. Tump turns up fun music: sloppy drum fills, Parker’s desperate-sexy whine, and dusty guitar snarls on boozy stomps (“Love My Death”) and frantic, fiery, bang-it-out desperado ballads (“Creepy Liver”). That “they played that faggy jazz only New York fags play” is a little troubling, especially on a song called “Faggy Jazz.” It’s one of those rare moments when dumb fun coalesces into something ugly. There’s a fine line between reveling in honest Southern pride, and simply looking like an asshole. Tump don’t always end up in the right, but they’re having fun. Focus on that and everything else falls into place.

***

This article appears in December 28 • 2012.

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