The 11th-annual Austin Chronicle Hair of the Three-Legged Dog day party had the energy of a boozy kickoff, rather than a hangover recovery, thanks to the condensed South by Southwest schedule this year. Bloody Marys and Dirty Shirleys flowed as effortlessly as the swaying hips and heads in the Hotel Vegas crowd. If the patio-perfect weather was any indication, late Chrondog and event mascot, Hank the Tripaw, was certainly blessing the gathering from doggy heaven as his successor, Champ, made his first public appearance.
Mixtape master Free Hamze kicked off the festivities with his first ever live band adaptation of FREETAPE 5: The Shadow and the Self. Blending silky saxophone riffs with delicate piano loops and steady percussion, plus simple, swaggering basslines, and the rapper’s effortless storytelling, the group immediately got the crowd swaying, clapping, and even singing along as if they’d been playing Hamze’s politically poignant tracks together forever.
Adorned in thematically appropriate dog-inspired clown makeup, synth-wielding songwriter Égaux Sells brought their pop-blending sound to the sun-filled patio dancefloor next. Between I HATE FIGHTING!!! singles like “TOO HARD” and “LAST TIME,” the effusive performer twirled, tapped, and body dropped with vaudevillian precision while introducing yet-unreleased tracks into their growing canon of mysteriously sumptuous, strobe-seeking club bangers.
Next, indie rock trio Team Trust took the stage for a sure-footed performance of their earnest, structure-shaking compositions. Effortlessly trading overlapping vocals, bassist Dan Mabray, guitarist Elday Kornberg, and drummer JD Brunson III jammed out their Treat Box of feel-good rock with a touch of extra punk flair and led the audience in one of their signature trust exercises: encouraging neighboring crowd members to teach each other a dance move, to delightfully goofy and groovy results.
Carrie Fussell’s kaleidoscopic pop-rock project, BRUCE, tied up the dynamic dance party. As Fussell cheekily shared stories behind some of Must Love Teeth’s tracks, upcoming album Thumbs, and her tape-crafted Austin Music Awards outfit, the triad proved colorfully charismatic in both music and conversation. Drummer Josh Bickley and bassist Ryan Brewer captured the project’s dramatic urgency alongside Fussell on vocals and guitar, from the sinisterly sensual “Cherry” to a stripped-down rendition of “Water Pitcher,” with many theatrically arranged rock ballads in between, leaving the crowded patio floor thirsty for more.
See more day party images in Jay-Alan Baltierra’s photo gallery.
