Thee Oh Sees are classified as a garage rock band, but they incorporate other forms of rock such as psychedelic and post-rock. They hail from California, so it’s an honor to see them at Phuzz. Unlike many cookie-cutter rock bands, this one has two drummers who accent each other’s parts throughout their many head-banging songs. I actually didn’t realize this until the end when the crowd cleared, but it definitely makes sense with how they sounded.
Bailey Park, an outdoor venue, housed this energetic bunch of musicians and their lo-fi singing. Perhaps my favorite part of the concert was three songs before they left the stage when the lead singer, John Dwyer, issued a disclaimer about their music. “There’s no toilet paper in the bathroom, so beware of this next one, dudes.” Following this statement, they played one of their shorter songs, but seamlessly transitioned into one of their longer one which took up the remaining 10 minutes they had on stage. As the minutes flew by, I thrashed my head and bounced around in the pit to the harpy-like singing and reverb guitar. I felt as though I had traveled to the Underworld and Thee Oh Sees were dragging me through the River Styx.
Must Be The Holy Ghost is the project of Winston-Salem’s own Jared Draughon. This is one of the artists I am most excited to see at Phuzz Phest, as MBTHG is best known for their fantastic live show. Draughon plays solo equipped with loop pedals and a drum machine to create songs that build up to a huge wall of sound rarely seen from a full band, let alone a solo performer. The live show also features visuals from a projectionist that displays colorful psychedelic patterns with color dyes on an old projector.
MBTHG is one of my favorite local artists from the Winston area and joins a great selection of North Carolina artists that are playing Phuzz Phest. I can’t wait to see the musical and visual display put on by Draughon in his local city among so many other great bands.
Last month I had the pleasure of traveling to Austin, TX and attending a few day parties at South by South West!
SXSW day parties are a series of unofficial shows put on by various sponsors during the festival. These showcases are great for those like me who were unable to purchase a music pass as they are open to the general public and free to attend. (much like Hopscotch music festival’s day parties).
Every business in the city of Austin seemed to get into the swing of the Festival from venues like Spider house, pizza places like 100 Pizzitas even people’s homes become venues for the week.
Although I only attended three days and I should mention couldn’t go to every show I desired because of my age, (I’d say this festival is not the most under drinking age friendly) I was able to see good range of artists and fall in love with that southern city.
Here’s a photographic overview of a few places I went, and artists I saw.
Alex G. A WKNC favorite, this Low-fi band never disappoints live. Among many other places they played at outdoor venue Space 24Twenty which was sponsored by Urban Outfitters.
City of The Sun. Probably the most magical and unexpected performance I attended while in Austin. I had known the acoustic post rock band would be in Austin for the festival, but was bummed the only shows I could find were for pass holders only. To my surprise while walking into downtown I found them busking under a bridge.
Kississippi. I had no idea what “Eden House” was when I got the address for the Funeral sounds/Broken world media sponsored show only to find myself in someone’s cleared out living room to see the heartfelt indy-pop band among other artists.
Happy Abandon. Got a taste of back home seeing this Chapel Hill Indy band in Austin. Playing at 100 Pizzitas a pizza shop whose view of Downtown Austin’s skyline was as beautiful as their melodic sound.
Netherfriends. This solo project by Shawn Rosenblatt as he explicitly describes as “blues trap” undoubtedly wins the most unsettling performance I have seen.. ever. With a combination of rude humor, crude dancing, and technical difficulties although I had previously enjoyed his recordings its a wonder how he landed shows at SXSW.
Mother Falcon. These Austin natives put on their own showcase, “All the friends ball” where they invited bands from the area and nationally which they’ve developed relations with to play a day show at Spider house Cafe a beautiful outdoor venue, bar and restaurant. Although their set was cut short because of time restrictions this 15 piece orchestral folk band blew me away.
And the Kids. This upbeat indie-pop trio from Massachusetts played at And the Friends ball showcase at Spiderhouse Ballroom along with a deer they claimed to have “rescued.”
Thee Oh Sees may have started as the name John Dwyer used to release some of his experimental home recordings, but since those humble beginnings TOS has evolved into so much more. Hooks drawing from punk, garage, and psychedelic influences will grab you by the ear and refuse to let go.
Perhaps one of their most defining features is how much material they have recorded. Their album Mutilator Defeated At Last was released last May and is their 16th studio album.
On a personal note, the first request I ever took while DJing on WKNC was for Thee Oh Sees. I was unfamiliar with them at the time but I have become an avid listener since then. The song was “If I Stay Too Long” off of 2011’s Castlemania. I can’t wait for their performance this Friday – it’s sure to be Phuzzy.
Although she is barely 22, Greta Kline (aka Frankie Cosmos) has both the aura and the experience of a fully experienced musician. She has released over a couple dozen low-fi DIY projects on Bandcamp in addition to an EP and now two proper LPs. Her newly released album, Next Thing is a big step forward both lyrically and sonically, with some of Kline’s best lyrics to date and fantastic full band arrangements that do justice to her songwriting ability.
Instead of mixing old songs with new, Frankie Cosmos played almost every track from the new LP before moving on to older material. She ended the initial section with my favorite Next Thing track, “Embody” before playing an Of Montreal cover and then running through highlights from Zentropy and the entirety of the Fit Me In EP.
Eskimeaux, the bedroom pop project of Kline’s longtime friend and touring band member Gabrielle Smith, performed before Frankie Cosmos. The band played lots of new material from an upcoming EP release. Their set was just as good as the headliner’s, as the new songs carry an immediacy that goes over very well in a live setting. Anna McLellan opened up the night accompanied by jazz-influenced piano.
This was one of the best shows I’ve been to in recent memory. Frankie Cosmos and Eskimeaux are two of my favorite artists in the scene right now and seeing them perform together was amazing. All the performances were solid and these artists have lots of great music still left to put out.
6th Street in Austin, TX is the city’s main drag, with countless bars and quick food spots. Every single one of those bars has the ability to turn itself into a live music venue. During SXSW, a sizable portion of 6th is cut off from traffic, giving festival goers the ability to walk the streets freely. It’s wild, fun, and everything a festival goer would need to tell great stories when they get home. However, as Music Week comes to a close on Friday and Saturday, it turns into an open market for hopeful rappers, this year more than last.
About a million people descend onto Austin, TX for SXSW each year, so it’s a no-brainer for unsigned or unknown artists to gather their entourage and make themselves known to potential followers. Most of those bars on 6th Street are available for booking unofficial SXSW showcases, which many artists take advantage of.
That’s not the problem. I actually commend that type of persistence in artists.
The problem is there was a surprising amount of rappers who weren’t even booked for the unofficial shows, out on 6th, with their whole neighborhood flexing on everyone who walked by. They were either handing out free CDs, doing a little cypher, or standing around with big signs emblazoned with their stage names and pictures. What the f#*k are y’all doing? Seriously.
CDs are a dead medium, and 99.9% of people who get one handed to them throw them on the street when they get out of sight (the streets are literally covered in CDs). Not to mention, who is even carrying around a Discman anymore? If you’re handing out free CDs at an event like SX, you’re expecting drunk people from out of town to care about your music enough to bring it home with them and play it in their car. Probably not gonna happen fam. However, if you were lucky, click on this Noisey link. Maybe they reviewed one of your mixtapes.
On two occasions I walked past a crew not handing out CDs, but standing around with signs for a rapper. I was trying to read the social media handle associated with the artist they were promoting and got, “Yo whatchu starin’ at son?” Now I’m not a writer for Rolling Stone, or an A&R at Universal, but my title as the Urban Music Director at a well-known college radio station is definitely not something to shrug at. Actually, at a SX panel session about promoting music on college campuses, Frank DeCicco, Senior Director of College Marketing at Sony Music Entertainment, and Todd Goodwin, Vice President of College & Lifestyle Marketing at Universal Music Group, said that college stations are still the number 1… I’ll say it again, NUMBER 1 outlet that consumers use to find out about new artists. So the mean mugging street team literally told one of the very few people who could help them on 6th Street, not to stare at their advertisement. Sigh.
To the artists on 6th Street: All of this nonsense displays a below average hustle game. Pressing CDs in bulk is expensive. The only reason an artist should be pressing CDs is for promotional use, to be distributed to actual media outlets, and possibly selling them at your shows. Also, printing can get up to a few hundred dollars for large signs and posters that will end up being torn down by city sanitation hours after you leave. None of these promotional materials will translate into revenue for your brand.
With all that money spent, an artist could invest in hiring a real publicist, a legitimate promotion campaign, and a music badge for SXSW. Those would provide more than enough outreach to media outlets and listeners. Going to sessions alone at SX gives you a year’s worth of networking. Seriously, everyone you need to meet is there.
With all this said, rappers please put more thought into who you let represent your work, and don’t waste your time at SX; make it count. There are too many opportunities abound to be posted on the block in a city that you’re not even from. Isn’t that the life you’re trying to get away from anyway?
However I did see one exception… the dude in the above picture. He had all of 6th Street going crazy by setting up a PA system and doing a show out in the middle of the street. Good for you bruh. Then again, I couldn’t find out who he was from anyone, so there’s a lesson to be learned in that too. If anyone knows who he is, email me at underground@wknc.org because he was dope.
WKNC’s Fridays on the Lawn concert series has been bringing local music to NC State’s campus for years, but it’s mostly been indie rock. To ignore a whole scene that’s been making major moves in the Triangle for the past couple years would be a shame. So this Friday, WKNC will hold its first FOTL focused on local hip-hop in a while. The lineup includes up-and-comer Freedom Infinite, the eclectic Vanilla the Hun and the crowd-pleasing Defacto Thezpian.
The three acts were chosen because of their diverse sounds. Freedom Infinite uses a trap rhyme scheme that holds up with traditional hip-hop sound. Vanilla the Hun is making music unlike anything else on the scene, with a fusion of funk, rock and hip-hop. The headliner, Defacto Thezpian, is one of the most charismatic underground rappers in the Triangle. He has a background in theater, which mixed with his smooth delivery, creates an experience for the audience rather than just an emcee spitting rhymes.
Fridays on the Lawn will be held on Harris Field in front of Witherspoon Student Center from 5–7 p.m. Admission will be free and food will be catered by Neomonde. Come and enjoy some nice weather and an opportunity to hear some extra dope local music.
