The Wheeler Brothers Headline Antone’s – Ticket Giveaway!

The Wheeler Brothers were one of the most anticipated acts of Utopiafest weekend, and I was sad that we had to head out just barely into their set. Lucky for me, the guys are playing Antone’s this Friday. It’s their first headlining gig, and promises to be a good one.

The five-piece, combined of three actual Wheeler brothers and two close friends, put out their debut album Portraits over the summer, and followed that up with their first national tour. Now, they’re about to embark on another three month-long trek, kicking it all off in their hometown of Austin.

The Wheeler Brothers’ sound is reminiscent of the Band of Horses, with beautiful vocals layered over rocked-out folk. It’s an infectious sound that fills any venue with ease, and performed by guys who clearly love what they’re doing. Beyond their musical talent, the Wheeler Brothers are a generous band, allowing other Utopiafest musicians to crash at their ranch, and currently hosting a contest through their Facebook page to send one lucky fan “Home for the Holidays.”

If you want to see what all of the fuss is about, make sure you check out the Wheeler Brothers this Friday at 9pm. Want to see ‘em for free? Post a comment on this story, sharing a personal holiday memory. I’ll pick a winner Thursday for a ticket plus-one.

Hanson does Antone’s – 9/22/11

All of my musical adoration can be traced back to a Hanson concert put on at Sea World San Antonio. This blog, my current musical obsessions, even my musically borne relationship with my boyfriend — none of these things would have existed if it hadn’t been for a trio from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I fell in love with Hanson when I was in middle school. They had just come out with their seventh (yes — seventh) album, This Time Around, which, in terms of new material, was the follow-up to their breakout hit, Middle of Nowhere. The brothers were headed to San Antonio, Texas, touring in support of This Time Around, and I was an overall-and-Doc-Marten-wearing, hair-braiding, brace-faced kid ready for my first concert experience ever.

I remember starting out sitting at the back of the venue, up on a grassy field with my mom, munching on a very expensive slice of pizza and very concerned there would be some kind of stage rush. Although the venue filled up, we ended up wandering down close to the stage, dancing quietly off to the left, and the live concert experience and the brothers’ musicianship hooked me then and there.

Now, the guys are releasing immaculate pop records on their own independent label. They’ve got their own families, but after all these years, their brotherly love has held strong enough to keep on keepin’ on. I think one of my favorite things about Hanson is that they love and perform for their fans, above all. They still play their hit single “Mmmbop” at shows, and they don’t sound tired when they do it — their voices are richer, but they sing it with as much heart as they used to. Now, they also get to fill their set lists with eight albums’ worth of material, the latest being the fun and peppy Shout It Out.

I think one of the most amazing things about Hanson is that they have survived coming-of-age in front of all of us. A number of years ago, when I told friends and family I still loved Hanson, they would roll their eyes at me and ask if that was a guilty pleasure. But I assured them there was never any guilt I felt enjoying the group’s lovely pop songs, and now, people seem to have come full circle, respecting Hanson’s career and allowing themselves to embrace the band’s positive attitudes and upbeat sounds.

The last time I saw Hanson was when they came through Austin on their The Walk Tour, during which they’d gather groups of people before their show to raise awareness about poverty and AIDS in Africa. The experience was a far cry from Sea World San Antonio — I was a young adult hanging out in a venue with a bar by myself. Hanson, however, was just as enthusiastic and wonderful as always. I expect nothing less when they play Antone’s.

Peter Bjorn & John rock it out at Antone’s

There are a lot of thoughts that race through your head when Peter Moren is standing next to you, sweating all over the place, singing passionately into the mic and pumping his arm like a hip-hop icon, moving from person to person in the audience as he sings right to each one. For me, the one that managed to get caught in the tidal wave of “Oh my God!”s and “No way!!”s was, “How did I get here?”

When you’ve seen a band perform live more than twice, excitement for the show shifts from, “What are they like as live performers?” to “How will this show measure up to that fantastic show at [insert venue and town]?” For instance, I’ve seen Muse play Austin City Limits three times, and I watched them open for My Chemical Romance, and my favorite performance will always be the first time I caught them at Zilker Park in 2006, when they were still fighting for attention and fueled by a desire to “make it.” I’ve seen Phoenix live six times now, and I will still hold the La Zona Rosa gig up as their beacon performance for me, when half of the crowd ended the night onstage and I forgot everything and was just existing in their music.

Of all of the bands I’ve followed in a rabid fangirl way over the years, the one I have seen more times than any other by a long shot is Peter Bjorn & John. I was lucky to stumble on them at South by Southwest in 2007, attending their show based on the buzz around their then-new single, “Young Folks.” I was immediately blown away by the trio (which, at that time, didn’t even include John; he hadn’t made it overseas with his counterparts, so a black-haired non-John was the drummer at their seven South by Southwest gigs). I remember sitting at the Austin City Limits studio in the dim light, about 50 feet from the stage with a near-empty dance floor stretching out in front of me. As the group launched into “Objects of my Affection,” tears started streaming down my face. That was the moment; tingles erupted all over my skin and butterflies flew from my stomach to my throat. I followed the band around the rest of South by Southwest, and have since seen them about fifteen times, as well as four solo Peter Moren shows. I know this band.

However, despite earning enough hypothetical frequent flier miles to get me to Sweden and back, every single time I attend a Peter Bjorn & John show, it is like I am watching them for the first time. That fresh joy that fills you, making your head feel light and fuzzy, your eyes glaze over as the music paints landscapes in your mind, and forces a grin on your face that makes you ache as you stretch your tired body out the venue door – this is what this band has to offer every single time they play. There are few artists I can think of who are as good to their fans as Peter Bjorn & John, who work as hard for them, and it totally pays off.

Bjorn, Peter & Caitlin - the new hit band.

When the band took the stage at Antone’s on the first of June, they brought an explosive rock show to a Wednesday night that you could see reflected in the happy faces of all of the attendees. Their six albums are very diverse, but they managed to update all of their discography to reflect their latest straight-rock style that they play with on Gimme Some, the album they released this year. This also allowed all three members to showcase their instrumental chops; Peter ripped out some especially impressive guitar solos, Bjorn punched his bass riffs out with sass, and John was getting a full workout on the drums, arms flying wildly between snare and cymbals.

They eased into the evening the way you’d ease into a pool for night swimming, with the lush and flowering “May Seem Macabre.” The pace picked up a little with “It Don’t Move Me,” which was reimagined to be less of an electronic-rock dance tune, and more of a straightforward rock ‘n’ roll romp. “Eyes” really got bodies moving, including Peter’s; this was one of the first songs where he approached the crowd as close as he could get, jutting his guitar out into the front row.

Throughout the night, the three band members interacted with the crowd in their distinctive ways, revealing their own personalities. Peter was the most in-your-face, crouching down and hamming it up for a guy in the front row who was taking a photo, running from one end of the platform to the other and jumping out on amps or whatever else he could find so he could be closer to the crowd, and even leaping into the crowd for singsongs on two songs. Bjorn scanned the audience with a perfectly nonchalant blank rocker face, stepping forward toward the crowd a few times for the more epic of his solos, and John would often pick out individual audience members, pointing at them and nodding to encourage their clapping, singing, and general enjoyment of the show. He also is in the habit of standing up after each song to give a little bow and mouth the words “Thank you,” reflecting his sweet role in PB&J.

One of the first big singalongs of the night came with “Second Chance,” the latest single from Gimme Some. “Let’s Call It Off” from their breakout album, Writer’s Block, continued that trend, and then I lost it (and embarrassed myself a bit, managing to crush my boyfriend’s toes as I leapt up and down and screamed) when they launched into “Teen Love,” a cover of a Concretes song they included on their second album, Falling Out. This was the only song they performed that wasn’t from their latest three records (not including the instrumental album, Seaside Rock), but it fit in perfectly with their more stripped-down rock sound. It’s a straightforward little diddy about young, heartsick love, and Peter lets his vocals wail.

Another standout moment of the night included the three-song chunk near the end of the opening set, featuring a rip-roaring take on “Breaker, Breaker,” a breathless minute-and-thirty-nine-second song that puts John front and center as his drums fly by at breakneck speed. That transitioned into the rhythm-heavy anthem and Gimme Some opener, “Tomorrow Has to Wait,” which raised a chorus of audience voices proclaiming we would live in this moment, and my favorite tear-jerker, “Objects of my Affection.” Bjorn introduced it as “the whistle song,” which led to whispers among audience members guessing we were about to be treated with “Young Folks.” Instead, we got a barrage of leaping guitar and Swedish men, as the guys took us all to a brief moment of nirvana. The lyrics especially rang true that night as Peter proclaimed, “I remember when, when I first moved here/A long time ago/’Cause I heard some song I used to hear back then/A long time ago.” It’s a song that reminds you of your personal growth, and how proud you should be for it. It is sweeping and glorious, the kind of song you wish would follow you around on days that are hard and days that are beautiful. They finished off their opening set with a jam session called “I Know You Don’t Love Me,” which took PB&J to their pinnacle of rock, and allowed John to sing his first lead song of the night.

The pleas for an encore were the weakest I’ve ever heard at a live show, which is really the only complaint I have about the night at all. I’m afraid that audiences have become so accustomed to encores that they don’t even bother to work for them anymore; they just stand there, waiting expectantly. Luckily, Peter Bjorn & John took the applause and hollers they got, plus the cue from nobody budging, to come back out for not one, but two encores.

The first encore kicked off with Peter holding nothing but a mic and a harmonica, busting out a bluesy take on “Nothing to Worry About.” Almost immediately, Peter hopped down off of the stage and made a beeline for the middle, strutting slowly in a line as audience members excitedly but respectfully stood in awe around him, pumping their fists and nodding their heads to the tune. Peter had a giant grin on his face, eating up the audience’s happiness and acting every bit the frontman as he sang his words clearly and carefully, enunciating to the point of almost sassily spitting out the words. If anyone had been unsure about whether they should dance, this pushed them over the edge. Everyone started grooving after this song.

Bjorn’s big Writer’s Block hit, “Amsterdam,” came next, and the weed smoke that already filled the air with a sweet-and-skunky stench grew that much stronger. Then we all dipped into a bit of stereotypically metal Swedish rockness – “Black Book” put John back on lead vocals, and prompted headbanging and some near-pogoing as the floor seemed to shake a bit with the heaviness of the song. The trio brought it down for “Down Like Me” to close out their first encore, allowing everyone (band members included) to breathe a little bit, and ensuring there would be one final encore, as the group’s big hit had yet to whistle its way onto the setlist.

After a slightly stronger plea from the audience, the Swedes entered the scene one last time, kicking it off with a tune Peter proclaimed was made for the couples. “You can do-si-do, as you do in Texas,” Peter said, and then digressed a bit to talk about bathroom smells, Amsterdam smells and everything in between. Bjorn tried to bring it back, but forgot the term “do-si-do” and ended up gesturing to get his point across. “Stay This Way” was revamped from its sweet, stark, cool electronic whisper to a sensual, sexy soul tune.

Finally, “Young Folks” echoed into the evening air, whistles bouncing around the room as Peter leapt back into the audience and make the trek from one end of the room to the other, receiving gentle pats on the back and enthusiastic whoops couple with adoring smiles. The song is cute on record, but really unites live, and Peter got people jumping to this tune. The band closed out on a new tune, “Lies,” which is a quick, straight rock tune that benefitted from the unity of “Young Folks.” Everyone was singing, hugging and clapping, as we all took that final dip on this roller coaster of a night.

I suppose the way I made it to this spectacular show at Antone’s was by being dedicated to the point of extreme fandom. I put my faith in Peter Bjorn & John, and they have repaid me at every turn. They are giving of their energy and their emotion, and spent time after the show to ensure every fan that wanted an autograph, a picture or a hug would be satisfied. They make it easy to get to that place of overwhelming and all-encompassing bliss, with or without an “Amsterdam smell.” On waves of twirling and twisting guitar and bass lines, leaping between bursting drum beats, all carried by this charming, enthusiastic trio, they’ll make you smile every single time.

Peter Moren played a solo gig, powering through forgotten lyrics and “bathroom smells.” Check out my review of that gig here.

Peter Bjorn and John at Antone’s – Setlist

I’ve got a review of the Peter Bjorn & John gig from last night at Antone’s on its way (It’s up! Click here), but I wanted to post up the setlist, which I wrote on my arm and hand. I figured enough work went into documenting it, I should share it with y’all. Here you go:

Peter Bjorn & John at Antone’s, 06/01/2011

May Seem Macabre
It Don’t Move Me
Eyes
Second Chance
Let’s Call It Off
Teen Love
Dig a Little Deeper
Breaker, Breaker
Tomorrow has to Wait
Objects of my Affection
I Know You Don’t Love Me

Encore 1
Nothing to Worry About
Amsterdam
Black Book
Down Like Me

Encore 2
Stay This Way
Young Folks
Lies

Marina & the Diamonds – Antone’s, 04/11/11

Marina Diamandis of Marina & the Diamonds is one of those people for whom the phrase “blood, sweat and tears” was coined. She’s a pop singer with the voice of an opera singer who has the hunger for stardom that you might imagine a young Lady Gaga or Britney Spears possessing, except that she also has good-natured wit and a down-to-Earth character that endear her to fans. She is simultaneously the girl next door, and a diva in training, magnetic and impossible to take your eyes off of. On record, I knew none of this, except the witticism. When Marina took the Antone’s stage Monday night, she defined the rest within the first song.

Austin-based L.A.X. opened for Marina. I had heard their name before, but knew nothing about them. I fell in love almost instantaneously. L.A.X. are like some crazy blend of modern auto-tuned pop music with the best of cheesy 90′s pop and R&B. The female vocalists, Erin Jantzen and Yadira Brown, stole the show for me. They danced around, played in the fan blowing massive photo shoot-worthy air, and Yadira blew everyone away when she rapped over their tunes, eliciting hoots and hollers from a mightily impressed crowd. For some reason, there were few dancers getting down with the band – my guess is a mix of it being a Monday night and a younger crowd, so fewer people were, ahem, letting go of inhibitions – but there was still loving applause by the end of the band’s set, which they ripped through without breaking between songs. I was totally won over, and would recommend this group to anyone nostalgic for Ace of Bass, who likes talented rappers, or who just wants to dance.

As fabulous as the L.A.X. ladies’ voices were, nobody quite compares to Marina. Her gorgeous roar is arresting. After her four-piece band took the stage dressed in all black, Marina entered the scene as some weird time-traveling Pink Lady in a cheerleading skirt, halter tee and appropriate jean jacket with a giant diamond painted on the back. Her hair was teased out up to the heavens, and she was wearing a headband with a bow and neon-colored sunglasses. She tore the roof off with “The Outsider,” her voice rising and falling over dancey synth beats.

Marina and her Diamonds managed to play ever song on her 13-track full-length debut, The Family Jewels, with highlights including the fun and snotty “Girls,” which the ladies in the audience happily sneered along to, sparkly and Robyn-esque “Shampain,” crowd-pleasing “Oh No!” which tackles the theme of what someone is willing to give up for their goals, “Obsessions,” which saw Marina behind the keyboard and really allowed her voice to soar, and of course her hit, “I Am Not a Robot,” for which she changed into a neon-pink faux-leather dress and led an impassioned sing-along.

The band debuted two songs from their upcoming sophomore release. The first, never-before-heard, was called “Living Dead,” and you could feel how stoked the band was to give it a shot. Marina was nervous, but a cup of vodka soothed her and she managed to keep it from going “tits up” as she’d feared it would. The tune touched on a lot of her favorite themes, and it sounded like it could have even been an outtake from the Family Jewels. The second new song was one of my favorites of the whole night. Called “Jealousy,” it has a gut-twisting bass line and fantastic melody. It’s got a Eurythmics overtone to it, but still feels fresh.

Marina shut the night down with a final costume change and an ode to America, “Hollywood,” that was an energetic and fantastic way to close. In a sequined skirt and top with the American flag on it, she belted her tune about the “American Queen.” She’d mentioned earlier in the night that she was legitimately fascinated with American and wanted so badly to “make it here.” If this performance was any indication, she’s well on her way.

Some artists are best left to recording booths and vinyl discs, where they can tweak their visions to perfection. Others shine best under live stage light, and Marina defines this category. Given the chance, she will make you fall in love with her at a live show. Her energy, visible star power and knockout vocal prowess absolutely must be experienced in a sweaty crowd. Marina is the real deal, and I can’t wait for her to storm the charts and become the American dream.

Miike Snow at Antone’s, 6/8/10

Normally, 10:30 p.m. on a weekday night for workin’ folk is what I like to call “bedtime.” (Or, perhaps more realistically, “wasting time watching crappy TV on Hulu until bedtime.”) However, this particular Tuesday night, a legion of Swedes plus one soulful, sugar-voiced Yankee calling themselves Miike Snow descended upon Austin, Texas, to trance a packed Antone’s into blissed-out dance freaks.

Local Natives – Antone’s

In very early 2009, I was standing outside of the Beauty Bar in downtown Austin, Texas with my friend Eric, leaning up against the fence on a Wednesday night, trying to figure out what to do. There were grunts and groans from instruments coming out of the door to the venue, but other than a presumable sound check, there appeared to be nobody in the place, so Eric and I were prepared to find a different haunt. Just as we were deciding which street to wander down, a group of scraggly, rowdy guys came bursting through the Beauty Bar door, and the tallest shouted, “It’s time to find people to come to this show!!” This caused me to turn, and the tall dude saw me and asked, “Do you guys wanna see a show? It’s great!” I asked him who was playing, and he said, “Well, we’re in a band called Voxhaul Broadcast, and we’re playing with the Union Line, which is the band these guys here are in, and then the Local Natives are setting up right now, they go on in about half an hour.” I looked at Eric, we shrugged and said, “Sure!” I asked where the guys were from, and they said California. I nodded, and we promised the guys we’d head inside. About fifteen minutes later, we wandered in to join maybe 3 other people in the room. When the Local Natives began to play, it felt like it was for us and the bartenders. I remember being immediately drawn to “Airplanes,” and I remember the energy infused in “Sun Hands.” I became a total advocate that night, and was sorely disappointed to discover this Silverlake gem hadn’t recorded a full album yet, but I bought their split 7” that had “Airplanes” on one side, a Union Line song on the other. I chatted with their sweet drummer Matt, who informed me they’d be back for South by Southwest a few months later.

Flash forward to April 23, 2010. I arrive at Antone’s on 5^th street at 10 p.m. to a line snaking around the venue. Doors opened a few moments later, and we masses poured into the building, trying to stake out space close to the stage. By the time the Local Natives took the stage a little over an hour later, bodies filled every inch of space, jostling into one another, stepping on toes and craning necks to see over the forest of people around them. The band still sound checked themselves, exemplifying the strange space this band lives in – huge and completely deserved success garnered at a stupefying breakneck speed. Of course, the band has been working for years (previously with a slightly different lineup under the moniker Cavil At Rest.) They played through their entire album; yep, they now have a full-length album out on their label, Frenchkiss, called Gorilla Manor. Highlights included the sultry “Cards & Quarters,” with a completely jammable beat, the soaring harmonies in “Airplanes” which led to a solid three minutes of audience applause as the gentlemen of the band stood in complete awe, with the biggest grins on their faces and practically shaking their heads in disbelief, and the night’s encore and closer, “Sun Hands,” which exploded in rock and prompted some (read: me) to leap up and down in a rapturous state of mosh.

I was completely lucky to stumble upon this band over a year ago, and could not be happier for them in all of the success they’ve experienced in such a short time. If you’ve yet to join the Local Natives fan base, but you like sweeping melodies, thumping rhythms, rich harmonies and Talking Heads covers, don’t waste another second – become a part of their incredible success story. Just walk through the door.