Authors: Joshua Joye
SXSW 2013: The Wolf @ Hotel Vegas/Volstead 03.13
It would be great to see The Wolf play with The Entrance Band, for the pure joy in showing The Wolf how an adult garage psych band really makes original music. … read more
SXSW 2013: Merchandise @ Scoot Inn 03.14
Merchandise had manifested a persona during their show that said, “accept us or reject us, we really don’t care.” They create a calm and introverted demeanor through vocals combined with small, slow-flowing movements while the lead singer would close his eyes to feel the music, crowd and energy of the room, much like any successful shoegaze band. … read more
SXSW 2013: Maximum Hedrum @ The Main 03.14
Maximum Hedrum’s stage presence was incredibly wacky and crazy. One could definitely tell that the band was from Hollywood CA. Most of the band members where blasting out more fake energy than a Tony Robbins convention and spouted one liners to entice the audience. … read more
SXSW 2013: Pissed Jeans @ 1100 Warehouse 03.14
There is not enough sarcasm in all of Austin to match the amount that came out of Pissed Jeans vocalist Matt Korvette. Pissed Jeans is just as their name says, sans jeans. Pissed Jeans don’t give a fuck about you or what you do, say, or want. Honestly, Matt said, “We actually don’t care about you guys,” to the audience. … read more
SXSW 2013: Eagles of Death Metal @ The Belmont 03.15
Eagles of Death Metal put on an energetic show with plenty of crowd interaction unlike any other band who rolls through town. Jesse interacts with his fans, thanks and praises all who come out to see, kisses ladies’ hands and pulls cigarettes from crowd members who are happy to hand them out, and, last but not least, lets stage jumpers hang out with the band on stage. … read more
SXSW 2013: Bleached @ Panache Showcase – Hotel Vegas 03.15
If I had to marry one band member from Bleached the obvious choice would have to be the reserved, quiet bass player, who by appearance and pure energy radiated a sense of maturity one or two notches above the other ladies in the band. ‘Nuff said. … read more
SXSW 2013: Escape @ The JR 03.15
Escape made me want to do one thing and one thing only while standing in one place: pure head banging. The chance to see a Cuban metal band is quite rare in SLC due to customs laws between the states and Cuba. It took SXSW two years just to bring Escape over from Cuba to play a forty-minute set. I would say the chance of that happening in Salt Lake City is slim to none. … read more
SXSW 2013: Beliefs @ Empire Control Room 03.16
Being able to see Jesus and Mary Chain play with Beliefs would be unbelievable for both the band and me. For one thing, Beliefs came about because of their affection for ‘90s shoegaze at a party years ago, so naturally one would think that if Jesus and Mary Chain played with Beliefs the band would be ecstatic. Also, Jesus and Mary Chain would rub off on Beliefs a little more to strengthen some of the band’s weakness seen on Saturday. … read more
Top 5: Cult of Luna
Ascending out of the black abyss after five years of quietly lurking in the adumbrative shadows, Cult of Luna released their album, Vertikal I, which transcended the norm and boundaries of the typical metal wavelengths. With all the cultivation and care that went into Vertikal I, however, the album did not illuminate the full spectrum of sound that the band had intended to highlight. In 2013, Vertikal I was made whole, as Cult of Luna introduced three extra songs and a remix on a separate EP: Vertikal II. … read more
Top 5: Horseback
Jenks Miller, the father behind Horseback’s latest album, Piedmont Apocrypha, has again created a twined nest of experimental sound by combining a base of seething feedback and altering levels of oozing drone. The album as a whole lifts up the listener in a cradle to help see Miller’s vision of music as a single, fluid entity with this nongenre specific album. … read more