12/12/08 Newlywed @ Capital Skate Park Pfugerville, TX

Where the fuck is pflugerville? Nvm. Punk rock show. Punk rock venue. So punk rock that no bands had a PA and you couldnt tell wtf was going on the whole fucking time. 100% energy. 100% inebriation. 100% 12-15 year old kids beating the fuck out of each other while some 20 somethings were skating on the other side. Set was so brutal some kid broke his ankle and had to call an ambulance. singer zach brigham and bassist jordan kennamer so drunk they broke drummer fran aguera's snare stand. guitarist Jeff Blum looked angry and had a metal beard. Played metal through a hollow body, props. i'll review this band (and earth eater) more thoroughly in January when they play together at a venue that acutally has a sound system.

4/5 for sheer metalness.

http://www.myspace.com/newlywedband

oh yeah

leave comments on this shit you fucking pussies make me angry tell me i suck fuck.

12/11/08 The Couch @ Triple Crown San Marcos, Texas

CD release party, unfortunately i was unable to get around the hordes of people there to see them to grab one of these bad boys, but i'm hoping to get my hands on one and review it soon. anyways like i said there were a fuckload of people at this show, and this band is a local favorite for good reason. This band brings the "Rock n roll" back to rock n roll. Too much power for such a small venue (thought the walls were gonna fall down) What is there to say about this band other than they are kind of like a classic rock revival, but that wouldn't be fair to them, since they do have plenty of modern rock influence buried within their heavy bluesy riffs. Vocalist Taylor Wilkins is the standout musician for two reasons: He's the vocalist and guitarist (band's a 3 piece) and his voice is fucking incredible. I thought for a while of how to describe his voice, thats all i could come up with, maybe edit later, maybe not. i dont give a fuck. i just want one of those new albums so i can "review" it. so if any of you guys in the couch are reading this, esp you taylor, bring me a cd.
All in all the band attracted enough people to make an anthill jealous and any fan of classic psychidelic blues would feel right at home. Impressive guitar, impressive rhythm section provided by bassist Matt Adams and drummer Jud Johnson, heavenly vocals (as well as harmonies from the rhythm section.) Although nothing completely original, the familiarity is what i feel this band works off of, and it obviously works for them. If you live in central Texas, esp. San Marcos, and you haven't seen this band yet, go to their myspace and make your way to their mecca.

4/5

www.myspace.com/thecouchmusic

12/11/08 CLUBS @ Triple Crown San Marcos, Texas

Great band. Great sound. And dare i say, great beatles cover...??? yah you sluts heard me right this band covered "Come Together" (heard someone say cliche in the audience, obv. hipster) with enough zest to get something zesty or something. The classic beatles sound holding hands with the sounds of Clubs falsetto screams and harmonic dischords (possible?) gives the bands cover enough of the original to attract to die-hard beatles fans (i am one) and has enough originality so you know when you hear it, it's clubs, and not the fab four. The audience seemed to love this band (esp the Come Together cover which everyone began to stupidly dance to (not the bands fault)) They started their set off strong, although the first song was extremely loud musically which seemed to cause vocalist John Nichols' lyrics to seem strained or to simply fade from audibility. However, this apparently seemed to be the fault of the venue sound man because as song two approached, the EQ of the entire band fell perfectly together. Stand out song was song 4 (im told F(natural, not sharp, fran, you fuck) song?) this song had so much power in it that i got goosebumps, musical orgasm if you will. The power of Nichols' vocals backed by the harmonies of Alex Beggins' shrill scream gave this song all the necessary emotion. The band was however coaxed by friends in the audience, as well as members from within, to play a cover of Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy," much to the dismay of Nichols. They did play it though and did a job that i can only describe as "hilarious." I was totally convinced that F song was going to be their standout performance, but then they played their final song (slave?) and blew me, and judging by facial expressions every one else at the venue, out of the water. A strong performance from each member from the power vocals of Nichols to the harmonies of Beggins, to the roaring rhythm section comprised of bassist Foster Farmer and drummer Fran Aguera. Anyone living in central Texas shouldn't miss a chance to see this local gem.

4/5

www.myspace.com/clubsband

12/11/08 Three Leaf @ Triple Crown San Marcos, Texas

Interesting take on a meshing between folk and garage rock. Plenty of other influences apparent though. Impressive flexibility of styles and genre. Personally, the band won me over with their cover of Radiohead's "National Anthem" which sound like what I feel Radiohead would've (should've) sounded like had they not discovered the synth board and the loop pedal. I give muchos props to this band, most bands aren't ballsy enough to attempt a Radiohead cover, and those who do rarely nail it. This band made the song completely their own, and not only do i respect that greatly, but any (true) fan of Radiohead would love the shit out of this cover. Unfortunately for Three Leaf they seemed to exacerbate their energy and although they put out a 12 song set, the only people in the audience who still seemed enthused were close friends of the band. Had the set been cut to about 7-8 songs though, (and the absence of their close, but not quite Ryan Adams cover) this band could have had an extremely solid set. Also may be important to note that their banjo player was missing this show and replaced with a very talented guest harmonica-ist(?) Very impressed with the first few songs, any fans of folk rock (or rev. horton heat) would thoroughly enjoy this band. So anyone with an interest in experimental folk rock in the central Texas area should definetly give this band a listen. Overall musicianship was very impressive and professional, and i feel that the stand out musician was the bassist. groovy.

3.5/5

www.myspace.com/threeleafmusic

www.threeleafmusic.com - go here for a free downloadable copy of their Ghana EP (which i'll try to review later, i'm tired)