The Mother Hips from SXSW 2009

Local Natives
up n comers – catchy songs and amazing singers.
2pm • The Parish (NPR) Listen Live on KUT

Fader Fort – Thursday Lineup Highlights
3:45 Neon indian
4:30 Local Natives
5:15 Bomba Estereo
6:45 the Morning Benders
7:30 Fucked Up

Dam Funk
3:30pm • Carniville Party

The Mother Hips!
5pm • Kayceman Treehouse Party @ Cheers – FREE!
11pm • Encore patio (official sxsw)
the Fathers of Califonia Soul are back in Austin – DON’T MISS THEM

Lissie
8pm • The Parish (official sxsw)
great vocals – great songs and a magnetic presence

Mountain Man (check out my interview w/ them)
9pm • Buffalo Billiards (official sxsw)
trio of girl singers from vermont – spooky and beautiful folk hymns

The Low Anthem
10pm • Palm Door (official sxsw)
Don’t call it Americana – great songs, rootsy, real, raw vocals

jj
10pm • Mohawk Patio (sxsw)
Mysterious electro pop from Sweden w/ sexy female vocals

Holy Fuck
11pm • Mohawk Patio (sxsw)
Amazing instrumental band from Toronto. Thom Yorke digs it.

The 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival is shaping up to be the best yet, with cooler weather, lush green grass, a very solid lineup, and perhaps finest crop of food vendors ever assembled…This ain’t yer daddy’s “state-fare” of turkey legs and funnel cakes…We’re talkin gourmet, Austin-style goodness…even vegetarians have options….and so here’s the…

Taco Town Approved Grub at ACL Fest:

Hudson’s on the Bend
Hot & Crunchy Cone: Shrimp/Chicken/Avocado
NEW! Purple Pig Cone: braised pulled pork w/ purple slaw & horseradish sauce

Mesa Verde Grill
Quesadillas: Spinach Mushroom, Chipotle Chicken or Steak
Smoked Wings with Sweet BBQ or Mango Habenero Sauce

Torchy's Green Chile Pork taco

Torchy’s
Green Chili Pork Taco
Potato Bean Green Chili Taco
Trailer Park Taco

Wahoo’s
Blackened Fish Tacos
Grilled Chicken Tacos
Burritos: Fish/Chicken/Veggie

Moonshine
Fried Fish Tacos w/ Jicima
Lunar Burrito

Blitzen Trapper

• THURSDAY – 5pm – NPR Party @ the Parish
• THURSDAY – 12mid – official sxsw set @ Radio Room

One of the more vibrant and creative bands on the scene today, Portland’s SubPop sextet Blitzen Trapper combine great folk/rock tunes with warped sonics, skewed arrangements and sticky melodies.  They also put out one of the best albums of 2008. [website: http://blitzentrapper.net/ ]

Listen To: Jericho  (unreleased song from their Daytrotter Session) [See post to listen to audio]

Cabeza’s SXSW schedule

The Mother Hips

• Thursday – 2pm – Habana Calle 6 (free)
  
• Friday – 1pm – Cheers (free)
  
• Friday – 6pm – Hotel San Jose (free)
  

Brewing their own fine blend of california soul-rock since the early 90′s, the mother hips have earned a devoted west coast following along with scattered deciples acros the globe.  We here at tacotown are among those that have worship their music.  Their harmonious rock songs and laid back vibe harken back the essences of the Beachboys, Neil Young, and The Band. They took some time off a couple years ago and have since reformed stronger than ever, marked by their latest release Kiss the Crystal Flake, 2 tracks of which were picked to be included in the latest Guitar Hero!  [myspace: http://www.myspace.com/themotherhips]

Listen To: TGIM from Kiss the Crystal Flake (2007) [See post to listen to audio]
Listen To: Everybody Knows this is Nowhere  (live Neil Young cover) [See post to listen to audio]

Cabeza’s Full Schedule Here > http://sxsw2009.sched.org/eboz

Data Rock

• Tuesday – 8pm – Speakeasy (badge only ass)
  
• Friday – 10pm – Austin Music Hall
• Friday – 1am – Emo’s Annex

One listen to the latest album from Bergen, Norway’s DataRock and you get it.. this is party music at its finest.. with retro dancefloor beats, shouty euro vocals, and that romanticization of 80′s American culture that fondles your inner childhood memories (think: revenge of the nerds, breakin’, rad).  I think their song ‘Princess’ could have been the defacto party anthem of 2008. its the kind of song you put on when you want to get pumped up for a night full of jager bombs and sweaty dancefloors. Their live show promises to be highly entertaining… with the band sporting their signature matching red track suits, and a designated hype/dance man running around to whip up the crowd..[website: http://www.datarock.no/]

Listen To: Computer Camp Love from their Self Titled release [See post to listen to audio]
Listen To: Princess from their Self Titled release [See post to listen to audio]

Cabeza’s Full Schedule Here > http://sxsw2009.sched.org/eboz

We are proud to announce that along with HearYa.com, Quinnstorm.com, and Tom Schraeder, Taco Town presents to you – Austin Stimulus Package 2009 Wednesday March 18th from 11am-2am at Paradise cafe’s new upstairs music venue.. (think: a smaller Parish).. A full 15hrs of live music, booze, giveaways, and more (sxsw is all about surprises).. We will be on hand with handouts! Sample jars of our signature green salsa, stickers, free hugs and $2 wet willys..

More Info can be found at HearYa.com and AustinStimulus.com [RSVP HERE]

note: we actually had some very ambitious plans to give out free tacos at this party from some of Austin’s finest taco purveyors, but the plan crashed and burned when we got word that it was not ok to give out free food when a restaurant is trying to stay open for lunch.. who knew? whale..we are happy to be involved with this cool event in any form.. and theres always next year.. so lookout for the 2010 World Taco Forum, where sxsw taco dreams are realized.

bask in the goofy glory:

TheButterRoom.com: It’s Ice – Phish [8/17/96] from The Butter Room on Vimeo.

Idgy Vaughn : Austin, TX
We caught her short set at Ruta Maya on Saturday and were drawn in by her delicate voice and tasty instrumentation (Austin mainstay Will Sexton accompanied her on a reverb’d out dreadnaught acoustic). Turns out her folky story-songs are autobiographical- in a nutshell: midwestern girl ends up working at a truckstop in Buda, TX; a customer finances her album after winning the lottery; instant success is marred by a bitter custody battle for her daughter that leaves her estranged from her family. Its the stuff country music is made of…KUT did a nice audio-story on her here>

Liam Finn : New Zealand
We had already attempted to catch Liam, the eldest son of Neil Finn (lengendary leader of Crowded House and Split Enz) Thursday at The Ale House – but like I said 10 times this weekend, “if you’ve heard of them, the line’s too long.” Luckily, we had another chance Friday at the Paste/Stereogum Party. Armed with electric guitar, drumset, two Line-6 delay pedals, and one talented female sidekick, Finn proceeded to floor the 200 or so in attendance. Great hooky songs (instantly Finn-like) that build into layered sing-along anthems. The drumset was probably his most impressive talent – pulverizing finales over looped grooves / I suspect the album sounds very different- which makes his live act even more a MUST SEE.

just 1 night down at SXSW, but here’s 2 very good bands we stumbled onto:

Afenginn : Copenhagen, Denmark
We caught them by chance while grabbing dinner at Rio Grande – the brisket taco’s were bland, but these bad ass gypsy pickers brought the Danish Sabør – very melodic and inventive klezmer jams. And their bass player is disgusting/

…

AND

…

The Aggrolites : Los Angeles, CA
It was nearing 1AM, and the Black Keys showcase had an absurb line outside, so we took a chance on the Flamingo Cantina – IMHO the most reliable venue on 6th street. The Aggrolites dropped our jaws immediately with their air-tight Ska/Reggae/Funk stew- like The Specials meets James Brown in East LA. They had this vato on the B3 just rippin it up…really impressive live band/

-cabeza

we like to do SXSW the cheap way around here.. even better yet – the FREE way.. you can catch us at numerous unofficial events this week. its all about doing your research and then getting out there in the mix, unafraid to poke around in search of the triumverate of slacker gold – free music, free booze, free food! here are some links that will help you do SXSW renegade style:

• Show List Austin – a list of non-wristband shows
• On the Cheap – an article about how to do SXSW Cheap
• SXSW Baby – free event listings
• Top 10 Free SXSW Concerts – from austi360

So I’ve always been a big fan of the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (jfjo) – mostly because of their bass player, Reed Mathis. He blows my mind, and not in a technical, Jaco-sense (though he’s got serious chops), but because he’s one of the few bass players that can tap into the soul and visceral power of the music almost at will. Melodies and grooves literally spill out of his hands like he’s got a fuckin T1 connection straight into the great pipeline of thick musical crude being pumped from the nucleus of all creation by God himself. In other words- the dude can fuckin jam.

Need proof? just download this classic JFJO Show from the Ole Point Bar in 2002 or stream this amazing Steve Kimock show w/ Reed on bass. Or peep this Reed Mathis tune, HOVER for some octave-bass goodness…

JFJO has always teetered on the outskirts of the party-festival jam scene, while also managing to gain some much-deserved respect as modern jazz pioneers and master improvisers…each camp has its pitfalls and purists to navigate. So, when Reed announced this week that he’d be filling the Bass role for San Francisco’s Tea Leaf Green- a semi-successful hippy jamband complete with hula hoops and patchwork- that’s when the grumblings began. The message boards sprang to life with jfjo fans exclaming their various opinions on Reed’s new gig. Posts like: “Plus, they’re no where near the level that Fred is on…..I would think he would get bored playing their generic, mediocre jamband music…”

SO leave it to Reed himself to set the record straight and impart some perspective on the situation. enjoy this:

Subject: My thoughts on the matter….
Posted by: “reedmathis23″ reedmathis23
Date: Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:23 pm ((PST))

wowsers!

here’s a few things i’d like to say:

First, Jacob Fred is the greatest band in the history of the
universe. i just got word that we are actually Beethoven’s favorite
band of all time. Hendrix, too. and Bird. they all like Jacob
Fred almost as much as I do. We just confirmed a 20-night run at
Carnegie Hall in 2010, and I’m pretty sure the record we’re working
on is going to go triple-platinum. for real.

i hear you, though. it is, possibly confusing.

i listen to as much late coltrane as hotchkiss does, and as much
ornette as eric dundee. that music is my church and scripture.

jazz didn’t start out elitist. originally, it was FOLK music. made
by semi-illiterate accidental-scholars who simply wanted to party
and let people party. the fact that the opera houses of 1890′s New
Orleans could only afford a single pianist (rather than a full
orchestra), who coincidentally had a night gig at a brothel and a
buddy in a brass band is a happy accident in the culture, and the
upside of the karma of slavery. we are so fortunate that this
happened.

Bird grew up playing in big bands for dancers. the music he
accidently invented was still heavy on melody, and he often still
played for dancers. his followers didn’t, but they still played
melody. THEIR followers didn’t play for dancers, and rarely played
literal melody, instead becoming true impressionists of the internal
realms. those listeners who had bumped into their own internal
realms heard evidence of the common struggle, and called this
music “higher.” Elvis, Dylan, and the Beatles were created by
SOCIETY to fill the gap that Bird opened. young people need to
dance and get laid, and sing along. jazz once provided this
service. then it became “higher music.”

is ornette “deeper” than louis armstrong? is the coltrane
quartet “higher” than fletcher henderson? are church-goers
catagorically better people than non-chuch goers? does cab
calloway belong in the jazz cannon?

this is an important conversation, i think.

music CAN be a force for unification and community. why are the
differences between us our favorite thing about ourselves?

why do we want coltrane INSTEAD of the rolling stones. why not
coltrane AND the rolling stones?

is there really more heart in charles mingus than there is in neil
young? or phish, for that matter?

why assume that the inward-pointing music is greater than the
outward-pointing music? is this the grandchild of the Biblical “you
are not of this world” hogwash? why should we be so proud of our
divorce from earth? because we’ll die here? is that why the inward-
pointing music is greater than the outward-pointing music? because
we wish we didn’t have to die?

are we trying to make the world in our own image? it cannot be
done.

musicians can be prophets and heralds, it’s true. thank god.
musicians can also be a loving friend to a people in need. and
people don’t always need to be taught. sometimes they need to be
hugged and listened to. just ask my wife. we musicians are in
a state of RELATIONSHIP to the listener. doesn’t a healthy
relationship take the needs of the Other into account? doesn’t a
loving partner try to affirm and please the Other? you can’t tell
your lover what he or she likes. my lover is ANYBODY who is hip
enough to go see live music. my teacher is the Archetypal Need for
music, in EVERYBODY.

do people need music?
if so, what do they need it to do?
??????????????????????????????

?????
what do people need music to do?

the drive to exclude, or to convert, this is killing the planet.
the drive to worship the complex and the superficially new, this is
killing the planet.

we have to worship what is already here. we have to play the music
that all people are composing. i believe that Tea Leaf Green does
this. i believe Jacob Fred does this. all musicians express the
music of all people. some musicians express the fear and isolation
of the socially excluded. some musicians express the joy and
comfort of being a tribal people. some musicians express both,
because most of us feel both extremes. the RANGE of human
experience… this is our subject.

anyway, just thinking out loud.

personally, i’m excited to learn some new things.

i’ve learned a lot from Mr. Josh Raymer. and i don’t have to tell
you that i’ve learned a lot from Mr. Brian Haas. and Sean Layton,
and Matt Leland, and Jason Smart, Steve Kimock, Robert Walter,
Marco Benevento, Matt Chamberlain, Zack Najor, Karl Denson, Skerik,
Mike D, the brothers Barr, Stephen Perkins, Joe Russo, Jon Fishman,
Peter Apfelbaum, Jamie Janover, Jeff Coffin, my parents & uncles,
Peter Tomshany, Annie Ellicot, and a hundred amazing others. should
i not add to this list?

to me, the whole concept of heirarchy is fear-based. the musical
continuum is, if anything, a SPHERE…not a line. 3-D, baby!
nothing in front, nothing behind. nothing above, nothing below.
it’s all spinning and equal.

plus, in the words of the great John Cage, “A music’s only value is
in it’s USE.”

any thoughts? let’s blog it down, friends.

love, reed

!!! (CHK CHK CHK)
Myth Takes
Warp Records 2007
iTunes • website

Taco Rating: 82%
Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars

The name of the band is !!! (pronounced ‘Chk Chk Chk’ or any three repetitive sounds). They’ve been putting on a serious live show around the Sacramento, CA area since 1996, releasing a slew of 7″ records, and singles- including the Magnetic Fields’ Take Ecstasy With Me in 2005, but they’ve left their fans hangin’ for a proper album release. The various members have since dispersed throughout the US, but they’ve reunited for this long overdue studio project recorded in a big empty house in Nashville.

Behold Myth Takes!!!Now make a random one-syllable sound and repeat 3 times…now continue reading…

Each of the 10 tracks on Myth Takes is built upon a serious GROOVE. The basslines are usually synthetic, and always PHAT- that’s what first drew me into this record. They approach song somposition with a raw, cut&paste attitude (think Dust Brothers/Beck). Tracks bob & weave from new-wavey vocal workouts to riff-rock-funk live instrumentation to extended, bubbly headphone trips. Check out the sick clavinet groove on Yadnus (below). Vocalist Nic Offer does his best workingman’s whiteboy Prince meets a straight-outta 1983 new wave/indie-rock croon, and it suits the vibe perfectly.

For those needing a more biased interpretation of !!!’s sound – their website lists these flavors: “Post-punk bass patterns, spaghetti western guitars, African polyrhythms, spaced out disco and vintage Philly soul…”

Bassist Justin Van Der Volgen produced the record, and probably deserves the credit for sculpting the live jams into Myth takes’ overall sound. There’s some impressive DUBBED out mixing and generally thick and buttery grooves. leave it to the Bass Player- that’s what I always say…Here’s what Justin said: “Really, all we want to do is play. If we could jam together forever without stopping, we probably would. We’re dedicated to chasing that elusive groove”. Fuck yeah. UH! UH! UH!

A storm of hipsters quickly closing in on our quiet town…Some names that caught my eye for this years SXSW Festival.. Apostle of Hustle, Antibalas, Bassnectar, Mofro, Kaki King, Les Claypool/Electric Apricot, Lily Allen, mogwai, thurston moore, Toubab Krewe, MSTRKRFT, Moe., Galactic, Albert Hammond Jr., Andrew Bird, Beirut, Aqualung… heres the full 1300 name lineup..

Instrumental Dissent
by The Motet (2006)
Rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars
The latest release from the Motet IS VERY GOOD. Imagine if Fela Kuti and Weather Report recorded a jam session full of tag-team grooves, then Thievery Corporation remixed the whole thing, complete with trancy dancefloor bombs a DJ-style song transitions. Then, have a modern day jam-band learn the CD note-for note and play it back with a trump-tight but organic energy only possible with in-the-moment performance. that’s close to the sound. Very impressive junk and you can tell they that successfully merges their already trademark sound of Afro/latin/Jazz fusion with some trippy shape-shifting electronic textures. The track “Anew’ reminds me of an AIR tune with its bleeby resonating synths over sweet rhodes piano comps. Its the kinda sound that could easily fit them in with the other post-rockers like Tortoise or the Album Leaf. But a chill-out record this IS NOT. This is a party record, full of bumpin grooves and disco basslines. Im not saying these guys don’t jam. They are master improvisseurs. But I will say the Motet approaches the electronica flavors a bit differently than other jam-acts that’ve gone in a similar direction. Its well worth a listen for fans of anything from fusion to jamtronica to indie-electro to latin-groove stuff like Ozomatli. Dig in!

1. Afro Disco Beat [See post to listen to audio]

2. Anew [See post to listen to audio]

Just in from Grady at The Flamingo Cantina – Colorado’s the MOTET will stop through Austin this Saturday for a 2 set show at the Flam Can in support of their new disc Instrumental Dissent, their first ATX appearance in at least a couple years. The Motet is hot off the heels of a Halloween tour in which they performed a Madonna tribute set complete with costumes and halter-wearing front-woman vocalist. If you remember a few years back, they did a similar tribute show dedicated to PRINCE. Shit was hot!…the TacoTown Execs plan on walking over to this show immediately after the My Morning Jacket show at Stubb’s, which is also a MUST SEE PERFORMANCE. I had a chance to absorb this new CD and here’s my thoughts.