It’s been a busy year of festival attending here at H-Town Rock. Not only did we have a great time at Houston’s own Westheimer Block Party back in October, we also trekked to Austin, TX to attend the orgies of live music that are South By Southwest in March and Austin City Limits Fest in September. Thus, while H-Town Rock has made it its mission to celebrate all that is good and worthy in the Houston music scene (and to see it grow), we would be remiss as musical observers to not visit Austin on occasion to enjoy that city’s strong musical life. And, in only its third year in existence, Fun Fun Fun Fest has risen to become a standard-bearer in Austin’s true underground/indie music community, bringing together a collection of punk, indie, and rock acts that was both deep and wide in representation. “How deep and wide?” you might ask. Here’s a sampling of who we did not see: Trail of Dead, The National, DOA, Kool Keith, Bouncing Souls, Clipse, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Nevertheless, we spent the past weekend at FFF Fest (held in Waterloo Park) and had an amazing time. Enjoy our rundown!
Saturday, November 8th
Parts & Labor
(2:10-2:40pm, Stage 1A)
While the assembled crowd may have been small, they were privileged to hear a furious, passionate set from this excellent quartet. There is nothing even remotely resembling lame about the band’s brand of electro indie rock.
Centro-matic
(2:45-3:15pm, Stage 1B)
If you have yet to hear this well-traveled Texas band with their simple, unadorned post-Springsteen rock, then you have been missing out. They owned their thirty minutes of stage time.
Bishop Allen
(3:20-3:55pm, Stage 1A)
This is the definition of hipster indie music: quirky instrumentation, clean pop music, and a lead singer who resembles Paul Simon. Similar to Vampire Weekend’s inclusion of Afrobeat sounds, Bishop Allen brought in a heavy calypso feel to their overall upbeat and fun sound. But with four-fifths of the band clad in traditional preppy attire, it seems that a good trust fund is what enables you to create decent indie-pop these days.
Octopus Project
(4-4:45pm, Stage 4)
This was the first big crowd we experienced on the day, eager to see this industrial-meets-indie quartet perform their keyboard/synth-led instrumental rock. The band exuded tremendous energy: three of the four members switched instruments constantly and were drenched in sweat by the end of their set. Nevertheless, we weren’t that impressed with their set, because when you need dancing ghosts and a weird contraption that manipulates electronic waves with the clenching and unclenching of a fist to get your crowd going, you have definitely jumped some sort of shark.
Yacht
(5-5:45pm, Stage 4)
Newly signed to James Murphy’s DFA Records, this electro-pop duo danced and pranced their way around the stage as they sang over pre-recorded beats and loops. Sadly, as catchy as the music itself was and even though the preppy guy and punky girl bounded about with gusto, their on-stage personas were entirely too self-indulgent for our tastes. So, while we thoroughly enjoyed the glammy, funky, ‘70s disco-soul music, we would have preferred to see Yacht play instruments and not be so distracting with their dancing.
Brownout!
(6-6:30pm, Stage 4)
This was a half-hour of electric Latin funk music. The horns were tight and precise, the rhythm section was solid and smooth, and the dual dueling guitar players wowed the crowd with their lead lines. Amazingly, with eight musicians on stage, no one person or group overpowered another, as the band flowed and grooved with aplomb. As any band can tell you, when your crowd is diverse and dancing, you’ve got a great crowd and this was certainly the case for Brownout!.
Deerhoof
(6:30-7:30pm, Stage 1A)
It takes a certain level of indie rock appreciation to really “get” the vocal stylings of Deerhoof’s lead singer/bass player, but for every bit of weird vocals, you earn the privilege of hearing an awesome instrumental freakout. Drummer Greg Saunier’s intensity rivals that of Keith Moon and Ginger Baker, while the band as a whole puts on a wicked display of acid jazz chops. Deerhoof spent an hour playing the best of their catalog (including tracks from the brand-new Offend Maggie), giving each song room to breathe so that the band could jam.
ALL
(7:50-8:40pm, Stage 3)
As opposed to the typical well-behaved indie rock crowd, it’s always enjoyable to get into the fray at a good punk rock show and this was certainly the case at ALL’s set. For forty minutes, it was non-stop, driving ‘80s punk and hardcore music, complete with gang vocals and space for the crowd to sing along with the band. What was most amazing about this time (as well as all subsequent punk sets we viewed over the course of the weekend) was how appropriately punk the stage security was as they allowed all forms of moshing, crowd surfing, and (shock!) stage diving. If you weren’t being a jerk and didn’t interfere with the band’s performance, then you were allowed free reign to enjoy the music as you saw fit.
The Dead Milkmen
(8:45-9:45pm, Stage 3)
The crowd for this reunion show was huge, expectant, and hung on the band’s every word the band for the entire hour. The band themselves proved that they hadn’t lost any of their energy and punk attitude, playing all of their key hits to an adoring crowd who raised their voices with each and every track. Punks of all ages were here to witness these punk rock icons and their raucous response to the music was thoroughly encouraged by the band. From “Punk Rock Girl,” “Tiny Town,” and “Big Lizard In My Backyard,” to “If You Love Someone, Set Them On Fire,” “Beach Party Vietnam,” and “Bitchin’ Camaro” (complete with political commentary!), The Dead Milkmen first met and then destroyed our expectations with their enthralling, exciting set.
Sunday, November 9th
The Annuals
(4-4:45pm, Stage 1B)
This was one of our least favorite performances all weekend long and it wasn’t because the band isn’t obviously talented. It was more that, for all of their chops on their respective instruments, there was never a clear overall coherent focus to their sound. The band bounced from indie to pop to rock and occasionally found there way into prog territory, creating a wholly dichordant flow to their set. In their attempt to cobble together disparate genres into their act as a way to display their proficiency, the band simply appeared to be trying way too hard.
Islands
(4:50-5:35pm, Stage 1A)
Keeping with the general tone for many of the hip indie bands in attendance, Islands produced some really smart and poppy rock music (complete with appearances by a violin and bass clarinet!). However, despite being a solid, enjoyable act with clever rhythms and melodies, the group struck us as being too intentionally cool for school.
Black Angels
(5:40-6:25pm, Stage 1B)
Now this was a great show, complete with wave upon wave of dirty bluesy guitar rock reminiscent of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The key to the band’s overall sound was that, even with the thick layers of guitars, each guitar line was discernable from the other, keeping the band away from appearing to be a drone-y, shoegaze band. Moreover, the lead vocals were a great complement to the big rock songs (imagine that – a real rock singer!) and the band performed their music with very little pretense. We were suitably impressed.
Cro-Mags (Jam)
(6:50-7:35pm, Stage 3)
Ahhh… There are few joys like witnessing a passionate punk rock crowd get a full-on pit swirling around in front of the stage. And the best part was how the band just ate it up and encouraged the crowd, while ramping up the energy with their brand of intense political punk. The lead singer was a literal maelstrom of righteous anger and fury, as he stomped about the stage challenging everyone to stand up to the evils of the system, while loving their fellow humans. It always warms our hearts to see that true punk and hardcore ethics are still alive and well in the music community.
Minus The Bear
(7:35-8:35pm, Stage 1B)
We weren’t quite sure what to expect from the Minus The Bear show, since their technical, ambient brand of math rock would probably work better at an inside venue, and sadly, the band’s aesthetic didn’t quite carry over to an outdoor stage. This Seattle, WA quintet put on a fine show, but the speaker volume was either reduced for their set or the tighter aspects of their sound dissipated into the atmosphere before reaching everyone’s ears. Also, it doesn’t hurt that hipsters tend to stand still at shows, regardless of how rocking the music might be, creating a rather underwhelming experience that we can’t quite blame on the band themselves. Seriously, when the band implores the crowd to get into the music and display their responses externally, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the show.
Bad Brains
(8:45-9:45pm, Stage 3)
Simply put, the crowd expectantly waiting for Bad Brains to take the stage was probably the largest of the weekend and we were not disappointed, as the band rocked for an entire hour. Whether they were cranking out the tunes as hard and fast as ever or churning out some deep reggae tunes, it was evident that the band has lost nary a step in over thirty years of playing music together. Admittedly, some of H.R.’s quirky antics on stage (namely his constant fiddling with his head scarf and random banter in between songs) caused the crowd to thin a bit with each of the three principal slow jams, but the actual music quality increased as the show progressed. But in the end, this iconic punk/hardcore/reggae outfit played all of their key hits, including “Pay To Cum,” “Soulcraft,” “The Youth Are Getting Restless,” and “I And I Survive,” for a truly excited crowd.
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that has to be THE strangest review of the Cro-Mags I have ever read....
I believe the "weird contraption that manipulates electronic waves with the clenching and unclenching of a fist" you refer to is a theremin. It's a legitimate instrument, made famous in the theme to Star Trek, the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations", and innumerable sci-fi b-movies.
Oh, and it's a shame you had to miss the National. Possibly the best act of the festival. Similarly, it's a shame I had to miss the festival.
And one more thing: this is a really great festival, like ACL used to be. Good acts, but a smaller crowd, cheaper, and later in the year when the weather's better. If you like ACL, I highly recommend you check it out, at least based on last year's experience.
Wow. 3 comments in less than an hour. That has to be a record for anything I've ever written here at Houstonist.
Tideturns: Why do you feel that my review is the strangest? I was quite in awe of the band and the crowd and had a great time in general during their set.
Ward: 1) I'm not doubting the legitimacy of the instrument, but more how the band showcased the usage of said instrument to get a reaction out of the crowd. 2) On the whole, it was a great festival, and while I am sad that I had to miss The National, I couldn't pass up a chance to watch The Dead Milkmen put on a reunion concert.
Ward: I did attend ACL 2008 and wasn't too impressed by the event, mostly because of the vastness of the venue and how overwhelmingly corporate is was.
Adam, thanks for replying to all three of my poorly-planned comments.
Most people have heard but not heard of the theremin, so I primarily wanted to make it clear that it wasn't some sort of random effects box they were using. That said, OP sadly treats it like an effects box instead of a real instrument. So I certainly agree with you there. I think OP are a fun band to see live, but not one I ever feel compelled to listen to on record. In the context of a review of their live show, though, I think that doesn't have to be a mark against them.
And no disrespect to the Dead Milkmen. I was mainly bemoaning not getting to read a review of the National's show.
And that's exactly the sort of reason I now skip ACL. For those that pine for the ACL of old, they should know that FFFFest is a great substitute.