AME's Thursday Night Pick: Calibro 35 at Snack Bar

Tonight at Snack Bar, Italian indie rock combo Calibro 35 will hold a free listening party for their new, U.S. debut record Ritornano Quelli Di...

The band also had a listening party on Tuesday, but this double exposure gives you a second chance to get in early on a band that's been building a significant following in Europe. Recently they even opened for arena-stuffers Muse in Milan.

Ritornano Quelli Di... was released on July 13th. Calibro 35 recreates songs from Italian film soundtracks from the 60's and 70's as well as writing their own originals, which are inspired by and flavored with funk, rock, jazz and pop. The band will tour the U.S. in October.

Great Elk - "Great Elk EP"

Great Elk EP
Great Elk
by Travis Catsull

Indie-pop-folk. Let's say it again, as 
that's what the critics are saying about 
the first Great Elk EP. But we don't 
need to get critical, we just need to 
listen to the EP. 5 new songs are 
going tell it all and pave the way for 
the latest New York folk experiment.

Paul Basile used to do some dog sledding work in Alaska and this 
seems to have had an influence on his songwriting, but I'm not 
sure of the importance of that particular time as I've read nothing 
from Paul that directly speaks to that. I mean, I used to work at a 
fish factory on the Bering Sea and it has nothing (or possibly 
everything?) to do with my writing of this article and I'm not 
thinking about that now (or am I?). Anyhow, Paul is a New York 
native carried by the guitar stylings of Patrick Hay, a Virginia man. 
Great Elk's official bio reports they are "disturbing and comforting", 
but that just isn't true. There is nothing disturbing about Great Elk. 
It's a very easy and pleasing sound that is put together from a 
group of guys collected from bands you've never heard of. 

This is not only okay, it actually works. They gel and produce a 
worthy sound. The lyrics are above average and the music is 
digestible. In fact, my wife just walked in and said, "I like this! 
This sounds like something I'd like to play in my convertible. Can 
you burn me a copy?"

I reply, "Sure, Sugar, let me finish this article first." She likes the 
lyrics as she's a 6th street girl. Bands in Austin are broken into two 
categories, Emo's or Momo's. You're either a Red River or 6th St. 
band. Great Elk would do fine at lesser aggressive or experimental 
clubs on 6th Street where kids aren't going to be engaged, but 
instead kind of listen to the music while socializing. Fortunately, 
we do have Iron and Wine's Sam Beam living here that casts his 
shadow on these type of start ups so it's hard to get a captive 
audience without absolutely poetic lyrics. And, hey, Great Elk's 
lyrics aren't bad.

Basile writes in the song Vibrations: "you're cool eyes/could light/
warm hand/hand, hands can carry nights/the sunrise/passed by."
We enjoy the staccato creativity and Shark Party Media is promoting 
"Vibrations" like crazy right now, but I'm not convinced it's the 
best song on the EP. It is a wonderful song with inflections of 
someone breathing or blowing a box fan on the microphone. It 
creates an easy going overtone, so that's different, but most would 
consider this awkward sound wind noise. "Vibrations" is a folk song 
written by a guy sitting on your couch who surprises you with his 
above-average voice. It's that guy. Paul is a good musician in a good 
band who have just released a very good EP. I'd love to see them 
live and in fact if they come to Austin I'm going to tap my friend at 
whichever venue they play to get me in so I can check it out.

In the meantime, you should check out Great Elk, they've got a 
good foundation on which to do great things.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - "Couldn't Stand the Weather: Legacy Edition"

It is sobering to read the press release for the new Legacy Edition of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s second record, 1984’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather. It makes one feel old to realize that Stevie Ray Vaughan has been dead twenty years now, and as more and more years pass, it becomes increasingly apparent that Vaughan was an once-in-a-lifetime talent. Remember in the 90’s, when people like Johnny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd were supposed to be the “new SRV?” It never happened.

SRV’s music has aged remarkably well, and his skill and dexterity in re-imagining the trappings of the blues is still as extraordinary as it sounded in the early 70’s when Vaughan first appeared on the Austin club scene.

Listening to the record again, one is reminded of another sobering fact: Stevie Ray Vaughan never made a legitimately, capital-G great record. At eight songs, the original record still feels a tad short. Also, the sequencing of the tracks could’ve been done better. “Stang’s Swang,” a delightful jazzy instrumental romp that closes the LP, is far too flirty and whimsical to close a record obsessed with apocalyptic themes and melodies.

In a perfect world, Vaughan’s cover of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” would be the end of the album. It’s an unspoken rule of guitar players who are looking to be taken seriously that you simply don’t cover Jimi Hendrix songs. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to do it justice and you’ll end up looking insubstantial. Stevie Ray Vaughan was the exception to this rule, as his two Hendrix covers on the re-issue – “Little Wing” is included as a bonus track, more on that later – put up a good argument for being just as good as the 60’s originals. Vaughan takes the psychedelic hellfire of Hendrix’s magnum composition and puts it through his tormented bluesman soul. The guitar tone is cleaner, but the frightening intensity of the song is still full-bore. Vaughan actually takes the song longer than the original, enabling him to pull out his full vocabulary of fast-fingered special effects. It’s one of the great covers in popular music.

My party-pooper stance on Couldn’t Stand the Weather’s “greatness” doesn’t hide the fact that a large number of the original eight songs are well-established rock guitar classics. The snarling, scattershot call-to-arms of the instrumental “Scuttle Buttin’” can make you dizzy because SRV’s playing is so fleet. “Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place in Town)” drips every last drop of menace out of a brooding blues classic.

And many of the songs are hauntingly dark; a gnawing, dreadful uncertainty powers many of the record’s best cuts. “Cold Shot,” a breathless account of a failed relationship, struts like Barbara Stanwyck’s cold-eyed murderess in Double Indemnity (1944). The impressively mature Vaughan original “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” benefits from guest rhythm work from brother Jimmie Vaughan, a false-start opening riff, sheets of sound from Vaughan’s solo spots and an appropriately stormy arrangement from Double Trouble, the tireless backing corp of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Even on “The Things (That) I Used to Do,” one of the album’s more chipper numbers, Vaughan’s seemingly endless solo cries and wails like a man in shackles.

The original album has been remastered, which pays compliment to the excellent production work by legendary Columbia talent scout and record producer John Hammond, for whom Couldn’t Stand the Weather was the final production job before his death in 1987. For an album made in the mid-80’s, Couldn’t Stand the Weather is an unfussy affair production-wise. SRV’s guitar sounds big and boomy and Double Trouble sounds crisp and muscular, but things aren’t glossy and the relatively no-frills attitude is the best fit for Vaughan, who didn’t need production tricks to amaze your ears.

What keeps Couldn’t Stand the Weather from highest marks is its weak ending, which is really a problem that could be fixed with a little shuffling of the song order. “Honey Bee,” the penultimate track, is fun and Vaughan is, as always, incredible, but the song is filler. “Stang’s Swang” closes things on a tonally inconsistent note, though it is refreshing to hear SRV try out some jazz phrasings. Other than these last two, all of the tracks on Couldn’t Stand the Weather paint a portrait of a man in turmoil, fearful about what may be around the corner. Vaughan’s escalating fame met with hardships for his marriage and his notorious battle with drug addiction and alcoholism. His father, Jim, with whom Vaughan’s relationship could kindly be referred to as “complicated,” died two years later. SRV divorced his first wife, Lenny, a year after that. The now-iconic album cover depicts SRV being swept up in the wake of a tornado. Perhaps he was aware of the hard times that lay ahead.

The add-ons for the re-issue include 11 bonus tracks, many of which are also classics. It’s nice to have “Empty Arms,” “Hide Away,” “Wham!,” “Give Me Back My Whig,” and “Little Wing” (which, I’m stating now, is actually better than Hendrix’s original) in one place. The problem is all of these songs have appeared together before, namely on the must-own best-of compilation The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (2002), a greatest hits collection that lives up to its name. This is simply another arrangement of now-familiar non-album SRV gems, plus a few demo tracks. The only thing “new” among the bonus songs are different versions of a few tracks that showed up on the posthumous record The Sky Is Crying (1991).

The real booty on the Legacy Edition is the inclusion of an entire 1984 concert given by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble at Montreal’s Spectrum arena. The incendiary performance includes all of Vaughan’s mainstay hits from his Texas Flood debut album (the title track performance here is a highlight) as well as almost all the songs from Couldn’t Stand the Weather. The performances make the songs longer, sexier, tenser, and overall more animalistic. Freed of the studio, Vaughan seems barely in control of his coiling, immense guitar playing. It’s heartening, and a little sad, to hear Vaughan’s good-natured onstage banter. Here was a man who was doing the thing he was born to do. Because of the quality of the album, and how good the remaster sounds, and how priceless that live performance is, Couldn’t Stand the Weather: Legacy Edition is pretty much essential for anyone who loves Stevie Ray Vaughan. And I hear there are a lot of you around these parts.

Billy Joe Shaver to Take August off to Recover

Legendary Texas singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver will be forced to cancel all of his August shows to recover from bicep surgery. Shaver, fresh off the success of the songs he penned for the Jeff Bridges tearjerker Crazy Heart, spent the night in the hospital last month when doctors placed a stent in his coronary artery. The additional surgery on his torn biceps has forced Shaver to the bench for the rest of the summer.

Nevertheless, Shaver assures his many fans that he'll be back.

"I think God came down and did this to me so that I'd rest up a while," Shaver said. "I wouldn't have slowed down otherwise."

He went on to add that "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself."

The 71-year old journeyman leaves us on a positive note. "Please tell everyone I will be back as soon as I mend up."

Us at AME want to wish Mr. Shaver a quick recovery!

Pauline Reese to Play August 6 Show at Coupland Dance Hall

Texas Music Association Entertainer of the Year Pauline Reese will play a much-anticipated live show August 6th at the Coupland Dance Hall in Coupland, Texas. Reese will be previewing her new record, which will be released in October. The record's first single, "First Love," premiered July 20th.

Reese plays at 8 p.m. Friday, August 6, at Coupland Dancehall, 101 Hoxie St., in Coupland, Texas. Cover is $6 in advance and $8 at the door; advance tickets are available at www.couplanddancehall.com. For information, call 512.856.2226.

Monuments - "Monuments"

Monuments

Monuments

by Robert C. Erni

Monuments, a Brooklyn-based indie/alternative group, put their heart and soul into their debut self-titled album.  I know what you’re thinking: “no shit, all bands do.”  But I’m serious, this album goes beyond the music and hits close to home, especially with lead singer Gabe Berezin.  Track four, “I’m Here Now,” speaks of Gabe’s close encounter with the unfortunate tragedy we have all come to know as 9/11.  “You could hear the planes,” he sings.  That morning he was distracted by his girlfriend (referenced in the opening lyrics -- “Lying next to you/your hair was smooth”) and consequently late for a temp job on the 97^th floor.  Did he escape fate? I’ll let you guys debate that one but that morning’s influence is certainly a motif that carries over throughout the entire album, which plays with the many philosophical questions the idea of pre-ordained fate elicits.

Monuments draw the listener into the album’s somber, thought-provoking mood with the guitar-dominated opening song “Silver Star.”  As the activity of “Star” eases into a hypnotizing drum cadence, “White Flag” takes over on a slower note with echoing vocals that beg you to surrender to the music, as the name insinuates.  Now, I have to admit, I was caught a little off guard when I read the titles for tracks six and seven -- “Ice Pick Lobotomy” and “Trust Fund Fuck Baby”. Those are two stand-out, gutsy song names but hey, the music lives up to the hype with inspiring guitar layers and authoritative lyrics like “You better be sure/because it doesn’t really matter anymore” and “I will never be defeated, again.”

Right from track one, if I had to choose who Monuments sound most influenced by, I’d blurt out Radiohead, and the second to last track, “Expectations,” further confirms my thinking.  The song’s haunting vocals and clean guitar play is reminiscent of “Paranoid Android” and although the influence is strong they still fashion their own unique brand of music. Their last song, “Rescue Me,” is bass-filled and bursting with lyrical energy building a climactic end to an attention-grabbing debut album.  In the very last seconds of “Rescue Me” they end with a sound suggestive of a record player coming to a stop; a suiting finish to the conclusion of a successful album two years in the making.

Gabriel Berezin (lead guitar, vocals, and “bullshitting” as it says on their website) is backed up by drummer Mike Cook who picked the band name out of the lyrics of “I’m Here Now” (that track seems to be the focal point of the album in more ways than one), Grant Zubritsky on bass and keyboards as well as singing back up, and Kevin Plessner on guitar.  The band is primarily touring the East coast right now but check out their album and as their popularity rises (as I’m sure it will) maybe we can get them to bring their soulful melodies down to ATX.

AME Weekend Forecast 7/23-7/25

MOVIES

Salt - The Angeline Jolie CIA thriller is getting surprisingly strong reviews. Jolie is a gifted actress, especially when she's falling and firing two pistols at once. This is probably your best bet (well, other than seeing Inception again).

Ramona and Beezus - The adaptation of Beverly Cleary's beloved stories about a irascible grade schooler (Joey King)

Life During Wartime - Todd Solondz returns with a quasi-sequel to his controverial modern classic Happiness. The characters from the 1998 film return, only they're played by different actors (Allison Janney, Paul Reubens, Michael Lerner, Ciaran Hinds). If you're skin is thick enough for Solondz's extraordinarily flawed characters and sometimes icky storylines, this should be transcendent art-house fare.

MUSIC

FRIDAY

Stubbs BBQ - The New Pornographers will fill the outside of Stubbs with three-part harmony, catchy power-pop hooks and enough cryptic wordplay to keep you tapping your foot and scratching your head for days. An added bonus: Austin locals The Eastern Sea will play inside after A.C. Newman, Neko Case and co. finish. Doors at 7.

Antones - The Scabs will bring their Austin's-raunchiest boogie woogie all night long. Zapata and the Southern Sirens Live Band Burlesque will also play. Starts at 9.

Light Bar - Chris Lake will drop some beats on your head while The Go-Go Gadgettes dance to Lake's melange of house, electro and techno. DJ Andrew Parsons will also perform. Doors at 10.

SATURDAY

Apache Pass River Theater - The largest electronic music festival in Texas returns with Future Fest presented by Massive Intent. Doors at 8 PM.

The Nomad - One of Austin's longest-living bands, Masonic, will make like Ernie Banks and play two. They'll be promoting their new record, Live Like a Millionaire, but the two sets will probably feature the band digging into its formidable back catalogue. Show starts at 11.

SUNDAY

ND at 501 Studios - As previously mentioned on AME, The School of Rock All-Stars will jam out a performance of songs commemorating Live Aid's 25th anniversary. Doors at 7 PM.

More Fun Fun Fun Fest Acts Leaked

Several new artists have been announced (though Fun Fun Fun Fest's hilarious video promotions) for the November 6-7th festival.

The acts:

Cap'n Jazz and The Gories bring their influential punk sounds.

Dirty Projectors most recent record, Bitte Orca, is a modern classic. They're a big get for Fun Fun Fun.

New York's straight-edge hardcore band Snapcase ups the punk ante.

Yelle gives the Fest a more international flavor with their electric dance-pop.

Stay tuned to AME for further announcements! Also, go to funfunfunfest.com for those awesome leak videos.

"Live Aid Remade" Tour to Come to 501 Studios

Live Aid Remade, a tour program put on by the School of Rock to mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark music event, will come to Austin on July 25th. The nationwide tour, which started in Portland, Oregon in early July, will play at Austin's 501 Studios.

All in all, three separate groups of students are traveling to 46 locations around the country playing set lists inspired by the original Live Aid performances. A portion of all ticket sales are being donated to Music for Relief to help efforts in Haiti.

The School of Rock is a year-round music education program that has 58 locations nationwide. It is playing an important role in keeping music education alive while programs across the country are being cut. For more info on the show or program as a whole, go to schoolofrock.com.

2010 Fun Fun Fun Fest Releases First Lineup Info

The 2010 Fun Fun Fun Fest (November 6-7) has released the first info on this year's lineup. The information can be found at funfunfunfest.com/media/videos/3038/2595.

Spoiler alert: Slick Rick, Suicidal Tendencies and Best Coast are playing. Stay tuned to AME for more updates in the coming weeks!