, the yearly Austin, Texas, indie music festival, has a backward-ripple effect as many a band chooses to make its way there. Denver received some of the collateral this past weekend as played last Saturday night at the , and Seattle’s played the on Sunday. Both booked the shows to fill out mini-tours on their way to the giant gig.
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, who still call Denver their home despite the fact that Slim no longer lives here full time, played a 90-minute set that easily matched their usual intensity styled after a charismatic Sunday service. The nearly-filled Oriental Theater seemed awash in just the kind of spirit Slim and the boys tried to raise as the crowd thrashed, twirled and swayed along.
Slim fronted alongside Munly Munly as Rev. Dwight Pentacost, Chadzilla, Danny “Pants” Grandbois and local producer “Big Bad” Bob Ferbrache (filling in for an absent John Rumley). The set featured standards like “Red Pirate of the Prairie,” “Children of the Lord” and “Hold My Head,” and three new tunes from an upcoming album. The new material showed a little more accessibility and pop than usual, and a little less weighty country-goth. SXSW should be a perfect place to break in these tunes, and just might give the Auto Club the boost they want.
The Hollyfelds performed a set of furious country songs full of passion, quick complexity and brilliant harmonies before Slim. Those harmonies came from sizzling singers and multi-instrumentalists Eryn Hoerig and Kate Grigsby and were backed by Sam Spitzer (drums), Tim Mallot (guitars) and Keith Hoerig (bass). In no time, the group had the place jumping with their quick, upbeat country-powered pop, and by the time they closed the set with the brilliant “Bad Timing,” followed by a rousing cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” the crowd seemed nearly exhausted — and more that satisfied.
Visqueen, also touring toward Austin, filled a third of a bill at the Lion’s Lair last Sunday night, and re-acquainted a smallish crowd with their anything-but-grunge, fast and catchy country-punk. Led by vocalist/gutarist — and nonstop near-comedian — Rachel Flotard, the band (including drummer Ben Hooker, guitarist Tom Cummings and bassist Cristina Bautista) successfully pulled the audience into their catchy poptune web seconds into the first song.
Flotard, with spitfire monologue and a no-holds-barred sense of humor, had the audience enraptured in her shocking red-headed presence between songs as well, though it was Flotard’s powerful vocals that left the longest lasting mark on memory. It was a voice that pulled in the softness of Kim Deal with the eccentricity of Exene Cervenka and wrapped it all around a strength akin to Neko Case (with whom Flotard has repeatedly worked).
That sound is working well for the band, and there’s proof in their Spring quest. They’re scheduled for four shows in SXSW — one in support of indie stars Spoon.
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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at , and his giglist at .
