Show Review: Octopus Project @ Mohawk (7/17)

Saturday night I made my way over to The Mohawk in Austin for a show by Austin’s very own veterans Octopus Project.  Joining those kids were fellow locals Mother Falcon and Tia Carerra.  Fortunately for us, our photo lady Mary Rehak just so happened to be at the same show so we borrowed a few photos of Octopus Project.  Follow the jump for some thoughts on the show and fancy photos.

I’ll start off by offering a big apology to Mother Falcon… Unfortunately, I was running super late to the show and didn’t make it in time to see their set.  I’ve heard the band is great live and I dig their tunes, so I was pissy that I missed the show.  Definitely take some time and listen to their stuff on myspace.

I did however make it in time to catch most of the set by Austin band Tia Carerra.  Being only a trio, these guys create a sound much much bigger than what you see on stage.  If you close your eyes, you’d figure to see maybe 5-6 guys on stage and not just the three.  Backing the band with his incredible drumming is Erik Conn, who obviously deserves to be the main feature of the band.  I mean the guy had at least 2-3 drumming solos throughout the 45 minute set.  Alongside his superb drumming abilities, Andrew Duplantis and Jason Morales offer heavy guitar riffs, slick solos, and snappy bass beats to compliment the band.  Being more of a jam band, Tia Carerra aren’t necessarily my cup of tea, but they are great at what they do.  I’d recommend checking them out if you’re a fan of Jimi Hendrix, The Melvins or maybe even Rush without the vocals of course.  Very talented dudes.

Closing out my evening at Mohawk was an all time local favorite of mine Octopus Project.  Honestly, I’m not real sure what I can say about a band that’s already received massive amounts of praise in the local music community.  I mean they’ve been around 10 years now and can still bring it live better than most local acts I know.  They also tend to be some of the nicest and most gracious bands around.  They’ve obviously gained some major notoriety outside of Austin, but they continue to thank the fans in the crowd for supporting them over the years.  Highlights in the set had to be “The Conductor” and “Music is Happiness”  which still sound fresh and intense live even though they came out several years ago.  My only complaint for the set would be the two new songs played with the first ever appearance of vocals from the group.  The songs aren’t “bad” by any means, they just seem a little out of place in the set.  I personally think the group should stick to creating the crazy electro-dance music that got them where they are.  I know I’ll keep listening.

Photos below are provided by Mary Rehak.  She’s got more on flickr.