FT5: Bands To Watch In 2011
With all that’s going on in the music world, it can often times be tough to keep up with the enormity of new bands that seem to pop up on a daily basis. Lucky for you, we try to stay hot on the scene as much as possible to keep you in the know. So since we’ve officially put the lid on 2010, we thought we’d share with you 5 bands to keep your eye on in 2011. All these bands will soon be playing huge stages and selling out shows across america so I’d recommend getting into them now before their music pops up in a McDonalds commercial. Follow the jump for more.
*$.
With all that’s going on in the Brooklyn scene, it’s hard for every band to get the notice that they deserved. Over the last year and a half *$. has been slowly building a name for themselves by going further than cassette offerings, creating their music for fans to consume via 3.5 inch floppy disks. Sure, there are a lot of bands out there making similar beat-infused music, but this group’s nonchalant attitude really forces fans to make polarizing decisions. Known for their animal masks and Double Deep V-Neck shirts, they likely will just encourage you to hate them by standing, stone-faced behind their laptops while pressing play. You’ll love their lo-fi tendencies regardless, which makes you question whether or not you can love a band that doesn’t do a thing on stage. Decide quick folks, because they’ll be blowing up in 2011.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Star-MOney-Period-Its-All-Happening.mp3]Brontosaurus Flag
You thought you knew all the bands from the Pacific Northwest didn’t you? Well, Eugene group Brontosaurus Flag have a whole lot more to prove. If Colin Meloy is a modernist poet, let’s just kick it old school with this band’s 15th Century lyrical repertoire. It’s like jamming out to a super harmonic woodsy version of a Chaucer piece. They released their first EP, “Meet the Flintstones,” to a rave review from Pitchfork, who said their “carefully fashioned songs reward more active listening than your typical indie-roots outfit.” Personally, I don’t care much for their visual aesthetic, which recalls a bunch of bearded uglies prancing around freely in heavily wooded areas, but hey, if you want to smell like you just crawled out of a sewer, to each his own. Still, if you’re searching for that perfect blend of folk and harmony, then you will find that BF has everything you need in the new year. You can catch up with these guys on bandcamp or on their facebook page.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Brontosaurus-Flag-Quarry.mp3]KTTD
Charlottesville, Virginia isn’t typically known for its burgeoning music scene. In fact, it’s really known for one act, Dave Mathews, but things are about to change. Kevin Wilkins is the man behind Killin Time Til’ Dave, a mash-up project three years in the making. He’s spent the majority of his time doing all Dave Mathews mash-ups, as Dave has always been a huge influence on his music, much as he was for all of us too. KTTD hosts ridiculous live shows where he brings fans on to the stage, awarding them all with his trademark KTTD trucker hat, which he also sports. Balloons are tossed, confetti is shot in the air, and every once in a while you’ll get Ezra Koenig stopping by to throw his voice into the mix. And don’t forget to look for Natalie Portman back stage, as she’s recently been spotted holding hands with Kevin about the town.
SilverWolfe Fuck Bear
I hate to admit the power that Gossip Girl has over the indie rock world, but that’s where this band first started to get their break, rising to glory after their single was used in last year’s season finale. They’re an awkward bunch, featuring one homosexual lead singer, and two girls, who I must admit, only get hotter the more that I drink. Being so new to the scene, these guys don’t even have a proper website or recorded material to be found anywhere on the net. Plus the only photo we could manage to grab was after a recent set in Austin as they meandered off to pack their van. I guess it gets difficult to manage when every band members treats this as their second or third side project. Listen, if you like a bit of indifference in your conceptual music, get yourself to a SilverWolfe Fuck Bear show, but be warned, this band has so many projects going on, they sometimes don’t even show up to their own shows.
Purple Tongues
Nothing says getting down and dirty like some gritty garage from the Dirty South. That’s right folks, straight out of the Confederacy is up-and-comer Purple Tongues. When I first caught their set a few months back, they were so wasted they could barely stand on stage, choosing to shout and toss bottles and cans at the audience. At first, I thought the fact that they had five singers, all shitty ones, was just how drunk they were, but it seems that that has become their shtick. It’s one thing to be lo-fi and cool, but these bros are taking it to the max, making sloppy tracks that will soon be climbing the charts of college radio as kids clamor for the next sip of cool.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Purple-Tongues-Love-Vacation.mp3]We hope you’ll come to enjoy these hot new acts just as much as we do. You heard it here first kids, these bands will be a household name in 2011.
Minks
The Beets
Yuck
Really digging the BF track… reminiscent of My Morning Jacket but way smoother. You think any of these guys will be coming around for SXSW? Pretty cool you guys gathered up these diamonds in the rough for us Austinites.
I heard KTTD used to be a woman.
*$’s song was on the Euro version of Fifa11. Tight.
It’s a gd shame what they did to Ed’s head…
Are we sure that Kevin Wilkins is not actually Nathan? 😉
Nah. He gets that a lot though.
Yea. Two totally different dudes.
Why the fuck is Star Money Period number 5 on this list? It’s like you motherfuckers don’t know pure raw talent when you hear it.
Though to be fair, the bassline for that Purple Tongues track is tight. For realz.
I saw *$. last November. The lead singer got so drunk that he fell off the stage in the middle of a song. We couldn’t tell if he was screaming in pain, or if it was just part of the track.
I don’t know how you guys do it. I feel like I don’t have any idea whats going on in the scene anymore. I can’t say that these bands are something that I would listen to on a regular basis, but they show promise. You guys make me want to hang up the blog. Good work.
Wait…is this a promo video for *$. ‘s tour?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDgwA40tND0&hd=1
Kind of like a *$. show, except its actually all the dudes in the crowd that start spontaneously making out.