Show Review: Snowden @ Red7 (6/7)
Six years ago, that was the last time I saw this band. Snowden is back after checking out for little bit with Jordan bringing along new people for the live setting, tightening the belt to a three piece. The show had a reunion feeling to it; fans listening to the jams flowing for the Learning Secrets‘ wheels of steel were trying to one up each other on stories how Anti-Anti helped them through a tough time or how it was a soundtrack to an epic road trip. Some had seen the band before, some hadn’t. It was a family and friends crowd at Red7 because of the long gap between albums and Jordan’s recent move to Austin.
Read on for thoughts on the show and plenty of pics…
I came to the realization during the show that Snowden inspired my second childhood. SxSW many years ago, my internet friends at woxy.com were in town hosting live performances and a day party at Emo’s Annex, the tent in the parking lot across Red River. Snowden was on the lineup and I was really into Anti-Anti at the time and so I went, partly to meet the DJs I emailed daily and partly to catch Snowden live. At the time, I was far removed from photography. I saw the band, loved their set, saw people taking pics, bought a “good” camera later that year and remembered the day party and thought, “Hey, I should try taking pics at a concert.” And that was that…
Learning Secrets can pick the hits. They know the remixes that don’t suck, and I generally hate remixes. In particular, I need to find out who did the mix of the Little Dragon track spun not long before show time. Thanks again, gents for jumping in to fill our ears.
A lot has happened since Anti-Anti came out with regards to music technology. Home studios fit in a MacBook, effects and amp emulation, midi sync for lighting, Jordan has taken advantage of these advances. Effects pedals via iPad prevented between song tap-dancing and trick synchronized lighting added to the live presentation that flip-flopped between old and new songs, that is once it started working. Two songs missed out on the lighting because of a sync issue inciting awkward impatient taps of touchpads, a few kicked off loops – hopefully as the programmed-sync track, not as playback – and delays causing a little wait-for-it-to-restart banter the audience was more than willing to participate in. So, was he using tracks? Can’t tell, don’t think so. To be honest, the songs don’t have much that can hide from a three-piece.
They sounded great; Jordan’s vocal was dead on and the new constructs of the older material worked very well. The drummer and bass player, Mikey Jones and Yoi Fujita, respectively, owned the tracks. I had a shut up and listen moment with “Black Eyes”. “The Beat Comes” won amongst new tracks. Welcome back, erm home.
More pics at the photo site…
