Show Review: Baths @ The Mohawk (6/21)

Sure, it was hot. The Mohawk didn’t sell out, but it got close while still being a “comfortable crowd”, as I call it. It means you can mill about, check out different vantage points with out territorial conflict.

The busy lineup with D33J, Houses, Baths and Beisbol meant a doors to close night for your truly. I took plenty of pics, saw plenty of friends, maybe had a whisky and saw some great music. Join me as I (unsuccessfully) reminisce on a successful Friday night.

Got some feedback on our Austin rant, the best being a friend that went out and bought a 7″ just to do it. See, we can win together.

D33J is Djavan Santos and pieces together long, sweeping tracks blending the styles Tycho and Teen Daze. Djavan pulled lofty chords from a guitar and manipulated tracks to construct the songs for the live setting; yes, MacBook band, but there was a sense of performance here. I was able to get engaged and brief thumbs up or down polling said thumbs up from the early crowd. Great shirts reading “No Sleep 4 The Hater”.

If you are familiar with Houses, you know they have a subdued tone. It is elegant, distant and lofty. The live setting brings an edge – live drums, guitar chords underlying the gorgeous tracks crafted and programmed by Dexter Tortoriello with Megan Messina playing synth and taking backing vocal duties. Sorry Baths, houses won tonight. They had a more well-rounded performance and the songs had such life. “Soak It Up” (download it) has been a playlist favorite and I got the goosebumps despite the harder edge live.

Baths was rocking home kit. Mohawk merch clothed Will Wiesenfeld and his “band” for the tour. They set to it, with peaks and valleys, melodies leading to aggressive breaks and loud noises. If I am to be honest, which I usually am, I like Geotic Will better than Baths Will. Fans completely ate it up. I want to say I loved the set, but the breaks are little too dubsteppy these days. I don’t know. It was good. I guess Houses had my mood set.

After all of that, Beisbol hopped on the inside stage and took the remaining stragglers into a happy place of well-crafted pop songs including one of my summer jams in front of Jane Fonda as Barbarella. They have another single in the bullpen, so stay tuned. The Brothers Burian and team should get some play.

More pics at the photo site…

Edit: Not sure where my head was, but I blew the summary for Houses. Thanks D33J for setting me straight via the intarwebs. I try to get the back story and missed. Proofread, edit, fact check – and when you fail at that, listen to the internets.