Technical Difficulties
As if your Friday night concert going decisions weren’t already tough, here’s another great show that should prove to be your cheapest option for the evening. Hole in the Wall features a lineup of garage rock Canadians Pack AD, Poppy Austinites The Alice Rose, and local singer-songwriter Mario Matteoli. Entrance to Hole in the Wall will usually keep you under $10.
Download: Pack AD – Making Gestures [MP3]
Great Nostalgic is a band we’ve been following closely since we first discovered them so we were of course excited to hear about their CD release party at Hole in the Wall on Friday. Joining in the party fun will be fellow locals Sunset and The Sour Notes. The show should be a unique and new twist on your usual Great Nostalgic set because the band has invited the horn section from Hard Proof Afrobeat to play on a few songs. Show starts at 10pm with door charge being $3. The band will also be selling copies of their debut LP for $8 which includes a bonus disc of remixes done by local DJs. Here’s one of those new remixes available exclusively on ATH done by local DJ Business Man.
We here at Austin Town Hall try to get a show together once in a blue moon, and now felt like the right time to get things going again. This time around we’ve brought Opposite Day, Whitman, and Frantic Clam to Hole in the Wall this Friday night for a sure to be killer set. The show will only run you $2, so put down that Friday the 13th box set and get your live music on. If we don’t see you there, we’ll do to you what Jason did to Kevin Bacon…
Download: Frantic Clam – Fort Worthless [MP3]
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Local Austin band Frantic Clam originally joined forces while serving in the armed forces in Iraq. The two founding members, Zack and Joe, spent their spare time crafting simple tunes. Celebrity is the band’s first EP, but a full length album is scheduled for release this Winter.
Opening track “Mary Elizabeth Winstead” is definitely rooted in a Southern soul sort of vibe, as the guitar work is really gritty. The vocals are reminiscent of a Issac Brock being raised in the Deep South, with backing vocals added to fill in some the empty space in the song.
They wander off to “Everything is Perfect,” which is probably the best song on the album. The vocals at the beginning are really crisp, which packs a stronger punch than some of the fuzzier recording that comes along later. It’s a gentler approach to their songwriting; an attribute the band should consider employing full time.
“Richard Cory” is another mellow number at track 3. A slower pace allows the band to focus on the melodies here, and this ends up demonstrating the band’s abilities to intertwine hooks with their space infused Southern rock sound. Similarly, “Amnesty” is filled with space keyboards and lyrics battling the mundane world, along with mundane problems. It comes off like an old Grandaddy b-side.
They close the album with samples of Oz, as they finish with “The Emerald City.” It’s a song that exhibits a bit of funk, as if the band smashed into Stereolab all of a sudden. It is another sound that demonstrates the possibilities the future holds for this band. Keep an eye on this group, as I’m sure we’ll hear more of them in the future.
Speaking of hearing more, the band has a gig on December 12th at Hole in the Wall, so go check it out; keep it local.
You can also check out single from the album Richard Cory elsewhere on our site.
Remember when we posted about an awesome new song by The Pack A.D.? Well, I just noticed that the band will be showcasing their talents at The Hole in the Wall here in Austin on Saturday night (8/2). I’ve never seen this band live, but I imagine this to be a killer show. Show time is set for 10pm with a cover of only $6. Click the link above to hear “Making Gestures” off the band’s new album Funeral Mixtape to give yourself a preview of what’s to come.
