Sunday, November 16. 2014
 | by Jeff Barringer - Staff Photographer
Primus returned to Austin last night, for the umpteenth time, to perform a unique two set show to a sold out crowd of fans at ACL Live. Austin has long been a favorite tour stop for the band and it's frontman Les Claypool on his many weird and wonderful side projects.
With a bare stage Primus first set was a solid covering of some, but not all, of the bands hits and crowd favorites. Starting with "Too Many Puppies" the band skipped around their career arc hitting "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver", "My Name Is Mud", and others before wrapping the first set with "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver".
After a brief break to build the set and don masks and costumes, the band returned to perform a multimedia performance of their vision of Willie Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's soundtrack. I always found the original film with Gene Wilder more than a bit dark and disturbed but in Les Claypool and Primus hands the music and film takes on a whole new level of twisted, weird, and creepy, like clown paintings by a mass murderer.
With oompa loompas appearing infrequently amongst giant candies and huge inflatable mushrooms Primus with The Fungi Ensemble, led by Claypool wearing a red wig, top hat, and mask proceeded to soundtrack the film, as snippets culled from the movie played on a giant screen behind the band. Favorite songs from the movie such as "Candyman", "Pure Imagination", and "Golden Ticket" were recognizable but just barely as Claypool and his consorts twisted their harmonies into a spooky disquieting melange.
I'm going to start having the oompa loompa nightmares again.
Primus current tour wraps in Escondido, CA this Saturday but the band has a few "one off" gigs in December and January. For a list of tour dates check their site at http://primusville.com/tour/.
Click here for more photos of Primus. |  
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Wednesday, November 9. 2011
 | by Jeff Barringer - Staff Photographer
Slayer's Kerry King has an infamous tattoo on his left bicep that he like to point out from time to time that says "GOD HATES US ALL" and I couldn't help but feel that sentiment as I rose from a bed that had spent most of the night spinning. I rarely drink anymore, and then usually only with Kerry so the skill set I acquired at college(s) had long ago run their course.
As the hot water spraying on my forehead rolled down my neck and back, any soothing feelings I hoped for were blocked by the steady constant THROB THROB THROB at my temple and the naked glare of the incandescent bulbs above the sink. Though I was looking forward to the show, I knew it would be a long row to hoe to actually gear up, drive down, park and then hike the half mile across the river that is Austin's Town Lake down to Auditorium shores, with about 50 pounds of gear. THROB THROB THROB.
Throwing my gear in the car I headed off into Austin, arriving at parking garage an hour later, at about 5:00pm. Popping into Thundercloud for some needed rations, a large chicken salad sub on wheat, provolone, and black olives, I washed it down with the largest Mountain Dew they had, along with 800mg of Ibuprofin. By the time I had passed the Occupy Austin camp and crossed the bridge the combination of calories, caffeine, pain killer, and blood flow had made my head clear just in time for - the dust.
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Continue reading "Slayer thrashes Austin's Auditorium Shores"
Monday, November 7. 2011
 | by Jeff Barringer - Staff Photographer
"No, I'm pretty sure I'd know if I'd seen someone like that..."
The diminutive hostess at the Driskill's downstairs bar looked me up and down and her eyes told me I was way way under dressed to be hanging out at the Driskill.
Camo shorts, Motorhead T-Shirt, and Black Converses were definitely not on the acceptable list at the ritzy 19th Century downtown Austin hotel that charges $300 a night and hosts Austin's largest ghost population. But I had no choice - the text said to meet at the Driskill, in the bar and so I pulled up a stool, ordered a Tanqueray & tonic, no fruit, and waited. After a second round, close to an hour later, I noticed that I was the last one there and they were closing up. The upstairs bar was still open, so I wandered up.
The place was packed end to end with UT fans and wedding parties, the noise like a flock of geese at feeding time. Retreating down the stairs I grabbed a chair in the lobby, and started checking my phone messages. After a half our of this I began to compose an apology message, prepping myself to bail. It was a beautiful message, filled with flowery halve truths about being up early to milk cows and the like. Before I could hit the send button, under the phone I noticed a black pair of combat boots standing three feet right in front of me. I knew before glancing up it was - Slayer!
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Slayer's Kerry King enjoys a Jägermeister on Austin's 6th Street.
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Continue reading "Hanging out with Slayer on Austin's 6th Street"
Thursday, June 30. 2011
by Robin Lardie - Staff Writer and Photographer
Last Sunday night, Austin hosted Rock n Roll Hall of Famer William "Bootsy" Collins and his all-star 13 piece band.
And what a night it was! The evening started with Mrs. Patti Collins and the "Bootsy Girls" greeting the crowd and introducing some of her husbands students at "Funk University", his online bass instruction school.I’d guess by looking that the students were an average age of about 13 and they took a few of them spoke briefly to the audience about how much they had learned and are enjoying studying with the funk prodigy.
The lights go dim, the crowd chants ""Boot…SAY"…"Boot…SAY" over and over, cue lights and large entourage of some of the most talented names in funk enter the stage from both the right and left.
Thirteen in total including a head-to-toe purple sequined Bootsy, complete with matching top hat and large yellow plume attached. |   |
Continue reading "Austin City Limits Live Presents: Bootsy Collins at the Moody Theatre"
Wednesday, June 8. 2011
by jeff barringer - staff writer & photographer
Weezers infectious brand of pop mixed with an alternative edge has stood them well over the years, building them a huge following of devoted fans, who all seemed to turn out for both nights to fill Austin's Stubb's BarBQ to max capacity and then some, for the bands' way sold out stop in Austin.
Despite temperatures well over 100 in the tightly packed crowd, fans and band alike appeared to be having a blast, and by the second night Weezer had really "settled in, with frontman Rivers Cuomo kicking a soccer ball around the stage and interacting a lot more with the crowd from the pit, much to the distress of his concerned tour manager.
Fans without tickets lining the pavement outside of the venue may have actually gotten to see some of Tuesdays show as the Los Angeles based power pop bands' Cuomo led the audience in a singalong from the roof of the venue of "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived".
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| Precariously perched on the corrugated tin roof of the smokehouse and inviting attack from the local raccoons by shaking the trees, Cuomo returned to the stage for the third song, only to later pelt the audience with rolls of toilet paper.
Both shows were divided into two sets, a set of favorites first, then after a short break a full album. Monday night's crowd got Weezers debut album, Blue, while Tuesday's show got the cult favorite Pinkerton. There was little crossover between the 2 nights set lists, "Hash Pipe" probably being the most notable. Even though I'm a huge Weezer fan my favorite song, from the first night, wasn't even theirs but a smoking cover of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android".
It would be hard to pick which of the two shows I liked more, Mondays had more hits, but the band was much more fun and engaging Tuesday. I'm glad I didn't have to choose!
Check out more Weezer pics in our photo gallery. Set lists after the jump. |  |
Continue reading "Weezer's Two Night Stand at Stubb's BarBQ, Austin, Texas"
Wednesday, May 25. 2011
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer and Photographer
Primus is back and in fine form with one of their early drummers and "gasp" new songs.
Though frontman Les Claypool threatened that the new works would be heavily influenced by BOC's "Don't Fear The Reaper", nary a cowbell was to be heard Tuesday at their way sold out show at Stubb's, if you could get in. Even the scalpers were out of tickets for this one.
Primus first full release since 1999, tentatively titled Green Naugahyde, was slated to be out by now in time for the U.S. tour but has since been pushed back til July.
Fans anxious to hear the new songs as well as classic Primus tunes showed up early and the line to get in wrapped around the end of the building by the time gates opened.
Packed like sardines, the heat and humidity was almost too much for the audience, but they were a Primus crowd and long before the band appeared the traditional mantra "Primus Sucks" was ringing in my ears, drowning out the inevitable cartoon soundtrack playing over the P.A.... |  |
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Continue reading "Primus at Stubbs BarBQ, Austin Tx."
Sunday, May 15. 2011
Text by Tony Reptiles
Photo by Christina Hodges 
| What does a city boy from England know about Bluegrass? Admittedly not too much, so having arrived at Pisgah Brewery I stood at the bar with a bottle full of beer, no preconceptions and waited for Sanctum Sully to show me the good time I had been promised.
As soon as these guys hit the stage it was obvious that it was going to be rowdy rowdy show. From the get go they lived right up to the blurb on their website which promised a foot stomping show with a sound that punches you in the gut. I can tell you that their live performance does exactly what it said on the tin.
I realize a review is supposed to have a set list and talk about the bluegrass scene and sound like it was written by some clever know it all muso, but that would be missing the point. Really, it would. This show wasn't about the details. (The boys on stage take care of the detail.) This show is all about the vibe; the atmosphere, the journey you are taken on. Each song comes rolling out so cleverly that once or twice it was a surprise to realize that the last song had finished and the band were now chatting with the crowd. They're that smooth. |
OK, if you insist on a set list I can tell you that unless you have heard them play "Lookout Mountain" you have never lived. "Cornfed" was so rousing and cleverly arranged that it had me grinning for the rest of the evening and once I had heard them "Po Boy" I realized that I knew everything an Englishman needed to know about bluegrass.
Did I mention that topping the bill was Larry Keel? He's a bluegrass legend apparently, and I thoroughly enjoyed his set too. That said, and in my own humble opinion, Sanctum Sully was a hard act to follow and only a legend would have the necessaries to do so. The crowd were rapturous when Larry joined the Sully boys on stage and I felt privileged to be in the right place at the right time and that I had witnessed something special. Boy was I spoiled with Bluegrass magic that night!
Sanctum Sully are already too big for Pisgah Brewery and I can't help thinking how great they would look owning the stage headlining the Orange Peel, with a great light show, a massive PA with a few dozen screaming groupies waiting by the stage door. As it stands their show so big as to almost drown us in the snug venue we saw them in that night. They're going to be around for a long time so I recommend you go see them before their management puts a stop to the open door after-show parties. |
Friday, April 29. 2011
 | by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
"Lovely to see you again my friend..."
I have a long history with the Moody Blues and so does my music collection. Starting with their "Caught Live +5" release in the 70s, a staple of mail order music clubs, I backtracked and ended up with most of their catalog from the 60's and early 70s. My first live experience with The Moody Blues was in 1981 at the Frank Erwin Center and I saw them there again in 1994. Compared to those shows, seeing them in 2011 at the intimate ACL Live at The Moody Theater was like welcoming friends in for coffee.
Of course they played all their old classics, and yes that included "Knights In White Satin", probably the second or third most requested song in 70's AOR radio, and a late night staple for many. There have been roster changes with a band of this vintage, most notably flutist Ray Thomas who retired in 2002, but frontman Justin Hayward along with Graeme Edge on percussion and John Lodge on guitar remain. Though they had a number of backing musicians doing yeoman work to fill in the rest, they stayed true to the mark. It's stunning to see how well the 65 year old Hayward has aged, its almost as if time stood still.
The Moody Blues will be touring North America through the middle of July. For a complete tour schedule check out the Moody Blues web site. Click here for the rest of the Moody Blues pictures. |  |
Saturday, April 23. 2011
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
With the thick smoke and dim lighting setting the mood you could easily mistake Interpol as a band from Birmingham as their music makes Joy Division sound like a beach party. For 14 years this New York based post-punk revivalist band has been making heavy, fuzzy music that draws a respectable audience and on Thursday they brought their dark musical clouds to the Austin Music Hall. Paul Banks, head shorn of the long locks of previous years, provided the appropriate brooding frontman mystique as clouds of machine generated fog swirled around and enveloped him at the rest of the band. It was a good set, though not particularly uplifting, and fans of the band got their moneys worth. Opening for Interpol was School of Seven Bells, a band from New York formed from musicians, including Benjamin Curtis of Secret Machines, that met opening for Interpol on a previous tour.
Interpol has got a few more tour dates left before they jump the pond for a European tour at the end of May. They'll be touring the states again in July. For upcoming tour dates check out Interpol's web site at http://www.interpolnyc.com
Click here for the rest of the Interpol pictures. |  |  |  |
Wednesday, April 20. 2011
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
For some gigs photographers ought to get combat pay. It's kind of tough to think about what your going to write when your dodging the boots coming over the barrier at a Rise Against concert, but at least this time we made it though our three songs before we had to bail on the pit. The last time I covered them we didn't even make it through the first song before getting ejected by a thoroughly flustered security team. Rise Against concerts are just like that, and you gotta just count your teeth, wipe away the blood, damn the bruises, man up and get back in the pit.
Formed in 1999 this Chicago based punk band fronted by Tim McIlrath always packs em in at Stubb's and Tuesdays sold out set was no exception. Although lots of people had come for the opener Bad Religion, few people left after their set leaving the venue full and the crowd jammed together, hot, and ready.
And they got what they came for. And more.
A full electric set, 2 acoustic songs and a 6 song double encore. More than enough except for the most hard core Rise Against fan.
Click here for the rest of the Rise Against pics.
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Saturday, April 16. 2011
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
To experience a set by Gogol Bordello must be a lot like getting like getting swept out to sea by the gypsy pirate version of the Black Eyed Peas. A whirling dervish of sight sound and movement that never stops for two straight hours, engulfs the audience, assimilates them, and turns them into an extension of the living, breathing mass of energy radiating from the stage.
Formed in New York in 1999, the bands sound is a melange of flavors that includes the gypsy spices of eastern Europe, the peppery kick of Brazil, combined with an east coast punk, west coast hip hop base that invites dancing and audience participation. With a road show as engaging and entertaining as Parliament/Funkadelic it's hard not to walk away a fan of the band. This is my second time covering them, both at Stubb's, and I'm look forward to their next Austin stop already. Lucky for us, Gogol Bordello's Austin stop was just a warm up for their gig at Coachella on Saturday, so it was great to see them without having to join the multitudes in the desert.
Unfortunately fans of Gogol won't be able to see the remainder of their current tour. The band has had to cancel it's last 4 dates, all on the east coast, due to a death in the family of one of the band members. For more information please check out the Gogol Bordello web site for more details.
Click here for the rest of the Gogol Bordello pics.
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Tuesday, April 12. 2011
 | by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
It was billed as a night with Coheed and Cambria and that's exactly what fans got when the band played 2 sets at their sold out show at Stubb's last night.
The first set, a 45 minute acoustic performance, had fans singing along with co-founder and frontman Claudio Sanchez for the first song. Then the rest of the band took the stage and the crowd of die-hards sang along with the rest of the set as well.
If any fans were singing during the second set it would have been tough to hear as the band plugged in, turned up the amps to 11 and wailed away, playing their second release "The Second Stage Turbine Blade" cover to cover.
Coheed and Cambria are currently on a wide sweeping tour of the U.S. with dates on the east coast, through the midwest and ending up in Los Angeles on May 11th.
Celebrating their 10 year anniversary with this tour, this show really is special and a must see for anyone with more than a passing interest in the band. For tour details and tickets check out the Coheed and Cambria web site.
Click here for the rest of the Coheed and Cambria pics.
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Saturday, April 9. 2011
 | by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
It's kind of hard to believe that this will be Guster's 20th year as a band, but the group started by friends who met during freshman orientation at Tuft's University in 1991 has the road miles to prove it and their well polished show at Stubb's BarBQ on Thursday is certainly a measure of their years of tour experience.
With frontmen Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller swapping vocal duties and Brian "Thundergod" Rosenworcel keeping pace on percussion the band wheeled through a succession their of songs, old and new. Relative newcomer to the band, guitarist Luke Reynolds who joined last year, had no trouble keeping up with his band mates, nor filling the shoes of former guitarist Joe Pisapia, who left the band in 2010.
This set was better than the Guster set I saw at ACL Fest in 2006, but festival sets in the broad daylight in front of a hot dusty seething mass of humanity are rarely as warm and intimate as a show nestled into Stubb's amphitheater.
Guster's current tour is swinging back to the East coast and ends May 7th. They will be touring again starting at the beginning of August, along with Jack's Mannequin. For tickets, tour dates, and more info on the band check out the Guster website.
Click here for the rest of the Guster pics.
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Monday, April 4. 2011
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
The Scissor Sisters really sold out... Stubb's, that is.
If you haven't heard of them, that probably means you're not a dance music fan and/or you don't live in Europe, where they've broken into the mainstream and collaborated with artists like Elton John and Kylie Minogue.
Whether due to support from Austin's sizable (and reliably dance music-friendly) LGBT community or buzz from the Sisters' 2010 SXSW appearance, they had their sold-out audience in a frenetic dance frenzy from the start when they appeared at Stubb's last night. With a pounding bassline provided by Babydaddy and backing by drummer Randy Real, the band reeled through a succession of their songs while the audience squealed.
Expect the Scissor Sisters' U.S. profile to get a considerable boost in the coming months; they've spent the last few months as the opener on Lady Gaga's tour.
If you missed them in Austin, there are a few 2011 dates left here in the States; check out http://www.scissorsisters.com/tour for details.
Click here for the rest of the Scissor Sisters pics.
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Saturday, April 2. 2011
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
Despite being saddled with the unwanted and toxic rock and roll label of being a "christian" band by the music press, Cold War Kids proved they could draw a strong crowd even in Austin by headlining a sold out show at Stubb's BarbQ on Friday.
The Long Beach, California band fronted by Nathan Willett are no Austin rookies though, having brought Cold War Kids through town for SXSW often enough to establish a core following among local music fans. In fact they were just here for SXSW 2011 playing the Filter party, on a much smaller stage which probably made for an interesting experiment in crowd control.
Playing a long, strong set the band covered songs from across their library, including their latest album, with guitarist Jonnie Russell, Willet, and bassist Matt Maust working together onstage like a well oiled machine.
Touring in suppoort of their January release "Mine Is Yours", the third album from the band, they only have a few more U.S. dates before launching a European tour, returning the the states in time for Bonaroo.
This show was part of a T-Moblile media effort called "Live Rising" where the whole show was streamed live on the web.
Click here for the rest of the Cold War Kids pics.
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