Tuesday night: Danielson and Marnie Stern
A night of wailing and hailing
Danielson
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With the upcoming winter months meaning slimmer pickings for concertgoers, Mohawk is making like a squirrel and gathering several choice musical nuts to be enjoyed before the temperatures drop below “enjoyable patio experience” levels. The two shows—one late and indoor, one early and outdoor—spotlight Marnie Stern, a singer-songwriter who favors technical guitar riffing to gentle strumming, and Danielson, the faux family collective known for making a joyful noise out of religious fervor and unhinged pop.
Stern is one of few indie-rock guitarists today with a legitimate claim to the status of “shredder”—hell, her tapping skills would put most metal guitarists to shame. But Stern’s fretboard pyrotechnics were only part of the story behind last year’s In Advance Of The Broken Arm, a breakout album of caterwauling quasi-pop songs that stick and linger. Her concerts have a similar tendency, while simultaneously upping the "wow" factor. Often accompanied by a hip-slung iPod, Stern turns out flawless renditions of her studio material, her fleet fingers operating seemingly independent of her raging wood-nymph vocals. This month she released her sophomore record This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That on Kill Rock Stars. Catch your breath while you pick your jaw up off the floor.
Festival appearances and compilation contributions aside, it’s been a quiet couple of years for Danielson. Then again, after a whirlwind 2006 where the band rose to new heights of notoriety on the back of an acclaimed album (Ships) and a revealing documentary (J.L. Aronson’s Danielson: A Family Movie (Or, Make A Joyful Noise Here)), maybe Daniel Smith and his roving Famile deserved a bit of time off. They’re not ready to move forward quite yet, as this fall has seen a wave of re-issues and remixes of the band’s back catalogue, culminating in the release of Trying Hartz, a double-disc career retrospective. Expect a deep dip into the band’s old stuff here, along with heavy doses of low-budget theatricality and thoughts of “Wait, did I just accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior?”
Austin’s own Ume warms the crowd for Stern with math-y breakdowns and the guitar heroics of Lauren Larson, who often sounds like she’s calculating long division on her six-string. For the early show, it’s a case of split personality with Cryptacize, as the tweaked and dreamy Dr. Jekyll of the band’s recent release Dig That Treasure battles a Mr. Hyde composed of splintered guitar, stammering rhythms, and frontman Nedelle Torrisi’s girlish, breathy voice. The Sour Notes and Loxsly fill out the late and early lineups, respectively.
Stern is one of few indie-rock guitarists today with a legitimate claim to the status of “shredder”—hell, her tapping skills would put most metal guitarists to shame. But Stern’s fretboard pyrotechnics were only part of the story behind last year’s In Advance Of The Broken Arm, a breakout album of caterwauling quasi-pop songs that stick and linger. Her concerts have a similar tendency, while simultaneously upping the "wow" factor. Often accompanied by a hip-slung iPod, Stern turns out flawless renditions of her studio material, her fleet fingers operating seemingly independent of her raging wood-nymph vocals. This month she released her sophomore record This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That on Kill Rock Stars. Catch your breath while you pick your jaw up off the floor.
Festival appearances and compilation contributions aside, it’s been a quiet couple of years for Danielson. Then again, after a whirlwind 2006 where the band rose to new heights of notoriety on the back of an acclaimed album (Ships) and a revealing documentary (J.L. Aronson’s Danielson: A Family Movie (Or, Make A Joyful Noise Here)), maybe Daniel Smith and his roving Famile deserved a bit of time off. They’re not ready to move forward quite yet, as this fall has seen a wave of re-issues and remixes of the band’s back catalogue, culminating in the release of Trying Hartz, a double-disc career retrospective. Expect a deep dip into the band’s old stuff here, along with heavy doses of low-budget theatricality and thoughts of “Wait, did I just accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior?”
Austin’s own Ume warms the crowd for Stern with math-y breakdowns and the guitar heroics of Lauren Larson, who often sounds like she’s calculating long division on her six-string. For the early show, it’s a case of split personality with Cryptacize, as the tweaked and dreamy Dr. Jekyll of the band’s recent release Dig That Treasure battles a Mr. Hyde composed of splintered guitar, stammering rhythms, and frontman Nedelle Torrisi’s girlish, breathy voice. The Sour Notes and Loxsly fill out the late and early lineups, respectively.
