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Why I Decree it to Be So:It might sound a little wacky, dearhearts, but to me, At Echo Lake sounds just like it could only have been made by a band called Woods. You see, Woods make an utterly charming genus of rustic rock, heavy with the aroma of cabin fires, crisp lakeside nights, and the pleasant, pungent earth. It's a record that's instantly dynamic yet somehow tranquil. And Jeremy Earl's voice will take you down all sorts of haunting paths untravelled. I like to think of Woods as making a kind of backwoods boogie for the city dwelling set. Whatever you wanna call it, At Echo Lake is evocative and fresh, but with a sense of cozy familiarity. It's an absolute gem. mp3: Blood Dries Darker (Woods from At Echo Lake)
Sure, I’ve wanted to see every single one of these shows a whole lot. But this one was really something I absolutely could not wait for. It sat there, written into my planner, for weeks, taunting me with the amount of time I still had to wait to see it. And then, one fine day, it was March 27th, and I was headed over to the Rock’n’Roll Hotel for what I knew without a doubt would be a fabulous show. And naturally, I was right.
MINI RECAP: Surf City = Biff! Real Estate = Bang! Woods = Pow! Overall score: A.
I arrived just as Surf City was starting up. Walking into a room filled with the divine sounds of some of my absolute favorite New Zealanders was a welcome thing indeed. I’m so thrilled to have finally seen them live, let me tell you (especially as this was their last US show for a while and because I’ve wanted to see them for months on end now). Their cheeky, pleasantly fuzzy, jangly noise sounded great in person, and I was so captivated I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. Their (far too) brief set was effervescent and fantastic, and judging by the content of the set their new record is gonna be killer, and entirely in keeping with the strong sound they’ve already honed. I officially love this band to bits.
Real Estate was up next, and though they were the band I knew the least about, they too proved rather enjoyable to behold. The crowd was absolutely heaving for their set, with most of the sell out crowd turning up just in time for band number 2. Once I got over the initial shock of the Real Estate singer looking and acting a whole lot like an ex-boyfriend, I was ready to enjoy their set. And there was a lot to enjoy, starting even before they strummed a note. Any band that asks for a lotta reverb from the soundboard is fabulous in my book, not to mention their in-set encouragement of rowdiness. I really dug their rich, dreamy, dappled golden sound, mixing in a little of everything to create a lovely and appealing blend of beachside-cityscape-highway folk rock. Perhaps it’s not the most likely music to incite rowdy riots (ok, for the sake of puns, perhaps a sorta quiet riot), but it was damned fine music all the same. The crowd loved them, and who am I to argue?
It must be said, Woods kinda threw me for a little bit of a loop. Right off the bat, they went all rock on me. There was more feedback, more reverb, more drone, and more sharp edges than I ever expected out of them. But I’ll let you in on a little secret, friends, it was sensational. At times I found myself wanting to cut some serious rug, and judging by the movement on the floor I wasn’t the only one with such urges. For example, “To Clean” live was such a kicky little number, still retaining that sorta rustic sound from the Songs of Shame record but with a bit more bite, just as with most of their set. That unique, slightly off-kilter, almost falsetto was offset wonderfully by the big rock sound they had up their sleeve, balancing fragility with a kind of “we will rock your face off” mentality. Their extended instrumentals were especially intense (and loud), driving and crashing and wreaking beautiful havoc on my eardrums. All of this means that Woods is even better live than I had anticipated. See them, hear them, love them. End of story.
What a night, friends. What a night. A great bill from top to bottom, and all three are bands you should give serious consideration to. I’m beginning to feel just a wee bit spoiled here, because this was yet another hell of a show.
mp3: Dickshaker’s Union (Surf City from the Surf City EP)
mp3: Beach Comber (Real Estate from Real Estate)
mp3: To Clean (Woods from Songs of Shame)
I’m finding it hard to believe that it’s almost time once again for the annual industry hootenanny known as SXSW. In a few short days, Austin will be taken over. To celebrate the impending week of absolute havoc, Austin-style, we’ve thrown down the interview gauntlet to see what some of our favorite bands are going to be getting up to whilst gettin down in the wilds of Texas.
I pity the fool that doesn’t like Woods, I really do. After all, to not like Woods means to not like the sound of endless stretches of dirt country roads, vast expanses of sun-bleached desert nothingness or sweeping landscapes full of mist-covered mountains and trees tinted by autumn. The music Woods make, well, it’s really rather fine. “Curious perfection,” you might call it, as they sing in “The Number,” off the fantastic record Songs of Shame. The more I think about it, the more I think you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not being a Woods fan. It’s never too late to start, thankfully. And what better way to show your love than by going to see them live? SXSW attendees can see Woods, as can a whole lot of us folks who aren’t going to Austin, seeing as they’re touring around the festival. See what G. Lucas Crane is stoked about at SXSW below. And if you do happen to see them while in Austin, maybe bring ‘em some bags of ice. Or pants.
Les Enfants Terribles: How are you getting to SXSW: plane, train, or automobile?
G. Lucas Crane: We’re driving in our Ford Econoline named “Vivian.”
LET: Inevitably, you will forget to pack:
GLC: Bags of Ice. Enough Pants.
LET: How many showcases/parties will you be playing?
GLC: (no response – but they’re playing no less than 4 times)
LET: Band you're most looking forward to seeing at the festival?
GLC: Fresh and Onlys and Pocahaunted, both bands full of solid bros.
LET: What's the first thing you plan on doing upon arrival in Austin?
GLC: Go swimming and eat smoked meats.
LET: What was the first festival you ever attended, either as a musician or member of the general public?
GLC: The Warped Tour. Columbus, Ohio. 94. I have almost no memory of it though, I remember smoking weed with a trucker and there was a fight during Kool Keith when someone threw a shoe at him.
LET: Favorite thing about festivals?
GLC: Time Dilation. When you gather thousands of people together and commit them to party their asses off, time itself ceases to have any relation to what the watch says. Short sets last forever. Long distances are traveled in split seconds. An open bar cooked in the hot sun never ends. The bloody Mary becomes bottomless.
mp3: I Was Gone (Woods from At Echo Lake {due out in May 2010})[photo by Erina Digby]
Why I Decree it to Be So:
