5 of My Favorite Concerts
I've seen a lot of concerts in Austin and San Marcos since I started taking concert photos in 2022. These are 5 of my all-time favorites (in no particular order).
same brain at Mirrorhouse, March 2022
I have to start off with a show at Mirrorhouse, the short-lived DIY venue northeast of UT campus. It lives on now as a concert promotion label, Mirrorhouse Presents, but the original house only hosted concerts from August 2021 to July 2022.
It was the first place I ever went to specifically to see local music, and this show was probably the one that really hooked me on the scene.
No Place Like Home, Bodyplan, Elegy, and Rocking Chair Reality Room were all great--in fact, Elegy and Bodyplan would go on to be two of my favorite Austin bands until they disbanded--but the free jazz of same brain absolutely stole the show.
There was something special about these deeply serious performers coming in and giving it their all for a style of music that I'm sure 95% of the people in attendance did not enjoy in the slightest, which I know because I was one of only about ten people who stayed inside for this set.
Especially in those early days, and sometimes even now, going to a concert by myself can be an extremely lonely experience. But every once in a while, there are moments where either the music itself or the kinship within the audience instantly washes it all away. This time, it was both.
Sprain underneath Montopolis Bridge, June 2023
I'm going to be holding on to this one forever. I really hadn't even listened to Sprain, and by this point, their magnum opus, The Lamb as Effigy, had not yet released, so I arrived expecting to take in the sights, struggle taking pictures in the DIY lighting, and maybe hear something interesting.
Instead my attention was instantly glued to an exceptional cast of instrumentalists, each contributing their own unique force to an elegant ensemble of noise and captivating, odd grooves.
The band's breakup came as a special surprise to me, as I thought for sure they would have released one of the songs played here. It was the highlight of the show for me--a long pause on the guitars and bass, just the hihat clicking while singer Alex Kent ran the gamut of strange vocalizations, finally coming to an end with a guttural yell, slowly rising, stopping; his words:
"When you speak to me it sounds like this;" a hail of guitars, scraping across my brain.
Window Shop at the Funnyshack, November 2022
SAN MARCOS'S FINEST!!!
The Funnyshack was my bandmates' house in San Marcos where we practiced and occasionally hosted shows as the band Demure. Window Shop, along with arborade, were our perennial bill-mates. We always loved playing with them, and this show was an encapsulation of why.
Before rolling into their eternally catchy catalogue of jazz-tinged "rainbow rock," their set started with completely unforeseen cover; I remember being confused as they started extremely quietly, and I remember that confusion turning to giddiness as I realized one of my favorite bands--a group of jazz students, no less--was about to hit us with Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. Aiden Potter, dressed as Superman even a week after Halloween, totally crushed the vocals, and the guitars (turned up far louder than normal for this band) sounded huge. It made me want a Window Shop heavy album, just so I could see what they would come up with.
The rest of the set was classic Window Shop playing all their wonderfully crafted, super groovy tunes, all while having a great stage presence and some fun audience interaction from the Countess of Keyboards Leonora Tomlinson, vocalist extraordinaire. I will always look back to this time of playing in San Marcos with fondness, and I will always have a great deal of respect for how much confidence the band exuded in their performances and artistic direction despite their young age.
Window Shop's debut album is on streaming. Please listen and stay tuned for the next. Listen to the verse on "Can't Stand the Sunshine" and tell me that's not fucking fire as hell dude. Thanks
Attic Ted outside Martindale River Cafe, October 2022
In my experience, being in a band that plays primarily in a smaller scene, like San Marcos, can lead you to some strange circumstances. Everyone knows everyone, and there's really not that many bands active at one time, so sometimes your weird rock band gets booked to play for a town of 1,200 people.
In this regard, Grady and Coby of Attic Ted were the experts, and us--Demure--the novices.
Our friend Lefty Parker had invited us out to Martindale for his birthday concert, and the evening had been an acoustic, folky affair, barring our noisy introduction. Coming back from a short jaunt to the cemetery, ready to go home, I heard the final act begin their set: Synthesizer!! Over a strangely dancy tune, too. I had to go and take a look.
And there's really no way to turn Attic Ted down--once you see the masks, hear Grady Roper's character voices, and groove with Coby Cardosa's powerful, measured drumming, you're an instant fan. No matter what age, too! I was amused by some kids running around to the more upbeat, locomotive tracks, pushing around a colorful toy car at mach speeds, as their parents observed from a distance, perhaps contemplating the wonderfully vulgar lyrics of "14 Hours."
And they've been doing it forever! A big point of inspiration for me--I want to keep making music for my whole life. Especially if it's a super niche thing that I love.
speaking of...
