'NITES is an Austin-based music blog that covers the local music scene in Central Texas. My name is Ajay Miranda; I'm a writer with experience in newspaper reporting, editing, photography and videography. I started this blog because I love live music and I think Austin is the best city in the world for finding great new bands.
Tonight at Mohawk, you have a chance to catch a hot up-and-coming band from the Rio Grande Valley. The Young Maths are a dance-rock quartet that mixes punk, funk and party vibes, like they're The Faint's younger snot-nosed little cousins. Think McAllen's Zlam Dunk. Think Funeral Party, with a little less funeral and a lot more party. And with song titles like "Meet Me at the Gay Bar" and "Fingered on the Dance Floor," it appears they have a sense of humor to match their catchy-as-hell tunes.
Paradise Titty, Austin's own all-female Guns N' Roses tribute band (yes, there is such a thing), served up the rockin' tunes on Friday night at The Parish. I was there to shoot photos for Red River Noise. You can view the complete photo gallery here.
Tonight proves how spoiled we really are as music fans in Austin. See, in most cities and towns, on any given night the best available musical entertainment is provided by cover bands. Usually, these are middle-aged would-be rockers and weekend warriors playing "Dr. Feelgood" and "Cherry Pie" for the umpteenthousandth time in their life.
In Austin, meanwhile, we mostly have original bands playing good music in almost any genre you could want. But even on a night like tonight, when the best live music options are cover bands, it's not because the original bands suck. It's because our cover bands are inspired in their tribute choices; they're not cliche, instead choosing source material that we know and love but wouldn't expect to be covered.
At Speakeasy, Do512 is hosting a dance party with DJs, Deep Eddy vodka and All My Friends, a local LCD Soundsystem tribute band. Yeah, they play covers by a band who released a critically acclaimed album two months ago, as well as one of the best albums of 2007. Featuring members of SuperLiteBike and Peoplefood, this tribute band puts on a dance-punk show that would do James Murphy proud. Cover is $5 if you RSVP here. Band starts at 10.
Over at Mohawk, it's the debut of a tribute band that has punk fans excited: Refused are Fucking Dead. Refused, a Swedish leftist punk band steeped in lore, released what was arguably the best hardcore album of their generation. Then they broke up shortly thereafter, leaving lots of us fans starved for a live taste of The Shape of Punk to Come. Tonight might be the closest we get. More details here.
What I like most about Markov is their complete comfort and confidence on a stage. A lot of bands look tentative when they play; you know, each member picks a spot on the stage and doesn't deviate, as if trapped within an invisible forcefield. Markov's lead screamer, on the other hand, wanders about as if he's pacing in his living room recalling a story aloud to himself. He'll then walk into the crowd and continue with his shout-rap style, ignoring the bodies around him. When he's bored with that, he'll find amps to climb and nooks and crannies on the stage to examine, all the while shouting some dark, provocative lyrics. And it doesn't look forced. The dude just looks like he has ADD and makes it work. I'm not saying every band should do this, or take it this far, but every band should at least feel comfortable enough on a stage to move a little. Tap your toe, nod your head, sway. Anything. Just show me you've got a pulse. Markov has tons of life, and it shows. Recommended for fans of Refused and Future of the Left.
