For New Year’s Eve 2006, my first blog, Urban Pollution threw a party at the fairly newly opened Mohawk. The bill included A Hawk and a Hacksaw featuring Jeremy Barnes of Neutral Milk Hotel, Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, and headlining the night—The Blow. We’ve been fans of Khaela Maricich for long time now, and after seven years, we were thrilled to see the release of a new album and hear of her return to Austin to play Red 7 this past Saturday night. As an added bonus, Austin indie pop trio Love Inks opened the evening after supporting The Blow on the road for several dates.
The discrepancy between listeners’ conception and expectations of an artist and the artist’s own goals for expression often become most clear in a live setting. While most fans of The Blow come for a dance party, and ultimately get one, Maricich’s set is also filled with social commentary and anxious performance art through openhearted, ad-lib musings. Impatient fans displayed their ignorance Saturday through pedestrian shouting for Maricich to play as she sarcastically commented on the infringement of blaring hip-hop drifting into the outdoor space from a nearby club. And soon enough, Maricich’s own beats, provided by partner Melissa Dyne, filled the club and fans danced delightedly.
One theatrical highlight for the evening consisted of Maricich crowd surfing at to the makeshift sound booth from which Dyne engineered beats for the night. A palpable energy flowed between the two as Maricich performed an outstanding version of “True Affection” from her album Paper Television. Another highlight came when Maricich laid her light stand over on its side and performed a song to her shadow, commenting off-handedly about her own narcissism as she got down with some serious dancing. At one point, Maricich commented that she knew we all wanted to hear standout single “Parentheses” but warned us that they “had changed a lot as a band,” before launching into a mock metal performance of the song, growling furiously through the lyrics.
If you want to hear a song, turn on the stereo. But for those who want to see a performance, those who want to see artistic expression, The Blow is for you. With Maricich’s wry wit, pay attention or you might miss it. The fact that the show fell on this Saturday made for an impressive evening since CocoRosie had just finished putting on one of the best shows of the year at the Belmont. Here were two incredible shows that were both well attended, but still under-represented in the media. Next time The Blow comes through—fans of a fresh live music experience should ensure they’re in attendance.
Earlier in the night, Love Inks performed an outstanding, airy but upbeat set of synth tinged indie pop. The trio recently dropped their new LP Generation Club, which we dropped the ball on reviewing. We plan on rectifying this soon, but until then, know that the group represents one of Austin’s most solid live acts. For our out of town friends, Love Inks will continue to tour up the West Coast and in the Midwest through mid-November. Check their dates here, and get out there and see them. We’ll be looking forward to their return to Austin and another show soon.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
