You should have been there, and there’s a good chance you weren’t. I’ve written before about just how many shows occur each night in Austin, but this week may take the cake. Last night had The National at ACL Live, Phantogram at Mohawk, and Damien Jurado at Red 7 to go along with TSMZO’s appearance at Mohawk. When the doors opened early in the evening, Mohawk was pretty vacant, but it did fill up over the course of the night. People trickled in as Jesse Beaman’s solo project My Empty Phantom performed a solo set of loops and percussion, and when TSMZO began playing, the floor was snug but not overcrowded and a good amount of people lined the first two rows of the balcony. I’ve loved Silver Mt. Zion ever since first hearing them over a decade ago, and I was thrilled that a sizable crowd turned out by show time.
More importantly, since the average show-goers were apparently dispersed between the many shows in town, it meant that only die-hard fans showed up at Mohawk to see the band play, resulting in a completely attentive crowd–quiet, respectful, enrapt. This is the kind of show atmosphere our dreams are made of. As I stood in awe with the rest of the fans, you can’t help but recognize how truly honed TSMZO’s craft has become. These once-members of quintessential post-rock outfit Godspeed You! Black Emperor are the kings of their kind. Strings waiver between glorious and dissonant as Efrim Menuck squawks lyrics from behind a mane of curls at the back of the stage.
Menuck is the core of the band, and his persona underscores everything that makes Silver Mt. Zion great. Although the band creates songs with traditional instruments, the band embraces avant-garde arrangements and blends combines sublime melodies with challenging experimentation. Even the band’s stage banter flies in the face of social norms. Between songs, Menuck shouts out to the crowd, “Does anybody have a question?” My heart warms. Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan always used to do this, but as I’ve never seen a set by TSMZO, I can’t say who started the trend. While most bands avoid even making eye contact, Menuck and co throw the door wide open and invite awkward tension.
However, the bravery is rewarded with rare sincerity and memorable moments. Some fans shout silly questions and many ask questions about instrumentation or music. Then, some guy in the balcony yells, “Do you believe in a separate self?” Menuck muses, “A separate self?” The guy shouts back, “Yeah, like a self separate from the universe.” Some folks are probably thinking, who the fuck is this guy? I, for one, love this guy. Yes, let’s take a mid-show pause to get metaphysically philosophical. If anywhere, I think this is the band for it. Menuck responds emphatically, “No, I don’t. I don’t know about these other guys, but I don’t believe in a self separate from the universe.”
After that another attendee tries to slip in a song request as a question, “Can you play…?” But Menuck calls him on my shit and jokingly tells the audience they’ve lost their privilege before beginning the next song. With moments such as this accompanying the transcendent music, the night is magical. In the digital age, Silver Mt. Zion feels like a place where we can finally forget about everything for a second and enjoy all the beauty and pain that our real lives have to offer.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
