Two stalwart entities, 101X Homegrown Live and Vagabond Collective, both of which book great bills that support local acts and get Austin’s music-loving public out to some of the city’s best venues, teamed up for a show last Saturday at Holy Mountain. Curated by Vagabond Collective, the show had four diverse bands grace the stage, each offering something distinct and memorable.
David Ruffins opened the night with a set of punchy soul-pop. Donned in matching red suspenders and button-ups, the three piece had the style and class to match their vintage pop tunes. Due to some venue hopping and seeing a great show at Cheer Up Charlie’s simultaneously, we missed all but a song of the middle two bands, New York City Queens and Big Bill. However, we’ve seen both bands before and can attest to their greatness, particularly the latter. I did catch the closing seconds of Big Bill’s set and the costuming and performance aspects of the show appeared as arresting as ever. If you haven’t seen them, you should.
Shivery Shakes headlined the night, fresh off a West Coast tour. The band has always sounded incredibly tight, as it’s a large part of the appeal of their reverb-laden surf pop, and Saturday night was no exception. With rhythm section Andrew Penmer on bass and Marcus Haddon on drums, the group stays on point as Will Glosup and Jack Thorton navigate surfy guitar parts. As great as all the bands were, the highlight of the night has to be host Deidre Gott dancing furiously as Shivery Shakes played; she’s unquestionably one of the band’s truest fans.
Check out photos of the night below. All photographs by © Bryan C. Parker & Pop Press International; all rights reserved. Click any image to open set in slideshow viewer.
