Offering a place to toast up our cold December bodies in their festive, atmospheric indoor space as we ardently digested the sounds executed before us, The Mohawk triumphed once again. Wednesday night’s bill, consisting of Seattle’s Motopony with Austin-based bands Gold Beach and Cross Record was arguably the best in town, and I am sad to say that I was unable to make the first act. The following coverage and included photos of Cross Record have been provided by Pop Press editor Bryan Parker, who, thankfully, was there to save the night and soak up enough goodness for the two of us.
With dark, buzzing guitar tones and synchronized drum and guitar breakdowns interspersed between droning, moody song structures, Cross Record expertly address texture, rhythm, and sonic balance. The songs have not only pace and accessibility but also enough experimentation to make them arresting. The band is doing something off-center and exciting, particularly in Austin. Undoubtedly in part due to their status as a married couple, Dan Duszynski and Emily Cross possess palpable energy onstage, making eye contact as they exchange knowing glances. Cross Record plays our Free Week show at Cheer Up Charlie’s on Saturday January 10th. If it’s a tough decision to catch such a great band (and bill) for free on a Saturday, return to the beginning of this paragraph and reread.
The fated performers they are, Gold Beach displays unmitigated concentration on the delivery of their neo tunes, perhaps trapped in the vortex of their sonic paradox as the smooth, textured music fills the room and vacuums us in. In one set, they manage to sleekly transition in and out through a heavy, reverb-saturated fog to their glassy, poppier side, creating a true experiential bond with the audience, with the ones who have willingly set out on the aural adventure. A project of Michael Winningham, Gold Beach has wholly returned to the scene with a newly-constructed live band which lends both talent and weight with the addition of guitarist Claire Puckett (Mother Falcon) and percussionist Josh Halpern (Marmalakes). With a sophomore album, Ryou Cannon, scheduled for release in April 2015, we are finding ourselves in nothing short of eager anticipation of Gold Beach’s future.
This night was the last of tour for Motopony, a quirky, folksy, and fractured quartet. Wildly, frontman Daniel Blue gives a dark magic, sermon-like performance, lyrically preaching the importance of love for oneself and one another, as tambourine jangles and electro-pop dance beats fuse with the dexterity of the band members to cohesively assemble unconventional ballads. When an aggrieved audience member cries out mid-set, asking why Motopony had disappeared completely the last few years, Blue explained that the band has only recently emerged from two years of legal issues following the bankruptcy of their first record label, but, with the help of a little patience, they’re back back, and happily so. Having exhausted all of their musical means, Motopony closes out the night to a smiling, fulfilled crowd, as Blue stands on the end of the stage, informing us of Austin’s wonder and inherent energy, quizzically saying, “What’s happenin’ here? I should feel like a road turd, but I feel fuckin’ great!”
Select any image below to open in a slideshow viewer. All photographs © Bryan C. Parker, Madeline Harvey, & Pop Press International; all rights reserved. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
