White Denim. Photo by Scott Newton / KLRU
Monday night, your PPI correspondent had the privilege of seeing White Denim play the Moody Theater for an ACL taping. More fortuitous was the fact that it was being broadcasted live to the entire world over the Internet! Celebrating its 40th season, Austin City Limits TV welcomed the Austin band back home for their first appearance on the PBS series. Known for their incredible live energy, the band returned from Lollapalooza to make good on that claim.
White Denim. Photo by Scott Newton / KLRU
Over five albums, White Denim has established itself as an incredibly tight quartet fusing southern rock, jazz and funk into an accessible sound driven by all four members and the spirit of sonic exploration, building musical tension with incredible climactic release. Their most recent album released last year, Corsicana Lemonade, was recorded as live as possible in hopes to capture the live energy they bring to the stage.
White Denim. Photo by Scott Newton / KLRU
Lead singer James Petralli’s vocals were on point Monday evening, full of soul with plenty of worry to please the eager hometown crowd. He and 2nd lead guitarist Austin Jenkins confidently shredded through their own solos and joined in together on a healthy dose of harmonizing licks through an array of tones. Pedalboards were stacked on both sides of the stage as the two men willed a plethora of guitar tones, echoes, delays, warbles and screeches out of their amps. Bassist Steven Terebecki held down the low end with incredible presence, building a fortified rhythm section with on-point drummer, Joshua Block, whose percussion talents were tight and focused. Following the rhythm section’s course, White Denim eased through a dynamic set, starting with one of their most accessible singles, “Pretty Green,” a good example of the southern roots the band so easily identifies with. Petralli’s voice is at its best in this song. We couldn’t help but think, “He’s the kind of guy whose voice ought to be heard. He is meant to sing. He should not not sing.”
White Denim. Photo by Scott Newton / KLRU
After catching acts like Jeff Tweedy and Nick Cave fill the theater with their legendary aura, it was a rewarding opportunity to see Austin City Limits honor the “Live Music Capital of the World” by supporting a humble local group who couldn’t believe they made it on TV, as James Petralli confessed to the audience: “I can’t believe I got to play ‘I Start to Run’ on TV.”
Setlist:
1. Pretty Green
2. Corsicana Lemonade
3. River to Consider
4. Comeback
4. At the Farm
5. Distant Relative Salute
6. A Place to Start
7. Anvil Everything
8. Sometimes I Don’t Wanna Shake
9. I Start to Run
10. Street Joy
11. At Night in Dreams
