Riders Against the Storm, Kid Sister, and the Givers were Friday. I headed downtown for the Mohawk show, and after that ended up catching the last 20 minutes or so of the Givers’ set at Emo’s… they were dynamite on stage, and are definitely going on my list of bands to catch at ACL this year.

MGMT (you can see my pics and read in detail how much I disliked them at Austin Town Hall, but not here, because the damn label made all the photogs sign a rights release form limiting what you can do with your own pictures) and Tame Impala were at Stubbs on Sunday.

Holy Ghost and LCD Soundsystem destroyed me with utter awesomeness on Tuesday.

As usual, click the pics to see more. I took a lot at LCD because the lighting was stellar.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Loooove me some Elvis Perkins. I went to New Orleans for the Jazz Fest at the beginning of the month, and saw this band both at the fest and in the French Quarter (at One Eyed Jacks) the next evening.

Also that night, MyNameIsJohnMichael, who is gonna be playing ACL this fall. They reminded me of What Made Milwaukee Famous live: fun, energetic, tons of stage presence, and the crowd was totally into it.

Next, Wye Oak and Shearwater at the Parish. I’d never seen Wye Oak before, and so was really effing excited. They totally justified that, and destroyed me with awesome vocals and some impressive rocking out for a two-piece band.

Then Shearwater, who are always nothing less then perfect live.

Then last week, I saw Besnard Lakes and Stardeath and White Dwarfs.

I remember really liking Stardeath, but Besnard Lakes was just utterly gorgeous to hear. Ended up buying the newest album on vinyl because I just couldn’t resist. <3 <3 <3

For more pics, click any of the photos… I kinda took a lot. What can I say, this band is just so much fun to shoot!

As usual, click on any of the pics to get to the entire photo set on Flickr.

Warpaint

The Raveonettes

Local Natives (at Antone’s, which really needs to get some damn lighting on the performers’ faces. Most of the front lighting I got here was pirated from other people’s flashes)

I have to admit, I really like me some Harlem. Drunk, dirty, punky garage rock is a weakness of mine, and these guys deliver stage drunk like not many others I’ve seen. I also just recently reviewed the new album for – well, I’ll link when it’s up – and wanted to catch ‘em live. After all, it had probably been almost two months since I’d seen them!

But mainly, I’ve been wanting to hear Friendly Ghost live since I first started listening to the new album. I heart that song.

Also, Coomers, thanks for wearing the sparkly gold headband from y’all’s effing wierd video for Gay Human Bones like I requested via twitter yesterday. I <3 that headband.

Thursday of last week I just hung out at the Mohawk all day… the lineup was solid the entire way through, I knew just about everyone working there by name (yes I am a barfly, and the Mohawk my drinking place of choice. So?), and whiskey and bbq were free up in VIP. Why leave?

Bear In Heaven were playing outside when I walked in, and upon approaching the stage for photos my ears vibrated off. I liked their music, really I did, but I liked my hearing more so it was inside for drinks and the Cave Singers.

The Cave Singers are a big “yes please more” in my ’sxsw seen bands’ roster. Pete Quirk’s rough yet gorgeously melodic voice fit perfectly with the aesthetic that the Mohawk exudes as a venue. Check them out, and be prepared to close your eyes to fully appreciate how lovely the music is.

Bowerbirds are always so good live… I’ve seen them three times within the past 6 months, and it has been an entrancing experience every time.

Then it was back inside for the Generationals, who I wanted to love but just wasn’t feeling that day. Their song When They Fight is my jam, and their live show was fun, but… I dunno. I’d like to catch them again, because I’m pretty sure they are actually great.

Oh No Ono was next, and was another band that I just couldn’t get into… I think it’s a problem with me; I was so distracted by the lead singer’s poncho that I couldn’t concentrate on the music.

You may recall something about my previous bad experience with the Duchess and the Duke, so I was leery about seeing them again. They were great this time, though: gorgeous harmonies, perfect deliveries of the songs that I dug so much on the album, not a single alcohol-slurred word. Still, are they always going to be hit-or-miss?

The Black Angels are wierd for me. I love the music – going to a concert of theirs is like being on drugs, only it’s a completely auditory high – and I love that they are local.

But that second thing. It’s kinda odd hanging out and getting drunk with people, and then seeing them play like total rock stars on stage. That’s my problem, though, not theirs. Also, their collaboration with UNKLE for the new track is fucking awesome.

I was walking down the street afterward, and stumbled into the insanity that was Fucked Up playing the patio at Beerland. There was a huge crowd of people all the way into the middle of the street, while Father Damien sang into the blindingly bright sun setting over downtown. Hell yes.

I’m completely baffled by the people who saw jj’s set Thursday night and thought it was great. Did they approve more of the obviously extremely intoxicated girl meandering her way – with mid-song pauses for another swig of beer – through laptop-backed tracks? Or was it about the male half of the duo, who pressed play on the laptop at the beginning of the set, then huddled into himself in a near-fetal position off-stage without moving for 30 minutes?

Because I wasn’t impressed at all, and that makes me sad, because I loved the album.

Holy Fuck, at least, blew my mind with awesome. It was a complete dance party, both on and off the stage. And when a band is obviously having so much fun playing, it’s hard to not get into it as well. I had so much fun, in fact, that I totally caught them again on both Friday and Saturday.

Previously: Wednesday night post
and: Wednesday day post

Friday, aka tomorrow, aka 3/26: White Denim @ Antones – If you live in Austin, you’ve likely already seen White Denim. And you know they’re worth seeing again. (ask me about the time I caught them 7 times in 5 days at southby a few years back) Also, if you’re in the first 200 to rsvp on Do512, you get in for only $5.

Monday 3/29: Daniel Francis Doyle and YellowFever @ Red 7 – Again, locals, but DFD’s crazy one-man-band intensity and YF’s minimalist pop are always fun.

Wednesday 3/31: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ the Parish

Thursday 4/1: Harlem @ Mohawk – It’s their album release shindig, and even though it doesn’t officially drop until the week after, you can get your greedy hands on it then because they love you. They have a habit of putting at least one song on each album that makes it into my top 10 of the year, and this one is no exception.

Friday 4/2: Red Sparrowes @ Red 7 – You saw them at Fun Fun Fun, right?

Elvis vs Dikes of Holland @ Beerland – This should be awesome. I don’t know why DoH aren’t much bigger, because they throw down some awesome tracks. Combine them with the onstage crazy of that Elvis frontman, and it is a no-lose situation.

Transmission Entertainment is bringing Of Montreal to town again! I saw ‘em twice last year, at Monolith and Fun Fun Fun Fest; both times they brought an enormous crowd. In other words, you better buy your tickets ASAP because this is gonna sell out damn quick, and then you’ll be cryin’ ’cause you missed them at an 850-capacity venue.

Mohawk, May 23rd (yeah, that’s a Sunday, so what? Verbose songs about ambiguous sexuality, death, drugs, and etc beckon you!)

Tix here. Noot D’Noot and James Husband (from Of Montreal) open.