We had Fun Fun Fun this weekend

On Saturday afternoon, Janet and I dropped off the kids at Kathy and Dan's place. We then headed into downtown Austin and made our way to Waterloo Park for the second annual Fun Fun Fun Music Festival. Austin is known for it's 2 huge music events, Austin City Limits Festival and South by Southwest. Fun Fun Fun is new and much smaller but manages to bring in some good talent. There are 3 stages. One for rap, one for hardcore punk/metal (crap imho) and one for indie rock/pop. The indie rock stage is where Janet and I spent the day.

When we arrived the crowd was sparse since the lesser known bands play earlier in the day. We caught the last 2 songs of the Evangelicals. The lead singer's falsetto voice was shreiky and seemed to be off pitch. We weren't impressed at all. Next up was White Denim. These guys are a 3 piece band from Austin who are gaining alot of popularity locally. They sounded really good, and their performance was high energy and the banter between songs was funny.

Next was Final Fantasy. A one man show from Canada. He has a violin and a piano. He gradually records loops on his instruments and plays them to create the illusion of a full band/orchestra. Here's one of the songs he sang yesterday. (The video is not from the concert we went to)



Next up was Okkervil River. Another band that got it's start in Austin. They were an awesome live band. This song, Unless Its Kicks was one of the highlights. Again, this video is not from the show we went to.



The next 2 bands were the highlight of the night for me. They also had the biggest crowds.
The New Pornographers (Yes it's a weird name, get past it... the music has nothing to do with the name) These guys are from Vancouver B.C. and produce some of the catchiest, bounciest, jingle jangle tunes you'll hear. My kids go nuts and jump all over the living room when I put them on. They were phenomenal live. The female vocalist, Neko Case (who is also an excellent solo artist) was incredible. Her voice is beautiful.

I recorded a couple of videos on my canon photo camera. The quality is subpar, but it gives you an idea...

Sing Me Spanish Techno


Myriad Harbor


Explosions in the Sky (instrumental band from Austin) just plain rocked. And we almost went deaf so we had to move to the back. They were the crowd fave and deservedly so. They really give it all they've got. Their music is featured on the movie and TV Show friday night lights.