One Night Soundtrack

So last wednesday I had the pleasure of two of my favorite live acts together on one stage. I'm always nervous about introducing my friends to new artists that I like, fearing that they might not have a good time at a show. Thankfully, Mother Falcon and Balmorhea tore shit up at the Mohawk, and my friends had a great time. Like I said in my previous post, these guys kick a lot of ass.

Lost River/Old River kicked the night off with a few solo songs, and then was joined by a few friends to round out a full band sound. I didn't get to catch much of this set, but what I heard I liked. I will definitely be looking out for upcoming shows.




Mother Falcon! (you have to say it like that, it just sounds more fun) was excellent, yet again. These young, talented, ladies and gents are still figuring themselves out. With 17 members, and even more instruments, things can get a bit confusing on stage when members are switching between instruments and changing stage location. This most recent show, we got a preview of some of the newer stuff that they have been recording over the past few weeks(months?). New stuff=even more ridiculous. Seriously, HOW DO THEY DO IT?




Before Balmorhea could take the stage, one very important thing had to happen: a poem reading by Thax Douglas! If you've been going to shows around Austin in the past year or so, you've probably seen an older gent, with an excellent beard, introducing bands with poems before they play. In the past year, Thax has been at at least five shows that I have been in attendance of.




After a marvelous introduction by the bearded man, Balmorhea picked me up and wrapped me in an epic movie soundtrack. Seriously, when these guys play, I feel like I'm in the middle of the Gladiator soundtrack or something. Okay, maybe not Gladiator, but something with a soundtrack equally as epic. Apparently, someone in Hollywood thought the same thing. The next time I go to the movies, I want these guys sitting in the very front, making the movie come alive for me.

Shows with lineups like this make me very grateful that I have ears that function marginally well.

womp womp womp

So, no Autolux tonight. A friend of mine needed to jet out of town for a few days so I'm taking care of her kid.

Next week, two local Austin bands, Balmorhea and Mother Falcon will be playing a show together at the Mohawk.

I saw Balmorhea a few months back at Emo's. I had never listened to their music before the show, and was pleasantly surprised at what I heard that night. Their music has a way of slowly creeping in under your skin and becoming something so much bigger than what you expected. Their most recent album, Constellations, released in February, can be found on iTunes.

Mother Falcon is pretty new to the scene, but they've been creating a lot of local buzz with their debut EP, Still Life. The band was recently featured in the Austin Chronicle article about their July 17th show with fellow Austin musicians The Octopus Project:

"Under darkening skies the motif to "Her Radiant Limb" emerges. This is the arrangement from the group's Austin Music Awards performance during South by Southwest this year, the mass introduction to Austin and the world beyond that Mother Falcon had practiced for two years."

Honestly, I can't wait to see what else these bands come up with. If you're in town and not doing anything on the 15th, you should definitely check them out at Mohawk on Red River.