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Flanfire (Duggan Flanakin) is bringing LIFE to Austin music -- and telling the world how sweet it is!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Infinite Partials -- and Broken 45's!
Tuesday night the whole gang stopped by Jo's Coffees on Second Street (near the new city hall) to hear Chris Brecht and the Broken 45's (Andy Morris on drums, Matt Mollica on Hammond B3, and Bobby Daniel on bass) and later Amy Cook (with Bobby D on bass, Nina Singh on drums, and Jesse Duke sitting in on guitar). LA escapee Amy has been hosting Tuesdays at Jo's since it opened last fall -- and to tell the truth I hardly wrote any notes as we were having a major visit with friends who had come all the way from Connecticut and seven-degree weather that morning. Next Tuesday Amy's opening band will be Black Water Gospel -- and maybe then I will be more attentive.
Chris sings in the vein of Bob Dylan (even plays harmonica) and sings songs like "I Played Cards with the Devil" and "Absinthe Highway Blues." I had hung out with Chris and Matt the night before (and Matt was playing some sweet notes on his accordian, which he claims he is still learning) -- and could not miss their exciting set. Catch him at Flipnotics on February 18 with the Lonesome Heroes. I will write more about Amy next time -- BTW, she sings a duet with Juan Gutierrez on the upcoming BWG CD (being produced by her one-time guitarist Brad Rice -- who is currently touring with Keith Urban) -- and MAY be persuaded to give us a taste of that duet next Tuesday.
Okay, already! Last Saturday (and it is already Thursday!) I trotted down to Flipnotics to catch a set from Infinite Partials -- another of those new-style Austin bands featuring a cellist, a violinist/fiddler, a violist/mandolinist, a conga player, and a guitarist/singer-songwriter [what I mean is strings, baby!].
Grant Hudson; two of the Andrews and Chris.
Bandleader Grant Hudson grew up in Austin and began playing guitar at Ruta Maya as a teenager -- and then he started writing songs. He once dated Suzanna Choffel (she sez!), but found his soulmate in actress Amy Downing (now they hyphenate their names!), who often sings with her hubby but not when acting gigs (like her current show at the Zachary Scott Theatre) are available.
The band began (as Violent Nap) back at the Blue Theatre when Grant met violist (and mandolinist) Andrew Noble (he's the bearded, hatted one) and cellist Andrew Davis. Later they found violinist Andrew (Andy) Strietelmeier and percussionist Chris Sebastian, and these partials began to make infinite music together (or so the story goes). This is yet another band whose music lends itself to a light show and artistic images flashing and pulsating to add to the ethereal effect of the intense music and lyrics.
I have no idea what all the songs are called, but one is about laying your body down [if I do, "will you rescue me?"]; another is about two brothers ["I could never understand why you had to run away," one says to the other, then adds, "we are here to help you though you act like you're alone -- you push us away!"]; and a third sounds the warning to "Watch Your Back". My personal favorites were "Eternity," which opens with what I described as a "fiddle boogie" and moves on to pronounce "I can't play Messiah if I give into temptation," and the very warm "Texas Song," which reminded me a little of the Sons of the Pioneers. The set closed with the incredibly haunting "Trying to Transcend," which opens with buzzing strings yielding to a very lyrical guitar line .. and the words reach deep inside -- "And she's pacing like a cat, looking like she's afraid of me, says she's cried for 40 days and forgotten who she is, And I feel like I know her, like she's been inside my head ..."
Hudson's voice and even his lyrics remind me of Tim Buckley ... but without the maniacal darkness that led Jeff's father to his own early grave. I am eager to hear this band again (with Amy sharing the vocals), but in a venue much more suitable and with more thought to expressing the dramatic impact and maybe even some dancers .. this stuff just screams BIG PRODUCTION ... but as I said, as a backdrop ... so the message is subtle.
Later on Saturday I stopped by Momo's to catch a little of Suzanna Choffel's set and all of Wendy Colonna's -- my first time to visit with Eldridge Goins since he got back from California. Wendy had Harmoni Kelley on bass and my good friend Chad Pope on lead guitar -- and the band just SMOKED. Hottest on the horizon was perhaps Chad and Wendy doing the Ike and Tina number, "Someday." Gotta hand it to Ginger Leigh, who supported her pals by passing the tip jar, helping Chad replace a broken string, and donning Wendy's chapeau for some special, intimate poses! And oh by the way, Ginger (who's off to New Zealand soon!) is blitzed about the lineup she has for all her friends at the LOVE NOT SXSW showcases.
Wendy Colonna (with Harmoni Kelley on harmony vocals); Ginger Leigh; Suzanna Choffel!
Tuesday night the whole gang stopped by Jo's Coffees on Second Street (near the new city hall) to hear Chris Brecht and the Broken 45's (Andy Morris on drums, Matt Mollica on Hammond B3, and Bobby Daniel on bass) and later Amy Cook (with Bobby D on bass, Nina Singh on drums, and Jesse Duke sitting in on guitar). LA escapee Amy has been hosting Tuesdays at Jo's since it opened last fall -- and to tell the truth I hardly wrote any notes as we were having a major visit with friends who had come all the way from Connecticut and seven-degree weather that morning. Next Tuesday Amy's opening band will be Black Water Gospel -- and maybe then I will be more attentive.
Chris sings in the vein of Bob Dylan (even plays harmonica) and sings songs like "I Played Cards with the Devil" and "Absinthe Highway Blues." I had hung out with Chris and Matt the night before (and Matt was playing some sweet notes on his accordian, which he claims he is still learning) -- and could not miss their exciting set. Catch him at Flipnotics on February 18 with the Lonesome Heroes. I will write more about Amy next time -- BTW, she sings a duet with Juan Gutierrez on the upcoming BWG CD (being produced by her one-time guitarist Brad Rice -- who is currently touring with Keith Urban) -- and MAY be persuaded to give us a taste of that duet next Tuesday.
