Mofongo

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, so with a compliment to SI’s NFL guru Peter King, here are 15 things we think we think about SXSW 2007:

1. We think more bands should wear masks. Gracias de Los Straightjackets.
2. We think more bands should wear matching, personalized sweatsuits. Kudos to DATAROCK.
3. We think Trainwreck Riders are a punk band, contrary to what their alt-country album lets on.
4. We think VietNam are actually hairier and dirtier than their pictures let on.
5. We think, for the moment, we’d sooner order a round of appletinis at a biker bar, than order another round of Lone Stars.
6. We think the only things to eat in Austin during SXSW are cheeseburgers and bratwursts.
7. We think we owe Brooklyn Vegan a thank you for the party they hosted on Saturday. Great venue, great bands, ice-cold Heinekens and bottled waters, NCAA tourney viewing available, all for the low, low price of free.
8. We think its annoying when your travel partner pukes his fruity drink all over you on the airplane.
9. We think there is an abundance of naked men strolling around Austin and at least one of them can kick our asses. I’m talking to you Naked Cowboy.
10. We think if you are a single man seeking hot women for the weekend, you should not go to SXSW. They are an endangered species.
11. We think it will be a difficult challenge to NOT drunk dial Joe Simpson, now that we have his cell phone number.
12. We think buying SXSW badges was a waste of money for all of us.
13. We think everyone in the music industry has a day job.
14. We think every SXSW band is afraid to self-promote, carry merchandise, or mention their band name during a performance.
15. We think we would have spent our money on t-shirts or cd’s for bands we support, if they were available.

A few weeks back on this site, we responded to the announced Van Halen tour — with Dave Roth momentarily back in the saddle yet again — with disdain or at least indifference. With the apparent power to doom aging rock bands with his pen, the tour was quickly scrapped following Woody’s caustic remarks. Ok, maybe the tour cancellation had more to do with Eddie Van Halen’s recent entry into rehab or the fact that the Diamond One can no longer sing (if he ever could).

These recent events, and VH’s upcoming induction into the Rock Hall of Fame this Monday, got me to thinking. Has any other band, at one time so big, with age grown so small? Few bands age gracefully, but VH’s repeated attempts to reclaim the spotlight have been comically futile. I mean, at one point they hired the lead singer of freakin’ Extreme as their new frontman. (My apologies to those who wanted to forget this ever happened). Was that VH’s low point, or was it when the Hagar-Roth combo tour from a few years back achieved more commercial success than anything VH has done in years? This is open to debate.

Maybe other big-name bands from my youth have tarnished their reputation and lost their dignity more spectacularly than Van Halen, so correct me if I’m wrong. In fact, I’m shooting from the hip here and actually would prefer to be wrong. I was never a big VH fan, but who didn’t love the great “Panama” and “Hot for Teacher” videos, or classic numbers like “Running with the Devil” and “Ice Cream Man.” Remember at the end of the “Hot for Teacher” video when, ala the closing sequence of the movie Animal House, the ultimate future lives of the band members are revealed? Notably absent was any mention of a revolving door of lead singers or a half-ass Hall of Fame induction where only Hagar and Michael Anthony will attend, listening to Velvet Revolver cover some of the band’s hits. I just hope the future doesn’t also include members of the band sharing a TV studio stage with Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke, as new lead singers are auditioned on “Rock Star–Van Halen” (don’t forget to vote with your new V-Cast phone!).

PS: If there is a silver lining here, it is that Hagar appears to be having the last laugh. He chills down in his popular Cabo Wabo cantina in Mexico for parts of the year, selling his own tequila by the same name and occasionally releasing music complimentary of his beachcomber-rockstar lifestyle. I was always firmly in the Roth VH camp, but my brother-in-law (a big Hagar fan) recently sent me a new CD by none other than Sammy Hagar & the Wabos. If you’re interested, the iTunes review of this disc is pretty accurate. Suffice it to say, it is a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure just the same. Much like Van Halen used to be.

With that title, this post might result in accidental hits by those seeking … well, something other than a music heads-up. But as Vince Vaughn aptly observed in Old School when responding to Luke Wilson’s character taking a glass half-empty view of the unwitting discovery of his girlfriend’s sexual enlightenment, “Columbus wasn’t looking for America my man but that seemed to work out for everybody, didn’t it? You’re here, you know what I mean.” Translation: some of the best discoveries are by accident.

Such was the case for me and The Beautiful Girls, a band I happened upon while investigating another band. Admittedly, like Columbus, my “discovery” wasn’t truly new. The Beautiful Girls have been around for a few years and have two worthy full-length releases available, Learn Yourself (2003) and We’re Already Gone (2005). They are far better known in their native Australia than here in the adopted home of Borat. I figured that if Prince can play the Super Bowl (as if the diminutive purple one and the NFL go hand-in-hand?) to a worldwide audience, years after being relevant, then I can blog this band even though I arrived a little late. Better late than never.

Despite an arguably unfortunate name, The Beautiful Girls had me intrigued from the first listen. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Mat McHugh, these Aussies admirably blend rock, blues, jazz, folk, reggae, without being contrived or needlessly derivative. Water (2006) is a cool compilation of some of their older recordings from Down Under, such as “Morning Sun,” “Goodtimes,” “Music” and “Freedom Pt. 2” (featuring Mason Jennings), which can be heard at www.cornerstoneras.com/jukeboxes/tbg/water.

I’m really sold on their last album proper, We’re Already Gone. Reggae predominates over other styles on this one and a few clouds creep in to shadow the sunnier vibe of TBG’s prior work. “And We’ll Dance on the Ashes of What’s Left,” “The Biggest Lie I Ever Told” and “Shot Down” are among the notable tracks. You can stream here: www.cornerstoneras.com/jukeboxes/tbg/jukebox.swf.

The band’s myspace page reports that they are currently in LA mixing a new album with Mark Needham, who has worked with the Killers and many others. Last year, TBG had a US tour nixed at the border over visa issues, but hopefully their live show can be seen stateside again in the near future.

The White Buffalo (a/k/a Jake Smith I believe) is a singer-songwriter who, based on my web wanderings, receives high praise from all that have seen him perform. I only recently stumbled upon this intriguing and seemingly elusive cat, whose bio depicts him as a hard-drinking, mountain of a man with much musical promise.

West-coasters may have heard of him, but he had flown under my radar to this point. Of course, that doesn’t really mean all that much, so I checked with a few folks more knowledgeable than me. Nope, hadn’t heard of him. He is an acoustic rocker with a pretty compelling voice—I liken it to a cross between Eddie Vedder and Jim Croce. This isn’t acoustic pop. Noirish lyrics about prostitute love are more like it.

The White Buffalo has a six-song EP that is available on iTunes (released in 2005), but apparently his prior full-length album Hogtied Like A Rodeo is even better. One problem: it is extremely hard to find. Maybe this is intentional symmetry with the rarity of a white buffalo. If anyone out there in HearYa land knows how to get your hands on a copy of Hogtied, please share the knowledge.

The White Buffalo - Love Song 1

If you’re familiar with his surfing, then you’re probably familiar with his music which is enjoying a rising swell of another kind. But those not plugged into the surfing world might not have heard Timmy Curran’s unplugged offerings.

A popular and heavily sponsored professional surfer (more accomplished than fellow surfer/musician contemporaries Jack Johnson and Donavon Frankenreiter), Timmy has, like friends Jack and Donavon, paddled into the music lineup catching some rave reviews. TC’s six-song EP Citsuca is available on iTunes (among other places) and worthy of a listen if and when you are in the mood for something on the mellow side.

Originally recorded, in part, to accompany a surf documentary, this EP is a soothing selection of acoustic songs without pretense or polish. The simplicity and sincerity of the music is refreshing, with vocals reminiscent of Paul Simon. It seems the Foo Fighters agree, as almost overnight Timmy Curran went from coffee shops to opening for some of the Foo’s West Coast tour stops (as well as some shows abroad). A full length album is apparently expected from Curran this summer. In the meantime, check out Citsuca. If it’s good enough for Grohl and crew, it may be good enough for you.

Timmy Curran - Comatose

Timmy Curran - Daylights Comin

Timmy Curran - Horses on the Range

Timmy Curran - Blue Eyes

Timmy Curran - Trouble

Timmy Curran - Dream