Fourth day of musical exploration and pilgrimage in Austin. The accumulation of activities at this point is starting to weigh inversely proportional to how the courtesies of food and drink are becoming increasingly rare. But we still have the strength; they won't defeat us like this.
Our first stop of the day was at the traditional and incredible Flatstock 77, a poster and graphic arts fair featuring over 50 of the most interesting artists in the field, exhibiting and selling their art in the form of stickers, buttons, postcards, t-shirts and, of course, fantastic posters among other things. A feast for the eyes and a pang in the heart for not being able to buy half of each stall. There has to be something sadomasochistic about it. Pleasure and pain.
From there, during a strategic stop just to sit down and quickly grab our nutritious 7-Eleven sandwiches, we ended up "stumbling" upon a show by the South Korean pop group Balming Tiger , an extremely irreverent group that sang and danced, filling the stage at that moment. If you (or a daughter of yours, as in my case) enjoy Korean groove, you know you can't ignore a stage occupied by them. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to delve into Balming Tiger's work, but it seems to me that their thing is more irreverence and versatility than K-Pop itself.
Next, we had a very important cinematic commitment: the world premiere of the documentary Dio – Dreamers Never Die , directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton , about the life of heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio . The documentary premiered at Austin's most beautiful and prestigious cinema, the Paramount Theatre, with an audience including important figures in the star's life, such as his widow Wendy Dio and the also legendary Sebastian Bach , vocalist of Skid Row, and none other than Geezer Butler, bassist, lyricist and original member of Black Sabbath .
The film is well worth watching, even for those who aren't necessarily heavy metal fans. Dio was a complete artist, and his love for what he did is inspiring to anyone. The film is complimentary and shows much of Dio's search for authenticity and truth in his art, while still being irreverent, with great behind-the-scenes stories and some well-done fictional recreations that fill gaps where archival footage shouldn't exist. The Paramount was surprisingly unoccupied, and we were able to sit very comfortably (just a few rows away from the legendary figures I mentioned) to enjoy the film and listen to Ronnie James Dio's music as it should be heard, loud and clear. A great experience!
To avoid saying that everything was perfect, that all the shows were great, and that all the venues were incredible, I'll just mention in passing a place called Idle Hands, where, along with a dear couple of friends we made here, we tried to see the band Black Lips from Atlanta. Without going into too much detail: the venue was overcrowded, the sound was bad, the stage was lower than the audience, and therefore, visibility was almost zero for most people. We got separated from our friends and soon abandoned the sinking ship without being able to say that we managed to see or hear anything properly.
But hold on, intrepid reader, because after that, our setbacks weren't over yet. Our last stop of the day/night still held one last unpleasant surprise for us. We went to see Wet Leg, a duo from the Isle of Wight, formed by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, and accompanied in shows and recordings by three other musicians. The place was already familiar to us as it was the same space occupied by the British Music Embassy when we covered the Gallus and Nuha Ruby Ra a few days ago . However, the cool experience we had the other day was transformed into something rather negative by the incompatibility between the hype surrounding Wet Leg (who, even having released only a few singles, are already considered the band of the moment by many) and the size and structure of the place. Lots of people crammed together, lots of photographers, no pit for photographers, lots of cell phones held high, obstructing the already limited visibility of those further back, almost no masks, in short, it certainly wasn't a
bed of roses.
Is it possible that my tiredness and almost zero alcohol consumption during the day affected my patience? Of course. Is it possible that the fact that it was St. Patrick's Day here inflated the crowd even more? Maybe. Is it possible that my near ignorance about this new band raised my guard, so to speak, regarding their music? Totally possible. The fact is, to be quite honest, I can't say it was the best experience. Wet Leg's sound seems well-made and well-executed within its intended style. I thought a lot about Breeders when I heard them. The girls are also friendly and playful, and all of that helps, of course, but I felt a little too "out of the loop." I saw several people singing along with so much enthusiasm to songs that seemed just OK to me. I don't know, maybe it's my age too. I promise to reflect on it.
Stay tuned for the next report. Friday is going to be busy!
