New Video from Tallies

Tallies in Austin back in March.

"Midnight"

I made a concerted effort to check out new things at South By Southwest this past year. In that spirit, I placed strict limits on repeat visits with bands. There were just three bands that I saw even twice in Austin: Our Dentist family, New Zealand's The Beths, and Tallies from Toronto.

Today, Tallies released the video for my favorite song from one of my favorite albums of 2019. Anyone who knows me won't be surprised that I love this one. Hints of Johnny Marr, The Sundays, and Tallies' Canadian paisanos, Alvvays.

The song calls to mind dreamy memories of staying out late on summer nights.The Christopher Mills-directed video plays like a dreamy memory of its own.

SXSW 2019, Day 6 w Lee Bains, Annabelle Chairlegs, Viagra Boys, Pip Blom, Lunar Vacation, Tallies, Bambara, and A Giant Dog

A Giant Dog

Sleep When Dead

I woke up in the wee hours of Saturday morning and noticed a figure looming in the dark. "Bye, Jimmy." It was Chris Dickman heading out for his early flight back to Jersey. I'd be on my own for the day.

I had one goal for Saturday. That was to make it to A Giant Dog's midnight set at Cheer Up Charlies. This would be easier said than done as a week's worth of sleeping four hours per night was starting to catch up with me. In previous years, I generally took it easy on Saturday nights, turning in early following some shows during the day. But this would be A Giant Dog's first set of the week, and I would kick myself if I left Austin without seeing them on their home turf.

I made myself a Texas-shaped waffle in the hotel breakfast area and walked downtown. Joe Steinhardt from Don Giovanni Records messaged me that Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires would be hitting the stage at The Side Bar at 1pm. After a more than serviceable couple of slices at Austin's Hoboken Pie, I headed over there to catch the set.

It was the Athens in Austin Day Party, so the bill was filled with Georgia bands. I walked in during the end of the set from The Artisanals on the outside stage. Then, I headed into the darkness of the bar for Lee Bains's set. I'd been trying to hook up with the Glory Fires all week long, and I was happy to run into them finally on the last day. The sun streamed through the big front windows in the bar making taking pictures a challenge.

The Artisanals

The Glory Fires did their usual wild set with Bains moving throughout the crowd and handing his guitar and mic off to eager participants in the audience. After that, I dipped back outside for the last half of the last song from Nashville's Katie Schecter. Back inside for a quiet set from Athens's own Thayer Sarrano. Sarrano performed as a duo with a drummer who also handled some bass duties. I dug her set which had kind of a Mazzy Star vibe.

Lee Bains

Katie Schecter

Thayer Sarrano

Austin, like many cities and towns across the country, has been overrun by dockless shareable scooters and bikes. I never could bring my 49-year-old, relatively uncoordinated self to scoot anywhere; but I do love cycling. I borrowed an electric-assisted bike and was over at Hotel Vegas in a flash.

There, I caught the tail end of the set from Austin punk band, Late, on one half of the patio stage. I slid over to the other half and waited with a whole bunch of people for Stockholm's Viagra Boys. I'd been hearing a bunch about them over the course of the week. Post-punk performance art. Songs like "Can't Get It Up" and "Sports" take down bro-y masculinity with the boys staying in character the whole time.

Late

Viagra Boys

Back over to Patio Stage 2 for Austin psychedelic dream rock band, Annabelle Chairlegs. I wrote about them a few years ago. They played Asbury last year, I think. Rosi really dug them on her first day in Austin. This was my first time seeing them, and they rocked.

Annabelle Chairlegs

Joe from Jersey City had been talking up Amsterdam's Pip Blom (the name of both the band and their lead singer) all week. I saw that they were playing the third outdoor stage at Hotel Vegas, and I decided I had to see what he was on about. He was right. High-energy, gritty garage pop. One of my favorite acts of the festival.

Pip Blom

I grabbed another bike back to my hotel. The motor really helped with the giant hill I had to climb multiple times during the week. Why didn't I do this sooner?

Anyway...

Rest time, then one, final stop at Torchy's Tacos to fuel up for the evening ahead.

I walked over to Las Perlas on 7th to catch another set from Toronto's mesmerizing Tallies (one of only 3 bands I saw more than once, the others being The Beths and Dentist). I walked in just in time to hear Atlanta's Lunar Vacation. The young band call what they do "pool rock." It sits somewhere on the dream pop spectrum. Nice. Tallies absolutely slayed again.

Lunar Vacation

Tallies

By now, it was almost 11; and I knew I would make it. I hoofed it over to Cheer Up Charlies and posted up at the front of the stage just as Brooklyn's Bambara were setting up. I'd seen their name on various bills throughout the day, but I'd be catching their final set. Their guitarist noticed my Mets cap as he went over to set up his pedal board, and we had a nice conversation about the 2019 NL East outlook.

Bambara play eerie, gothic, western / southern-inspired punk. Vocalist Reid Bateh throws himself into the performance without regard for his own personal safety, swinging and slamming the mic stand and falling off the edge of the stage into the crowd. It was a wild set.

Bambara

As A Giant Dog took the stage, lead singer Sabrina Ellis gave me and some of the other people in the front row a nod of acknowledgement. They opened the set just as the clock struck midnight with, appropriately, "Sleep When Dead." At one point, during "Lucky Ponderosa," Ellis kicked a drink; and it splashed over a woman's camera. Ellis apologized, mugged for a few shots, and then picked the camera up and licked it clean.

A Giant Dog

I have a soft spot in my heart for A Giant Dog for a number of personal reasons. But I do think they might just be the best rock and roll band in these United States right now. They brought it for the duration of their 40-minute set on Saturday night.

When they were done, so was I. I wanted to stay for the 1 AM set from Har Mar Superstar, but I was outta gas. I trudged back up the hill, got into my room, and crashed on the bed in my clothes, my camera bag next to me.

Every year after South By Southwest, I have mixed feelings. It's a long week away from family, and I do get lonely at times. I run myself into the ground taking pictures and trying to kick out posts; and I'm never really sure who is paying attention. I wonder if I'm making any connections or doing anything really to grow the site.

But I'll tell you something. When I'm down in it, getting jostled around, taking pictures, and screaming along with my favorite band, there really isn't any place I'd rather be.

SXSW 2019, Day 2 w Weakened Friends, Dentist, Bad Bad Hats, illuminati hotties, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Stef Chura, The Upside Down, and Tallies

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers

Not Quite a Recovery Day

I think I took it ever so slightly easier yesterday. During the morning, I edited pictures and wrote a typo-filled post. I, in fact, ate three legit meals, did a lot of walking, and still managed to catch 8 bands. Haven't had the reserves to make it to a 12 AM or 1 AM set yet, but I think I'm doing ok.

After eating my Texas-shaped waffle at the hotel's breakfast and finishing my morning work, Rosi and I started walking down the hill towards the Convention Center. About halfway there, I realized I forgot my badge; so we humped it back up the hill to grab that. Once we made it downtown, we checked in with the press office about scheduling interview space; and it felt like, maybe, we're a little bit smaller of an outfit than they typically deal with for those types of things. They suggested we find unofficial locations for that stuff, so Rosi and I vowed DIY4LYF.

We went our separate ways, and I headed over to Barracuda to welcome our besties in Dentist to town. I walked in for the last few songs from Maine's Weakened Friends, and I was happy to catch some of their set. Their album Common Blah is excellent, and you should check it out.

Weakened Friends

Dentist played the outdoor stage. They brought it as always. The early crowd wasn't huge, but a good percentage of those in attendance approached the band to ask when they could see them again this week.

Dentist

From there, it was across the street to The Side Bar where I ran into NJ's Well Wisher. We took in the set from Minnesota's Bad Bad Hats. Lead singer, Kerry Alexander, charmed the crowd with her Midwestern warmth. She and the rest of the band also charmed with their personal and engaging indie pop.

Bad Bad Hats

L.A.'s illuminati hotties are one of the bands I see all over the schedule here. I really enjoyed last year's Kiss Yr Frenemies, and the feel of that title pretty much sums up the feel of the band on stage. Sarah Tudzin doesn't take herself too seriously even if there are some deeper emotions buried within the humor of her songs.

illuminati hotties

Break time. I walked over to the "Registrants Lounge" tent and grabbed a sofa and a vanilla Coke. I decided I'd walk to find some tacos or a burger from P. Terry's. After going about 15 minutes, I realized that I'd left my glasses on a table back at the tent and had to double back. That was the theme for yesterday, I guess. Ended up eating barbecue, which is never a bad thing.

After getting cleaned up and rested, it was down to Beerland for Sarah Shook & The Disarmers. I love both of Shook's records, and -- through Matt Chrystal -- she's become kind of a friend of the site. Unfortunately, circumstances never line up properly for me to catch her when she comes to our area; so I was super excited to see her here.

Sarah Shook

Really enjoyed that set. Sarah Shook is absolutely the real deal and one of the hardest-working people in the biz. You might be one of those people who says you don't like country music, but don't deny yourself this.

I stuck around Beerland for the set from Detroit's Stef Chura, and she wins the title for my discovery of the day. Chura has a unique voice and uses it to deliver some edgy indie rock. Check out last year's Messes.

Stef Chura

I dug out the SXSW GO app to see what was happening at 11, and I saw that Tallies were set to play The Main right around the corner, so I hoofed it over there. I walked in, and The Upside Down from Chongquing, China were about halfway through their set. Dream pop, lyrics in Chinese, their first trip to the States. What a cool set to just stumble upon.

The Upside Down

Tallies' self-titled album is one of my favorites so far this year. It displays influences from The Smiths, The Sundays, and Tallies' Canadian paisanos, Alvvays. Singer Sarah Cogan's vocals weave in with the jangle of the guitars in that way that I always love so much.

Tallies

I was pretty much done at this point, so it was back up the hill in the drizzle for some photo editing and then bed. Already fueled up with my Texas-shaped waffle this morning, and it's almost time to get back after it.

A Pair of January Albums from Tallies and Mike Krol

I Am Listening

I'm not quite sure why; but, no matter how much sleep I get lately, I am always totally exhausted when I wake up. There's been some cold / flu whatever going around, and I've had a touch of something for a while now; so maybe that's it. It's gotten a little troubling over the last few days, but I'm just hoping that I can push through it.

Anyway...

That's all to say that how I've been feeling has really put a dent in my desire to go to shows or write for the site (or exercise or leave the house or get up out of my chair). But there have been two albums occupying a bunch of my time since early this year that I wanted to tell you about.

Tallies, Tallies

This Toronto four-piece released their self-titled debut on January 11th. Since then, it's probably been the album in heaviest rotation for me. Sarah Cogan's willowy vocals, the clean, jingly-jangly guitars, and the bright percussion call to mind old favorites like The Smiths and The Sundays.

There are hints of surfy dream pop throughout the album on tracks like "Mother," "Have You," and "Easy Enough." I could listen to the simple acoustic guitar intro on "Midnight" over and over again. Tallies is pop that's simultaneously spacious and super-focused. It synthesizes influences from some of my absolute favorite sources into a sound that's also totally modern as illustrated by single "Beat the Heart."



This is one that will stay at the top of my list for the whole year. Tallies is out now on Kanine Records.

Mike Krol, Power Chords

From the ethereal, dreamy Tallies, we move to the gritty and distorted Power Chords by Mike Krol.

"I used to never understand the blues / Until the night I met you / And every day since / I've gotten better at guitar." That's how Krol opens Power Chords on the album's title track.

From there, Krol uses his hard-earned proficiency with power chords to address someone who's both ruined his life and made him who he is today. With lyrics throughout the album like, "When that song begins to play / It brings back some feelings / That I cannot explain / And though it kills me / I wouldn't have it any other way" ("Power Chords") or "And even if you caused me pain / I know I wouldn't be the same without it," ("I Wonder") Krol both recognizes the pain he's felt and says he would't trade it for anything.

The press materials for Power Chords suggest that, instead of an old flame, Krol is addressing his relationship with music throughout the album. That can be heard in lyrics like, "And I'll drive through the hills at night / Looking at the homes that I / Will never be able to afford." The life of a rock musician requires some sacrifice.

Through distorted vocals (and distorted everything else for that matter), Krol is both defiant and self-deprecating. The noise and fuzz, though, don't obscure the fantastic pop songwriting. Power Chords is out now on Merge Records.