CONFUSAPALOOZA 2 – Part 1

Austin has so many bands it can be completely overwhelming! At times, it can be downright confusing. This showcase was no exception! In fact, it is the perfect example of a confusing lineup by it’s own design…

Ghost Wolves, Whiskey Business, Whiskey Shivers and White Ghost Shivers all graced the Empire Control Room stage for a night of top notch performances. Confused?? Well, now you know why it’s called Confusapalooza! To help you make sense of the line up, I made this Venn diagram just for you 🙂

GHOST WOLVES

The Ghost Wolves are a duo with a primal attitude and sound. Clearly influenced by delta blues and roots music, their sound proves that all you really need to fill a venue is a loud, full guitar tone with brazenfaced vocals and raw, in your face drums.

Click the youtube video above to watch them rock out one of their songs while you enjoy the photos!

The chemistry between the two really shows in their performance. The bonds between them seemed to transcend mere rehearsal time in the studio. Their sound is a good example that a simple arrangement can be more effective at communicating than a “wall of sound”.

My favorite moment was when Carly Wolf lept up on her stage monitor and took control of the crowd while stomping away with her Austin cowboy boots. Enjoy some photos of the show below!

If you like the dirtier, raw White Stripes songs then this band will be right up your alley.

Ghost Wolves is currently promoting their first release with Plowboy Records! Check it out!

http://plowboyrecords.com/

http://www.theghostwolves.com/

CLYDE AND CLEM’S WHISKEY BUSINESS



Whiskey Business set the tone for the bluegrass sound that the rest of the show represented. Whiskey Business is a band with an attitude that implies they just don’t give a f*&k what you think!

As you can see, the stage lighting in the Empire Control Room is 99% projectors showing patterns. This worked very well for Ghost Wolves, but unfortunately I feel it marred the overall natural bluegrass vibe of the rest of the night. It distracted from the authentic musicianship and downhome vibe of the evening. At times I felt like I was on an wild acid trip! As you can see from the photos, it also made the venue very dark and a difficult show to photograph. Even my 50mm 1.8 lens had trouble!

It’s funny to hear Whiskey Business’ nice bluegrass harmonies sing out “I’ve been around f*&king for the Lord”. They even had a song that started with “It puts the lotion on it’s skin or else it gets the hose again”. It is very clear they are out to have fun, shock the crowd a bit and be ridiculous.

It’s obvious how much they have played together when you hear how tight their rhythms are. One highlight from their show is the energy their washboard player exudes in his performance!

He ran around and riled up the audience with his washboard. He even jumped up on the fixtures and the bar in Empire Control Room! The crowd was loving it 🙂

Overall, their fun loving, comical, simple bluegrass sound blended with their irreverent nature made it a fun show to witness.

CONFUSAPALOOZA – PART 2

There were two more bands in the line up, including my personal favorite White Ghost Shivers! Be sure to check out that post by click the link below!

Written by: Aaron Isles

Photos by: Aaron Isles

Austin Out Loud is an Austin Music Blog for discovering Austin musicians, Austin Concerts, and the Austin Music Scene. Come back soon to find even more photos, news, and videos about new Austin music!