Aron Gibson
Big Bang Theory: TCV Explode Onstage in Austin
Question: What does a band with members of Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Queens of The Stone Age Sound like?
Answer: Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Queens of The Stone Age.
AFG Must Rock’s staff of one was lucky enough enough to get a ticket to the Them Crooked Vultures show at Stubbs in Austin the Thursday before they played in front of like a zillion people at Austin City Limits. That meant I had to hop on a plane early Thursday morning in LA and get down to Austin for the show that night. Nevermind the 6-hour trip each way (thank you Southwest for the unnecessary layover in Phoenix) – this was going to be epic.
I made it to the show on time but after they unleashed 90 minutes of the most ferocious rock ever heard by the ears of mankind, the band’s molecules became unstable and they exploded in a galactic-ending flash (the crew and surrounding audience went unharmed). So, with particles of Them Crooked Vultures now floating through the atmosphere, I thought it might be a good idea to share my notes from the show.
***
Dave Grohl played drums with the same fury he was known for during his Nirvana days. I’ve never seen anyone play drums with that kind of bombastic power and, since I never saw Nirvana live, seeing Dave Grohl in top form totally blew me away. I met Dave Grohl in Starbucks in LA back in August and I gave him a copy of my band’s CD (The Swagger Sticks), which he happily accepted. The fact that he was so cool was a big reason for the trip to Austin. (Also, for the record, I did try to see Nirvana once but was denied access to their Cabaret Metro show in Chicago due to a guest list snafu. This happened while the opening chords to “Teen Spirit” echoed throughout the lobby…I’m still pissed!).
TCV: Scumbagg Blues
Joshe Homme was riffing like his life depended on it. It was like Jimmy Page was whispering in his ear all night, “heavier, man…play heavier riffs.” Homme doesn’t make “easy” music. We followed him that night down a rabbit trail of extended stoner metal jams and haunting melodies. If you’re patient, it’s a usually a pretty good ride, especially if you don’t mind wandering into metal’s only avante-garde zone. Is that even possible? Avante-garde-stoner-metal? I’ll take it.
And then there was one-time Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. What can be said of the legendary bassist for one of the most legendary bands in history? Jones was in top form and seeing him perform made me wonder, ‘why didn’t this bloke do this sooner?’ Jones had the heaviest bottom end of any bass player I’d ever seen live and he was the crowd favorite.
The great thing about Them Crooked Vultures, whose debut CD is set for release sometime in October, is that their music works. They weren’t just up there like some slack-jaw super group (Google the band Asia one of these days) trying to capitalize on their fame. The music was HEAVY and it ROCKED!
www.ThemCrookedVultures.com
www.StubbsAustin.com
Ps. Special thanks to Joseph Oleniczak for letting me crash at his house and for showing me around Austin during my 24-hour whirlwind trip!
AFG Must Rock!
Check out: www.TheSwaggerSticks.com
Filed under: Indie Rock, Music | Tagged: AFG Must Rock, austin city limits, concert review, dave grohl, john paul jones, josh homme, led zeppelin, Music, nirvana, queens of the stone age, Stubbs Austin, stubbs BBQ Austin, the swagger sticks, them crooked vultures
