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By the Numbers

Rarely, if ever, do we get jealous of Chicago — save for its big pizza and its 4 a.m. bars, which means that the city’s still partying while we’re driving through Taco Bell. But there’s one thing St. Louis can’t claim: The 1900s. And now we’re officially stamping our feet and whining, “No fair!”

Each exuberant element of the band’s sound calls to mind different comparisons: the boundless organ favored by the Zombies; John Denver’s tranquil simplicity; the honeyed vocal interplay of Fleetwood Mac or the Mamas & the Papas; and the omnipresent tension of the Velvet Underground. But even with these various influences, the 1900s aren’t close to being a rip-off; it’s like the band took only the best parts from these classic groups and combined them to design and birth a pretty little pop baby. In fact, the band was born so perfect that it signed to the Urbana, Illinois, label Parasol after its very first public show, in May 2006.

Now seven members strong, the 1900s’ first full-length for Parasol, Cold & Kind, is an indie-pop masterpiece. Main songwriter/vocalist Edward Anderson says the band wanted to make a “big, epic record,” and though the process was grueling (all band members still have day jobs) he modestly admits that “[Kind] seemed to come out all right.” Credit this satisfaction to his creative approach to music: Although Anderson writes lyrics the old-fashioned way — “I’ll just sit and smoke a lot of cigarettes and drink, like, a bottle of wine and try to figure it out” — recording music is another story.

“Like, the first run-through will be maybe on my phone while I have an idea,” he says. “And then I’ll do it on GarageBand for a couple weeks or months or whatever it takes, kinda iron it out. Then I’ll do a ProTools demo, then I’ll give a CD to the band. [The songs] usually change quite a bit [when] they all add their parts.”

For being barely two years old, the 1900s have received a ridiculous amount of good press. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to find a negative printed word. When questioned about this phenomenon, Anderson laughs and seems embarrassed. “Kind of miraculously, for the most part [the press] has been pretty good,” he says. “In Chicago a lot of people have the perception that we’re this band that made it and everything, because we do really well [there] and all the papers write about us and stuff. But then we go on tour and no one knows who we are.

“For us the main goal is to try to get a little more known outside of the city. It’s kind of exciting, though. You get people on MySpace or all over the world writing and stuff and someone will be like ‘Oh, there’s some teenagers in Paris listening to the record,’ and it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s strange.’”

— Jaime Lees

9 p.m. Saturday, March 29. The Billiken Club, 20 North Grand Boulevard. Free. 314-977-2020.

• article - link
• interview outtakes - link
• 1900s - website
• 1900s - MySpace
• photo credit: Rebecca Uhle

These snaps were just too hot not to post.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Dead Confederate
WHEN: Wednesday, March 12, 11p.m.
WHERE: Stubb’s BBQ, big outside stage
NOTE: This band opened for R.E.M. (Athens represent) and might have been the best surprise of the festival. Read our coverage here.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: AA Bondy
WHEN: Thursday, March 13, about 9:30p.m.
WHERE: The gorgeous poolside rooftop stage of a heavily sponsored free party.
NOTE: This was one of 12 AA Bondy shows in a 3 day time span in Austin.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: downtown Austin, TX, view from the AA Bondy rooftop show
WHEN: Thursday, March 13, late night
WHERE: at 3rd Street and Guadalupe looking East
NOTE: There should be more rooftop shows. Always.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Autolux’s Eugene Goreshter
WHEN: Friday, March 14, afternoon
WHERE: Red Eyed Fly backyard venue
NOTE: Goreshter’s amazing vocals on Autolux albums? Not studio magic. Dude actually sings like that.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, solo show
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, mid-afternoon
WHERE: Garden Party (read: gorgeous yard), the French Legation Museum
NOTE: J Mascis is a God among men (who just happens to use a baby pink Razr as his preferred cellular device.)

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Thurston Moore and the New Wave Bandits
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, afternoon, slot after J Mascis
WHERE: East Austin, French Legation Museum
NOTE: Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore stole the show with his expansive talent and boyish charm. Read our coverage here.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: The Breeders
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, about 9p.m.
WHERE: Waterloo Park, north of downtown, 2nd stage
NOTE: Two Deals are always better than one. Read our coverage here.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Kid Sister at the Fool’s Gold Showcase
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, 1a.m. (after Flosstradamus, before Chromeo)
WHERE: Volume nightclub, next to the told Emo’s on 6th Street
NOTE: Kid Sister claimed she was crunk but she still held down her raps with a little help from brother Josh “J2K” Young (of super-fly duo Flosstradamus) as back up.Category: Music, Reviews, SXSW, Snapshots

• article link
• also, article in Village Voice blog - link
• AA Bondy - MySpace
• Autolux - website
• Breeders - website
• Dead Confederate - MySpace
• Dinosaur Jr - website
• Flosstradamus - MySpace
• J Mascis - website
• Kid Sister - MySpace
• Thurston Moore - website
• Sonic Youth - website

The Breeders played an unofficial South By Southwest show in Waterloo Park last night and gave the audience a small preview of its upcoming tour. The band dished out a long set of classics from its albums, plus selections from the Amps (Kim Deal’s other, other project). Instead of serving as a nostalgia act, the Breeders seemed fresh, well rehearsed and enthusiastic about the show. Surprisingly, even songs off of the forthcoming Mountain Battles went over well. As usual, Kim and Kelley Deal were gracious, dorky, sweet, smiling and sang in perfect angelic harmony. Kelley, especially, seemed into the performance. On stage wearing her “Dayton, Ohio” t-shirt, she picked up the bass and joked “I wish I knew a Korn song.” Their parents really should have had more kids.

Setlist (from picture):
Overglazed / Bang On / Tipp City / No Aloha / Huffer / Walk It Off / We’re Gonna Rise / Pacer / Shocker in / Gloomtown / Night of Joy / Divine Hammer / Cannonball / Happiness in a Warm Gun / Iris / Saints / Safari / Here No More Encore: Fortunately Gone / German Studies / Regalme

Note: pictured setlist isn’t entirely accurate, “Regalme Esta Noche” wasn’t played and I remember rocking out to quite a few songs that weren’t listed (”Doe,” “Hellbound,” “It’s the Love,” etc.)

• article link
• also, article in the Village Voice blog - link
• The Breeders - website

Whenever my fellow St. Louisans asked if I liked local favs Shame Club, my standard response was “I like them as dudes, but I just can’t hang with their tunes.” I’d last seen the band a couple of years ago and wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t at all bad, I just didn’t *get it*. And you know what’s a damn shame? That I had to come all the way to Austin to find out that my hometown band is bitchin’ after all.

I went to see the band at the Small Stone Records showcase last night and was not at all prepared for the bombastic blast. Each band member is electrifying and the dynamic combination produces everything you could want in a hard rock band: shredding guitar licks, thumping bass grooves, evil drum beats and wailing vocals. Holy shit, I’ve seen the light.

Andrew Elstner, singer and guitarist for fellow St. Louis band Riddle of Steel was along for the trip as roadie/groupie/merch dude, and it was his band that gave me a revelation about a year ago. Let’s call it the Revelation of Steel. I’d also filed his band in the “cool, but not awesome” section in the list of local bands in my head. After not seeing the band for years, I accidentally caught it at a random bar show and they blew me away. Much to my delight, practice does, indeed, make perfect and the Riddle prompted me to go back to bands I’d previously avoided and give them a second listen.

So now the same thing has happened with Shame Club. A band that was previously alright is now super tight. Man, do I feel like a tool. Hey, Shame Club, I’m down with you. And I take back any smack I’ve ever spoken about any local band ever. Don’t disregard your hometown superstars, kids. They might just rock you.

– Jaime Lees

• article link
• also, article on the Village Voice blog - link
• Shame Club - website

Von Bondies
7 p.m. Friday, March 7. Creepy Crawl, 3524 Washington Boulevard
By Jaime Lees
Published: March 5, 2008

The Von Bondies produced one superior, bliss-pop hit a few years ago: “C’Mon, C’Mon,” a ringing, hook-filled tune that’s jump-up-and-down-on-your-bed-in-your-underwear perfection. Sadly, the Motor City band’s albums (such as 2004’s Pawn Shoppe Heart) consistently score a solid rating of “a’ight,” and though it’s set to release a new disc (Love, Hate and Then There’s You) in the fall, it’s unlikely the group will again reach the chart heights it once enjoyed. That’s fine, though, because the coed quartet proves itself at gigs. Live versions of the songs possess more grit than they do on the diluted recordings. By alternating between cutesy-girl harmonies and dirty Midwest bravado, the Von Bondies leave crowds with delightfully alternating urges to either make out with someone or punch them in the face.

• article link
• Von Bondies - MySpace