Last night, amidst all the tornado warnings and threats of Texas sized hail, I decided to forget it and drive to Denton anyways. The small and humble Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio showed a lot of promise as the night started out with local Denton band, Mimisiku.
Mimisiku, roughly translated to cat piss, at first glimpse put out an almost emo, math rock kind of vibe. Although, self-proclaimed as stoner pop on their band page, genres are irrelevant, and who am I to argue with the people who know their music better than I. While none of their songs are online, they do have a Facebook. This makes it hard to find any music from them, but we’ve heard rumors of an upcoming album release, so hopefully keep an eye out for that. The band looked comfortable on stage and put on a head-banging experience. By the end of the set, both guitarists had either broken a string or a strap, which neither proved to stop them from playing.
Shortly after Mimisiku’s set, The Goodbye Party took the stage. The 5 piece Philadelphia band also sports band member, Sam, from Radiator Hospital. Frontman, Michael Cantor, is also no stranger to the music scene. His old band, The Ambulars, now on indefinite hiatus, has put out a great pop-punk album in the past that you should also take a listen to. While the night was about Waxahatchee, I couldn’t help but be swept away by The Goodbye Party. The obvious musicianship and overall chemistry of the band made a memorable performance. Nothing beats Cantor on the floor with his electric guitar and a violin bow in one hand.
The band put out an album last December called Silver Blues, and has been one of my favorite albums since. Last nights show served it well in my mind, and it was hard to say goodbye as this was their last night on tour with Waxahatchee.
As well all recollected ourselves after an amazing performance, Waxahatchee set up for their set. Waxahatchee is a solo music project by Alabama native Katie Crutchfield. The touring band members also include her twin sister, Allison Crutchfield, which when playing and singing side by side, together, is always a surreal experience. I first saw Katie play without her band in Austin, which definitely could not have prepared me for last night’s show. You know it’s something special when the integrity and heart of a song is carried throughout any form you are listening to it. Without the band, Waxahatchee is this beautifully solemn voice of an angel and her electric guitar. With the band, her songs are not phased by the power of the drums and accompaniment of all the instruments. She is truly great as a stand alone artist and an all out band.
Waxahatchee‘s album, Ivy Tripp came out on Merge records this April.
