Tommy Keene with Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves – Emo’s (Austin) – April 20, 2009
I finally get to see power pop legend Tommy Keene live, and he surpasses my expectations. Great songs, great guitar, great rock & roll. Local openers Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves (with whom Keene has toured as bassist) were really good as well.
My Bloody Valentine with Kurt Heasley and Josh Pearson – Austin Music Hall (Austin) – April 21, 2009
I was leery of this show, simply because the big concrete block that is the Austin Music Hall has notoriously rotten sound. But MBV rose above it (or blew past it, not sure which) for another show that lived up to my dreams.
“Avenue Q” – Bass Concert Hall (Austin) – Saturday, April 18, 2009
A very funny, spectacularly produced Broadway show, performed spot on by the touring cast.
Wannabes with The Ron Titter Band – Carousel Lounge (Austin) – April 17, 2009
I was happy to see the Wannabes on one of their now-infrequent outings. They rocked harder than I’ve seen them do in quite a while. The Ron Titter Band has no one named Ron Titter, but it does have the Peenbeets’ Greg Beets, which means pop hooks and an odd sense of humor.
Dreams So Real – Nocturnal Emissions (self-released)
The band’s goodbye to its fans, a collection of outtakes that’s as good as any of their studio records.
Glide – Shrinkwrapped Real Thing (Shock)
The final album (well, barring the posthumous Last) of a still overlooked artist.
Suicide Twins – Silver Missiles & Nightingales (Castle)
Hanoi Rocks splits up, guitarists Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide pick up their acoustics and Jacobites records and make an album that I frankly find more satisfying than those of the main act.
Tommy Keene – Based On Happy Times (Geffen)
Keene still draws heavily from this live, so I need to re-familiarize myself with it.
Maryanne – Your First, Your Last, Your Everything (Contingency)
David Slutes of the Sand Rubies made this one-shot power pop record in the mid-90s. It’s not all that different from his home band, which is fine with me.
The Loveless – A Tale of Gin & Salvation (Anger, Inc.)
The final evolution of what started with Candy and moved through the Electric Angels. Might very well be bassist Jonathan Daniels’ finest set of tunes.
