tUnE-yArDs

Of the three times I saw tUnE-yArDs this SXSW, this was definitely the distinctive one. At NPR at The Parish, she was webcasting live, and under all sorts of pressure. On day one at Red 7, it was mid-afternoon, and far from a packed house. But at Austin's Central Presbyterian, vocalist and frontwoman Merrill Garbus clearly felt she was in her element. Thrusting drumsticks to the sky, joking around with the audience after a botched rhythm loop, and getting the pew-seated crowd on their feet during the "Do you want to live?!" call and response, Garbus had the elbow room to let her larger-(and wackier)-than-life stage show roam free. Hers must be a polarizing talent, as her vocal skills are undeniable and at times jaw-dropping, but there is no small amount of theater wrapped up in the end product. For me, it's everything a good live act should be: raw, honest, and nervy; all at once legible and mysterious. But for others, I can see how something so original and uncompromising might come across too heavy on the kitsch, too out there. "Too vegan," as one non-plussed compatriot put it. Their loss!