In my not-so-humble, “music means everything” opinion, the most wonderful thing about the world today is the vast array of music that’s out there, and the easy access we have to obtain and listen to what we want. Not every band and project is inevitably awesome, but with a little research and exploration, the exact sound you’re looking for can be discovered.
And that’s exactly what happened to me a couple of years ago when I came across White Denim, a slightly psychedelic rock band based out of Austin, Tex. I was blown away with the way they tossed their beats and sounds around like it was nothing, and yet were still able to create a concise and infectious package of music out of it. Trying to convey to friends and family how awesome the band was turned out to be kind of difficult because there was no genre, or, really, any other band, that I could compare them to. But that’s also what was so attractive about them—while I do love that there’s a ton of music out there to enjoy, I think it’s kind of odd that so many of them strive to sound like somebody else. Not the case with White Denim at all.
Their arrival at the Doug Fir on Friday night obviously got me psyched, as I expected a raucous, electric kind of show to be unleashed upon the masses. And oh, holy hell, it was exactly that. Times 10.
They showed up with Brazos, another Austin band that knows how to shake people’s faces off with their grooves. It was a trio of humble musicians, all looking unaware that they put some damn good stuff out there. The singer/guitarist had a taut voice, and it smoothly catapulted from low to high throughout each song. Meanwhile, the bassist was a blast to watch as he danced carelessly with what sounded like a brand new bass. Plucking deep, dark notes while the drummer pounded out a steady beat and shook a maraca, the band created a freewheelin’ sound that several times made me feel like I was aboard a ship, floating the sea. But it was never the type of music that could lull me to sleep—there was plenty of energy packed into the beauty of the Brazos’ music, and it did a great job in preparing the crowd for White Denim.
Busting onto the stage and launching into a medley that remained nonstop for close to 20 minutes, it was immediately evident White Denim’s show was going to be even more earth-shattering than I’d expected.
Singer/guitarist James Petralli shredded the hell out of his guitar, employing a number of pedals to fashion a delicious set of wah-wahs out of it. Reviewers have compared White Denim’s music to that of Hendrix, but I had never really heard the connection until this night. Ripples of jacked-up psychedelia came oozing out of Petralli’s machine, and it was aptly supported by the rapid-fire bass maneuvering of Steve Terebecki. Adding to the mix was the dynamic drumming of Josh Block, whose mini drum solos kept the music rich with variety.
Playing mostly from Fits, the band’s 2009 release, White Denim pumped out sped-up versions of their hits “I Start to Run,” “Say What You Want,” “Shake Shake Shake” and many more. Surprise shifts in sound dominated the set, and they were always successful. It was exciting to never know where the music was going, and the high energy of the band kept the crowd riveted for more.
Labeling the band’s sound as “dance rock” seems a cop-out, but it’s true their stuff is both A) dancey, and B) rockin’. Also true is the fact that their music is nearly impossible to categorize, but that seems to be the way these gentlemen prefer it. While talking with the band after the show, Block said they’re happy to be genre-bouncing the way that they are, but that they don’t even do it on purpose, the music just ends up that way. Personally, if I was in a band in such a music capital as Austin, I would probably want to do the same as White Denim and create a buoyantly varied sound, just so I could stand out from the rest of the pack. Petralli’s eyes hinted that that maybe was the reason they create the type of music that they do, and Block said, bluntly, that they prefer to keep things all over the place when they’re performing.
Which is a-okay with me. White Denim—and Brazos!—both have something terrific going on with their music, and I can only hope they keep themselves from falling into monotony in the future. I’ve got some big love for these Texas boys, and cannot wait until they’re back in town again.
