Octopus Project cd release @ Emo's, Sat Feb 5th, 2005
So, after declining to mention at least half a dozen shows, I'm trying to get back on track for the rest of 2005...
part 1- the scene
We arrived at Emo's around 10:30 and I was amazed to see the place festively decorated with streamers and fabric in assorted colors- white, pink and green. Most of the nasty pictures on the walls had been covered with strips of cloth with black-and-white montages containing images of Octopus Projects' friends and family. Twinkle lights abounded, creating a cheerful ambience. The place was fairly packed out when we arrived, and it got progressively more crowded as the night wore on.
I glimpsed band members Josh Lambert and Toto Miranda, and went over to verify they truly had copies of their cd this time (their sophomore release has been long in coming, having been promised to Octopus fans as long ago as their March 2004 SXSW performance). They reassured me that indeed, the cd was available and in mass quantities. Josh also mentioned that it included my favorite song of theirs, "Hold the Ladder." I was surprised they had even recognized me, (considering how different my current haircut is since last time I saw them) much less remembered what my favorite song was. I really like to see it when bands take an interest in their fans like that. It just proved again that in addition to being great musicians, the members of Octopus Project are just all-around nice folks.
part 2- AM Syndicate:
We had missed the first band, Bring Back the Guns, so the first group we heard was the 7-piece local act AM Syndicate. I regret to report that, despite putting in an admirable effort, their performance was one of the worst I've seen in Austin. I had high hopes at first when they seemed poised to deliver some hard-hitting space rock- the opening drumbeats promised better things that didn't come. The vocals were muffled and betrayed lack of good singing technique. The overall sound was muddy, muddy, muddy. The sax just didn't fit in at all- I got the feeling it was added in as an afterthought, for no reason at all.
The violin actually made me feel bad. I could tell that the melody the girl was playing would have worked, had it been in the same key the rest of the band was playing. Now, I don't consider my ear to be especially sensitive. Often I check my guitar with an electronic tuner to make sure it's really in-tune. But it was obvious to me that the violin was just horribly, irrevokably off. I hated being so critical, because I have a feeling the girl playing it wasn't a horrible violinist, but the fact is it made me cringe continually until their set was over. My ears sighed in relief that the set was fairly short.
part 3- Horse + Donkey
We were sitting to the side of the stage during this act, taking a break, and I never got a good look at the whole band, but I think there were just 3 of them- a guitarist/singer, bassist and freaky-awesome drummer. They played some decent music that I would consider straight-up punk. The lead singer was so skinny it was frightening. I kept expecting him to keel over from malnutrition. He more screamed than sang, but it worked with their music. I was surprised how good it sounded from where we were sitting. I was glad I had earplugs, since the drummer alone was crazy loud. He was also REALLY good. They were a high-energy act that I would definitely see again, although I have no particular interest in hearing a recording of their stuff.
part 4- The Octopus Project returns
The band came in the door toting tons of pink, white, green, black, and yellow balloons which they handed out to excited fans. Kyle snagged me a black balloon (to match my outfit) which I tied around my wrist. Kyle was also holding a bag of balloons inflated with air, which he was instructed to disperse during the first song. We had gotten up to front & center, but a few overzealous fellow fans pushed their way in front of us for much of the show.
As usual, the band took like 20 minutes to set up their stuff. It felt like forever. This dude from Bring Back the Guns kept yelling at them to hurry up and play music, which seemed especially obnoxious to me considering that he tours with them, so he of all people should know that they ALWAYS take forever to set up their stuff.
The band had truly gone all-out. Josh, Toto and frequent guest guitarist Eric, were garbed in gray suits and ties. The ever-elegant Yvonne Lambert, slender as a gazelle, was decked out in a sequined mini-dress and sparkly eye shadow. Her hair was as sleek and perfectly bell-shaped as usual. They brought up more stage decorations that I'd ever seen them use, all themed to match the new album cover (as we would later discover).
When the band leapt into their first song, we were in for a surprise when Toto (I think he did it?) hit the lights and we saw tons of twinkle lights blaze through from behind the pink backdrop. Cascades of gold glitter showered off of Toto's drums and scattered around on the green covering under their feet.
The audience participation was as great as I've seen at any of their shows. Just about everybody I saw clapped along with the intro to "Righteous Bird and Ape." We also clapped along with "The Way Things Are" (both of the aforementioned songs being on their first album, Identification Parade). The show was also more crowded than any other Octopus Project performance I've attended, with the possible exception of last year's SXSW appearance. I haven't been to any concert where more energy radiated out of the crowd, and I think the band reflected it back in their performance. The band members were all smiles as they tore through one great rendition after another.
Highlights of the show included some of my favorite songs, like "The Adjustor", "Exit Counselor" (which I believe they opened with), and of course a slightly different rendering of "Hold the Ladder." I've never heard them play that song the same way twice. I had expected them to play "What they Found" but they didn't, which would have been disappointing if all their other songs weren't so good as well. As usual, watching Yvonne play the theremin on "Rorol" was a spell-binding experience. The crowd was also treated to a rare "deep cut" when they played the first song they had ever written.
As they closed out with "Music is Happiness" (one of their best songs I've heard so far), there was a shared feeling of regret that they weren't allowed to play any more that night. In fact, the staff of Emo's began insulting the crowd to make us leave. I rushed back to the Merch stand as quickly as possible to get ahold of the new cd.
This was certainly one of the most high-energy Octopus Project shows I've attended, and definitely the best show I've ever seen indoors at Emo's. The only downside was the level of crowding. It's the typical fan's dilemma- you want to see your favorite band succeed, but at the same time you're loathe to have to share them with a ton of other people. I hope their lower-profile shows will continue to feature the intimate, less-crowded atmosphere usually experienced at most Octopus Project concerts.
Part 5- bonus cd review
Octopus Project's sophomore release, One Ten Hundred Thousand Million, was well worth the wait. Delivering stellar versions of songs we've come to know and love at their live shows, such as "Music is Happiness," "Exit Counselor," and "Hold the Ladder," the album also features several songs that are likely unfamiliar even to many fans. I particularly appreciated the laid-back sampling on "Responsible Stu," which is a song I hadn't heard before. The recording of "Hold the Ladder" features the addition of violins, which gives it a more orchestral, if somewhat less frantic sound than it has at their live shows.
Any Octo fan should run out and buy this album immediately. For newcomers to the band, I recommend attending one of their performances before hearing the cd, since you'll get a lot more out of it that way. In my opinion, this record is probably even better than their first, Identification Parade, although it's a close call. They also put some effort into the liner notes this time, which was nice to see and gives me hope that they're doing well monetarily. The cd case also included a small booklet entitled "All the Champs that Ever Lived" (I would imagine only the first 500 copies will include it, since mine was numbered out of 500), which offered a perplexing glimpse into the psyche of a band which seems only to offer more mysteries, the more you get to know them. If anyone out there has any theories on what this bizarre piece of writing is really about, feel free to drop me a line.
part 1- the scene
We arrived at Emo's around 10:30 and I was amazed to see the place festively decorated with streamers and fabric in assorted colors- white, pink and green. Most of the nasty pictures on the walls had been covered with strips of cloth with black-and-white montages containing images of Octopus Projects' friends and family. Twinkle lights abounded, creating a cheerful ambience. The place was fairly packed out when we arrived, and it got progressively more crowded as the night wore on.
I glimpsed band members Josh Lambert and Toto Miranda, and went over to verify they truly had copies of their cd this time (their sophomore release has been long in coming, having been promised to Octopus fans as long ago as their March 2004 SXSW performance). They reassured me that indeed, the cd was available and in mass quantities. Josh also mentioned that it included my favorite song of theirs, "Hold the Ladder." I was surprised they had even recognized me, (considering how different my current haircut is since last time I saw them) much less remembered what my favorite song was. I really like to see it when bands take an interest in their fans like that. It just proved again that in addition to being great musicians, the members of Octopus Project are just all-around nice folks.
part 2- AM Syndicate:
We had missed the first band, Bring Back the Guns, so the first group we heard was the 7-piece local act AM Syndicate. I regret to report that, despite putting in an admirable effort, their performance was one of the worst I've seen in Austin. I had high hopes at first when they seemed poised to deliver some hard-hitting space rock- the opening drumbeats promised better things that didn't come. The vocals were muffled and betrayed lack of good singing technique. The overall sound was muddy, muddy, muddy. The sax just didn't fit in at all- I got the feeling it was added in as an afterthought, for no reason at all.
The violin actually made me feel bad. I could tell that the melody the girl was playing would have worked, had it been in the same key the rest of the band was playing. Now, I don't consider my ear to be especially sensitive. Often I check my guitar with an electronic tuner to make sure it's really in-tune. But it was obvious to me that the violin was just horribly, irrevokably off. I hated being so critical, because I have a feeling the girl playing it wasn't a horrible violinist, but the fact is it made me cringe continually until their set was over. My ears sighed in relief that the set was fairly short.
part 3- Horse + Donkey
We were sitting to the side of the stage during this act, taking a break, and I never got a good look at the whole band, but I think there were just 3 of them- a guitarist/singer, bassist and freaky-awesome drummer. They played some decent music that I would consider straight-up punk. The lead singer was so skinny it was frightening. I kept expecting him to keel over from malnutrition. He more screamed than sang, but it worked with their music. I was surprised how good it sounded from where we were sitting. I was glad I had earplugs, since the drummer alone was crazy loud. He was also REALLY good. They were a high-energy act that I would definitely see again, although I have no particular interest in hearing a recording of their stuff.
part 4- The Octopus Project returns
The band came in the door toting tons of pink, white, green, black, and yellow balloons which they handed out to excited fans. Kyle snagged me a black balloon (to match my outfit) which I tied around my wrist. Kyle was also holding a bag of balloons inflated with air, which he was instructed to disperse during the first song. We had gotten up to front & center, but a few overzealous fellow fans pushed their way in front of us for much of the show.
As usual, the band took like 20 minutes to set up their stuff. It felt like forever. This dude from Bring Back the Guns kept yelling at them to hurry up and play music, which seemed especially obnoxious to me considering that he tours with them, so he of all people should know that they ALWAYS take forever to set up their stuff.
The band had truly gone all-out. Josh, Toto and frequent guest guitarist Eric, were garbed in gray suits and ties. The ever-elegant Yvonne Lambert, slender as a gazelle, was decked out in a sequined mini-dress and sparkly eye shadow. Her hair was as sleek and perfectly bell-shaped as usual. They brought up more stage decorations that I'd ever seen them use, all themed to match the new album cover (as we would later discover).
When the band leapt into their first song, we were in for a surprise when Toto (I think he did it?) hit the lights and we saw tons of twinkle lights blaze through from behind the pink backdrop. Cascades of gold glitter showered off of Toto's drums and scattered around on the green covering under their feet.
The audience participation was as great as I've seen at any of their shows. Just about everybody I saw clapped along with the intro to "Righteous Bird and Ape." We also clapped along with "The Way Things Are" (both of the aforementioned songs being on their first album, Identification Parade). The show was also more crowded than any other Octopus Project performance I've attended, with the possible exception of last year's SXSW appearance. I haven't been to any concert where more energy radiated out of the crowd, and I think the band reflected it back in their performance. The band members were all smiles as they tore through one great rendition after another.
Highlights of the show included some of my favorite songs, like "The Adjustor", "Exit Counselor" (which I believe they opened with), and of course a slightly different rendering of "Hold the Ladder." I've never heard them play that song the same way twice. I had expected them to play "What they Found" but they didn't, which would have been disappointing if all their other songs weren't so good as well. As usual, watching Yvonne play the theremin on "Rorol" was a spell-binding experience. The crowd was also treated to a rare "deep cut" when they played the first song they had ever written.
As they closed out with "Music is Happiness" (one of their best songs I've heard so far), there was a shared feeling of regret that they weren't allowed to play any more that night. In fact, the staff of Emo's began insulting the crowd to make us leave. I rushed back to the Merch stand as quickly as possible to get ahold of the new cd.
This was certainly one of the most high-energy Octopus Project shows I've attended, and definitely the best show I've ever seen indoors at Emo's. The only downside was the level of crowding. It's the typical fan's dilemma- you want to see your favorite band succeed, but at the same time you're loathe to have to share them with a ton of other people. I hope their lower-profile shows will continue to feature the intimate, less-crowded atmosphere usually experienced at most Octopus Project concerts.
Part 5- bonus cd review
Octopus Project's sophomore release, One Ten Hundred Thousand Million, was well worth the wait. Delivering stellar versions of songs we've come to know and love at their live shows, such as "Music is Happiness," "Exit Counselor," and "Hold the Ladder," the album also features several songs that are likely unfamiliar even to many fans. I particularly appreciated the laid-back sampling on "Responsible Stu," which is a song I hadn't heard before. The recording of "Hold the Ladder" features the addition of violins, which gives it a more orchestral, if somewhat less frantic sound than it has at their live shows.
Any Octo fan should run out and buy this album immediately. For newcomers to the band, I recommend attending one of their performances before hearing the cd, since you'll get a lot more out of it that way. In my opinion, this record is probably even better than their first, Identification Parade, although it's a close call. They also put some effort into the liner notes this time, which was nice to see and gives me hope that they're doing well monetarily. The cd case also included a small booklet entitled "All the Champs that Ever Lived" (I would imagine only the first 500 copies will include it, since mine was numbered out of 500), which offered a perplexing glimpse into the psyche of a band which seems only to offer more mysteries, the more you get to know them. If anyone out there has any theories on what this bizarre piece of writing is really about, feel free to drop me a line.
