Rank and Revue - VOL. 2, ISSUE 26 FREE

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VOL. 1 Issue 26 MAIN MENU

beerland, TX

SPOON
Feature by Trevor Wallace

Room 710

Beerland

EMO'S

RR 1st Anniversary

Elysium/Red Eyed Fly

Lance Comix

Know Your Bartender Lana/Deville

Rock 101 Metal Dave

Chopping Block

Wendy's WWAD

Grub - Guide

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Usual Crew

Chump Change

Off the Street

Off-Sides

KOOP Radio Benefit
The Ugly Beats, The Winks
Beerland, Saturday 1.10.04

I got the heads up that KOOP Radio (91.7 FM) was having a benefit over at Beerland. Mainly, I wanted to go see the Ugly Beats, as I had seen the Winks earlier in the week. Still, the Winks did put on a crowd-pleasing performance, and watching four sexy girls rock out is always time well spent.

Someone introduced me to the host and organizer of the evening, Scott Gardner of KOOP. Scott was pretty busy that evening, so I told him we could chat later on in the week, as I wanted to learn more about KOOP. Scott does a show called “Stronger than Dirt,” which airs every Saturday night from 8 to10 p.m. He’s been doing the show since the inception of KOOP back in 1994. KOOP’s main mission is to provide quality programming for those communities traditionally underserved by mainstream radio. KOOP is run almost exclusively by volunteers. They do have two poorly paid staff members. Each of their programmers produces his or her own show with complete artistic freedom. This particular night, they were trying to raise enough money to buy a new turntable. The night was successful for them, and they were able to raise enough money for the turntable.

I had heard some good things about the Ugly Beats, so I was definitely looking forward to them. They didn’t disappoint. I’ve always enjoyed that mid-60s R & B sound. Some people call it Freakbeat. The show was like a time warp back to that era. The Ugly Beats play both covers and originals, complete with mid-60s attire, Vox Amps and an AceTone Organ. I especially liked the mod dress on sexy keys player J-9. The Boom-Chica-Boom girls completed the atmosphere with their eye-catching go-go dancing.

KOOP has another benefit scheduled for Saturday, February 14 at Caucus Club, and they are also planning another benefit at Beerland after SXSW.

–Larry Stern

Those Peabodys, Sound Team
Beerland, Saturday 1-17-04

Six piece band Sound Team consisting of two guitarists, two keyboard/moog players, a bassist and a drummer, played groovey danceable tunes for the folks packed into local punk/garage rock haven/arcade that is Beerland. Sound Team played melodic dance rock with keyboard melodies that added just the right amount of sugar to make the mod-rock candy shell glaze over. The twenty something crowd swayed and swung their hips to the Sound Teams guitar-melded synthrock. Sound Team promises to put on better and better shows in the future.

Those Peabodys were the headliners and took the stage somewhere around 1:00 a.m. Those Peabodys are part of a new genre of rock I like to call “spazrock,” rock played on stage with a near over abundance of enthusiasm and a lot of bodily gyrations and quasi-karate moves. Those Peabodys is: Adam Hatley (guitar voice), JD Cronise (guitar voice,) Clarke Wilson ( bass voice,) Aaron Franklin ( drums.) Hatley and Cronise’s twin guitar attack blasted the crowd with their riff heavy AC/DC inspired sound. The crisp tightness of the band only made their garage influenced rock that much tastier. The crowd in the front jumped and bounced along to them Peabodys and so will you if you go see them.

-James Marquardt

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