Capybara with Oriole Post and Minden
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The RecordBar
Better Than: Bourbon-spiked chocolate cake.
Capybara rocked the RecordBar stage on Saturday night in front of a packed crowd with a luscious, layered orchestral pop sound. With a handful of new songs, the band celebrated its reunion with impressive energy, leaving no doubt that they're ready for their return to the spotlight.
First to take the stage was bluegrass folk band Oriole Post. Though they confusingly sound nothing like the other two bands that played Saturday night, Oriole Post is always a delight to witness. Rachel Bonar's voice is sugary-smooth and pure, reminiscent of Allison Krauss or Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins. Utilizing strings and upright bass, Oriole Post kept RecordBar a-foot-tappin' and smiling.
Minden, the new project from Kelpie's Casey Burge, has continued to polish and sharpen their songs with each new performance. With a signature sound that is uniquely Burge's, Minden rocks narrative pop songs that race with the aid of a solid rhythm section, made up of drummer Ryan Johnson and bassist Evan Houston. (By this point in the night, RecordBar was refreshingly full.)
Despite the talented openers, the bar was full of people anxiously waiting for Capybara to take the stage. And when they did, they raised their glasses and toasted the audience, who cheered and toasted back. With smiles on their faces, they introduced a series of new songs and old favorites in preparation for their appearance at South by Southwest's official showcase. But their performance never felt like practice. Capybara's bouncing, layered pop songs were honed and refined, and the songwriting was chiseled and sculpted.
When they finished, RecordBar was crowded with people cheering and sloshing cocktails all over the floor. It was as if Capybara had never been on hiatus. For local music fans, it was an evening for the books -- and a sure sign of the local music tornado that's about to take Austin and SXSW by sonic storm.
Overheard in the Crowd: Actually, this is
seen in the crowd, but I saw Minden drummer Ryan Johnson drop his pants to compare leg bruises.
Critic's Notebook: Capybara had never seen RecordBar's green room before. I found that strange.
Capybara's Set List:
Rain Apollo
Magpies
Something
Late Night Bikes
Bridge
Vandals
Wild
Amy
Leben
Wimp
