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The Diagonals and more at Beerland
Friday, May 9th
Beerland (711-1/2 Red River)
cheap and starting early
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Sharing the top of the bill is Shapes Have Fangs, an esoteric bunch of fellows who mix the occasional Beach Boys-esque breakdown with an unabashed willingness to test the bounds of influence and obscurity--by many accounts, Shapes Have Fangs is also a band not afraid to push it in concert. Further down the docket is Harlem, a Tucson band brand new to Austin that offers a hard-to-dislike passion while managing to sound somewhat like recent lo-fi breakthrough Times New Viking. Because of the fun they seem to have playing together, Harlem should be a band to watch as they get adjusted to Austin's scene and develop their still-nascent sound.

Rounding out Beerland's deep Friday lineup are The Pillow Queens, a rough and tumble garage-y type group who make up for a lack of refinement with almost boundless energy, and Wine and Revolution, a smoothly strummy group whose sound would not feel out of place in the early sixties--they even mix in occasional whistling. Put all together, it's an interesting mix of bands and musics, yet there's an identifiable vein running through them: all of these bands bear their influences fearlessly, regardless of what those influences may be. And since everyone knows that confidence is cash, this looks to be a pretty solid show.