Austinist Show Preview & Giveaway: White Denim & Black Before Red at Antone's
Thursday Jan. 10
Antones (213 W 5th St)
$8
[info] | [tickets]
White Denim’s newest mp3s are all the rage these days and Pitchfork rated their Let's Talk About It EP a tad higher than what they afforded Sound Team. Download White Denim's latest offering, “Paint Silver Gold” off RCRD LBL. Black Before Red, meanwhile, are also basking in the rave reviews received of late, while they have also added a new guitarist, Brent Baldwin (of The Normans) to the line-up. BBR is in the process of pilfering through their archives of material and will possibly release some of those songs in EP fashion soon. Fingers crossed here!
We caught up with James Petralli (from WD) and Kevin Schneider (from BBR) this week to check up on their lives and loves.
What era (past, present, or future) do you feel your band’s music best fits into? What other decade would you like to play in?
James Petralli: I think that we would have fit pretty nicely in the late sixties or early seventies, but I am not a really great judge of our sound. I think we may sound a little more bit punk than freakbeat.
Kevin Schneider: Obviously I want to play in the future: http://youtube.com/watch?v=suafkk2vWNI
Have you seen the other band live before? How would you describe them to your good buddy who just moved to Austin?
JP: I have seen Black Before Red a number of times since I moved here. I would say that they are the smoothest party band in town. They feature a double milky crooner and an intuitive rhythm section that never over plays the parts. When you hear their music you can’t help but recognize how naturally all of the elements of the group work together. There isn’t a single band in town that sounds like Black Before Red. The group is a gem, a total gem.
KS: We played with White Denim during some pre-SXSW stuff at Emo's last year. We borrowed their high-hat stand, and after the show I told them that they saved rock and roll. It was love at first sight.
JP: We have had great sound a few times at quite a few places. We like working with Ryan Rooney at The Mohawk. The Parish is great. The young fella at Emo’s outside is also really attentive throughout a set.
KS: The Parish is the best sounding room to play in this city, by far, and they have been really great to us there. We rarely draw a crowd, so it's pretty tough to say which is my favorite. We have done some really fun shows at The Mohawk and Emo's, but seriously, who hasn't?
How do your parents respond to your band’s music? What age did you start jamming at home?
JP: I started playing at 18 right before I moved out, but my parents had to deal with Zeppelin to the absolute max over my bedroom speakers for at least two years before that. I am pretty sure they hated that. My folks are in to really smooth jazz, like George Howard and David Sanborn. They are starting to come around more these days. I think they are just happy to see me doing what I love to do. I am pretty sure that they will approve of some of the new directions we are heading. We have some pretty smooth tunes coming out on our next record.
KS: Neither of my parents have ever seen BBR play, and my sister is down on winter break from college, so they are all coming in to check us out. So you should watch your language, and wear appropriate sweaters so you don't catch cold.
What was your favorite record in 2007?
JP: I think that the Dirty Projectors’ new record is really great. I am super moved by everything Dave Longstreth has put out. I think that he is our generation’s Stevie with a bit of Zappa's musicality. That sounds completely ridiculous, but whatever. I have not really listened to much new music this (last) year. Grizzly Bear, White Williams, Ecstatic Sunshine, Bloodfart, Panda Bear, Trans Am, these are all good for a listen. Kevin and I jammed some Silver Bullet Band the other night, that was mega.
KS: I have a hard time picking a single favorite, but I really dig Battles' Mirrored, and Shining's Grindstone. The National's Boxer sounds really great in the cold weather. I just bought a box set of all 47 Mozart symphonies, and I'm going to try to listen to them consecutively.
[White Denim MySpace]
[Black Before Red MySpace]
[Haunting Oboe Music MySpace]
[The Fever Dreams MySpace]
