Manikin Record Release at Cheer Up Charlie's [Show Preview]
Friday, May 13
Cheer Up Charlies (1104 E. 6th St.)
10 pm
[info]
Manikin describe themselves as sounding like “a bad dream in technicolour.” It’s a frightening proposition, a vivid nightmare that’s so realistic you wake up in a cold sweat. But it’s a perfect description for Manikin, Austin’s resident noise punks and longtime Red River stalwarts (before it was cool, pal). You can catch them tonight at Cheer Up Charlie’s, where they’ll be celebrating the release of a brand-new 7”.
Originating in 2002, the quartet has put out three records of tightly-wound gutter punk on the local imprint Super Secret Records. Their songs are controlled blasts of slashing guitars and partially shouted vocals. But setting them apart from the rest of the Red River masses are their two secret weapons: trumpeter Bill Jeffrey and drummer Alyse Mervosh. The trumpet shrieks ratchet up the suspense, especially on songs like “Perfect Picture” where the gloomy atmosphere feels like the soundtrack to some nihilist horror film. Meanwhile, Mervosh plods along with a simple brutality, providing that gritty bed for the songs to burst forward.
Their show tonight marks the release of Minority Rules, a new 7” that finds the band in fine, tense form. Opening the evening is the fuzzy power-pop of the Bang Bang Theodores.
Manikin: [official] [myspace]
The Bang Bang Theodores: [myspace]
