This past weekend, Fort Worth had no shortage of album release shows; it seemed like they were happening everywhere. Friday night I made my way to Lola’s Saloon for the release of part one of Mountain Kid’s two-part album The Realist. The bill also featured Trái Bơ, Dallas’ Party Static, and Animal Spirit as the headliner.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to a show where the opening band drew as many people as Trái Bơ did at 9pm on a Friday night. The band kicked off its set with a short instrumental jam session followed by a somewhat poppy tune with a groovy bass line that got progressively more rocked out as it built. Trái Bơ had the crowd dancing before they got white-girl wasted –– an achievement all bands strive for. The foursome is reminiscent of early Weezer, wonderfully nerdy, a little math-rockish, with garage band touches. They often use intricate key and tempo changes. The song “Symphonic People” seemed to be a crowd favorite with several audience members singing along. Trái Bơ was a great, energetic way to kick off the night.
Party Static took the stage next and kept the dance vibe going for those who were starting to get a little tipsy. The band’s look is definitely its strength. Its two frontwomen were dressed in the kind of modern hippie clothes that you’d see at Coachella. However, that’s where their appeal ended. Dallas seems to worship this band, but the ladies’ shrill shouting distracted from the tenacious rhythm section and fuzzed-out guitar sounds going on behind them. I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t into them. A good number of people opted to go outside and chat during their sloppy, childish proto punk set. Party Static is more about image and partying than music. And that’s fine if you’re just there to dance, which plenty of people were.
Mountain Kid is a band I’ve seen several times, however when they took the stage Friday night the five-piece had a high-octane energy I’ve never seen from them before. Maybe the rush of releasing an album adrenalized the group. The house was packed and the band began with a loud, heavy tune with thunderous drums that were layered by singer Addison White’s piercing vocals midway through. Ever the showmen, the Kiddos doused the stage with lights and fog that seemed to ratchet up the crowds enthusiasm. The second song of the set, “The Tick,” was a good mix of White’s more indie rock influences and guitarist’s Josiah Hunter’s noise rock style. Shake the Moon’s Drew Harakal provided keys for this special show and filled any gaps in the music. “Feet First,” a track from the new album seemed to be the favorite as the crowd all yelled “feet first into the ground” along with the boys.
Around 12:30 a.m. Animal Spirit took the stage, ending the night with their crowd-pleasing fun surf-style sound. As the four-piece’s set ended, the sweaty masses weren’t ready to stop dancing and demanded an encore.
Girl hater alert! Go listen to Party Static on Spotify or something. The songs are good! Writers that use low blows show limited talent. Why the hell do you care what they are wearing? It’s music, not a fashion show. Stay on topic. Proto punk…gimme a break. “By using this genre in a sentence, the kids will think I know what I’m talking about and that my opinion matters!”
She’s right though. Their look is the only thing good about them. I think she was trying to at least pay them a compliment and not be completely mean. She wrote great things about Animal Spirit and they have a girl. Party Static just isn’t that good. She said what a lot of people already thought.
Honestly? She wrote TWO SENTANCES about animal spirit. Nothing great about that. I think their guitar player was even wearing a party static shirt.
She wrote an entire review over Animal Spirit before this article. That’s what I was referencing. Look it up. Great review.
I don’t think you truly know what a low blow is, because there were none in this article. Bringing up the fashion choices of an artist brings imagery to the article, which is definitely necessary. She doesn’t hate them, she’s a music critic. Everything’s gonna be oooook!
You obviously are not familiar with the FW Weakly – all they ever care about is how women in bands look.
Some people love them, some people hate them. Every buzz band has its supporters and detractors. No one’s mind is going to be changed in a comment section. I met someone who didn’t like pizza one time. To each their own.
This is refreshing to read, not necessarily negative plots, but a writers honest opinion. There are too many articles out there aimed to “suck the sexual organs of the artist.” Good work. Good read.
Party Static is absolutely amazing in my opinion. I will continue to book them in Fort Worth whenever they are available. 🙂
Thank you! Look forward to seeing them again soon. They seemed to love it in FW as well!
“The band’s look is definitely its strength.” What a f*cking joke! No surprise i guess, the Weakly always cares more about how women look than how they sound. Party Static is one of the best punk bands on the DDFW scene, as evidenced by the fact that right now they’re rocking audiences from here to Miami on tour with another of DDFW’ best bands, Sealion. And by the fact they blew away the frenzied crowd at Lola’s (a crowd full of musicians i might add). Leave it to the Weakly to find the one person is a packed house who didn’t get it to write the review. Oh well, i guess we should just be thankful they didn’t call anybody “pussies” this time. This paper is an embarrassment to a great music scene, just sad.
Party Static is a breath of fresh air in a music scene slowly getting stale. Sure, they were downright noisy. That’s the foundation of punk rock. The lyrics don’t pack much of a punch, but they’re a fun band with an awesome sound (and yes, a very “hipster chic” appearance). I also noticed that a lot of people didn’t know how to take them and I think it was largely in part due to the fact that their singers are the kind of girls that involuntarily cause other females in the room to take a hit or two on their self-esteem. Let’s face it ladies, they were HOT. The people that opted to go outside during their set were predominantly women, and a few stoners. Great band > accurate fashion review. I hope to see them in Fort Worth again soon.