Party Ends

“Now if you never been to Texas, there's a picture to paint Cause we doing it real big, in case you thinking we ain't”

Ahhh Bun- B…. so eloquent. 

   We by no means did it alone, but I am very proud to say that the PartyEnds Summer Extrav-o-ganza was the biggest party of the summer in Austin. Saturday August 5^th 2006 marked the day some of Austin’s best of the best came together to shake rumps, get the masses drunk, synergize. We do it real big, just in case you think that we ain't.

   It was a one of a kind party. And without all of the sponsors’ help (green potato ventures, Austinist, Sparrowhead, SUPER!ALRIGHT! Independence Brewery) it would not have been possible. Luther and I were thrilled to be a part of such a great event and not just hang out and play my new Contra game for Playstation 2. if you guys have any sweet ass codes –send them on over to partyends@gmail.com 

   The Stay Gold Djs warmed up the night as the crowd trickled in to form the beer line and eventually PartyEnds heroes Economy took the stage and played and excellent set jam packed with crowd interaction, rapid (often nonsensical) handclaps and high/low harmonies. Economy gets two awards for the evening: the award for Best Profanity in Songs and Best Running Through the Crowd and Hitting Me in the Chest With a Microphone. It should be noted- there were no other contenders in this category. 

   Tacks, the Boy Disaster a mind-bogglingly great 4 piece indie rock band went up to bat next and had the inside of the Gallery Lombardi completely packed. Photos were snapped, people sang along, and most of all the band rocked the fuck out. With the keyboard leading the group through (at times) be-bop syncopation and beautiful and (at times) insistent vocals the result was engaging The guitar showed restraint letting the bass take the melody of sections of songs and the percussion was hands down top-notch. The crowd ate it up and I could sense them thinking in unison: “when are these guys going to explode and have everyone in America comparing them to Arcade Fire?” people are going to be as crazy about Tacks the Boy Disaster as Flavor Flav is crazy about clocks and Latino woman. Just watch Flavor of Love 2 if you don’t believe me.. oh yeah and order their great EP here. 

   Next Cue managed to mellow out the crowd while at the same time completely captivating them. Local luminary Wiley Wiggins provided projections for the group who had legions of devoted fans. Between the haunting violin, the thumping percussion, and the whole group being cloaked in bizarre projections- Cue created an atmosphere at the party that was a blast. The mood harmonized their instrumental building/ swelling music so well it completely eased my mind of worrying about the TABC busting down from the ceiling with night vision goggles and laser pointers on the end of their guns. Sure, we were more than legal at the party with TABC certified hired hands - but the TABC is still scary. Usually when I need to relax I throw on some Dirty Three at my house…. from now on I will be alternating that with Cue. 

   MP3: Cue: the Sun has Risen Twice Today

   You can pick up their album here.

   The Lemurs finished out the night out with some amazing rock and roll. Think about Billy Idol hanging out with Franz Ferdinand discussing hype machines the Artic Monkeys. The group has a sound that is very likeable right now and for a good reason. The lemurs commanded the party and kept the crowd captivated even while the tension was rising with the beer depleting.

  The whole night was really heightened by the inventive projections of Erik Horn of SUPER!ALRIGHT! who custom mixed and projected beach themed clips from a wide array of amazing beach movies (Beach Blanket Bingo, Psycho Beach Party, Surf Nazis Must Die etc) to each of the bands’ sets. He was able to make beach blanket dancers synch right up with the performances and provided quite a treat for the hundreds of people who were not able to see band on the ground level stage but could soak in the loud music and the amazing projections. Try and find another party with a giant Annette Funicello on the wall. Try it. 

   It was a very special evening and PartyEnds is very grateful to everyone who picked up trash, pumped kegs, threw bottles at moving trains, and donated money to make things all go smoothly. Thank you. Please check out the photos.

“Draped up and dripped out, know what I'm talking bout”