In years past, whenever I went to a show, I found myself doing my very best to skip the openers. I had been burned too many times. Forgettable bands playing unlistenable songs, all the while my legs got tired from standing for too long. I know that’s a really bitchy complaint but I don’t care.
Most of the time audiences were polite. Sure they didn’t do much applauding, but they gave the band their moment in the spotlight and quietly waited for the main act. That all changed when I moved to Boston. Crowds there were more than happy to help any band come to the understanding that they in-fact sucked. The best of it was seen at a Kasabian show at the Paradise. I watched as irate fans booed the band Mew, specifically their lead singer. He stood there stroking his own hair passionately with a sock that he wore on his hand like a puppet. People in Boston have very little patience for that kind of thing. Especially Irish people living in Boston.
After someone yelled, “Fuck you, you cunts. You fucking suck. Bring out Kasabian”, and the lead singer just looked into the crowd and said, “Thank you”, I almost felt bad. Granted they did suck. There was no argument from me, but I had just gotten used to it at that point. Openers sucked. It’s nothing new. Plus I was pretty full from a burrito, so I wasn’t very high energy that night.
Things have changed though. It seems in the recent months, at every show I’ve been to, I end up really digging the openers. Several of which have been featured on this very blog (We Are Augustines, Turbo Fruits, Restvrant). Last week I wrote about Wild Child and then ended up seeing them this past Tuesday. One of their openers was so face meltingly fun that I couldn’t help but write about them. This week’s ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Whiskey Shivers.
Whiskey Shivers got their start in 2009 down in Austin, TX. It wasn’t the usual story of a bunch of like-minded buds deciding to form a band. Nah. These guys found each other on Craigslist. Turns out Craigslist not only allows you to get a decent price on a used washer/ dryer, but apparently you can track down a banjo player as well.
The band is made up of these cats.
Bobby Fitzgerald: Fiddle
James Bookert: Banjo
Andrew VanVoorhees-Doghouse: Bass
Joe Deuce: Washboard
Jeff “Horti” Hortillosa: Guitar
They burst onto the scene with their first album titled Batholith, released in 2011. The band themselves dubbed their sound “trashgrass”, taking instruments deeply rooted in American country, folk, and blue grass and then using them to play party tunes. It’s really a hell of a thing to see in person. When you see the speed at which they play, it’s safe to assume that they themselves and their instruments may explode at any given time. They took the album on the road, averaging 3 shows a week for all of 2011. After countless months of touring a friend of theirs decided he wanted to make a music video for the crew’s song Gimme All Your Lovin. The video they ended up with is pretty damn great.
I think the video does a really great job of getting the fun persona of the band across. These guys are having a good time and they want you to have a good time too. The dark turn of the dead girls really throws most viewers for a loop though. It sparked a massive chat on reddit.com and caused the video to go viral.
Gimmie All You Lovin, gives you a taste of what this band is all about. Their first album is like that all the way through. Fast and in your face, most songs lasting no longer that 2 ½ minutes. It’s like if punk bands started playin’ down home tunes. Their song titles even occasionally have that punk flair with songs like Wookie Boogers or Drunk Dial. I really love Drunk Dial.
Why not have 45 second drunken convo at the end of a song?
They released their second album in 2012 titled Rampa Head produced by the guy who was behind the Oh Brother Where Art Thou? Soundtrack. They put together a solid compilation here. Much like their first album, it’s a raucous party. This time around it feels more cohesive. The record has a flow to it. It kicks the doors in at the opening with tracks like Way Downtown and Burden…
But isn’t afraid to slow things down, albeit momentarily, on tracks like Long way Home.
One aspect of this band that cannot be over looked is their uncanny ability to harmonize with each other. Fitz holds down the lead vocs but when every starts hollerin, it’s really something special.  Going hard as these guys do, their musicianship never suffers. They are pros.
This is a band that demands to be seen live. They play their tracks and a few fun 80’s covers, but the real thing is the energy. Theirs is unrivaled. They go all out, every second on stage, and even when off. When I saw them, they left as Wild Child began setting up their gear, yet the crowd was calling for more. So Whiskey Shivers did what any band would do. Set up in the pit and go for it. I got a pic
Luckily, Shiner Bock saw this type of behavior as something that should be documented. Here they are singing the same song they sang for my encore, Rocky Top.
Do not sleep on this band. Get in early. See them as soon as you can. They’re currently on tour so check their site for when they are coming to your town and go have yourself a good old-fashioned rowdy down.
Big Hugs,
Kelly
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