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Show Review: Indie Rock, meet Hip Hop @ Canopy

posted by Matt at 4:13 pm.

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The night that could have been called The Great Mash-Up is over and my ears have barely survived the ordeal thanks to Athens, GA natives Dark Meat. Indie Rock, meet Hip Hop was a showcase of largely marginalized genres that rely on people with good sense and keen ears for survival. That being said, I was torn between disappointment at the fairly poor turnout and joy at the excellent exhibition of creativity and musical diversity. This show was fun and it’s just sad so many people missed out on a strong dose of local prowess.

The following were my favorite acts of the night (minus pictures because my camera was stolen *sad face*):

World’s First Flying Machine (haha, here is the real link)

Influenced strictly by Vampire Weekend, how could this band not be phenomenal? Seriously though, besides Brian McGovern’s striking resemblance to Ezra when he wears a sweater, World’s First Flying Machine is nothing like the oxford commas. In the spirit of the night, their sound and performance was a lot more Indie Rock than Indie Folk. The extra energy resulted in broken guitar strings, teeth riffs, and a swift kick in the ass to the lethargic crowd. My leg was tappin’ and it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet! (I never tap till ten on principle)

In a true show of ambassadorship, Agent Mos joined World’s First Flying Machine on stage for a special improvised mash! I know a lot of people give Krukid lots of attention, as they should, but AMS has a really great flow and the self-admitted nerdiness is quite endearing. The special session managed to get everyone out of their seats and onto the floor dancing. I can only imagine the reaction if this had been a later time slot.

Check out this video of World’s First Flying Machine performing “Inefficient Machines” live:

World’s First Flying Machine is currently WPGU Band of the Week and will be featured in a Local Artist Profile next week!

Krukid & The SugarGliders

I only caught the last two songs of this set due to an unforeseen trip out of the Canopy, but that is all they needed to impress me. We all know Krukid has the flow, and as one of Rawkus Records newest artists he is gonna be on the go! The Sugargliders were a vibrant edition to Krukid’s MCing. They had the crowd dancing and shouting lyrics back the entire set.

Dark Meat

Dark Meat @ SXSW [courtesy Vice Records]

WTF. W-T-F. WHAT THE FUCK?!

While crude, that was my exact reaction to the indescribable live performance given by Dark Meat. A stage full of people, dressed in the weirdest shit you have ever seen, all seemingly trying their hardest to destroy your ear drums! After much deliberation, the only way I can accurately characterize this band is with two words: Organized Chaos. Songs that began in complete cacophony slowly evolved into Souther Rock-ish chord progressions designed to melt your face. I was uncontrollably rocking to the disaster within a few seconds into the first song. In fact, I think I spilled more beer than I drank during the entire set.

While angry that I could not take my own pictures, the ones provided by Dark Meat’s label Vice Records are pretty telling:

Emily Armond on Piccolo channeling Uma Thurman Pulp Fiction Style

Jim McHugh making your ears bleed

Matt Fender: I'm put together beautifully