I’m not gonna try to do another St Patricks podcast like I did last year. Frankly, I don’t think any podcast can top that one. So instead, I’m gonna shift focus and set my sights on one of my favorite groups of Irish-Americans playing today. Yes, The Safes. Now, the O’Malley brothers and I have a lot in common; we’re Midwestern dudes that grew up in our respective Midwestern punk scenes. We come from strong Irish American families with all the good and bad that brings to the table. Our families were comprised of music buffs who instilled a strong sense of it in us. Where we differ is that I write meandering, rock criticism about the arcane, unusual and underappreciated while The O’Malley brothers play in a band called The Safes who ROCK THE FUCK OUT.
In fact, The Safes are rocking the fuck out of Austin this week at SXSW. At the end of this post I have listed the shows in chronological order. Now, what I want to point out is that you, the potential SXSW attendee are clearly faced with a decision and I would like to share my insight into said decision.
See, we as a culture are becoming increasingly detatched from reality. Media and media manipulation now define us. We live in an artificial world, with artificial people. Our feelings, our dreams, our ideas are increasingly becoming artifice. Reality is virtual and our passport into our virtual existence is our ranking as a consumer. So we consume more and more artifice and the money that is raised from this creates more and more artifice. The end-result is that our lives are becoming one long staged event.
It used to be that indie (or underground, or alternative, or whatever) culture was the last bastion of some sort of authenticity. But SXSW and other “industry” events of its’ kinds represented the death-knell of our little private Utopia years ago. There’s no going back now. And in my opinion, there are two types of people at events like SXSW. There are industry-types who are peddling and consuming artifice and there are music-fans who just wanna see some cool bands.
As a music fan, your mission over the next week or two is to go see as many great bands as you can while getting as little of the industry dirt on you as possible. You’re on a mission to prove to yourself that there are at least a few things left that are undeniably real.
And you can’t get more real than The Safes. They’re just a great, unpretentious Midwestern rock-n-roll band who combine the hooky-smarts of early Cheap Trick with the energy of the best Chicago punk bands. Every show I have seen them play has been a barnburner and I have to believe they are gonna melt your face in Austin. So do yourself a favor and check them if you are at SXSW. It may be the most authentic thing you experience all week.
March 20, 2010 The Austin, TX Merrifield Records party
w/
Thee Lexington Arrows
Nikki and the Weeps
Royal Chains
Young Jaguars
Virginia Slims
March 19, 2010 @The Liberty 1618 1/2 E 6th St Austin, TX
w/
Crash Gallery
Lords of Altamont
Gloria Record…..
March 19, 2010 Lew’s House 2610 Rio Grande St Austin, TX
w/
Wild America
March 18, 2010 Trophys 2008 South Congress Ave Austin, TX
March 18, 2010 The Liberty 1618 1/2 E 6th St Austin, TX
SAMPLES
From Family Jewels (2003)
From Boogie Woogie Rumble (2004)
From Well Well Well (2006)
Bad Blood
Cool Sounds Are Here Again
From Sight of All Light (2008)
More info on The Safes can be found at www.thesafes.com.
Yeah, great band, great songs.
In addition to putting on one Hell of a live show, The Safes happen to be really good guys.
This rules. ‘Wired’ is one of the best things I’ve heard in yonks.
they rolled into town for a second time a little while back, and despite AGAIN playing on a sunday to hardly anyone…they killed it. great band, I love the hint of paul mahern-ness to it all.