As a San Francisco resident, there is no excuse for not having seen 60-Watt Kid before our chance encounter at SXSW. They’re from San Francisco and therefore I should have acoustically met them at least 5 times previously, right? When I arrived in Austin, TX recently, this wasn’t the case. Their self-titled album was always a pleasant surprise when it popped up in my iTunes library, yet I never went out of my way to pay attention. I hadn’t ventured into live enjoyment terrain. Big mistake! During the aptly named Bay Area Takeover Party, 60-Watt Kid took the stage. From the time they walked into the room, it was completely unlike any other show I’ve seen recently and almost the most bizarre. (Goat the Head trumps in weirdness. “Contemporary primal caveman death metal,” I’ll say no more.)
As a three piece of sparse drums, keyboard, sometimes guitar, knobby things and always a telephone receiver, 60-Watt Kid play spazzy, chaotic, loud weirdo music. While watching them, there’s the distinct feeling you aren’t watching a band. It’s also not surprising that when you make eye contact with another audience member they would send you a very skeptical look. Because if it had been done badly, it would be insufferable. But they do it to near perfection and you’re left in awe, almost unable to process what you’re hearing.
The most striking effect they used throughout the whole show was a really strong echo really strong echo. Just like that just like that. It’s disturbing in just the right way, knocking your perceived sense of timing with the lead vocalist’s actual action completely off balance. The brain says that someone is talking into the microphone when in fact, no one is. The echo did not dimish until the 3rd time it is repeated. It’s strangely more effective than someone actually repeating the same line themselves.
The band also used chaos to their advantage. While it never felt particularly musical or traditional in terms of song structure, each track was melodious. There seemed to be a line or phrase in each that somehow strung the noise, beeps, blips and buzzes together into a cohesive tune. Each band member was rapt to their particular instruments and seemed to feed kinetically from each other without ever having to look at what anyone else was doing. There were no cheeky mid-song guitar nods and you’d be pressed to have found any sign that they knew anyone else was performing on stage at the same time. Towards the end, the lead vocalist had frenzied himself right into the audience. Both noisy and ambient, it was glorious.
60-Watt Kid is Kevin Litrow on guitars, analog synth, vocals, harmonica, samples. Derek Thomas plays guitars, analog synth, samples and electronic soundscaping devices. Garrett Pierce strikes on the tom drum, percussion and xylophone. Next time you see their name on a local bill, buy tickets and GO TO THE SHOW.
Two MP3s via Promonet for your enjoyment/analysis:
Every Day
Ocsicnarf Nas
More info on this album (where you can buy it, etc)
For more reading on 60-Watt Kid, I’d recommend:
An interview on The Bay Bridged, a local music podcast:
In an age where experimental pastiche and damaged art-pop are increasingly familiar, this band has a unique ability to blend and balance their different elements, likely due in equal parts to their conscious refusal to develop a singular sound as well as the three members’ seasoned musicianship.
A overly dramatic album review on Pitchfork:
This San Francisco trio sounds like two split personalities fighting for control over the same vessel, like the Being John Malkovich of indie.
And the band’s actual MySpace blog:
SXSW dump truck
::Disclosure, I heard about 60-Watt Kid and their label, Absolutely Kosher, from working at IODA, who distributes their releases::
