Every now and then, a show comes along that is so great that you’ll look back on it years later and say “that was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.” What’s even better is realizing that you’re witnessing greatness as it’s happening. With over two thousand bands playing South by Southwest (SXSW) this year, moments like these are bound to occur. For me, that band was Shiny Toy Guns.

From the moment I found out Shiny Toy Guns would play SXSW this year, I was counting down the days. I saw Shiny Toy Guns in December, headlining the Montrose Winter Social at Numbers. It was, without a doubt, among the very best concerts I’ve ever seen. Although I knew it was unlikely they’d be able to reproduce the same magic as the Numbers show, I knew they’d bring it. With their third full length album, III, on the horizon, the band was set to debut several new songs at SXSW.

6:00PM – Saturday, March 17, 2012
Auditorium Shores at Lady Bird Lake
and
2:00AM – Sunday, March 18, 2012
PureVolume House

Auditorium Shores is a makeshift outdoor concert venue, set up a lot like most outdoor music festivals. A stage, two giant video screens, dirt, lemonade stand-style food kiosks, and about twenty nasty port-a-potties. Unlike most outdoor venues, Auditorium Shores had a fantastic sound system.

Shiny Toy Guns took the stage just after 6:00PM, opening with the fan favorite “Starts With One” (from We Are Pilots). The driving, pulsating, echoing guitar immediately brought life to the crowd. As soon as Chad Petree finished the first verse “… make me feel this way,” the mega-talented Mikey Martin started beating the drum set so relentlessly it is a wonder the set could remain intact. Occasionally taking a big, deep breath, Martin commanded the drums set like a General commands an army, never letting up before the completion of the show.

After Petree led the crowd through the energetic introduction, it was Carah Faye’s turn. Carah Faye recently returned to Shiny Toy Guns, after a one album hiatus and the introduction of her new band Versant. For many fans, this was the first time to see Carah Faye since her return. I could hear rumblings in the crowd before and during the set – “Carah Faye is back!”

Faye switched places with Jeremy Dawson, who assumed duties on keyboards, and took center stage at lead vocalist for Ricochet! (Season of Poison).  Carah Faye has an unmatched ability to connect with her audience. First of all, Carah Faye has an incredible voice. She doesn’t need “studio magic” to sound good. Her voice is unlike her contemporaries. It is airy, slightly punk, a little bit ambient, and a whole lot of awesome. Secondly, this woman is beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that she has been named one of the sexiest women in the industry. Don’t believe it? Take a moment, go to Google images, search for “Carah Faye,” and come back. Go ahead.  I’ll wait…

So now that we’ve established that she can sing and look good doing it, what kind of person is she? I spent time with Carah both before and after their SXSW shows, and I can honestly say she is genuine, kind and friendly. It should be no surprise then that she has such an ability to connect with her audience.

After cruising through the first new song off III, “The Sun,” the band played the lead single “Somewhere to Hide.”  As far as radio-friendly songs go, one would be hard pressed to find a better fit than this. Like many of their most popular songs, Petree and Faye share vocal duties, blending beautifully.

They brought the crowd to a frenzy with the ultra-popular cover of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom” and finished it off with fan favorites “Don’t Cry Out” and “You Are the One.” If there was ever any measure of how popular Shiny Toy Guns may become, it was the crowd at this event. Thousands of people, singing in unison, the last three songs of the set.

Highlight of the Auditorium Shores Performance:

The new single, “Somewhere to Hide.” If the studio version of this song is half as good as the live version, it might be their most popular single to date.

After the band completed the Auditorium Shores event, I spent some time with my friends from Youngblood Hawke waiting for the PureVolume House party to start. Youngblood Hawke would be sharing the stage with Shiny Toy Guns in the nightcap, and it would prove to be well-worth forgoing a night’s sleep.

The PureVolume House was packed. It was a very intimate venue, resulting in a massive line of music fans waiting outside hoping for an opportunity to catch the final (unofficial) event of SXSW.

Around 2:00AM, an understandably tired Shiny Toy Guns took the stage after a workhorse week of events. Despite the exhaustion, they closed the week with a bang. Although the set was shorter than the Auditorium Shores gig, it was every bit as engaging.

Since every song at this event was played earlier in the evening, I’ll move to the highlights.
Jeremy Dawson is really, really talented.  He is the core of the band. Look no further than the band’s new song “Mercy.” With his bass guitar strapped across his body, Dawson stands in front of his keyboard setup, seemlessly jumping from instrument to instrument throughout the song. See for yourself.

Finally, there’s a new addition to Shiny Toy Guns. Daniel Johansson effortlessly switched between instruments, bringing it all together. The value of Johansson’s addition to the band as a multi-instrumentalist can’t be overstated. Everything sounded full and tight. With so many bands out there failing to live up to their studio work in the live setting, it is nice to find a band that puts so much value in live performances that they’ll carefully add talent to make it even better.

For a band that has already been nominated for a Grammy, Shiny Toy Guns has clearly taken things to the next level. Expect big things from Shiny Toy Guns over the next year.

Setlists –

Auditorium Shores:

Starts With One
Ricochet!
The Sun
Somewhere to Hide
Le Disko
Speaking Japanese
Mercy
Major Tom
Don’t Cry Out
You Are the One

PureVolume House:

Starts With One
Somewhere to Hide
Le Disko
Ricochet!
Speaking Japanese
Mercy
Major Tom
You Are the One

* Robert B. Johnson is an attorney in Houston, TX.  He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas – Austin and completed his Doctor of Jurisprudence at University of Houston Law Center.  He is a former member of the University of Houston System Board of Regents and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Houston Bar Association – Commercial & Consumer Law.  He writes and records music under the name Stars & Satellites.  http://www.facebook.com/starsandsatellites