{"id":863,"date":"2012-03-17T18:00:47","date_gmt":"2012-03-17T18:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=863"},"modified":"2015-10-13T17:58:23","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T17:58:23","slug":"shiny-toy-guns-sxsw-austin-tx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2012\/03\/17\/shiny-toy-guns-sxsw-austin-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"Shiny Toy Guns – SXSW – Austin, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Robert Johnson <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 17, 2012 at 06:00 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"MikeyA couple years ago, I read a review about a Shiny Toy Guns concert. It said, the \u201cshine\u201d had come off. That’s totally bogus. I saw Shiny Toy Guns twice during this year\u2019s SXSW festivities in Austin, TX and I can attest that this band\u2019s \u201cshine\u201d is at full luster.<\/p>\n

Every now and then, a show comes along that is so great that you\u2019ll look back on it years later and say \u201cthat was one of the best concerts I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d What\u2019s even better is realizing that you\u2019re witnessing greatness as it\u2019s 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<\/span><\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u2019ve ever seen. Although I knew it was unlikely they\u2019d be able to reproduce the same magic as the Numbers show, I knew they\u2019d bring it. With their third full length album, III, on the horizon, the band was set to debut several new songs at SXSW.<\/p>\n

6:00PM – Saturday, March 17, 2012
\nAuditorium Shores at Lady Bird Lake
\nand
\n2:00AM – Sunday, March 18, 2012
\nPureVolume House<\/p>\n

\"CarahAuditorium 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.<\/p>\n

Shiny Toy Guns took the stage just after 6:00PM, opening with the fan favorite \u201cStarts With One\u201d (from We Are Pilots). The driving, pulsating, echoing guitar immediately brought life to the crowd. As soon as Chad Petree finished the first verse \u201c\u2026 make me feel this way,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

After Petree led the crowd through the energetic introduction, it was Carah Faye\u2019s 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 – \u201cCarah Faye is back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Faye switched places with Jeremy Dawson, who assumed duties on keyboards, and took center stage at lead vocalist for Ricochet! (Season of Poison).\u00a0 Carah Faye has an unmatched ability to connect with her audience. First of all, Carah Faye has an incredible voice. She doesn\u2019t need \u201cstudio magic\u201d 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\u2019t believe it? Take a moment, go to Google images, search for \u201cCarah Faye,\u201d and come back. Go ahead.\u00a0 I\u2019ll wait\u2026<\/p>\n

So now that we\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

After cruising through the first new song off III, “The Sun,” the band played the lead single \u201cSomewhere to Hide.\u201d\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

They brought the crowd to a frenzy with the ultra-popular cover of Peter Schilling\u2019s \u201cMajor Tom\u201d and finished it off with fan favorites \u201cDon\u2019t Cry Out\u201d and \u201cYou Are the One.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Highlight of the Auditorium Shores Performance:<\/p>\n

The new single, \u201cSomewhere to Hide.\u201d If the studio version of this song is half as good as the live version, it might be their most popular single to date.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s sleep.<\/p>\n

\"ChadThe 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Since every song at this event was played earlier in the evening, I\u2019ll move to the highlights.
\nJeremy Dawson is really, really talented.\u00a0 He is the core of the band. Look no further than the band\u2019s new song \u201cMercy.\u201d 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.<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s a new addition to Shiny Toy Guns. Daniel Johansson effortlessly switched between instruments, bringing it all together. The value of Johansson\u2019s addition to the band as a multi-instrumentalist can\u2019t 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\u2019ll carefully add talent to make it even better.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Setlists –<\/p>\n

Auditorium Shores:<\/p>\n

Starts With One
\nRicochet!
\nThe Sun
\nSomewhere to Hide
\nLe Disko
\nSpeaking Japanese
\nMercy
\nMajor Tom
\nDon’t Cry Out
\nYou Are the One<\/p>\n

PureVolume House:<\/p>\n

Starts With One
\nSomewhere to Hide
\nLe Disko
\nRicochet!
\nSpeaking Japanese
\nMercy
\nMajor Tom
\nYou Are the One<\/p>\n

* Robert B. Johnson is an attorney in Houston, TX.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He writes and records music under the name Stars & Satellites.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/starsandsatellites<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Robert Johnson Mar 17, 2012 at 06:00 PM A couple years ago, I read a review about a Shiny Toy Guns concert. It said, the \u201cshine\u201d had come off. That’s totally bogus. I saw Shiny Toy Guns twice during this year\u2019s SXSW festivities in Austin, TX and I can attest that this band\u2019s… <\/p>\n

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