The '90s, Austin Style: K-NACK Reunion With Sixteen Deluxe [Show Preview]
Friday, January 27-Saturday, January 28
ND at 501 Studios (501 N. I H 35)
$10 per night/$17 for both nights, 8pm
[info] | [tickets]
You’ve heard it all before: an Austin band puts out a stellar debut, garners a bunch of national press, signs a major label deal, then slowly fades from the spotlight. That first act story plays out a few times per decade, and as F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “There are no second acts in American lives.” Obviously, Fitzgerald hadn’t heard of Sixteen Deluxe. Tonight at the ND, the once-forgotten local act is joining forces with once-forgotten radio station K-NACK 107.7 FM to celebrate the ‘90s, Austin style.
Locally, that decade was the best of times, it was the worst of times (sorry). The nascent “college rock” scene of the late ‘80s was just starting to pick up a head of steam nationally, and Austin had a pretty big college at the time. Factor in a low cost of living and plenty of venues and you get the perfect environment for bands like Sixteen Deluxe. The group formed in 1994, and thanks to the guidance of the Butthole Surfers their debut album, Backfeed Magnetbabe, earned critical nods from SPIN and airplay around the nation.
But then those worst of times reared their ugly head. The mid-90’s were a feeding frenzy for the likes of Warner Brothers, who signed Sixteen Deluxe to a contract and put out their second album, Emits Showers of Sparks. Sonically, the record blended the noisier aspects of indie into a psychedelic stew, with guitars alternately soaring and wobbling all over the place. However, no amount of touring got the group over the top. They left Warner two years later, and two years after that Sixteen Deluxe broke up. The summer of 2010 saw the band reunite for an impromptu gig at the Mohawk, and since then they’ve opened up their vaults with the release of Year One, a retrospective that collects demos and live tracks from their early days.
Those early days wouldn’t have been possible without Austin’s premier alternative radio station, K-NACK 107.7 FM. They heartily embraced the college rock sounds, leaving a number of slots open on their airwaves for local bands. The station is celebrating what would have been its twentieth anniversary with a reunion of sorts. While Sixteen Deluxe reveled in the fuzzier ends of alternative rock, Sincola blasted eardrums with their Pixies-like assault. Yes, “One Hit Wonder” was oddly prescient, but the group rode the wave in their heyday, touring with Toadies, Joan Jett, and Morphine.
Also playing is the local quartet Bo Bud Greene, whose debut album came out in 1995. Whatever is an almost perfect summation of those slacked-out times, in name as well as in sound. Likewise, openers Seed share that metallic sheen, but despite plays on MTV’s 120 Minutes and the early days of Conan, bad luck and bad deals kept the group down.
Tomorrow night, the reunion continues with a performance by the Wannabes, a group that originated as a prank in the ‘80s but quickly grew into a muscular power-pop outfit. Bug/Splinter sometimes shared members with the Wannabes, but they veered into indie rock territory and never looked back. Finally, Gomez (not to be confused with the British band) opens Saturday night after a meet-and-greet with former K-NACK DJs.
Friday
Sixteen Deluxe: [facebook]
Sincola: [allmusic]
Bo Bud Greene: [myspace]
Seed: [myspace]
Saturday
The Wannabes: [myspace]
Bug/Splinter: [facebook]
Filed in Arts & Entertainment and tagged bobudgreene, bugsplinter, knack, seed, sincola, sixteendeluxe, thewannabes