Wild Moccasins, The Eastern Sea, The Wiggins Walter's on Washington July 2, 2010
Friday night at a packed Walter's on Washington, the Wild Moccasins hosted a party to kick off their summer West Coast tour with friends The Wiggins and The Eastern Sea, and Aftermath wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
We even saw Indian Jewelry's Tex Kerschen leaning against a wall, smiling as the Wiggins performed. Kerschen had reason to smile; The Wiggins' performance was amazing, and the crowd was receptive, perhaps more so than the norm. His vocals weren't quite loud enough, Aftermath thought at first, but as his set continued, it became clear that his voice and lyrics were a backdrop to his guitar. For most bands, it's the other way around.
If it were up to The Wiggins, people would probably sing along to his guitar, not his lyrics. This being near impossible for most concert-goers (especially the ones who drink at shows, which includes... uhh... everyone), The Wiggins seemed content to dance in place onstage as his fans in the crowd followed his lead.
Next up, The Eastern Sea proved themselves an entertaining bunch even during their sound check. The members poked fun at one another and interacted with the crowd as they prepared their instruments and checked the levels of the mikes. But when their music started, the laughter stopped, and everyone began to listen intently.
By the band's second song, most of the crowd was clapping and cheering along. The Eastern Sea brought even the most avid smokers inside, and even though the band hails from Austin, its members doted on Houston a lot; enough to make us wonder what our beef is with Austin (and theirs with us).
"We love Houston. We are from Houston. We owe a lot to Houston" said Matt Hines, the band's lead singer and guitarist.
"[Houston] is where we built our musical muscles as a band and as individual musicians. It's not exactly our home; it's something else. [It's] like an old house that you drive by when you're older and remember as a much bigger place. Just like that house, Houston always seems to get smaller and smaller every time we come back."
Damn. Harsh but true? Maybe. We just report. You guys decide.
"Every time we compliment Houston, everyone seems to go silent and think there's a catch," Hines said. "Austin gets our music in a totally different way. We are a much more subtle in Austin, because it's a difficult environment to stand out in. You're one of many bands, and you have the opportunity and obligation to be a bit more adventurous."
