Buttercup, again....

I spent most of yesterday evening with my feet and ankles submerged in a wading pool, in the middle of which was a fairly typical bar table. On the table I had dumped an offering of chocolates, which were imbibed in by all who cared to. The only rule was you had to make a boat or other floaty thing to set free in the pool. We had many attempts still afloat at the end of the night, even after at least two dog-induced mini-tsunamis. For a group of near strangers, it was really relaxed evening. There was not even one attempt at a bar brawl, and no nasty tempers even seemed to be in the room. Quite a change for one used to working with a band that drew most of the local biker crowd. For a five foot three female, I got pretty good a few years back at intimidating big drunk bikers. I had to- it was them or me.
It was really a nice change to not feel even one bad vibe all night.

The location was an unassuming building called the Wiggle Room, Chances are you, like I, might drive right past it in the dark. The only thing that caught my ttention in that block was the big purple neon OM in a window. I didn't know until later that this was the Wiggle Room.
Inside is a bit more impressive than outside, though still quite low key. It fits the band a lot actually. It is really not a bar, but a performance place for the avant garde of SA I guess. It is a small but proud community. It was pretty obvious that some serious thought had gone into the placing of chairs, the structure on stage, and a few subtle side decorations. It was all to set a mood. I was pleasantly surprised. I had been listening to the CD for a few days, but still really didn't know what to expect live.

In the way of casual gatherings, the band waited until there was a small crowd before they started their first set. I was pleased to hear harmonies done live just as they were on the CD. That is one of the things about them that charmed me from the beginning. I am a sucker for harmonies in vocals. The music is complex enough to intrigue, but does not make great demands of the ear. Instead, again, it tries to create a mood. The lyrics go the full range from sad to funny, seriously to tongue-in-cheek. The general feel of the whole event is "we are going to do what we do best, and we hope you come along for the ride."
Like my dear Del Castillo, they have some very dedicated fans, many of whom have seen at least a years worth of performances like this. I chatted with a few, but relaying the experience is tough. It isn't really about words. It is about feelings. And they make me feel good. I wish I could keep it with me a lot more than I can. But I pull it back up when life gets a little rough. Sorta like DC.

I was going to write down a set list, but they rarely called out song titles. I knew the Neil Young tunes they covered, and one or two from the CD, but almost everything else was new material. It was cool to hear something new, and still find it moving. I anxiously await the next CD, due out at the end of the year. The live and the studio both held up. One or the other always seems to fall short, but not this time.
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Well.....
I got caught up with work and haven't been able to write on this again yet. Such is life. to my surprise, some fellow DCites were glad to hear about Buttercup coming to Austin in a letter I wrote earlier this week, so...here I advertise for them:
26 august, Hyde Park Theatre, about 8 PM for the doors. Also, check the guys out at www.myspace.com/buttercup, as well as their own website, which is now back up after a 24 hr down. There are two names: www.buttercup.com and www.buttercult.com. I am kind of partial to the second one.
I am going to publish this one, and get back to describing them as I can. Seriously though, go find the Borders in Austin or Hogwild in SA, and take a listen to the CD. I am partial to cutting daisies and downslide...and most everything in between!

ciao for now.