Killer Tofu, Killer Show.

Hey, party people. Or should we say, office chair-ridden, email-sending, blackberry-stressing people, since that's what we are now that we're back in the ol' swing of things.

The days of wearing cutoffs and eating animal parts slathered in BBQ sauce and walking past Isaac Hanson and Andrew WK on the same block within the same 90 seconds have been replaced by the ever-evil routines of early morning alarms and laundromats and office duties that are a far cry from "day parties", unless you count the walk to the deli to go get bean soup a party. (Which, frankly, depending on the selection, I sometimes do).

We've got more SXSW sessions to push into your eyeballs and eardrums, but for now, here's a couple of videos from the KILLER TOFU acts that performed on our outdoor stage on that fateful night. And, speaking of, big thankaroonies to I Guess I'm Floating for being the best blog co-collaborators we could have asked for. The fiesta was unreal, and people waited in a line to get in like it was Rollercoaster Tycoon or something! Without them, I wouldn't have seen the insanity of Gobble Gobble and holyshit, was it madness.

Enjoy, and get ready to enjoy all over again when we post some shiz from High Highs, BRAHMS and our surprise headliner, Blackbird Blackbird.

Til' then, this:

MP3

Hooray For Earth - "Rolling/Nectarine (live at Big Ugly Yellow Couch SXSW Showcase)"

Aislyn - "Invisible Woman (live at Big Ugly Yellow Couch SXSW Showcase)"

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Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session: Hooray For Earth

Big Ugly Yellow Couch Session: Aislyn

SXSW Session: Lands & Peoples

SXSW Session: Lands & Peoples

Lands & Peoples, people and things,
we adore these four, but even more when they sing.
Stumbling across their songs mere hours before boarding,
we headed to Austin, unsure of recording.
A few parties later, we were fast friends,
A few days later, they were behind the lens.
While in the South, the band discovered a secret garden land,
that with fantastical objects was nothing short of grand.
In the Saturday sun, as our Texas time reached its close,
we gathered in the morning with videos to compose.
Gongs and enormous chimes aside, these videos are pretty neat,
and not because it's the first we've done without a couch as our seat.
We've made it outdoors, into the bright sunshine,
far from four walls and that wood floor's dusty grime.
So among Mother Nature comes our first taste of outside,
as we present you Lands & Peoples, with tons of pride:

MP3s

Lands & Peoples - "Ghosts (Big Ugly Yellow Couch live at SXSW)"

Lands & Peoples - "Awake (Big Ugly Yellow Couch live at SXSW)"

A special thanks to Fortney's Artful Home Furnishings for allowing us to shoot on location.

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bandcamp

South By South ZZZZ.

 

Hoo boy.

After a week of mild sunburns, 4am bedtimes, bowlfuls of tortilla chips and daytime Jack Daniels on the rocks, Donald and I had quite the drawn out trip home, and are finally back, where it's colder, rainier, sober-er, and for fuck's sake, let's hope healthier.

We've got oodles of photos to share, faded iPhone pics of all the nasty-delicious food we ate and a handful of truly unbelievable sessions we'll be posting within the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more Texan shenanigans.

Ta ta for now.

Couch Session Deux: ARMS

Couch Session #32: ARMS

Oh hello there, boys.
It's sure been a while.
you've been out there creating,
being more versatile.
It's good to have you back,
plopped onto that big ol' couch
for the second time as a band,
the third including that holiday with a Grouch.
Our first band
that we've had over twice,
listening to your tunes
has practically turned into a vice.
With a few new songs,
and a new album en route,
there's some real god damn good music,
that will be afoot.
These boys have already gotten a poem,
they had their time,
back in our old home,
where we first gave them a rhyme.
So for now,
on their second wave of a couch debut,
we'll just pass these videos,
songs and all over to you.
SXSW is near,
and ARMS won't be far,
as we'll be tucking in to see them
in a dark Austin bar.
So until Texas,
until we're all in the heat,
we'll leave you with these videos,
because damn, they can't be beat:

MP3

ARMS - "Heat & Hot Water (Big Ugly Yellow Couch session)"

ARMS - "Face Gravity (Big Ugly Yellow Couch session)"

ARMS - "Glass Harmonica (Big Ugly Yellow Couch session)"

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Couch Session: ARMS

Big Ugly Christmas: ARMS

myspace

Couch Session: High Highs

Couch Session #31: High Highs

So many carbs, piled all around,
bagels with toppings from all parts of town.
Three sessions shot in one day,
meant later that evening, we easily hit the hay.
Between all of the craziness, we found one thing to not be like the others,
namely the photo, up there, which is now quite a bother.
Every other session, we remember it all,
feed the band, shoot them, then take a photo against the wall.
But for this one, for some reason, it fell out of our brains,
we fed them and shot them, and the rest felt the same.
But here we are, no photo to be had,
An integral piece to the puzzle for the band.
It's strange, because this one wound up a bit different too —
the lighting near-absurdist, the sun setting in tune.
The boys almost look like they're black and white,
a crazy effect that makes these videos such a delight.
I could listen to their songs the whole live long day,
as this Flowers Bloom video may or may not be on constant replay.
But with this band, it's more than just three captured songs,
Or bopping around your bedroom, watching while singing along.
They're a part of our showcase, the last slice of our pie,
pumping the jams next Friday out into the Austin sky.
We couldn't be happier to bring you High Highs today and next week,
so watch and listen along, but try your best not to shriek:

 MP3

High Highs - "Flowers Bloom (Big Ugly Yellow Couch sessions)"

High Highs - "Open Season (Big Ugly Yellow Couch sessions)"

High Highs - "Horses (Big Ugly Yellow Couch sessions)"

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bandcamp