Sometimes a band’s name just doesn’t quite seem to match up with what you might expect them to sound like. Case in point: The Shacks, whose moniker might cause one to imagine maybe something countryish, or perhaps a garage rock band, but who instead offer up a breezy pop sound which often veers toward a moody, mildly psychedelic vibe. This just goes to show that, much like you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, you shouldn’t necessarily judge a band by their name. Unless that band is Hoobastank. That is a terrible name worthy of harsh judgement.
One of the highlights of their set was “Orchids,” a song which, singer Shannon Wise explained, wasn’t about aliens, but did feature aliens in the video. She urged us all to watch it if videos with aliens in them were something we were into, cheerfully adding, “It’s on the internet!” Isn’t everything though?
Following them onstage was Austin’s Khruangbin, who had the packed house at the Garrison on their side from the get-go with their mellow psych/funk chill out tunes. And while I didn’t find them as compelling as the openers, the band did put on an impressive display of musicianship and threw in a nice cover of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s “Firecracker” as a tribute to the old “funkateers” who came before them.