![]() ![]() "A thousand people just listening - pin-drop silent."Įvergreen's management also hooked them up with Austin blues-rock star and Bob Dylan sideman Ian Moore. "It was beautiful, so fragile," Sanden said. "At one point, he ran out of money so he borrowed $5 from me."Īnother memorable moment happened when Evergreen opened for what turned out to be one of Elliott Smith's final shows. " Ian MacKaye was pissed and was paying them to leave, weeding them out, giving them $5 apiece," Sanden said. Infiltrated by Nazi skinheads, the show nearly devolved into riot. I said, that's what you do - you show up for your friends."Įvergreen also opened for Fugazi and Blonde Redhead at The Showcase Special Event Center, a now-shuttered and cavernous West Avenue venue that Sanden describes as a "vomitorium." He watched us play the same seven songs every night, in the same order. "The singer, Gordon Downey, was really supportive. "Ground them down to nubs."Īmong Evergreen's early breaks was a tour with Canadian treasures The Tragically Hip. "Yes, I cut my teeth," says Sanden of that time period. Sanden, an English major, played rhythm guitar in the group, which parlayed '70s-style rock – Les Pauls cranked through Marshall stacks - into a management deal and shows with music legends. That's the hope."īuttercup's story began with the '90s alt-rock outfit Evergreen, formed at Trinity University. We just want to do things that are memorable. "Our whole career has been in opposition to that, that big, dumb rock. "Whatever Foreigner is, we're the opposite of that: not gross," Sanden said, laughing. "It's an ever widening circle of love really: Sanden sparks something passionate in a stylishly casual way, Reyes and odie contribute a generosity of spirit - not even talking about their musical skills - that honestly makes the band a force for good in the world."įrontman Erik Sanden has a much simpler explanation of the band's ethos. "The sense of a panoramic embrace of the city of San Antonio is key to the reciprocal champion-hug they have felt from their many fans," visual artist and longtime fan Hills Snyder said of the band. Playful experiments like those, along with the music, continue to endear Buttercup them to fans. The evening ended with the entire crowd joining the band on the Majestic stage. Capps in a wig and Chris Maddin on keys, among them - dressed up as Buttercup and covering one of their songs, only with no practice allowed beforehand. ![]() Their opening act included local musicians - Garrett T. The band's 2016 performance-art extravaganza "Buttercup: A Musical Journey" moved between Charline McCombs Empire Theatre and the Majestic Theatre. The group has long eschewed the standard bar-gig-once-a-month routine in favor of shows in unconventional venues, not to mention costumes, props and experiments, including conceptual pieces based on Socrates to fourth-wall busting onstage commentary. That kind of deconstructed performance pervades pretty much every aspect of Buttercup. A mic falls over during recording and I say. "It's built on spontaneity, happy accidents, mishaps sometimes. Vocalist and guitarist Erik Sanden is the extrovert storyteller, guitarist and Grammy-winner Joe Reyes shapes the chaos, while capital-letter averse bassist and longtime scene veteran odie is the group's essential sparkplug, its heart and source of mischief. Perhaps explaining the group's longevity is an unpredictable and highly charged group chemistry. In typical form, the group has promised to "utilize the entirety of the building to construct a moving, special night." 18, show at Hermann Sons Ballroom, one of downtown's coolest old buildings. The Alamo City-based quartet's appeal isn't just rooted in tuneful songcraft and impeccable musicianship but also in inspired art-rock antics and playful experimentation.īuttercup brings all those elements to bear on Grand Marais, its latest album, which the band is celebrating with a Saturday, Nov. Buttercup has long eschewed the standard bar-gig-once-a-month routine in favor of shows in unconventional venues.Īfter rising from the ashes of '90s buzz band Evergreen and the scene surrounding legendary San Antonio venue Taco Land, Buttercup has surprised and delighted audiences for roughly 20 years.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |