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This article is taken from Daily Texan, a University newspaper, courtesy of Kittie of the CrowePeople mailing list.
CONCERT REVIEW:
Actor Russell Crowe's band
makes a pit stop in Austin
Updated 12:00 PM ET August 7, 2000
By Matt Dentler
Daily Texan
U. Texas-Austin
(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas -- Russell Crowe isn't a rock star, but he
plays one onstage. The Australian actor (The Insider, L.A.
Confidential) is one of the biggest movie stars in the world today.
But of all the roles he can play swinging the versatility rope
between
Roman slave (Gladiator) to virtual villain (Virtuosity) to violent
Nazi (Romper Stomper) he has reached his most skeptical audience.
This
comes with his role as songwriter, singer and guitarist for the
Aussie
rock band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts.
The band has become almost legendary, keeping a minimal profile and
making albums available primarily through their official Web site
(www.gruntland.com), rather than record stores. The band has picked
Austin as the place to record its next opus. And, as is standard
practice in the music industry, they decided to schedule a few small
shows to test out their new material. The band will play two more
shows in Austin, both at Stubb's Bar-B-Q. There will be one Friday,
Aug. 11, and then another on Friday, Aug. 18.
At Stubb's Friday night, crowds flocked in high numbers, coming in
from all over the world (it was reported that an overwhelming
majority
of the tickets were purchased from outside Texas). Relocated from the
indoor stage, Friday's outdoor show swelled with anticipation,
excitement and an underlying curiosity: Was this band actually any
good?
It's obvious that many in attendance were there simply for the
novelty
of seeing an A-list movie star. Crowe and his band must have expected
this, which meant the music was forced to stand up on its own. Once
that starstruck feeling wears off, you're gonna need to recapture the
crowd's attention. And Crowe's rugged mug can only hold it for so
long.
To solve this potential problem, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts tried to keep
spectators enticed and, fortunately, succeeded. With a sound best
described as an Australian Bruce Springsteen, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts
managed to exceed expectations and give the loyal fans a show
well-worth the price of admission (well, maybe not for those who paid
nearly $100 a ticket on eBay).
The band's set was full of new material and old, spanning their four
recordings (three EPs and one LP) and the album currently in the
works. The six members of the band all appeared to have their act
together, each taking away their own moment in the spotlight. On
tunes
like "What You Want Me To Forget," "All The White Circles" and
"Circus," drummer Dave Kelly, bassist Garth Adam and multi-
instrumentalist Dave Wilkins all managed to anchor the Grunts in
proper rhythms. Their country/blues/folk material was well-suited for
the warm summer air and the very Texan atmosphere at Stubb's.
The group could run across the spectrum, from edgy alt-rock to
polished folk-rock. There were moments of repetition and little
variation between individual styles. Dismissing early criticism,
Crowe
can sing and there's a definite sense of range in his style. He
seemed
nervous at first, but after a glowing reception from the
predominantly
female audience as well as a wealth of Shiner Bock on hand he started
to open up and cut loose. In between songs, Crowe offered stories
about his songwriting and his inspiration. He only addressed one of
his films, Romper Stomper, and that was due to its relevance to a
song.
Guitarist "Reverend Billy" Dean Cochran ebbed and flowed with Crowe
and the two shared a bond with their six-strings that helped the
group
remain driving through the night. But no part of the band was as
welcomed as the inclusion of trumpeter Stewart Kirwan. Kirwan's use
of
the horn added textures and layers to some of the otherwise plain song
structures. Without Kirwan's horn, a good deal of the night would
have
been lost and forgotten. Instead of becoming simple "bar rock" or
"frat rock," the horn opened 30 Odd Foot of Grunts up to more
dimensions and blew the audience away during solos or accompaniments.
After the first set, the band returned to the stage with Crowe
donning
one of the band's signature basketball jerseys. During the first
encore, Crowe gave up a bit on guitar and stuck to filling out the
stage with a mic and his rock 'n' roll vibes. This reached its zenith
with a stirring and emotionally draining performance of "Oblique Is
My
Love," originally released on the What's Her Name? EP. "Oblique Is My
Love" provided a study of the right moves this band can make. They
hit
the rock when it was needed, and the pop when it felt right.
A second encore followed, which seemed unnecessary and overwrought.
The immediate feeling was that they should have left well enough
alone. What followed was worth the stay as 30 Odd Foot of Grunts
finished their first Austin show with a rousing cover of Johnny
Cash's
country-western classic "Folsom Prison Blues." The Land Down Under
seems to be one of the few non-American regions where country music
actually translates well, proven with a Cash retelling that was
part-country swagger and part-Aussie fun.
The band and its leader will be Austin residents for the next month.
Their gig at Stubb's verifies that they'll have no trouble fitting
into their new surroundings. Dave Matthews needn't worry just yet,
but
if 30 Odd Foot of Grunts continue to improve, there may be good
reason. His acting talents are growing, and so is his appeal, so it
would be safe to assume that it's all uphill from here for Russell
Crowe. He comes across as a charismatic performer and a wistful
songwriter with pride in his work. He may not be a rock star yet, but
he sure knows how to act like one.
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