Outformation | 10.18.08 | Austin, TX
By Team JamBase Nov 13, 2008 • 3:00 pm PST

Outformation :: 10.18.08 :: The Parish :: Austin, TX
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But not every show on that sometimes-rocky road working musicians travel can be a resounding triumph. The process of improvising onstage without a net is always a risk in and of itself. As a musician in this scene you are allowed some room to find your feet in the ebb and flow. The inevitable messiness of the artistic process and evolution is par for the course. If you are approaching your craft with honest and open intentions, it’s an environment conducive to live musical gambles that can bring serious rewards, and as the night wore on we began to hit some pay dirt.
More folks gradually trickled in and the dance floor filled up with a crowd eager to move, and Outformation lit up in kind. A transition from a slow building start on “Center Stage” into screaming guitar and a driving rhythm section slid nicely into “36 Cars.” This signaled a definitive upswing in the show. “Cars” has a rockabilly by way of The Allmans feel to it, and Gruver jangled those keys to make for some serious hip shaking. The jam was almost like a dialogue between Holt and Gruver. When each took over the reins, they whipped that pony hard. Those moments, such as the outro of another Marshall Tucker tune in the second set, “24 Hours at a Time,” when they were laying down the sonic strata in tandem were especially forceful. Both are astutely versatile musicians. Holt’s guitar can shred, it can sing or it can cry. Sometimes, it would just drop below the surface altogether. Similar props can be given to Gruver, who plays both driving rock and soulful piano or produces psychedelic organ hypnosis, switching things up quickly and with ease.
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The neon and drunk show on 6th Street was rumbling outside, ready to absorb us after we tumbled down those Parish Room stairs after the encore, on our way to chase down last call and discuss the highs and lows of the show. There is no unified theory of live music. It’s something that’s so often just felt, whether it’s your feet flying across a well-worn dance floor or some kind of colorful stew simmering in your head. When Outformation lets loose, it’s easy to feel swept up in their momentum. With a compelling history behind them, a solid musical foundation under their feet and their arms reaching for higher skies, there’s bound to be some welcome body damage when they embrace that unruly monster.
10.18.08 :: The Parish :: Austin, TX
Set I: Can’t You See, Cigarette Smile, Frenchy’s Theme, One More Time, Maneki Neko, Can’t Change The Past, Down & Out, Center Stage > 36 Cars, Faded Memory, Carnac
Set II: Long Hard Ride > Breaking The Chains, Fastburn, Valley Blue, Start It Out Again, 24 Hours At A Time > Bass > Drums > Titles Of Movies Will Not Appear On Bill > Maggie’s Farm > Camper > Titles Of Movies Will Not Appear On Bill (Reprise)
Encore: Outlaw Women, Eleventeen, 90
JamBase | Long Haul
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