Western Giants play Friday night house party in Denton

by Andy Odom of of My Denton Music

Christopher Green

Western Giants

DENTON — There's a difference between a "house show" and a "house party." Generally speaking, a "house show" is a gathering at one's home where musical acts are present, and where spectators are attentive and gracious to those acts and their performances. A "house party" is a gathering at one's home centered around noise, mass quantities of alcohol, getting laid, and perhaps rappers from the '80s with funny haircuts. What took place on September 25 was originally billed as a "house show," but by the time I arrived it had devolved into a "house party."

The "house party" in question was being hosted in the back yard of 722 Hickory. (Now, if you asking yourself if hosting live bands in one's backyard is just asking for the police to make an appearance, the answer is "yes.") Entering the scene was like walking onto the set of a Jennifer Love Hewitt movie. Not the good one where she spent half the time in a leotard; the one that almost single-handedly ruined a perfectly good Replacements song. It was overcrowded. The mob had decided that instead of actually listening to the bands, they would just have to talk over them. Instead of respecting natural lanes of traffic in-between other people while passing through crowds, you were just pushed out of their way. It sucked. But, there was still a reason to stick around.

The soundtrack to this Dionysian display had been pumping since 5 o'clock that afternoon with numerous local bands, and it had all led up to the Western Giants. They actually commanded quite an audience, considering how preoccupied the crowd was. The Western Giants are quickly establishing themselves as an alt-country force in the Denton music scene, and in spite of the scene surrounding them, they turned out a strong performance. The Americana twang and swirling keyboards of their debut E.P. gave way to a more straightforward indie rock feel. The keys work was more reminiscent of "The Bends" era Radiohead, and the bassist's busy runs kept the music fluid and moving. Their live energy left many alt-country conventions behind, with mainly the slower tempos and earnestness remaining. It's evident that this band is still developing, especially as they begin writing and recording new material.

Unfortunately, Western Giants had to cut short their set by one song thanks to the interventions by some uniformed authorities. However, while they were allowed to play, their warm and sincere music provided a perfect soundtrack for what could have been a great autumn evening. If only the crowd allowed it to be.