Another band I unwittingly stumbled out of my comfort zone and into rocking out with was Torche, a Miami based power trio. Ambling through Emo’s looking for some fellow AEMMPers I was quickly getting annoyed by the full on rock assault blasting my precious ear drums, when suddenly I heard a surging melody digging itself out of the sludge of detuned guitars and double kick drums. Interest piqued I went inside to find a raucous party going on, complete with stumbling girls clutching PBR’s for dear life and bearded men in black climbing smoke wreathed speaker stacks.
Despite their super heavy sound, the band’s undeniable groove had the audience locked in and partying with abandon. Epic melody hooks worthy of arena rockers like Coldplay were juxtaposed with an onslaught of fierce riffs, creating the kind of potent, earnest hard rock that took me back to being 14 trying to sneak into shows at the Pageant in St. Louis. Despite the fact that I was probably hearing the frequencies between 17k-20kHz (sorry audio geek moment) for the last time, I couldn’t help but stay and enjoy the aural assault.
Once again the sheer volume of great bands at SXSW had rewarded me with an unexpected treasure. My advice to anyone heading down next year is to make sure and give yourself plenty of time to roam. All those big, crowded showcases are pumping acts that will end up coming through Chicago a few months later, but the spontaneous finds and hidden gems end up being the experiences you most remember, because you may never have them again.
