My first photography experience at SXSW 2010 was unexpectly awesome. I had heard Military Special (Joe Schweigert on guitar/vocals, Peter Blomgren on guitar, James Shaff on bass, Charles Smith on synth, Danell Norby on synth, Matt Robshaw on drums) were going to be in town but I hadn’t heard where or when. Luckily after I popped into the Paste party at the Galaxy Room to say hi to some people my wanderings took me north on Red River, past Emo’s and Barbarella, where I heard post-punk synth-pop dance-rock blaring from a nearby bar. It was unmistakably Military Special. Blaring would be an understatement – Plush’s sound system was cranked loudly enough that the synth punches and vocal strains could be heard loudly a full block away – no small feat on a block literally stuffed to the brim with sonic debris. This was a good thing though, the early crowd (it was around noon) milling about the area seemed to perk up and stumble into Plush for an unexpectedly good time. I knew what to expect, having seen and shot Military Special before but the half-gig I stumbled in for turned out to be one of my favorites.

More after the break…

Military Special’s tunes get people moving. Why is this so, well, special? It’s exceedingly rare in my Minnesota music experience to see a band just get up there and have a fun time, inviting the crowd (or, in their case, compelling the crowd) to have fun with them. Something about the rapid-fire hi-hats and !!!-meets-Datarock meoldies and vocals that get crowds moving. When these guys are in their element it’s like bottled lightning. A show I stumbled into at the Hexagon Bar in early January was an amazing example of this. Kids were dancing uncontrollably, defying the January cold by bouncing around, having fun and getting sweaty. Special indeed.

So, that said, as I walked down Red River and heard those tunes I knew I had to drop in. For an early unofficial show they had quite a crowd rounded up, which was very encouraging amidst a massive glut of bands playing mid-day shows. Their performance was as tight as I had ever seen it too, despite their multi-night tour with fellow Minnesotans City on the Make and Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles. I could see they came away with quite a few new fans thanks, in large part, to the great placement of Plush and the sound system drawing curiosity. If anything I wish they had performed more in Austin, so I could see a full set, but thankfully they’ll be playing two shows in the new few weeks. Enough chat, just check out the photos and go see these guys!

Military Special: Upcoming shows

03/27/2010: Triple Rock Social Club – Crossing Guards, Military Special, the Dirty Curls – 10 PM – $6
04/04/2010: Bedlam Theater – Unseen Ghost Brigade benefit – 10 PM – $5-10 (see event details)

Click here for a slideshow of Military Special’s set.

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Tagged: Austin, Charles Smith, Danell Norby, James Shaff, Joe Schweigert, Matt Robshaw, Military Special, Minnesota Music at SXSW, Peter Blomgren, Plush, SXSW 2010, Texas