Darkbird

One Liner: Local synth rock done with a good dose of 80's flair

Wikipedia Genre:  No Wikipedia, but this is synth rock
Home: Austin

Poster Position: 24
Weekend One Only.  Sunday.

Thoughts:  So, Darkbird got added to the lineup last year for ACL, at the last minute, so I never formally reviewed them.  I realize now that I'm pretty sure I listened to the wrong band whenever I tried to write up a short blurb for the schedule.  Because the band that I listened to, and then wrote a tiny bit about, compared themselves to Nirvana and were pretty solid alternative rock.  I can't find them anymore, so I assume that this band of synth rock people is the real Darkbird who won a cease and desist battle or something.

Not many streams - I'm guessing they are a local band.  "Heartbeat" is their biggest hit for sure, with 185k streams.  

Yep, there is that 80's-style action, but its still a good song - propulsive and fun.  But those synth lines belong 40 years ago for sure.

Weird thing, if you search Darkbird on Wikipedia, you get redirected to the page for WWE wrestler Chris Kanyon.  And yet nothing on his Wikipedia page mentions Darkbird.  Odd.  

Here is the story the band has put out there on their website - wonderfully romantic: "Kelly Barnes left Los Angeles after a broken marriage resulted in a broken band. Just prior to the move, she unexpectedly hit international success, as the vocalist on the massive hit “Get Shaky” with the late DJ Ian Carey. While the track and a few others were financially significant to the ex-wife and waitress, Kelly was ready to explore another path that was more personally expressive.  After a tragic house fire in NYC, Brian Cole opted for a fresh start. As his belongings smoldered in the winter snow, he decided to pack up what was left and head south in search of warmer days and better luck. Ironically, while most go to LA or NYC to make their dreams come true, Brian and Kelly found each other on the musician page on Craigslist in Austin, TX. While they had hoped to leave their pasts behind, inevitably, the heartbreaks found a place they call home in Darkbird."

There is some heavy 80's synth rock stuff on here, like I have been complaining about a lot recently, but they also have some legit straight-forward rock and roll, like the guitar-riffage-heavy "Bad Self."  Only five of their songs crack the five-figure stream count, with "All There Is" as the second most one with 24.9k streams.  From a 2015 single called I Remember Feeling My Fingers Slip.

Comes on like a collaboration between Spoon and Patsy Cline.  The low key breakdown in the middle is cool in that track, and then the rest of it kicks back in.  Not an 80's replay band there, and I dig it.  Also, the visuals in that video are cool.  "3-2-Wake Up" is another that borrows heavily from the 80's sound - I can't come up with he name of the singer she is emulating, but the little staccato sound and effects that she is using reminds me of something.  "Voices Carry?"  Cyndi Lauper?  Hmmm.

Yeah, I'm overall enjoying this band.  I expect they'll get some garbage set time at noon on Sunday, but if I was around when they were going to play I'd probably go.