We Don't Ride Llamas

One Liner:  Shape-shifting local band of siblings

Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia - Afro Rock is how they describe it

Home: Austin

Poster Position: Level 4 (22) 
Weekend Two Only.
Friday.

Thoughts:  Excellent band name.  Slightly, weird musical style.  Strangest of all, a family thing.

According to a Chronicle article, these four Austin siblings bonded together over the Rock Band video game, realizing that they were actually pretty good at the music thing.  So now, drummer Blake, guitarist Chase, bassist Kit, and vocalist Max are out here making rock music tinged with lounge-singer soul.  Since forming, they've opened for Willow Smith and Morrissey, performed multiple times at SXSW 2022, and won the Austin Music Award for Best Metal artist (which doesn't fit at all).  Their parents are managing the band as well.  Full-on family affair.

One album - 7 songs - 2022's Oracle.  And two of those tracks are more of sub-minute interludes.  Less than 16 minutes of music.  "Venus & Mars" has a neo-soul groove to it that is snappy and fun and ends with a nice guitar solo.  "Neptune" is a different animal entirely, that is more like that Kenny Hoopla dude who was here last year - almost punk, but pop punk music to jump around to.  Then "Blueberries" is a laid back cruise through some classic soul sounds.  Finally, "Queen Anne's Revenge" must be why someone associated them with metal. Not sure what the goal is here at all for these folks.  Here are the tracks.

"Venus & Mars" with the top numbers on the album at 30.3k.

I dig it.  But a deeply weird tune.  Like, fits nowhere, but has a good groove to bop along to.  Also, I want to party in that room with the cash getting tossed around.

The band name is explained (?!?) by the following: ""In middle school there was a running joke where everyone who played in band would spread stuffed llamas all over the classroom," explains Blake. "So when anybody who wasn't in middle school band walked in, they'd gaslight them into believing that there weren't any llamas in the room when there clearly were.""  Which, okay?  Sounds like a Middle School band type joke.

The top track overall on Spotify is "The Flies," a 2022 single that didn't make the album but is their most recent offering.  32.3k streams.

More of a straight-forward rock song, even if the lyrics sound like something you'd throw together before you write the real lyrics.  There is a band I can't think of that this reminds me of.  I remember them from high school, I think I found them because of my love for Living Colour (but it wasn't Living Colour) holy shit my brain just said it - 24-7 Spyz - do any of y'all remember 24-7 Spyz?  They had a great bassist and a fun lo-fi vibe.  Like Infectious Grooves combined with Living Colour and made their demos in a garage for $14.  I owned their 1989 album and jammed it a lot.  Anyway, these two bands are definitely not the same, I just went down a tangent.

I'd be curious to see what the Mitchell family has going on.