SXSW 2008 - White Ghost Shivers at the Texas Music Reader Appreciation Party

It's time for another "SXSW moment", one of those events that truly transcends a regular show. There are only a few each year, and this one comes courtesy of White Ghost Shivers. Who are they, you may ask?

Let's just say this: If the Squirrel Nut Zippers had originated in Texas rather than North Carolina, they'd probably sound like White Ghost Shivers.

The Shivers perform a crazy blend of high-energy party music that is equal parts punk rock, cabaret, country, jazz, swing and vaudeville, and when they're up on stage, it's like you're watching a performances from groups at the Palace Theater in NYC and the Grand Ole Opry at the same time. Add to that the fact that we were watching them on an outdoor patio for the Texas Music reader appreciation party, and it's simply a recipe for a good time.

They are also like a much larger, much friendlier more approachable version of the Dresden Dolls, and lead vocalist Cella Blue's presence on stage is a colorful counterpart to Amanda Palmer's melodrama. Along with her co-fronter, guitarist/vocalist Smokebreak Slemenda, she leads the band through their wide range of fantastic sounds, and isn't above wandering into the crowd to mingle with the rabble and dance on the occasional table. For live energy, they give Gogol Bordello a run for their money.

At the party, we'd already been treated by performances from both Paula Nelson (Willie's daughter and a real Texas experience) and the platinum-selling, chart-topping band Fastball, who were huge in the '90s, and continue to play stellar rock and roll. The White Ghost Shivers following up these two diverse bands just hammered home the wide variety of music coming out of Texas, and the fact, cowboy images aside, that there really is no Texas "sound", which is a testament to a great music scene, the kind that can produce all these bands, and even more diverse bands like The Riverboat Gamblers to Stevie Ray Vaughan, to the Butthole Surfers to Janis Joplin to Mike Jones to Willie Nelson to... you get the idea.

It seems that White Ghost Shivers don't get the attention they deserve outside of the west, at least in the U.S. anyway. I want to change that. The band is off to tour Europe in April, but we should work on making them a nationwide party band by the time they get back, so scope out their MySpace site, and once you're hooked, look into purchasing at least one of their albums. They have three:

• Hokum If You Got 'Em
• Live On The Radio
• Everyone's Got 'Em

Any and all of them are worth your time... if you like to have a good time, that is.

Texas Music magazine, who sponsored the party, is another testament to the great music scene in the Lone Star State. It's a magazine, focused on the music scene in one state, and it continues to roll on in an era when long-running national music magazines like Punk Planet and No Depression have had to call it quits. You can learn more about them on their Web site.

Thanks for a great party, and for treating us to one more authentic "SXSW moment."

Photo © Nicole Lucas