Pink Nasty (Austin): This blurb was originally directed towards the jagged, worn-down blues-rock of Denton's jetscreamer, but we got a little good-news-bad-news this afternoon: Spune Productions' Lance Yocom e-mailed to say that jetscreamer guitarist and lead singer Samantha Moss broke her hand and had to back out of next weekend's Wall of Sound Festival. That's a damned shame, but the good news more than makes up for it, because Austin's incredibly impressive Pink Nasty is taking the band's timeslot. A few weeks ago, I saw that weird band name pop up on Gorilla Vs. Bear's SXSW preview list, and when I had a free hour at the Austin music festival, that name was one of the few to stand out in my memory, so I popped into her showcase on a lark.
So glad I did--Pink Nasty (the nickname of lead singer Sara Beck, a name that she never ever uses on stage) proved herself a truly captivating singer and guitarist, turning relatively straightforward pop-rock compositions into memorable, passionate songs. The easiest soundalike comparison would be Bonnie "Prince" Billy, which makes plenty of sense, since the 23-year-old toured with Will "Bonnie" Oldham and is featured prominently on his recent Summer in the Southeast concert album. She'll be in Fort Worth for WoSF with her full band, a group of talented hands that are almost unnecessary--she's the kind of guitar player and singer who doesn't need an extra boost. Or a normal name. If you want a can't-miss sleeper set on April 8, Nasty is it. --Sam Machkovech
