Blixaboy, Convextion, Betdat Bryan Street Tavern Saturday, January 14
Less than a quarter of the people packed into Bryan Street Tavern on Saturday night were there to support one of the most significant local album releases of 2012. People interested in the show had to swim through the crowds in the main room to reach the small performance space in the back, which was pitch black save for a cluster of blinking DJ equipment on the stage. Visuals were projected on a screen and florescent light crept in from the propped-open door leading to the bar, which remained open for the duration of the evening, to the detriment of the night's quieter moments.
A handful of people lingered around the stage as openers Betdat started their set. As members Oleg Belogorsky and [North of the Dial columnist] Rodrigo Diaz performed intensive, original material, they hunched over their equipment, often using their cellphones as flashlights.
DJ Keith P played a mellow set, followed by a trance-inducing performance by Convextion.
Blixaboy, aka Wanz Dover, took the stage before 1AM, announcing, "This is some shit called Intro to Futro. Here's a look at what's been going on in my head for the past year." People were bouncing around and dancing, and Wanz was clearly enjoying himself, smiling and moving with the dub-techno beats.
Even though it was super loud near the stage, and super "So What Cha Want?" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" near the back of the room, there were a couple "safe zones" just close enough to the stage to get lost in the music and visuals, which were a nice mélange of psychedelic patterns, shapes, colors and cityscapes (most notably Dallas). The entire performance was accentuated by VJ S(EYE).
By the way: I would have enjoyed the show more had it been at a different venue. It was hard to become fully submerged in each intimate performance with the florescent light and clamor of Saturday night debauchery seeping in from the barroom. It was an entertaining show with some genuinely interesting moments, albeit one that deserved a more supportive space.
