Live Recap: Thao with Becca Mancari and Why Bonnie
As Austin band Why Bonnie kicked off the show, I couldn’t help noticing there was an undeniable americana hitch to the vocals by lyricist Blair Howerton. Especially during their latest single “Galveston.” It’s emotive, it comes from the gut. More 90’s wail than coal miner’s daughter. The relaxed ease of Howerton’s stage presence echoes the authenticity of her voice, and the music dovetails with that authenticity perfectly. Why Bonnie brings a more actively impassioned approach to dreamy bedroom rock. Sometimes that passion has some punch, some anger. “Athlete” balances muscular grunge with trance-like washes. As Howerton sings “I wish I were quicker on my feet…”, things go sideways fast as the landscape bends into psych that could trip you up. But this audience is nimble, and they sway into the rock of the music. Bassist Chance Williams and Sam Houdek on guitar anchored the sides of the stage with loose limbed rhythm, letting their bodies bend and their hair fly. Why Bonnie topped off their set with “No Caves,“ the gentle rocking evolved, taking us someplace intensely emotionally raw. As Howerton wails, "I wanna take off your clothes, Set us on fire just to see where the smoke goes" the cathartic energy swept over the crowd. Leaving me lighter in the wake of their performance, and much anticipating the album they promised to release later this year.
Becca Mancari writes music that captures emotion. It’s lyrically expressive, and yet tonally juxtaposed. The music is soothing, but the lyrics clearly tell us “I’ve got a bad bad bad feeling.” Sometimes the music shifts suddenly to more directly reflect the lyrics. It is a delicate balancing act. The band has the confident swagger to meet the talent of Mancari’s songwriting. They show the breadth of the music with the first few songs, greeting us with “Pretend,” a delightful sunny breakup song. “Hunter” was a rhythmic driving proto-alt banger. Going into her third song, “First Time,” Mancari tells us the moment that inspired this song was the catalyst for her writing her 2020 album, The Greatest Part. They dedicated it to the “queer babies” in the audience. The glistening echoing tones defied the heart-crushing lyric, “I remember the first time my dad didn't hug me back.” As the song ends and fades, somehow I was left with a sense of beauty. Mancari lifts our hearts with a breathless, "Happy pride y'all. 365." The masterful stage presence and vulnerability of the music kept the audience rapt. I got weak in the knees from the four part harmony during “Golden.” I begged for more, even as she sang, “I’m sorry I’m not done yet.” Mancari and her band owned the stage with strength and an uplifting sense of community.
From the moment THAO stepped on the stage in a pearlescent sequined jumpsuit, the tone was set for celebration. It was Thao Nguyen’s birthday eve, afterall. As the first song, “Departure,” built and unraveled, the audience’s enthusiasm heated up. They were surely ready for the rhythmically complex, heavy beat, and melodic exploration of Thao’s music. Finally on tour two years after the release of Temple, there was a palpable energy of a night long awaited. They warmed us up to that album with “Phenom,” bringing that edgy west coast attitude. Thao isn’t afraid to inject her music with atonal tuning which can be off-putting to American rock sensibilities. It is disruptive in the most pleasurable way possible, giving the lanky beat an off kilter bouncy house feel.
There were hoots from the audience when Thao brought out the banjo for “Holy Roller.” I was mesmerized by her standing strut. I couldn’t resist shifting my weight in concert with her. On the chorus, Thao gestured and the crowd jumped in to sing along. The band pleased dedicated fans by playing songs from across Thao’s catalog, going as far back as her 2008 track, “Feet Asleep.”
Thao wrote “Temple” from her mother’s perspective, telling us of their flight from Vietnam, “But we found freedom, what will you do now, bury the burden baby, make us proud.” The emotion was thick as Thao moved, the sequins on her jumpsuit caught dramatic beams of light, which moved around the space like searchlights. There’s a distinct plucking style to the way Thao plays guitar, you can see the banjo/mandolin player at work. I could also see the great rhythm and blues musicians in the way she speaks through her guitar, sometimes it is harmonizing, sometimes echoing a reply, or offering a staccato exclamation point. Thao grimaced, letting her raw emotion flow through her guitar during “Guts,” and the audience threw up their arms and let their bodies move in a Woodstock-like ecstasy. Song after song showed how central the groove is to Thao’s music. She hooked us with that body moving groove and then hit us with her heart and soul. It is the perfect delivery system for a cathartically charged experience.
All three bands in the lineup blended influences and smoothly traversed the rock landscape from Americana to psych to grunge to angular to groove. No matter the form the music took, there was an emotively raw authenticity that made me feel grateful to be there sharing that space.
All photos and words by Tina Mead
