Hello Stranger was the band that officially kicked off SXSW for me at the Austinist/Gothamist/Gorilla vs. Bear Party at the Mohawk on Wednesday afternoon. Technically, I had seen The Explorer's Club at Emo's the night before (they played an impressive cover of "Johnny B. Goode" that both rocked and brought back all kinds of memories from middle school music class), and had just watched part of a set by The Shivers inside at the Mohawk (good, but a little too sleepy for me to consider them the kick-off), but nothing says "official start" like a keytar.
I actually had never heard of Hello Stranger before they took the stage (and I don't think I realized who they were until their set ended), but the band is from LA and their frontwoman, Juliette Commagere, definitely plays a keytar, as pictured above (it's even a Moog Liberation, which I'm told was the first commercially produced keytar). I'm not sure they're the kind of band I would have sought out on my own - besides being female-fronted they're a little more pop-sugary than I'm used to, but their synthy tunes definitely brightened the drizzly early Wednesday afternoon. Listening to their record now (the self-titled Hello Stranger), I can't help but picture the petite Commagere doing a respectable job rocking not only her keytar, but her fringe-y boots and her bouncy layered haircut as well. And looking at the band's Myspace page, I'm surprise she showed up in something as tame as a little slip and big boots.
The record is a lot of fun - here are two tracks to give you a little sample:
"Take It To The Maxx"
"Her In These Lights"
Hello Stranger will be playing a few dates in the next few months (mostly in California, it looks like) - visit their tour page for more info.
