Deerhunter live at Proud Larrys' in Oxford, Mississippi. Photo by Joseph Climer.
Live Music Review: Deerhunter, Jackson Scott, and Mas Ysa at Proud Larrys’, April 25, 2013
by Joseph Climer
Wow, what a show. I’m having a difficult time coming up with a single adjective that would do last night’s experience any justice. Deerhunter, Jackson Scott, and Mas Ysa at Proud Larrys‘, April 25th, led to quite an interesting evening for the locals. Throughout all three sets, I think we all forgot we were even in Oxford.
Jackson Scott, an upcoming solo artist out of North Carolina, played a three-piece with a few accompanied musicians. A set that, honestly, placed one of the highest bars I’ve ever seen set by an opening band. They were an ideal stepping stone into Deerhunter, with dirty blends of early punk rock and psychedelia fused into 90s rock. These guys molded your typical Thursday night into a thought-altering meditation of stuttering guitar screeches and throbbing, overdriven bass lines. I have not seen the bass slapped that appropriately in a while. Jackson Scott is preparing to record his debut LP, Melbourne, with Fat Possum Records. This album is bound to land in a local record store near you, Summer of 2013. Keep an eye out at The End of All Music, Oxford. Stay updated with Jackson at his Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/jacksonscott
Mas Ysa, a pop-trance solo artist out of Canada, began his set with an instrumental that reminded me of a digitized mashup of The Tree of Life soundtrack. He chugged cheap wine, fine tuned tiny knobs, and danced around on stage more than the awed crowd that stood before him. As he wailed into his microphone while pounding on his synthesizer, Oxford wasn’t quite sure how to react. Mas Ysa has taken pop music to an entire new level, as he is more of a gospel DJ descended from Pop Heaven (Canada). I would tell you where to purchase his work, but he announced after his set that he is twitterless, without any recordings, and does not exist.
Deerhunter, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Being a five-piece out of Atlanta, Georgia, Deerhunter is currently one of the South’s finest modern sounds. With their never-ending ambient rhythms, layered in diehard drum measures and some eerie lead guitar, these guys remind me of the importance of southern roots in the music world. They built up a wall of sound that crumbled into the crowd, escaped through the open doors of Proud Larrys’, and was probably heard throughout most of The Square. They have announced the release of their sixth studio album, Monomania, dropping May 7th, 2013. In the meantime, swing by The End of All Music, and pick up one of their previous albums in stock.
For additional information, visit 4ad.com/artists/deerhunter or their Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/Deerhunter/
