Photo by Gavin Fields I The Daily Mississippian
Members of the band Born Standing Up talk during an interview Monday.
Tonight Oxford’s Lamar Lounge will play host to Wild Party, an eccentric San Antonio band that sounds a lot less San Antonio than one might expect, and Born Standing Up, a roots/folk outfit that has emerged as one of Oxford’s most exciting young talents.
The show will kick off an extensive tour for Wild Party that will take it through three stops in Georgia and Alabama before returning to Texas for an extended stay at South by Southwest, followed by a handful of other Texas festival dates.
Wild Party’s music reflects a relentless energy that will undoubtedly translate to an upbeat, entertaining show. Synth-soaked and shamelessly neo-80s, Wild Party is fueled by club beats, wailing melodies, keyboards and hopefully at least one keytar. Its approach to musical success mirrors its energetic music.
According to its band page, “As Wild Party blaze their own path in the music world, their passion and obvious talent continue to propel them forward. All indicators predict a sure and steady march towards success — whether it comes easy or not.”
Born Standing Up is a more familiar face around here, as tonight’s Lamar Lounge gig will be one more in a long string of area concerts. The band displayed the utmost goodwill when it graciously welcomed me into its workspace, which sometimes doubles as bandmate Knowlton Bourne’s abode. Born Standing Up opened its doors and itself to me, a writer, the enemy, to get to know them. And I didn’t even have to call their guitar-work incendiary.
Patton Ford founded Born Standing Up, a name taken from the lyrics of Elvis’ 1958 classic, “Trouble,” and has a clear taste for all things Southern, as shown in his lyricism as well as his musicianship.
“I would say we’re influenced by the South as a whole,” Ford said.
And it shows. “Hopscotch” hops along with a classic Sun Studios boom-chicka-boom bass line while Patton croons in an almost swing-revival style that wouldn’t seem out of place in a New Orleans jazz hall.
There’s maturity and confidence in the music, both in its composition and in its performance, but it never feels forced. It shines through thanks in part to Born Standing Up’s intentions.
“We do it because it’s fun,” Allison Quick laughs. “We’ll stop if it ever stops being fun.”
Quick’s the only girl in the group, but her pure Nashville voice brings a perfect balance to the band.
That lightheartedness is evident with bassist Knowlton Bourne, too. When asked what it was like to perform for an audience, he recalled a show at Ajax when he felt like he was doing nothing but focusing on the piano in front of him, accompanied by a goofy visual aid a la Knowlton. He later saw a recording of the show and noted, “Turns out I was doing something completely different,” as he flailed around to mimic his onstage alter ego. Bourne has the heavy hand in recording and mixing the band’s record, which must certainly derive its character and energy from the buoyant environment and people from which it came.
Further still, they were going to give an honest answer. The guys (and girl) all shared a sense of ease, but not just comfort with themselves; it wanted to spread itself, even longed to. It is this ease, this ease with a pulse, which pervades the band’s music and propels it forward.
Born Standing Up will begin the night at 10, followed by Wild Party. The show is $8 at the door.
