Artists: Stick Figure, Ashes of Babylon 4-7-2013
Location: Austin, TX @ The Belmont Theater
“I just want to write what a wonderful night it has turned out to be.”
Those lyrics are the only thing I could think of to fully capture the night I had on April 7th, 2013. Stick Figure was playing The Belmont, a beautiful high-capacity venue located in downtown Austin. The venue is open air and the upstairs lounge features a beautiful view of the setting sun and the glorious downtown skyscrapers.
When I first heard Stick Figure was coming through town I was very excited. I first heard of Stick Figure back when I was in high school and his music has never grown old. The more I listen to Scott’s art, the more and more hypnotized I became into the soulful dub reggae that this one man creates. Bass heavy riddims surrounded by perfectly manipulated delays give Stick Figure a unique sound all their own.
As I sipped a Lone Star upstairs and watched the sun burry its head behind a building, Ashes of Babylon began to set up. This experienced group has been tearing up the Austin/San Marcos area and building a rapid local following. The high-tech digital soundsystem of The Belmont had its chance to be shown off by some talented musicians. The live sound was clear all over, every instrument was represented in studio-quality thanks to a great sound engineer. The lighting was equally as impressive. I was amazed that this venue had such nice amenities while still having reasonable drink prices.
Ashes of Babylon came on full band and mixed up their groves by switching roles throughout. Multiple vocalists and rappers kept the sound fresh the entire time. An impressive horn section took forefront and got the reggae groves started early as well as set a very high bar for Stick Figure to match. As the sun faded into darkness, AoB wrapped up their set and packed their gear off-stage as Stick Figure prepared to perform.
With darkness all around, the stage lighting was shown off in full effect. The back lighting complimented the Stick Figure logo hanging behind the stage and filled the stage with varying bright colors, matching the mood of the music. After having just come off a sold-out show in San Antonio opening for Tribal Seeds, the crowd that gathered around the stage in Austin was probably a very small group, but for a Sunday night for someone who has never played in Austin before, the crowd was very impressive. Stick Figure played through many of my favorites. He opened the set with “Vibes Alive” and continued to play great songs such as “Smoke Stack”, “Dead End Street”, “Barrels”, “Breathe”, “Golden Hour”, “So Good”, “Livin’ It”.
Scott’s voice and ability to play all the nuances that make his music amazing on record are captured flawlessly on stage.
The presence of Cocoa the Tour Dog brought smiles from all around the audience and even from club employees. Stick Figure played through the majority of his songs before capping off the night with “Hawaii Song”. As the band walked off stage, the dedicated fans stood in place and demanded an encore. One person even claimed that they weren’t going to leave until they heard one more song. While the crowd was smaller than a Tribal Seeds or Fortunate Youth crowd, it was just as much, if not equally as passionate and grateful for the good vibes kept alive by Mr. Woodruff.
Meeting Scott after the show was a great experience. He was very humble and looked you right in the eye. The whole time I spoke with him, his smile never once left his face. He shared his experiences, was open to furthering conversation and took praise in a very humble manner. He was very friendly and down to earth. He made sure to listen to everyone that wanted to introduce themselves and was Sharpie ready for autographs. I left that night with a giant smile on my face. I got to share the night with good friends, a good atmosphere, and great music. I was able to cross another artist off my concert bucket list and cannot wait to see Stick Figure again.
Were you able to catch Stick Figure live on this tour? Feel free to share your experiences and show your support with us in the comments below.
Written by Shawn Hallman
Photo Credit MusicBailout.net
