For bands, it’s difficult to stand out at South by Southwest, the annual media clusterf— I mean, festival, in Austin, Tex.
The artists are all attractive and stylish, with savvy public relations strategies. Many of them are even talented! But as TIME’s Multimedia Director Craig Duff and I discovered, even in this frenetic, overcrowded environment, a few acts were able to rise above the fray. And in the intervening months it’s been a pleasure to see one such band, GIVERS, get some well-deserved national attention.
Since releasing their first full-length album, In Light, on June 7, the five-piece outfit from Louisiana has recorded a jam session for Rolling Stone, appeared on KCRW’s influential radio show, “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” and were most recently highlighted on iTunes during a ‘best new artist’ sale.
At first listen, GIVERS’ catchy hooks and exuberance on songs like “Up Up Up” can sound like bubblegum. But the full album reveals incredible mastery of Louisiana-style guitar picking, earnest indie pop harmonies and incredibly complex African rhythms. They’re like recent tour-mates Dirty Projectors with more joy, or Vampire Weekend with less prep. Plus, they have Tiff Lamson. Percussionist Tiff, who lends her raspy, reggae-flecked wail to vocals, may be the secret weapon: a pint-sized amalgam of Stevie Nicks and Gwen Stefani who has such stage presence and hippie-chick appeal that she inspired a collection of male fans to literally bow at her feet at a recent show in New York City.
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The band’s overall ability to whip fans into a frenzy at live shows is one of the reasons for the bands popularity, but what’s surprising is how well this translates to the studio album. Most bands have strength either live or in studio — it’s rare to find a band who can convey their muscular stage energy through the insufficient, tinny conduits of ear buds.
The members of GIVERS credit their infectious energy to their upbringing in Louisiana, where joie de vivre prevails. “In the South there’s this general feeling that if there’s a reason to celebrate,” said Taylor Guarisco, lead singer and guitarist when we interviewed him in Austin. “We’re going to celebrate.”
That gracious attitude provides a certain strength — in an industry with plenty of preening and pretending, the band lets it all hang out. And that gives the audience permission to do the same, creating a dancing, ecstatic love-fest in the crowd to mirror what’s happening between the band mates on stage.
“A lot of bands are really cool, you know?” Guarisco added. “We take pride in the fact that we can be celebratory and just joyful.”