Skyrocket! Ushers In An Evening Of Mom Rock

By William Michael Smith Fri., May 14 2010 at 3:00 PM

Categories: Live Shots, Lonesome Onry and Mean

Darin Murano/ muranophotography.com

One thing was quickly apparent as Skyrocket! tore through spot-on covers of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock & Roll" and the Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner" at Discovery Green Thursday night: This was Mom Rock. Or Soccer Mom Rock.

As Trish and Darin Murphy's Austin mod squad bounced hit after hit off the George R. Brown façade, a sea of moms danced in front of the stage with their children. Several 4-year-olds stood at the edge of the stage, and one was even handed a tambourine so she could chime in.

Rocks Off looked at Lonesome Onry and Mean and noted, "For rock, this is a little too wholesome for me."

LOM called our 35-old-daughter and told her that the music of her childhood and teen years is now officially part of the Mom Rock discography. She was not happy. Whatever.

Departing Discovery Green, we made our way to the Thursday night Beetle show at the Continental. Different crowd - no children - but essentially the same Mom Rock music. After a few songs we drifted down to Shoeshine Charley's Big Top, where it seemed we could still not escape from the theme the evening had taken on.

"Is that the Carpenters on the Muzak?"

"Who else?"

Imagine our chagrin when Anne "Snowbird" Murray popped up as the next selection. Could the musical night sink any lower? Oh, yeah.

"Is that 'All Out of Love' by fucking Air Supply?"

"That would be correct, sir."

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