Saturday Night: The Tontons, Wild Moccasins, Young Mammals, etc. at Walters

By Angelica Leicht Mon., Feb. 4 2013 at 2:00 PM

Categories: Last Night, Live Shots, Only In Houston

Photos by Amanda J. Cain

The Tontons' Asli Omar

Tontons, Wild Moccasins, Young Mammals, Featherface
Walters
February 2, 2013

Well, Tontons...

You lured me in to Walters, mesmerizing me with your siren song that has drowned many sailors before me, and it seems you've won.

I'm crushin' on ya.

This past Saturday, Walters became home to four of Houston's better-known local bands as the Tontons celebrated the release of their shiny new 7-inch, "Bones," bringing with them Wild Moccasins, Featherface and Young Mammals.

It became apparent what a large following these four bands have as I entered the venue. The crowd multiplied to the point that I wondered if we were testing the limits of fire code. (And yes, I kept my hands to myself, despite being pressed against what felt like the entire audience.)

Featherface opened the show shortly after 9 p.m., catching me off-guard with their dreamy, dance-like number "Never Meant to Fall in Love." It's not what you'd expect on first glance, given the band's miles of metal-kid hair, but the way they entangle psych, funk and hard rock over purposeful melodies leaves you wondering how you'd ever expected otherwise. The random (and totally rad) cover of Third Eye Blind's "Jumper" was hauntingly dark and surprisingly aligned with the rest of their catalog.

Young Mammals' Cley Miller

The Young Mammals followed, sending the audience into a crash course in their distorted, risky music. Known for experimenting with noise and dissonance, the Mammals have been met with critical acclaim for their distinctive sound. The mix of classical influences with garage rock, drawn-out guitar riffs and noisy bridges does make for an interesting sound, but at points the audience seemed bored or confused with what the hell was going on.

The screeching guitars and schizophrenic drums accentuate lyrics sung with the softness of a lullaby. It's an innovative sound, whether you understand it or not.