Live, Local Music

Auroravore: Band of brothers

Photo by Jon Shapley
Photo by Jon Shapley
Photo by Jon Shapley
Photo by Jon Shapley
Photo by Jon Shapley
Photo by Jon Shapley

Austin four-piece Auroravore looks like they’d be equally at home on the set of a David Lynch film as they are onstage at the Spiderhouse Ballroom. At a recent show, against a backdrop of shadowy red velvet, the band debuted their latest addition: a curated video show that’s synced to their keyboards, pulsing sunny photos and abstract designs in tune with their progressive, ambient harmonies.

Made up of brothers Michael, Peter and Marcus Brown, with friend Erik Garven on drums, Auroravore has a unique claim to fame. “It is a gimmick, and we exploit it,” admits middle brother Michael. “I think in this day and age, any extra help you can get. But the music speaks for itself, hopefully.”

The brothers Brown come from a musical family; both parents have spent decades performing and their sister, Lainey, pitches in with guest vocals on several recordings. Back in high school, Michael, Peter and Erik played together, putting things on hold when Garven headed off to Baylor while the brothers went to UT. Here in Austin, Michael and Peter worked on evolving their sound, playing together in two very different bands; one, an “experimental cock rock band called Girl Fart, was like, rock music with a tuba, really trippy.” The other, a bluegrass group called Troublesome Trio, began with just a banjo, guitar and fiddle.

“My parents were smart, in that, when I got tired with piano lessons – after about 8 or 10 years – they let me try other instruments,” says Michael. “So I stopped formal lessons with piano, and started formal lessons with viola and bass, and eventually guitar.”

The brothers’ flexibility (and solid background in music theory) helps define Auroravore’s sound; band members tend to rotate instruments, sometimes singing, sometimes taking turns on guitar. Michael, who usually focuses on keyboards, showcases his classic piano training while keeping time and occasionally indulging in rich, reverb-soaked solos.

The band seems nearly as interested in creating a captivating live show as they are with finding innovative ways to record their carefully crafted indie pop. Thanks to video artist Jeff Kurihara, who the band has collaborated with in the past, their Spiderhouse Ballroom show featured a unique, custom setup. “We hooked this midi software program up to my keyboard,” explains Michael, “and, as I play, based on velocity, pitch, modulation and other knobs, they control what’s projected on the band.”

With Auroravore, the group is able to focus on growing their unique sound as well as finding creative ways to incorporate a wider variety of super-sensory elements to their performances.

Check out photos from Auroravore’s Spiderhouse Ballroom performance, above, and don’t miss them at Hole in the Wall on July 15^th. Got questions for the band? Ask Auroravore here.

Photos by Jon Shapley

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Movie Review

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 really knows its audience: fans of the game

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie in 2020 was one of the few video game adaptations that managed to appeal to both fans of the Sega game and those who just want to watch a fun movie. As the series moved into a second and now third film, though, it’s become increasingly reliant on giving the video game fans what they want, with not as much attention paid toward simply telling a good story.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) continues to live with human friends Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), as well as Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), who stuck around after the events of the second film. Dispensing with any kind of narrative coherence, the trio is called away by an undefined military force to help with the escape of Shadow (Keanu Reeves), another alien hedgehog who has been locked away off the coast of Japan for many years.

Suffice it to say that the trio does not initially fare well against the powerful Shadow, forcing Sonic to do the unthinkable: Ask his nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for help. What Sonic doesn’t anticipate is that Shadow has a history that left him with a grudge against most of human society, and he’s intent on using his powers — with a little help from his former mentor, Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey) — to exact his plans for revenge.

Made by the same team of director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the film is a combination of manic action, jokey sequences, and a dash of heart. The addition of Shadow ups the mayhem considerably, and the filmmakers rarely slow things down (although, oddly, the super-speed of Sonic and company feels lessened this time around).

The initial casting of Carrey gave the comic actor permission to indulge in whatever wackiness he could imagine, and giving him two roles in this film means double the nonsense. Ivo and Gerald (who’s Ivo’s grandfather, for the record) face off in a number of silly scenes, none more absurd than a dance sequence aboard a space station threatening to explode Earth (yeah, this movie is a lot).

Does the plot make a lick of sense? Absolutely not, but the filmmakers seem to acknowledge that fact, throwing anything and everything at the screen to try to entertain kids and/or fans of the video game series. It should come as no surprise that the end credits tease yet more characters from the video games joining the franchise, making it abundantly clear who is expected to get the most enjoyment out of the series going forward.

In addition to Carrey, the voice actors continue to make the characters fun. Schwartz and O’Shaughnessey provide the cartoon-style acting, while Elba and now Reeves give a nice counterbalance with their deep and serious voices. Marsden and Sumpter aren’t given much to do this time around, and Krysten Ritter shows up as Director Rockwell, a character who’s mostly there to move what little plot there is further along.

A four-quadrant movie is one that appeals to all ages and genders; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a one or maybe two-quadrant movie at most. But it’s more fun than the other family-friendly offering this Christmas season, and fans of the video game will likely love the depiction of their favorite characters on screen, so it’s doing something right.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters.

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