Mohawk Indoor Stage: Austin, TX (03.17.2007)

When Lymbyc Systym took the stage, I was on the other side of the Mohawk bar with Jon Rooney of Abandoned Love Records and Shawn Jones of The Lovely Sparrows. We had been discussing music record labels and The Lovely Sparrow’s upcoming Daytrotter Session by the giant bear across from the inside merch table. They were about to leave and I was to head to the patio stage, but the sounds drifting from across the room held me. I had to check this out.

Lymbyc Systym is a difficult name to type, even sober. Along with such an eclectic name, their music is not necessarily the easiest to describe. The sound is full and complicated, yet the band contains two members—one on percussion and one on keys. All songs are instrumental and some have obscure time signatures.

The Mohawk’s indoor stage is a bit cramped. The stage is small and seemed to fit two well (I still have no clue how The Lovely Sparrows got six up there, in addition to all their instruments). The section for the crowd doesn’t appear to be too much larger. And it was jam-packed with people. I made my way to the front as cautiously as I could with seven beers and no dinner in my gut.

In many ways, Lymbyc System reminded me of Talkdemonic, who recently played the Crocodile Café in Seattle. Their performances were similar, with heavy use of percussion. The keys in Lymbyc Systym and the violin in Talkdemonic are both at the forefront of the sound, yet they almost seem to compliment the drum as the lesser focus of the two instruments.  While not necessarily the case, it's a complicated mix.  Also similar is the makeup of the two bands—both contain two members, both place that heavy emphasis on percussion and time signatures, both dabble with electronics.

Their performance was bathed in a red, creating an eerie, iridescent glow around the band and enhancing the hypnotic drone of the songs. The sound echoed through the interior of the Mohawk, resonating in the small yet fully crowded space.  Though it was my introduction to Lymbyc Systym, that’s what SXSW is all about—finding great new music and championing it so the world may share with you the joy of discovery.

Lymbyc Systym: Love Your Abuser