The Legend of Mac DeMarco

Austin – I’m standing on the top floor of the three-tiered Mohawk. From my vantage point, you can see straight down Red River, past the neon Cheer Up Charlie’s sign, past Stubbs BBQ, all the way past The Swan Dive, where 6th st. meets Red River. The Mohawk sits at Red River and 10th, so you can understand the height of the venue.

Earlier, I was in the front, snapping photos as the crowd pushed and pulled, pulsing with the energy of Mac DeMarco and his band-mates, each in a baseball cap pulled from the Goodwill bargain bins, souvenirs of the 90′s. The song they are playing, “Remnants of Reflection,” is tinged with R&B. DeMarco’s voice sounds smooth and melodic. Though a reflective song with lyrics repeating “Alone again,” kids are climbing on stage and falling backwards in to the crowd, hoping their peers will catch them—they do. The song continues in to an instrumental interlude, the synth crying in to the warm-enough-to-be-summer night. DeMarco lifts his arms and, as an Olympian might, dives in to the audience himself, his body twisting to meet the crowd on his back.

Along the way, I lose sight of him but hear the cheers of the crowd growing louder. I see the second tier balcony leaning over and a pair of arms comes up over the side. There’s DeMarco, continuing to be passed along all the way up the second balcony and then to the third. The crowd continues carrying him above their heads, passing him back down the stairs and back to the stage. It is safe to say, this is the first time anyone has crowd surfed the entire length of The Mohawk.

I quickly found stunts like this are not out of the ordinary for DeMarco. When I texted my friend to alert her of the epic display I was witnessing she replied simply, “Yeah sounds about right, dude has turned into a legend.” In the past he’s been known to carry his girlfriend on his shoulders as he plays but nothing quite compares to watching him ride the crowd, carelessly to the top of a three-floor venue and back down.

The music itself is slow guitar based love songs that feel like getting stoned. They buzz and writhe but stay quite mellow. His latest album, “Salad Days,” is quickly becoming a summer staple and its barely spring. DeMarco opened with the title-track, fans joining him at the first note. It was clear the crowd favorite was “Cooking Up Something Good,” the opener of “2.” DeMarco continued through the set, aiming his witty banter at the crowd as he crooned “Blue Boy.” Panties were thrown on to the stage and DeMarco lifted them above his head making a surprised face before dropping them back to the floor. Though no naughty bits were revealed at this show (unlike many of DeMarco’s performances), the band did remove their drummer’s shirt after having the audience chant his name.

The set ended with a sexy, 10-minute rendition of Chris Isaak’s “I Wanna Fall in Love,” led by DeMarco’s bassist. As the band repeated the chorus, DeMarco ordered the entire crowd to get down on the ground, shouting to the few that didn’t “I said get down on the fucking ground!” But really, who wouldn’t do what Mac DeMarco says?

For more on Mac DeMarco go HERE and HERE.

About
Latest Posts

Ilyse Kaplan

Growing up in Boston, MA, Ilyse Kaplan was an avid music fan so she followed her passion to Los Angeles.Unable to decide whether to be Penny Lane or William from "Almost Famous," she combined their best assets--William's writing skills and Penny's fashion--and joined her guitarist boyfriend Southwest.Though missing her old haunts like The Echo and The Satellite, she has warmly embraced the Austin music community and looks forward to sharing the hidden gems she comes across wandering aimlessly down east 6th st.Her record collection holds no boundaries from 60's Yeh Yeh girls like Francoise Hardy to her imaginary hip hop boyfriend, Drake.From the kings of morose, The Smiths, to the reigning queen, Taylor Swift.Having written for publications such as Variety, LADYGUNN, and Filter in the past, she looks forward to reporting Austin's Best New Bands live from the scene.