While The Nude Party’s name implies a group of scantily clad — or not clad at all — musicians, the six-piece band rocked a vintage-inspired business casual look Friday night: matching brown suits, flashy belt buckles, disheveled long hair and all but one sporting a scruffy, yet stylish, mustache.
Stopping at the Historic Scoot Inn for their “Look Who’s Back” tour, The Nude Party sauntered on stage to the sounds of Western classic “Rumble” by Link Wray, before jumping into “Carolyn.”
“We are stoked to be here,” announced lead singer Patton Magee, before telling the audience, “Here’s a little tale,” and wailing on his harmonica.
Magee embodied the spirit of a young Bob Dylan, pairing harmonica, acoustic guitar and storytelling on “Polly Anne.” Magee’s Dylan-esque style appeared later in the set, performing a cover of “When I Paint My Masterpiece” by Bob Dylan.
Trading his weathered acoustic guitar for a black Rickenbacker, Magee wah-wahed his way into “Astral Man,” a track from the band’s debut album. The half-instrumental track showcased each member, from Don Merrill’s wailing organ to Jon “Catfish” DeLorme’s sweet pedal steel. Bassist Alec Castillo bobbed and grooved along with his signature dance moves.
“(We’re) so happy to be back in Texas,” Magee exclaimed, the last notes of “Astral Man” still ringing out. “This band started — hard to believe it now, hard even to say because it doesn’t seem like it —13 years ago. In 2013, out in Western North Carolina, where we all went to college.”
Magee introduced the next track, a cover of fellow North Carolina musician Link Wray’s “Fallin’ Rain.”
“You can just tell (Wray was) the kind of songwriter who felt the weight of the world on his shoulders and tried to put it out,” Magee said, melting beautifully into the 1971 track.
After a quick round of shots for the band, they launched into the mellow track, “Shine Your Light.”
“That’s gonna improve the show,” Magee joked, “That’s gonna improve the playing.”
The crowd pleaser, “Records,” brought out voices from the crowd. After the title track of the newest album, The Nude Party invited singer Haylie Davis on stage for “Sweetheart of the Radio.”
“One of the best things about South by Southwest … for us bands, we get to see people from all over the country that we played music with,” Magee said.
Davis’ airy vocals easily harmonized with guitarist Shaun Couture. After Davis left the stage to roaring applause, the band performed a tribute to Texas artist Augie Meyers with a cover of “(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone.”
“We’re big fans of Texas, and we’re big fans of Texas music,” Magee said. “It’s the greatest country in America.”
Pulling out a kazoo, Magee told the story of the band’s toxic record label with “Nashville Record Co.” The passionate performance and witty lyrics felt especially meaningful, with Magee noting the band’s new record released independently from the label in question.
The Nude Party closed out a magical performance with an encore, including the 2018 track, “Chevrolet Van.” The lyrics on the track describe unsolicited advice, warning the band not to waste their time pursuing music. Ironically, the packed venue sang along with gusto, proving the naysayers wrong.
“You’ll never make enough money / And no one cares about the things you say,” the audience and band sang together. “You’re gonna wake up someday / And you’ll wish you got a job.”
