Live music preview: Garage rock titan Ty Segall brings his Three Bells tour to Mohawk April 22
Ty Segall is a garage rock titan. The West Coast raconteur has been at it as a solo act and a member of bands such as Fuzz, Broken Bat, the CIA, GØGGS, and Wasted Shirt over his fabled career. Since releasing countless albums under his solo moniker, Segall has had numerous collaborators who have taken his mission to heart over the years. The California musician has made Austin his second home, playing triumphant sets at various venues around the area. After an explosive performance to wrap up his backing band, The Freedom Band’s era, he is embarking on another tour supporting his latest Chicago-based Drag City Records studio effort, Three Bells, one of his most polished works to date. For Austin’s stop on the tour circuit, Ty Segall will perform at Red River Cultural District staple Mohawk, in the heart of downtown on April 22.
No stranger to acoustic guitars, the new record shows Segall’s versatility as an artist, straying away from the reverb-drenched psychedelic punk sound that became foundational for his rise to fame. Three Bells retains some of the home-cooked fuzziness that fans have become used to over many of the indie rocker’s releases, but with expanded song structures and emotional lyricism that show more of a reflective direction. Spanning over 60 minutes in length, the introspection of the recent full-length shows the consolidation of a prolific songwriter utilizing patience to let their ideas develop into ultimate catharsis, eliminating any cut-and-dried punk stereotypes to be incorporated into the music.
Since parting ways with drummer Charles Moothart, Segall has recruited fellow Los Angeles Wand drummer Evan Burrows, whose band has also collaborated with acts in the vein of Together PANGEA, Mikal Cronin, and Meatbodies. Every collaborator of Ty Segall has a side hustle, one of the most notable being performing bassist Mikal Cronin, who has released several solo albums. Burrows has also been a member of previous Ty Segall band iterations as a member of The Muggers, which spawned fan-favorite release Emotional Mugger.
No Ty Segall show is ever the same. When he has new material to boot, he wants to present it viciously and robustly. With the release of Harmonizer and Hello, Hi, the prolific bodies of work for Segall have only continued to grow. Through different sounds, production styles, and rotating musical partners, nothing stops Ty from recreating and envisioning new angles to churn out record after record of material that keeps fans guessing. The latest version of Segall’s live touring act will retain frequent collaborators guitarist Emmett Kelly, bassist Mikal Cronin, and keyboardist Ben Boye, continuing the trajectory of a live act that stays in tune with each other while delivering shows that crank things up to 11. Ty Segall and his band will begin their tour in Los Angeles before heading south to Austin next week.
Tickets for Ty Segall’s Mohawk performance, along with upcoming tour dates can be found here.
