Jaguar Love Get Wild at SXSW

Posted on Mar 19th 2010 12:20PM by Eric R. Danton
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Jaguar Love didn't mess around Wednesday, launching into an end-of-the-night SXSW set at Ghost Room with a ferocious version of 'I Started a Fire.' It's the ridiculously catchy first song on the band's new album, 'Hologram Jams,' from which Jaguar Love drew most of its set.

Singer Johnny Whitney and guitarist Cody Votolato (backed by a drummer and a laptop) were a blur of motion throughout their eight-song performance, a gleeful pileup of slamming beats, brawny guitar, massive synthesizer hooks and Whitney's jaguar-yowl vocals.

Whitney jumped up and down and thrashed around as he sang, his mop of hair flying across his face. Sometimes he paused long enough to thrust an arm skyward. Votolato careened back and forth between his microphone and the drum kit -- and hopped into the audience for a moment at the start of 'Cherry Soda' -- grinding out chords and helping Whitney with vocals.

Even in the midst of all the flailing, both musicians looked serene, and Whitney grinned between songs and repeatedly thanked the undeservedly small crowd for sticking it out.

"This is awesome, you guys," he said more than once before the band finished the show with 'Up All Night.'