Bob Log III brought his eccentric one-man show to The Lost Well in East Austin on Friday, September 25, drawing music fans curious to see the performer behind the motorcycle helmet and telephone receiver.
The concert at the Airport Boulevard venue also featured SExPump and Attic Ted, with Log taking centre stage as he played slide guitar, sang and operated percussion instruments with his feet.
Bob Log III’s one-man show
Known for his distinctive helmet and flamboyant stage presence, Log creates a full-band sound alone. His setup combines an old guitar, a drum machine, foot-operated drums and sound triggers, while he sings through a telephone receiver attached to his helmet.
“I like being the all-encompassing member of time. And when I play the drums and the guitar, I can do anything I want to,” he said.
His music blends slide guitar with primitive percussion and a drum machine, producing a fast, unconventional style that has made him a familiar figure on underground stages around the world.
Log also involved the audience in a series of playful instructions and stunts, at one point telling concertgoers: “Everybody send a picture of me to your mother right now. And no explanation. Just write ‘thank you.’”
He said the interactive nature of his performances was intended to lift the mood of people who had come to see him.
“Usually, it’s that I drive all day and I get to this room full of people, they’re having a good time, so I want to make people have an even better time than they’re already having,” Log said.
That approach fitted Austin’s long-standing reputation for unconventional music and performance. Log said he aimed to leave every venue slightly stranger, but in a way that sent audiences home smiling.
“I think I try to make everywhere I go just a little bit weirder than it was just before I got there, but weird in a good way where that when you go home, your face hurts from smiling,” he said.
For Log, there is no single formula for making music. The appeal lies in the freedom to combine instruments, movement and audience participation in whatever way creates the most enjoyable show.
“Music can be fun. There are a lot of ways to make music. There’s not any right way or wrong way. My way is just how much fun I can have with music,” he said.
