Jaguar Love at The Scoot Inn

The perfect band for the later hours of the day, Jaguar Love brought a sweat educing fit of electro, glam, and punk, all smashing together in one combustible cloud of alarming rock and roll, to the Scoot Inn's outdoor stage when we hosted them at our 2010 SXSW Day Party. Electricity, passion, wild emotion: the Portland trio always harness a certain sort of energy, whipping it about the room like some unruly, nearly off the tracks roller coaster. In the front seat there's Jonny Whitney, flailing about (look ma! no hands!) , his exaggerated falsetto obviously leading the way. But guitarist Cody Votolato and drummer Zach Richards are also right behind him, creating a robust sense of drama and exciting flamboyancy as they work their way through this tidy, 30 minute set. As a result, bodies - the band's and the audiences' alike - do whatever the hell it is they want to do. We suggest watching with no hands on the keyboard. - David Pitz

Consisting of vocalist/pianist Johnny Whitney and guitarist/bassist Cody Votolato from the Blood Brothers along with keyboardist/bassist/drummer Jay Clark from Pretty Girls Make Graves, Jaguar Love are a West Coast indie rock trio that hopped on the fast lane to success in the summer of 2007. Votolato and Clark were neighbors in Seattle and became friends when the Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves toured together. When talk of forming a new band was introduced, the two made a move to Portland to join up with Whitney and write new music. Within a few months they had four songs recorded and started considering different labels. After a brief tour with Queens of the Stone Age, Jaguar Love signed a deal with indie big-leaguers Matador in January of 2008. In late spring, the trio's debut EP was released, and the full-length Take Me to the Sea arrived just after, in August. The band and Jay Clark parted ways and, reluctantly, Jaguar Love decided to carry on as an electro-pop duo. After taking some time to regroup and start a clothing line, Whitney and Votolato released the accordingly fashionable Hologram Jams on Fat Possum in March of 2010. - all music guide