SXSW Records
BY MICHAEL CHAMY, Austin Chronicle

March 16, 2001:

Dewato
Demonstration (India/Penguinville)
The afternoon sun peeks out through the shutters, signaling the beginning of another hazy day. Your head's full of cobwebs, and something just ain't right. You can't quite put your finger on it, so you fire up the stereo while pondering this point. That's when Dewato's debut kicks in, and right then and there, your day is cashed before it begins. Demonstration is a soundtrack of youthful regret, drunken malaise, might-have-beens, and still-could-bes, and it has inspired you to get up, grab a tallboy out of the fridge, and load a fresh new bowl while you assess your station in life. Gentle enough to keep you on the edge of the bed, but rock & roll enough to consume your pathetically small attention span, the Austin band's alt-crunch leaves you in a melancholy fog, then shows you the way to the promised land. Vocalist Ryan Carter has the whole slurry Paul Westerberg thing down, and when he sings on "Newfriends" about something that "leaves a bitter taste that you can't spit out," another tallboy is in order already. Good thing, 'coz everything's just fine again on "806oceanside," a misty song about a girl and the beach with a slanted & enchanted sheen that mixes quite well with your now-happy level of inebriation. The occasional syrupy hook satisfies your sweet tooth, but it's chilly, hazy tomes like "Anaheim," and "Apology," with raspy, distant vocals full of rumination and regret, that capture your intrigue. Gosh, it's already nightfall? Another wasted day, another new discovery.

DEWATO: For lack of a more succinct comparison, this Austin alt.rock act is best described by imagining Sixteen Deluxe fronted by Greg Dulli. In truth, they're manned by the eminently watchable Ryan Carter, nephew of local songwriter Bill Carter. Last year's India Records debut may have been titled Demonstration, but it ultimately sounds like easy money for a smart major-label A&R rep. -- Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle

#4 on CitySearch.com's SXSW 2001 "20 to Watch" feature.

http://www.sxsw.citysearch.com/20towatch.html

Austin American-Statesman's 2000 AMP Awards:

#3 - Best New Act

#21 - Albums of the Year

1 of 5 bands featured on MusicMatch.com's wrap-up of the hottest bands at SXSW 2001. The featured bands:

Palo Alto, Gas Giants, Dewato, Portastatic, and J Mascis and Other Notables.

Dewato's comparison collection includes the Goo Goo Dolls, The Replacements and the The Posies. Originally from Seattle, the now Austin-based power-pop foursome has earned their share of accolades, enjoying local radio airplay, college radio chart success and a number of "Best New Band" awards. There's nothing too complicated about the stories that Dewato tells. Yet, the group's unique melodies, shrill-but-sing-along vocals and slightly off-kilter hooks give them an irresistible and unmistakable sound. Dewato performed to a mixed crowd of locals and SXSW attendees at the Speakeasy -- a classic psuedo-seedy bar on the outskirts of downtown Austin.

"Shaman" was pegged #29 on Andy Langer's Next Big Thing radio show's "Top 50 of 2000".

"Rain" included on the Bombtrax/Insite-Austin Compilation. Released May '01 on Bombtrax (Island/Def Jam distributed).

"New Friends" to be included on the IndyHits Music Sampler Compilation. To be released Spring '02.