SXSW: Tim Fite (Live)

Friday, March 14, 2008 | 1:38 AM

Folky-country-hip-hopper, Tim Fite looks and acts like a big, little kid (think Pee Wee Herman with a rounder face). Tonight he was backed by only band member, and performed all of his songs to a backing track that synced up to a movie screen displaying various childlike, storybook images (damn, this is going to be a tough one to explain). On other songs, Fite would perform with three other versions of himself on the screen. Lost yet?

Fite's live show is his own unique vision of Pee Wee's Playhouse and Captain Kangaroo. Everything is broken down into childhood terms (tonight's set even included "story time" about one character wanting to "stab a motherfucker" after his friend finished eating a sandwich). The genius of Fite's show is when you start to pick out his various political and social commentaries. When Fite breaks things down, you soon realize that its certain high ranking members of society that are behaving like children.