SXSW 2011 Recap

Thursday 3/17/11

After a painless, non-stop flight from LAX, we arrived at the Austin airport at 2:35 PM. We grabbed our rental car and dropped off our bags at our not-so luxurious hotel north of the city on I-35. Starving, we jumped back in the rental and pointed it south towards Guero’s.  My favorite thing about Guero’s has always been the Margaritas. They don’t screw around with off-the-shelf sickly, sweet margarita mix – it’s fresh-squeezed lime juice and Cointreau. At times, this can make for some pretty sour margaritas, but mixed with some delicious Tres Generaciones tequila and it’s alright with me.  And the chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurants in Texas are so good. They tend to lean towards those really thin chips.  The food itself at Guero’s has never blown me away, but it’s always good. Today I had one Al Pastor taco and one Chicken Al Carbon taco. My inner 15 year old was geeking out because Mike Mills from R.E.M. was sitting at the table next to us.

After eating lunch so late, dinner didn’t really creep into our thoughts until after 11:00 PM. You’d think that in a college town with such a great reputation for its nightlife, there would be a plethora of options, but there really isn’t. We walked into Casino El Camino for one of the best burgers in town, but it was just too packed. Since we’d originally planned on eating migas everyday, we decided to try Kerbey Lane next. We hopped in our car and drove to the location on South Lamar, only to discover that they were on an hour long wait. We had late night plans, so that wasn’t really in the cards. Somewhat reluctantly we pulled into the Taco Cabana parking lot (not that there’s anything wrong with Taco Cabana). The Taco Cabana on South Lamar was the site of the first meal I ever had as an Austin resident back in 1999, so there was even a little sentimental value to the meal (I distinctly remember watching a giant cockroach run across the salsa bar as if to say “you’re a Texas resident now my friend”). After downing my Super Tex Mex plate (cheese enchilada, crispy taco, bean and cheese chalupa and quacamole) I felt revived.

Friday 3/18/11

My first thought upon waking up was “shit my back hurts from this awful mattress” but my second thought was Magnolia for migas. After showering, I decided I’d rather go somewhere with a TV so we could watch some March Madness. As my hunger grew, I though comfort food. I pointed the Sebring south towards Hoover’s Cooking on Manor Road. Usually when I go to Hoover’s I get the ½ BBQ Chicken. A lot of the barbecue chicken I’ve ordered at restaurants is super dry and gets stuck in my throat. But not at Hoover’s; Hoover Alexander makes some of the moistest, most flavorful chicken I’ve eaten anywhere. But today I was craving chicken fried chicken (probably because you rarely see it on a menu in Los Angeles).  Best decision ever. At most places chicken fried chicken is served with a steak knife, but not at Hoover’s. The chicken is so moist and tender, that your fork easily cuts through it.  The batter and creamy gravy are delicious too. SL ordered the gumbo and a side of mac ’n’ cheese. The gumbo had a really pretty, dark roux. It was honestly better than any of the gumbo we managed to get on our last trip to New Orleans. The mac ‘n’ cheese was just ok.

March Madness interfered with our dinner plans. I had plans to watch my Jayhawks with my old college roommate. Champions at 4^th and Trinity is totally convenient to downtown/SXSW action. I ate some pretty good Wings with classic spicy sauce and the Jayhawks won. Success. 

Late night shenanigans led to late night hunger. I tried to convince SL to settle for the Burger King next to our hotel. She insisted on driving around until we found a Whataburger. After one taquito with bacon, egg and cheese, I passed out. Slight acid reflux ensued.

Saturday 3/19/11

On Saturday morning we had plans to meet some friends at Rudy’s Bar-B-Q  on South Capital of Texas Highway. When you factor in drive time, waiting in line and overall quality of food – Rudy’s is my favorite barbecue place to hit during SXSW. Some people knock it because it’s a “chain” (30 locations mostly in Texas) but those people obviously haven’t tried to find good barbecue in Los Angeles. My stomach was growling as I watched the TV displaying the “Cutter’s Cam” – a camera trained on the guy in the back slicing the brisket. SL and I ordered 3 pork ribs, ½ pound of moist brisket, ½ sausage link, 1 small potato salad, 1 small cole slaw and a small side of beans. The brisket was delicious -completely moist and flavorful. The ribs beat anything I can find in LA, but too fall-off-the-bone for me to really love them. I tend to like a little chew in my rib and I could literally pull these off the bone with my fingers. The sausage was very good and the sides were pretty good for a barbecue spot (but sides really aren’t the point). Overall, a very good experience (and all that food cost us under $25 with fountain drinks).

After fighting a few crowds, we decided we needed an afternoon snack. Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped in at Perla’s on South Congress. SL overhead some women in the bathroom talking about their trust funds and shortly thereafter a woman approached her to ask about her nose “I’m shopping noses right now.” Weird. When in Rome…I ordered a sazerac and SL ordered a champagne cocktail – both were good. Some tuna tartare and a couple of oyster shooters later and we were revived. Total bill, before tip, was around $50 (ouch).

 After that monster feast at lunch, we didn’t start to get hunger pangs until around 9:30 PM. We briefly considered our downtown dining options before deciding to get in our car and drive to one of the restaurants I ate at the most when I lived in Austin (because I could walk there) – Trudy’s. When you’re a student at UT and don’t have any Friday classes, nothing beats heading to Trudy’s on Thursday afternoon after class for some margaritas. SL prefers Tex-Mex to the regional style Mexican cuisines, so I figured Trudy’s might satisfy that craving. One of the things Trudy’s is known for is their Mexican Martinis. The server brings out a regular sized cocktail shaker full of margarita and a martini glass with olives. They’ll only serve you two of them. Another great item on their menu is their queso; it’s almost impossible to get good queso in LA. Trudy’s queso is not too thick with lots of peppers in it. I had a combo plate with a chicken enchilada and beef taco. Nothing revelatory, but damn good.

Sunday 3/20/11

On Sunday morning we woke and went to Spider House for some coffee. There’s not a whole lot of Slacker-era Austin left, but Spider House (although it’s expanded quite a bit) is sort of close. With all those monstrous condo complexes and the gentrification of East Austin, sometimes I miss that old Slacker-era of Austin.

After the caffeine fix, we jumped in the Sebring for Lockhart. While Austin is the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World,” Lockhart is the self-proclaimed “Barbecue Capital of Texas.” Located about 30 miles southeast of Austin, Lockhart is home to three very famous barbecue joints: Smitty’s, Black’s and Kreuz. Since Kreuz is closed on Sundays, we decided to try our luck at Smitty’s (which is actually housed in Kreuz Market’s original space). The line at Smitty’s didn’t look too ridiculous, but damn did it move slowly. The first thing you notice when you finally get inside is that there’s a pile of burning wood on the floor. I’m not really sure what that’s for (I’m guessing smell/ambiance so that smell of wood stays with you until you change your clothes and shower)? SL went inside to the side/drink line and I ordered the meat: ½ pound of pork ribs, 1 pound of brisket and 1 hot ring (sausage). The total cost for the meat was around $18. The sausage was fantastic - probably the best I’ve ever had. The casing is a little thick, but the contents were delicious. I know I complained about the ribs at Rudy’s not having enough chew, but the ribs at Smitty’s probably had too much chew (it’s a very fine line). There was a nice smoke ring, but just a tiny bit too tough. I tend to remove the membrane when I make ribs, but at Smitty’s they leave it on. It’s all personal preference. The brisket however, was delicious. No complaints there. Great flavor. I was torn about whether or not to try the prime rib, and ultimately decided to skip it. Next time I’m going to try that prime rib. The sides were passable. SL actually really liked the watery beans. And contrary to what I’d read – they do have barbecue sauce at Smitty’s. I don’t recommend it at all (way too sweet), but if catch them on a bad day and your meat is super dry, it’s available.

Later in the afternoon March Madness was in full effect. Unable to find parking at the Tavern, we headed to Third Base to watch the Longhorns and then Jayhawks play. We got some queso (it was no Trudy’s, but still pretty good for a sports bar) and watched UT lose and KU win. Boo Texas.

 Once again, and after all that fatty food, we didn’t really get hungry for dinner until around 10:30. I did a quick internet search for “late night dining Austin” and the name Justine’s popped up.  We pointed the Sebring eastward and drove. Located in a house in (far) East, industrial Austin, Justine’s (a French brasserie) was packed at 11:00 PM on a Sunday night. The host said it might be 45 minutes so we went to the bar and got some wine. Those first glasses were not cheap ($13) but they were good. After about 30 minutes we were seated. I ended up ordering the fish special (can’t remember the details) and SL ordered a salad and French Onion Soup. My fish was delicious. SL’s food was really good too. Cool ambiance, attentive service and really good food. It was a pleasant surprise.

Monday 3/21/11

With most of the SXSW attendees gone, we finally made it to Magnolia for migas. They did not disappoint.

For our last meal in Austin, we opted for Salt Lick at the airport. SL ordered a brisket sandwich and I ordered a turkey sandwich. Both are just coated in their disgusting barbecue sauce. When I’ve eaten at the restaurant I’ve always skipped the sauce, but today I forgot. Missed opportunity…

You Set the Scene at SXSW

If you want to hear/read my thoughts on SXSW, follow me on Twitter. I probably won't post anything on here during the festival...

Twitter: @yousetthescene

Saturday Night at SXSW

The Knux at Vice

Janelle Monae at Vice

Janelle Monae at Vice

The Knux at Vice

Asher Roth at Vice

So I finally looked at a SXSW schedule on Saturday evening. What did I come up with? A hip-hop showcase at a club called Vice.

Readers should know by now that I'm not an avid hip-hop fan. Records typically have to crossover for me to really pay attenion. Which leads us to the first artist of the night, Asher Roth.

I'd never heard of Asher Roth before. Apparently he's a middle to upper middle class white fella from Pennsylvania who got lots of attention by sampling Weezer. As I walked in, I got really nervous. Out of all the choices at SXSW this is what I chose? Bummer. Special guests The Cool Kids came on stage for a couple of tracks and that made it somewhat interesting.

Next up was the Knux. If it wasn't for Jeff Weiss, I wouldn't know who the hell the Knux was either. Knowing very little about them, I was a tad fearful they were going to be some fairly bland backpack rap act. Thankfully they were not. Apparently there's a growing trend in hip-hop to have musicians on stage. I have my suspicions that the keyboard player wasn't doing much, but he looked cool. It was a high energy performance and infinitely better than Asher Roth. Very fun to see live. Things were looking up.

The artist I'd heard the most about was Janelle Monae. I read somewhere a while back that she's originally from Kansas City, so I took an interest in her. (I still hadn't brought myself to listen to her stuff, but I was curious.) She wasn't what I expected at all. She's a tiny, slighly Grace Jones looking, spitfire of energy. Her band of musicians includes a guitar player who modeled his look after Andre 3000 in the "Hey Ya" video. Her music had a lot of range. She effortlessly moved from manic, "Hey Ya" style hip-hop-meets-rock to an emotional version of the standard, "Smile" (popularized by Nat King Cole). She ended her set by leaping into the crowd and crowd surfing all the way to the back of the house. No surprise that No Doubt has tapped her to open their reunion tour.

A very fitting and positive way to end SXSW 2009.

Saturday Day Parties at SXSW

Crystal Antlers appearing at Mess with Texas

Lucero appearing at Mess with Texas

Lucero Appearing at Mess with Texas

Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart Appearing at Home Slice Pizza

Viva Voce Appearing at Hot Freaks

Saturday was another slow start. Instead of heading to see bands, we headed straight to Rudy's for a little BBQ. Rudy's is a bit controversial with barbecue snobs since it's a chain and doesn't have the soul and sweat of some down home joints. But screw that, they've got great prices and some tender meat. We had 1/2 lb of delicious brisket, 1/2 lb of pork ribs, 1/2 link of sausage, beans (not good), potato salad, Dr. Pepper and a Welch's Grape Soda for $20. The rub was a little salty, but that's my only complaint. I've been to almost all the places in LA and nothing compares.

After Rudy's we cruised over to the Hot Freaks party at Mohawk. I missed Roadside Graves (again) and we got there in time to watch Viva Voce sound check for about 40 minutes. Kind of agonizing. We grew restless and hoped back in the car to hit up the Ship party at Home Slice on South Congress. When we got there The Rosebuds were playing. If you want to know where the hip young families in Austin hang out during SXSW, it's Home Slice. Breeders everywhere. The Rosebuds were pleasant. Next up was Aaron Espinoza from Earlimart. He had some cool looping and sample gadgets working but we've seen him a million times (and there was no shade) so we headed back to Red River for the Mess with Texas party. 

There was a pretty massive line for the Mess with Texas. By the time we got in we were parched.  A Miller tallboy was $6 - the most expensive beer of the weekend. We walked over the main stage and sat on the grass while Lucero soundchecked. I appreciate Lucero's live show, but I'm not a huge fan. We watched five or six songs and walked over to the small stage to see Crystal Antlers. They sounded pretty good (last year they were a last minute addition to the big stage) but we were getting hungry for some Tex-Mex. 

Many of the best Mexican restaurants in Austin are "Interior" Mexican, which isn't the same thing as Tex-Mex (although the line gets blurred at some place). After a couple of false starts, we settled on Chuy's. Chuy's is super cheesy but I've always loved their Deluxe Enchiladas. After Chuy's we opted to head to the Tavern to watch some college basketball. Silver Lake or Los Feliz could really use a new sports bar (Ye Rustic isn't enough). 

While drinking a Dos Equis at the Tavern I finally decided to look at a SXSW schedule. Stay tuned for what I chose for Saturday night.....

Photo Credit: Sylvia

Friday at SXSW - Hot Freaks, Little Radio, Stubb's, The Parish

Okkervil River At the Parish

Black Joe Lewis At the Parish

Airborne Toxic Event @ The NME Showcase

After trying not to overload on bands on Thursday, Friday was a little different. We got a late start and then hustled downtown to try to catch the end of the Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We missed it, but at least they won. Unfortunately we'd already paid our $10 to park and still needed to get our passes for the Guitar Hero show later that night at Stubb's. Sylvia dutifully agreed to go get them (thanks!).

Starving, I ran over to the Hot Freaks party at the Mohawk for the promise of some free tacos. A touch hungover, the tacos (and a bloody mary) started to do the trick. I was admittedly a bit distracted, but caught most of the Henry Clay People's set. Another strong one. I couldn't seem to shake those guys all week. Hung out for a bit waiting for Port O'Brien to set up (a recurring them throughout the week), gave up and walked over to the Little Radio party.

Once there, I waited a little more until Horse Feathers finally took the stage. I like their Kill Rock Stars release, House With No Name. While it sounded pretty, it was just a little too mellow to hold my interest for long. The Henry Clay People were setting up inside (and there was a TV tuned into March Madness) so I followed. This was the loosest set I saw them play, so about 2/3 of the way through, I headed back outside to get a good spot for Phosphorescent.

As I've mentioned, Phosphorescent's To Willie is one of my favorite releases of the year. I've seen Phosphorescent before, so I knew he had an engaging voice. I was pleasantly surprised to see a full band, including Ricky Ray Jackson, who played pedal steel on the record. It was a pretty rousing set. The back patio at Red Eyed Fly was packed. They totally exceeded my expectations. I stumbled inside to see a song from Restaurant (the crowd was digging it) before heading back down to the Mohawk.

I stumbled by Club De Ville and watched one Hold Steady song from the street, before catching the tail end of the Delta Spirit's set. We walked over to Stubb's hoping to grab a quick bite before the Guitar Hero party, but the wait was an hour. We opted instead for the Stubbs counter (mediocre) and listened to Echo & the Bunnymen finish their set at the Spin party ("The Killing Moon" and "Lips Like Sugar").

We waited in line for about 45 minutes for Silversun Pickups & Metallica at the Guitar Hero party. Well worth it, both bands exceeded my expectations. Read about that HERE and HERE. I stayed at Metallica for the very end, but Sylvia left a little early to see Airborne Toxic Event at the NME showcase. See the photo above.

I totally could have called it a day and felt like a winner. Instead we decided it was our best chance to finally see Black Joe Lewis. We rushed over to the Parish and experienced a whole lot of attitude, but finally got in. I thought he was great. Based on his record, I think people are expecting some sort of over the top James Brown type of performance. He's not that guy. He's a got a strong band, but mostly just stands and plays guitar (there was a little dancing at the end). Take him for what he is, and I think you'll really enjoy his show as much as I did.

Up next was Okkervil River. I really like Okkervil River, but we were exhausted. We sat down in the back corner of the club to try to regain our energy until security came over to tell us that it was against fire code. Whatever. Waited and waited as they soundchecked and re-soundchecked. Okkervil started off with a downer and Will Sheff was acting a little precious so we split during the second song. Tons of people had left after Black Joe, so there was plenty of room inside. We were surprised to see 50 or 75 people still being held at the door. I felt bad for them, so I told the security guard he should take a look up stairs because it wasn't very full. He responded with an aggressive "Yeah right." Good sound in the room but awful lighting and lots of rude people. I wasn't loving the Parish.

All in all a pretty great day at SXSW.

Photo Credit: Sylvia

Thursday's Edition of Fuzzy Unreliable Memories from Austin

The mix of a vacation to Austin (where I used to live), the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament (I'm an avid fan) and SXSW made for an intense few days. We got into town too late to do anything on Wednesday, so we headed straight for Magnolia for some migas. Nobody in LA makes migas like that (if you know of a place, please leave me a comment).

We didn't get a particularly early start on Thursday. Once we finally left the hotel, we decided to head straight to Guero's for some Mexican food. Good stuff. The normally reliable margaritas were disappointing due to some particularly bitter lime juice.

With our bellies full, we headed over to Peckerhead's for the Aquarium Drunkard/My Old Kentuckly Blog party. I unfortunately just missed Roadside Graves, but I heard they were fantastic. Caught a bit of Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band. Good vibe. We headed over to the Little Radio party at Red Eyed Fly and watched Alberta Cross set up their equipment for about 35 minutes before getting bored and heading to the Rhapsody party at the Mohawk. We'd hoped to catch the School of Seven Bells at the Mohawk, but had already missed them. Instead we watched a few songs from Glasvegas who sounded just like their record. Uninteresed in seeing Trail of Dead (I've seen them a number of times over the years) we headed back to Peckerhead's.

When we got back to Peckerhead's we'd just missed Those Darlins (who I heard were really good) instead catching the end of Dark Meat. Good energy, but not my thing. Megafaun was next. I can't remember anything about their set. The Henry Clay People were up next on the stage in the other room. They packed the house. It was a strong set and nice to see them draw a good reaction from a crowd outside LA. The Grates played after them in the next room. Good energy, but not particularly memorable. After they finished, Le Switch played on the stage in the other room. Again, it was great to hear an LA band draw a strong reaction from an out of town crowd. In some alternative universe I'd like to visit some day, Le Switch is huge and nobody cares about all the Pitchfork buzz bands that are still trying to figure out their guitar.

Starts to get a little fuzzy after this. You see, all the parties we attended had free beer, but you had to buy your water. So it was an economically responsible decision to drink beer. I remember stumbling around some studio in Austin waiting for Silversun Pickups to do a Daytrotter session. At one point I pushed open a door looking for a restroom to realize I was standing right in the middle of Peter Bjorn and John's Daytrotter session (sorry guys). They were running over an hour late before Silversun even started, so we gave in to our hunger pains and headed for Ironworks. While it was a step up from anything I've had in LA, it wasn't particularly memorable.

I can't really remember if we tried to see any bands at this point, but I know I didn't see any. We opted instead for Lovejoy's for drinks, then we stumbled over to back patio at Casino El Camino before ending our night (quite sloppily) at the Driskill. Ran into many friends along the way....

Metallica at Stubb's

The indie dickhead in me recognizes that Metallica playing a Guitar Hero party at SXSW runs kind of counter to what the original intention of the festival was. And while my junior high classmates were analyzing the lyrics to "One," I was listening to U2 and R.E.M. So what was I doing at Stubb's on Friday night?

Like them or not, Metallica's one of the most influential, important rock 'n' roll bands of the last 25 years. Opening with "Creeping Death" and going into "For Whom the Bell Tolls" showed they were not fucking around. I lived in Austin for several years, and while I've always loved seeing shows at Stubbs, sometimes the volume is a little too quiet. Not tonight. 

A band like Metallica is on a higher plane when it comes to a live performance. Their equipment is superior, their sound guy is superior, their stage movements are well thought out without being cloying. Despite what you may have thought after Some Kind of Monster these guys are professionals who love what they're doing. 

They mostly stuck to the hits, but played a couple off of the new album. Other highlights were: "Master of Puppets," "Seek and Destroy," "Fade to Black," "One," "Ride the Lightning." I probably won't pick up Guitar Hero: Metallica when it comes out in a few weeks, but I'm seriously considering getting those vinyl reissues of the first three records. 

I saw some great indie bands before and after too - more about that later. 

photo credit: Sylvia (we didn't have a photo pass, so we didn't get super close)

Silversun Pickups at Stubbs

Standing in line at Stubbs, I was a little worried for the Silversun Pickups. As the two massive semis on Red River indicated, this was a Metallica show. If you still weren't sure the rumors were true, the first 150 people in line were in black Metallica shirts. As soon as the doors opened, the diehards sprinted to the front of the stage.

Bassnectar opened the show. I would see Girl Talk every day for the next five years if you promised me I would never have to see Bassnectar again. Mashing up the most obvious samples from Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, the Beatles. Ick. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the dreadlocked stagehand dancing in front of me and imagined that this must be what Burning Man is all about. Hell.

Stubbs was finally filling up by the time Silversun took the stage. Brian Aubert engaged the hardcore Metallica fans in front, telling them that how much he loved their devotion, and joked, "Don't worry, the Spin Doctors will be out shortly." 

There was a good share of Silversun fans in the house. The band looked most comfortable with the old songs, but previewed four (that I remember) from the new record. Fans will be very happy. The crowd erupted when they started "Lazy Eye." Seeing Metallica's crowd respond to them so positively showed how much they've grown as a band. 

photo credit: Sylvia

Obligatory SXSW Post

It’s spring break at the University of Texas, so that means SXSW starts tomorrow. If you’re heading to Austin, remember to take a break from seeing mediocre bands, and take in some of the sights. It’s a beautiful city and most of the Barbeque and Tex-Mex restaurants are way better than what you get for free at those parties. Maybe I'll see you down there? I'll be the white guy with brown hair, medium build....

Here are some of the LA related parties/showcases (listing the bands would be too cumbersome):

Wednesday Day:
Little Radio Party @ Red Eyed Fly – Von Bondies, Tallest Man on Earth, Megafaun (Lineup HERE); free beer and bloody marys

Spaceland Party @ Maggie Mae’s – Wavves, Vivian Girls, Marnie Stern (RSVP HERE)

Wednesday Night:
KCRW Showcase @ Buffalo Billiards – Ida Maria, School of Seven Bells, Port O’Brien, Other Lives

Thursday Day:
Little Radio Party @ Red Eyed Fly – Port O’Brien, Loch Lomond, Viva Voce, Afternoons, Imaad Wasif (Lineup HERE); free PBR and bloody marys

Aquarium Drunkard Party @ Peckerhead’s [402 E. 6th St.] – Rosebuds, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, J Tillman, Le Switch, Henry Clay People, The Grates, Dark Meat, Megafaun, Port O’Brien (RSVP HERE); free Red Stripe and wine and breakfast

Thursday Night:
LA Record @ the Independent – Blu, Busdriver, Very Be Careful, Henry Clay People, Blank Blue, Castledoor

Hotel Café @ the Parish – Cary Brothers, Greg Laswell, Meiko, Lenka, Thao Nguyen, Lisa Hannigan, Anya Marina

Dangerbird @ the Ranch – Eulogies, Dappled Cities

PPM @ Red 7 – Mika Miko, Abe Vigoda, Soft Circle, Gun Outfit, Silk Flowers, Total Abuse

IHEARTCOMIX @ Beauty Bar

Friday Day:
Hot Freaks (co-presented by Aquarium Drunkard) @ Mohawk/Club De Ville – Hold Steady, American Analog Set, Thermals, Handsome Furs, Richard Swift, Henry Clay People, Wrens (RSVP HERE)

Little Radio Party @ Red Eyed Fly – White Denim, Phosphorescent, Restaurant, Henry Clay People. Horse Feathers, Great Northern, Pity Party (Lineup HERE); free PBR and bloody marys

Buzz Bands Party @ Cheers [416 E. 6th St.] – Harlem Shakes, Red Cortez, Local Natives, The Shys, Mother Hips

Friday Night:
In the Red Records Showcase @ Beerland - Vivian Girls, Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds, Thee Oh Sees, Intelligence, Christmas Island, TV Ghost, The Strange Boys

Hotel Café @ Alehouse – Rocco DeLuca, Tyrone Wells, HoneyHoney

DimMak @ the Parish Downstairs – The Willowz, Gil Mantera’s Party Dream

The Roxy Theatre @ Rusty Spurs – Semi Precious Weapons, Nico Vega, Valient Thorr, Bigelf, Alberta Cross

Saturday Day:
The Smell Party @ Domy Books – No Age, Mika Miko, The Mae Shi, Anavan, Bastidas

Mess with Texas (curated by Sean Carlson) @ Waterloo Park – Black Lips, Circle Jerks, Monotonix, Thermals, Cursive, King Khan, Red Cortez, Kid Sister, Busdriver, Akron Family, Soft Pack, Crystal Antlers, Jason Lytle, Abe Vigoda

Hot Freaks (co-presented by Aquarium Drunkard) @ Mohawk/Club De Ville – Jeremy Jay, Sebastian Grainger, The Grates, The Girls, Camera Obscura, Viva Voce, Jason Lytle

Saturday Night:
IHEARTCOMIX Party @ Texas Nightclub – Diplo, Switch [RSVP HERE]

Hotel Café @ Alehouse – Buddy, Pedestrian, Whispertown 2000

Silversun Pickups Party @ Antone’s – Silversun Pickups, Happy Hollows, Pity Party, Duke Spirit, Afternoons

Silversun Pickups News

These guys look kinda familiar....

In case you haven't heard, Silversun Pickups' new record comes out on April 14th. If you're going to SXSW they're playing the massive Guitar Hero party (with a huge special guest).

They've got some live dates scheduled too (including a pre-Coachella show at the Glass House). Check it out:

Silversun Pickups Live Shows:
March 17 Kansas City, Mo. KC Power & Light District
March 20 Austin, Tex. SXSW/ Stubb’s
March 21 Austin, Tex. SXSW/ Antone’s
April 12 Pomona, Calif. Glass House (on sale Friday at Noon)
April 17 Indio, Calif. Coachella
May 25 Gorge, Wash. Sasquatch Festival

KCRW Showcase at SXSW

Details are starting to emerge regarding SXSW. KCRW recently announced their evening showcase:

Where: Buffalo Billiard's
When: Wednesday, March 18th
Who: Ida Maria / School of Seven Bells / Port O'Brien / Angus and Julia Stone / Other Lives / Boat People

KCRW will have a big presence this year. Jason Bentley will be broadcasting live from SXSW on March 19th and 20th and Anne Litt will be in town to interview bands. They're also one of the radio sponsors for Filter's day time parties. Some of the bands that will appear at Filter's party are: Razorlight, NASA, Wild Light, Other Lives, Rye Rye, Hockey and Black Gold.

SXSW Journal - Saturday

Frankel - The First of Three with the Bow

Waking up on Saturday wasn’t much fun. As I mentioned, I was staying at my friend Mike’s loft in East Austin. Mike woke up bright and early because he had a plane to catch to India for a two week vacation. I thought about trying to stay in bed, but it was just too difficult with him getting organized and finishing packing. Cottonmouth and nauseous stomach. We walked over to a coffee shop to get a breakfast burrito, but that did not do the trick. Something about eggs and a hangover have never worked for me.

After dropping Mike off at the airport, I cruised over to the Hot Freaks party at the Mohawk. Bad Veins was on outside and they seemed pretty good, but my head was swimming. I stumbled inside and found a stool to wait it out for Frankel. Michael Orendy (aka Frankel) put out one of my favorite local releases last year. Quality songwriting in the vein of Richard Swift. He started out with a Nick Drake cover and played his guitar with a bow (one of three artists I would see do that on Saturday). I really enjoy his songs. I was finally starting to fell human again, so I went upstairs and grabbed a bloody mary in preparation for Le Switch.

While I was upstairs getting my bloody mary, I peaked down and watched a few of the Whigs’ songs. Impressive. I’ve always had a feeling I’d like those guys, but that was my first exposure to them. Pitchfork called them “latter day Local H, redux.” I’m not sure who Local H is, but I’m guessing it’s not a compliment. They play good time, unpretentious rock ‘n’ roll, something there’s really not enough of these days.

I’ve probably written about Le Switch as much as any other band. It’s just impossible for me to not have a good time when I see that group of people playing music together. I’m trying to save all my good nuggets for their press release, so I’m not going to say much more right now. But I looked around the room and saw a lot of smiles while they were playing. Their debut full length is coming out in May and I think a lot of you are going to dig it. They’ve already lined up a great supporting cast of bands for their May residency at the Echo.

After Le Switch finished, I went back upstairs for another bloody mary and some tacos. Finally getting back to normal. Film School was playing outside and Dave Dupuis was the guitar player of the day to use a bow. Film School’s officially an LA band these days and they’re a nice addition to the scene. They’re heading out on the road for a couple of weeks with British Sea Power. While I was standing around upstairs I met one of my favorite bloggers, Largehearted Boy and Rachel the publicist from KCRW. Both really nice people.

Up next was A Place to Bury Strangers. I saw them recently at the Viper Room and it’s music that belongs in a dark club, not a 90 degree day in Austin. They were loud as hell. I wish they’d concentrate more on writing songs. Weiss and I walked over to Club Deville to see what was going on over there. I think Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal was up strumming on an acoustic guitar. Whatever it was it was not interesting, and I decided I’d rather be watching college basketball.

Fleet Foxes

I caught about 10 minutes of the KU game and then made my way to the SXSeattle party at the Palm Door. I’ve been digging that Fleet Foxes EP from Sub Pop, so I was curious to see if they could pull off those harmonies. They can. Their set was probably my highlight of the festival. Very pretty three and four part harmonies, and the schoolhouse vibe of the venue worked really well for their sound. They never really rock out, but it’s really pleasant to just kick back and listen to on a Saturday afternoon. Their guitar player was the third of the day to use the bow. If you’re into Everest and that newest Wilco record, you should give these guys some time.

Mr. Free and his strap-on

I made my way towards Waterloo Park for the Mess with Texas party that Sean Carlson helped curate. Guy’s only like 22 and was quoted in the Wall Street Journal (alongside Franki Chan). Long Beach’s Crystal Antlers were on stage. I think I’d like them at the right time and place, but they harshed my mellow a bit. Ran into Jax, who told me they only found out they had the gig 10 minutes before hitting stage. I think they won over some new fans. Up next was some guy with a giant embroidered strap on over his junk. Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout are totally filthy. I wasn’t that into it, but Mr. Free clearly understands showmanship.

I had originally ventured over to see some Black Mountain’s set. After Mr. Free’s mic was shut off, Black Mountain decided to do a thirty minute sound check. As each minute passed, my enthusiasm waned. I watched a few songs, but ultimately decided that I appreciate them more in theory than reality. They’ve got some nice moments, but that is all. I headed off to pick up my friend Jerry who was hanging out at Waterloo Records.

Rudy's Barbeque

Jerry, Kenley and I headed over for night two (for me anyway) at Rudy’s Barbeque. I ordered the exact same thing – St. Louis ribs, a ½ link of sausage and beans. It might be the first time I’ve ever gone to a restaurant and ordered the exact same thing two days in a row. Although this time I had a Big Red instead of a Shiner Bock.

I figured I’d make it an early night, but decided I’d try to get into the Okkervil River / Roky Erickson show at Stubb’s. Turns out it was no problem. Okkervil River proved their set at Yard Dog was no fluke with another high energy show. Once again I only caught the last five or so songs, and it left me wanting more. I still can’t believe their last album didn’t do a lot better. I’d say they’re one big TV or film licensing deal away from being a household name. Beatle Bob popped on stage to introduce Roky Erickson. I’ve been a casual 13th Floor Elevators fan ever since the Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye tribute album came out in 1990. After seeing the Erickson documentary, I was very impressed with how good he sounded. It’s a totally professional band that he keeps up with. My attention waned a little in the middle, but after the band finished with “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” I walked out with a big ol’ smile on my face.

The smile was quickly erased when I stumbled down to 6th Street. The combination of 6th Street on a weekend and SXSW harshed my mellow in a big way. Why don’t they build some of those giant condo complexes on 6th Street?

SXSW was over for me.

SXSW Journal - Friday

The Nobility

Day two of SXSW started off much better than the first. I got a pretty good night’s sleep at my friend Mike’s loft over on East Sixth. Seeing all the trendy lofts over there on the eastside kind of freaked me out, but I’m not on the Austin planning commission. My friend Foxy-Jerry and I rushed over to Kerbey Lane on Guadalupe for breakfast with a great band from Nashville called the Nobility. We walked in and I was greeted by the sight of 30 guys in Jayhawks sports attire (they were the KU baseball team). Very good start to the day. I’d hung out with Brian from the Nobility before, but it was nice to meet the rest of the guys. They did one of the least rock ‘n’ roll things a band could do – a massive tour of libraries and elementary schools. Isn’t that a great idea? Think about all the boring assemblies you went to as an elementary student – how great would it have been to see a rock ‘n’ roll show in your gymnasium? And why can’t I get really good migas in Los Angeles? They’re everywhere in Austin….. After that I drove over to South Congress to do some shopping and catch the Nobility’s set at Doc’s Motorworks. Picked up some great gifts at Parts & Labour and then walked down to Doc’s Motorworks. They were running really late due to Restaurant showing up around noon for their noon show and then setting up for about 35 minutes. At least they were fun. They play Little Radio a lot, so I was already familiar with them. I was able to watch some college basketball while I watched the band, which wasn’t all bad. The Nobility were up next and immediately impressed me. High energy and really damn tight. NPR profiled them yesterday in their Second Stage series, so hopefully more people get the pleasure of hearing them.

The Radar Bros.

At this point a couple of Austinite friends had joined me. They were down for something more mellow, so I recommended walking over to Home Slice to see AA Bondy. Aaron from Le Switch turned me onto him last year. He sounded great to me, but my friends are parents and needed to pick up their kids from day care. I bid adieu and heard some familiar sounds coming from behind Parts & Labour. I walked in and saw the Deadly Syndrome playing to about four people. I decided to head over the Hot Freaks party at the Mohawk. They had a cushy VIP lounge with free vodka, beer and tacos. I caught a little bit of Blitzen Trapper but mostly socialized. I seriously entertained the idea of trying to get into Jens Lekman at Club Deville or else calling somebody from Little Radio in hopes of bypassing the line and seeing Autolux. Ultimately I decided to do neither, instead meeting up with my friend Stamford and driving over to Waterloo Records. Great record store. All those gigantic condo developments really freaked me out though. I mean, 56 stories in Austin? Stamford and I drove over to Rudy’s Barbeque on Capital of Texas Hwy. So good. Why doesn’t anybody make barbeque like that in Los Angeles. After that Stamford and I drove over to a sports bar on South Lamar and watched the KU basketball game. We won. Fearing a repeat line performance of Friday night, I went for the sure thing on Saturday. Luckily it was a great one - the Merge showcase at the Parish. Some friends ushered me in through the back door in the alley. I was excited to see the Radar Bros., was very curious about She and Him plus I’d never seen Destroyer. The new Radar Bros. lineup is sounding great and the crowd was really into it. A few of us (and Drunk Dave) heckled them from the side of the stage. Jim, Aaron, Brian and Eric seemed to be having a lot of fun playing to the packed house. Next up was the Shout Out Louds. I’ve always enjoyed their music and they were really nice people. I occasionally think that maybe I should move to Sweden.

She & Him

The main attraction for most (I suppose) was She & Him. I hadn’t heard anything before the show, but I’m a huge fan of M. Ward’s guitar work. I’m sure a lot of horny indie rock dudes just wanted to check out Zooey Deschanel. (If you live in LA you might have already encountered her at Spaceland or out on the town.) Fortunately for everybody in attendance, she’s got a good voice and the music’s upbeat and a lot of fun (mp3). The final act was Destroyer. Dan Bejar’s songs on the New Pornographers albums are usually some of my favorites, but with Destroyer I’ve always been more of an appreciator than a fan. I was a little buzzed, but I thought he sounded good. Gotta pick up that new one….

After that I tried to catch some final act at Club Deville but Ross had dog shit on his shoes, the club kicked us out and I just couldn’t be in public anymore.

To be continued....

Overly Long and Boring Post About SXSW on Thursday

At this point SXSW is already kind of a blur, but let me try to remember what happened….

One thing that sticks out when you peruse everybody’s SXSW coverage is the herd mentality that afflicts both the mainstream press and the bloggers. It’s a little pathetic and it becomes evident when you’re there. Out of the 1,600 or so bands that performed, only about 25 of them get much coverage coming out of the festival. Every day there are three or so day parties and about three showcases that every hype maven tries to get into. You shouldn’t let that get in your way of having a good time, like I did on Thursday.

First off, I don’t recommend staying out late and getting drunk on Wednesday night before your 8:30 AM flight out of Ontario (especially when you don’t sleep well on planes). After picking up my rental car, I headed downtown for the LA Independent party at the Lucky Lounge. Seemed like a good place to at least run into some friends and hopefully catch the Henry Clay People. When I got there, the Mae Shi were on stage. It was one of their well publicized 18 shows at SXSW. They were pretty much playing to a group of friends, but it didn’t make them any less energetic. No costume changes though. As much as I liked the lineup, they were all LA bands who I can see anytime, so I split in hopes of seeing Okkervil River at Yard Dog.

After experiencing a certain hell in trying to find parking at the Lucky Lounge, I decided to hoof it to Yard Dog. I moved away from Austin in 2002 but I remembered it being pretty damn far. But the doorman assured me that I should just walk it. Bad idea. It’s both far and uphill. Not a good idea when you’re tired, hungover and haven’t had lunch yet. It did give me the chance to see how developed South Congress has gotten. For as long as I can remember, South Congress was hippie central. As I passed by brand new buildings filled with chichi restaurants and boutiques I was a little disgusted. I mean, I’m a capitalist pig and all, but does South Congress really need overpriced restaurants, condos and Starbucks?

I finally arrived at Yard Dog, where I’ve been attending SXSW day parties since at least 2000. It was predictably packed, but you could still move around and hear and see the band and get free beer. It was first time seeing Okkervil River and I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve heard mixed things about their live show, but it was great. Plenty of energy from Will Sheff and the band sounded great. I only caught the last four songs, but they were good ones: “A Girl in Port,” “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe,” “Unless It’s Kicks” and “For Real” (if my memory serves correct).

I was with an old and a new friend and we took a break to grab a burrito and try to get into the Levi’s/Fader party for the Lou Reed tribute. The line was ridiculous. After a half-hearted attempt to get in, we gave up and decided to rest for the evening shows. Those guys wanted to see Islands at Cedar Street. Since they had badges and I didn’t, I opted out deciding that I’d rather take my chances trying to get into the Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian showcase at the Mohawk. I got there around 8:10 PM and the line for losers like me without badges and wristbands was long, but the SXSW people assured us we’d get in (“The capacity of the club is 700 and there are only 300 people inside.”). I waited patiently and since you can hear the outside stage perfectly from the line, I figured what the hell. I liked what I heard of Phosphorescent until they decided to do an extended, dissonant jam at the end. Then Bodies of Water started. They’ve admittedly gotten a lot better than when they first started. Around 9:30 I finally got to the front of the line. They checked my ID and said I was in, and then about 400 people with badges showed up. I was out.

I didn’t really have a backup at this point. I needed to get the key for the place I was staying, so I met up with some friends at Lovejoy’s. We decided to walk around and see if anything grabbed us. We (accidentally) listened to Anavan from upstairs at Habana Calle 6. It looked pretty empty downstairs. A couple of my friends had to work on Friday so they left. Another friend and I argued about whether to see Times New Viking or No Age at the Habana Annex Backyard. I whined a bunch and No Age won.

The cover was $10 and there were only about 40 people inside. We decided to just stand outside in the alley (about 15 feet from the stage and with perfect sightlines). I thought seeing them would make me like them more, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. I watched a lot of people filter in and out, so I know I’m not alone. When I listened to a lot punk and hardcore back in junior high I preferred bands like Minor Threat, the Dead Kennedys and the Circle Jerks who wrote provocative, political songs. No Age has good energy, but their lyrics aren’t compelling like those bands. They sport Crass shirts on stage and list a bunch of avant-garde visual artists on their Myspace page under influences, but it’s just not that lyrically, musically or visually innovative.

This is a quote from their Sub Pop bio: “Elsewhere, No Age's members have impacted multiple mediums in a way that tastefully denies rampant cynicism.” Congratulations, but when you put something like that in your bio, you should be careful not to sound so negative and cynical in between song banter. On a more positive note, I do love how they use their new popularity to bring attention to their friends’ bands. And by no means, are they a bad band. They’re way, way better than most of the stuff out there. Just try to avoid reading their interviews.

10 LA Bands to See at SXSW

The Everest lads

SXSW is so vast, it's impossible to do a real preview. So here's the first of two posts. In this post I'm highlighting ten LA bands that are worth tracking down in Austin (and all the bands sound pretty different). If you're a first time attendee, my overall advice for the festival is to slow down. Pick a few bands that you really want to see, make your best effort to see them, but don't stress. While many of the venues are in close proximity, it's not worth rushing around to try to take it all in. I plan on seeing a lot of old friends, supporting some of my friends in band, checking out a few bands I've been wanting to see and eating a lot of barbeque and tex-mex and drinking a lot of Shiner and Lone Star.

The foks at Do512 have done a great job covering the festival. For other opinions, check out Jeff Weiss' Guide to LA Bands at SXSW .

10 LA Bands Worth Seeing:

1) Everest: Kind of like a Silver Lake supergroup with Russ Pollard, J. Soda, Rob Douglas, Davey Latter and Joel Graves. They make it look too easy. Very appropriately signed to Neil Young’s Vapor Records. See them Thursday at 1:45 PM @ Cedar Street and 7:45 PM @ Copper Tank Download “Trees”

2) Le Switch: No official showcase for these guys, but they’ve got a coveted slot at the Hot Freaks party. I’ve been working on writing a press release for them, so I don’t want to blow my wad here. They’re influenced by the early 1970s rock like the Kinks/Wings/Nilsson that I also love. Frankel plays right before them and is well worth seeing. See them Saturday at 1:30 PM @ the Mohawk

3) Henry Clay People: No official showcase for them either, but another local band that I really like. They’re inspired by Pavement, the Replacements and a lot of other fun indie-ish guitar bands. See them Thursday at Noon @ the Belmont and a little later @ Lucky Lounge

4) The Little Ones: After getting signed to the EMI family, they toured their asses off last year. What did it get them? Dropped from the label. With the popularity of Vampire Weekend, their willingness to work their asses off and the fact that they’ve already got a Dave Newton produced album in the can, should make them an attractive addition to any indie label. Infectious indie pop. See them on Friday at 3:30 PM @ Red Eyed Fly and 9:00 PM @ Cedar Door; Saturday at 5:00 PM @ Salvage Vanguard Theatre

5) The Deadly Syndrome: Another band that’s just a whole lot of fun to see live. Their music is more along the lines of contemporaries like Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. See them Wednesday @ Hotel San Jose during the day and at 1:00 AM @ the Beauty Bar Backyard; Thursday at 3:40 PM @ Antone’s; Saturday at 10:00 PM @ Cedar Street Courtyard

6) Autolux: Noise-pop done extremely well. They haven’t released an album since 2004, so the new one is highly anticipated. See them Wednesday at 11:40 PM @ Emo’s Main Room; Thursday at 5:20 PM @ Antone’s; Friday at 5:30 PM @ Red Eyed Fly

7) Radar Bros.: Dreamy music that reminds me of Meddle-era Pink Floyd. It’s the kind of music I’ve always been able to get completely lost in. I just saw one of their first shows with the new lineup, and it was sped up a bit. See them Wednesday at 1:00 PM @ Emo’s; Thursday at 4:00 PM @ End of an Ear; Friday at 10:00 PM @ the Parish; Saturday at 6:30 PM @ Dog and Duck Pub

8) Division Day: Rohner’s keyboards play a prominent role in Division Day’s sound. It’s hard to pin down their influences exactly, because the four guys are all contributors and have pretty disparate interests. The All Music Guide compares them to Depeche Mode, Grandaddy, Elliott Smith, Boards of Canada and the Frames (?). High energy live band. See them Wednesday at 4:45 PM @ Creekside Lounge and Buffalo Billiards at 11:00 PM; Thursday @ Lucky Lounge; Friday at 4:00 PM @ Waterloo Records

9) Earlimart: Aaron Espinoza’s an integral part of the crop of Silver Lake bands that includes: Silversun Pickups, Radar Bros., Let’s Go Sailing, Irving, Pine Marten and all their offshoots. The good news is that Aaron’s been furiously writing and plans to release another new album this Summer. See them Wednesday at 7:00 PM @ Bat Bar; Thursday at 2:00 PM @ Antone’s; Friday at 5:00 PM @ Salvage Vanguard Theatre and 11:00 PM @ Buffalo Billiards; Saturday at 6:00 PM @ Homeslice Pizza

10) No Age: They’re responsible for bringing worldwide attention to the tiny, all ages, DIY, Smell venue. I’m over 21 and personally like to drink when I go out, plus I don’t have any sort of political issue with the traditional bar/club scene, so I don’t frequent the place (but I know people who do, and I’m sure I would if was in high school or college right now). I find them a bit overrated but you can’t hold that against a band. They’re lo-fi and experimental with hints of melody that occasionally peak through. High school and college kids will probably discover Crass, Wire, Dischord and SST bands through them, and that’s a cool thing. See them Thursday at 1:30 PM @ Mohawk and at 10:00 PM @ JellyNYC Texas Garage and 1:00 AM @ Habana Annex Backyard; Friday at 2:00 PM at the Opera House and 5:30 PM @ Emo’s Outside and 12:30 AM @ Bourbon Rocks Patio and super late @ Lamar Street Pedestrian Bridge; Saturday at 3:00 PM @ Volume Night Club and 7:10 PM @ Waterloo Park and 9:00 PM at Ms. Bea’s

I had to leave some out, but here are some others playing: Frankel, The Watson Twins, Let’s Go Sailing, Mezzanine Owls, The Mae Shi (who are playing about 14 times), The Pity Party, The Happy Hollows, Mika Miko, Abe Vigoda, Ima Gymnist, Anavan, HEALTH, Mike Stinson, Eleni Mandell, Airborne Toxic Event, Bodies of Water, Foreign Born, and on and on and on

LA Sponsored Shows at SXSW

There's a ridiculous amount of day parties and showcases going on at SXSW. I've been using showlistaustin.com to try to figure it a lot of it out.

Here are a few of the LA sponsored happenings at SXSW this week:

Little Radio is hosting day parties at the Red Eyed Fly on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

The Viper Room has shows every day at the Orchid.

Spaceland Productions has a great lineup at their day party at the Lucky Lounge on Thursday. Jaxart and Eenie Meenie co-sponsor the show.

Sean Carlson and the LA Record co-hosts the gigantic Mess with Texas party on Saturday.

Sean Carlson co-presents the Red Seven Party on Wednesday.

The Roxy has a solid lineup at its day party on Thursday at the Belmont.

An Aquarium Drunkard co-hosts Hot Freaks with a lot of other prominent bloggers. They’ve got great lineups on Friday and Saturday at Club Deville and the Mohawk.

IHeartComix hosts a big shindig at Jelly NYC’s Texas Garage on Friday. RSVP here.

Indie 103 has a showcase at the Cedar Street Courtyard on Saturday

SXSW Details Emerge

Since I'm planning on going to SXSW this year, I'm keeping my eyes on things.

Details are starting to emerge about SXSW showcases for some of my favorite labels. Daytime parties are starting to get announced as well (this is the best source for those).

Merge showcase @ the Parish on Friday
Destroyer, Radar Bros., She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), Shout Out Louds, Wye Oak

Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian/Dead Oceans @ the Mohawk on Thursday
OUTSIDE STAGE:
Black Mountain 1:00-2:00
Jens Lekman 12:00-12:45
Bon Iver 11:00-11:45
Evangelicals 10:00-10:45
Bodies of Water 9:00-9:45
Phosphorescent 8:00-8:45
INSIDE STAGE:
Parts + Labor 12:30-1:15
Citay 11:30-12:15
The Explorers Club 10:30-11:15
Throw Me The Statue 9:30-10:15
White Hinterland 8:30-9:15

Sub Pop @ Bourbon Rocks on Friday Night
Blitzen Trapper, Sera Cahoone, Fleet Foxes, Grand Archives, Handsome Furs, Helio Sequence, No Age, Pissed Jeans, Ruby Sons, Kelley Stoltz

SXSW - First Bands Announced

The first time I went to SXSW was 13 years ago. I haven't been in five or six years, but I'm starting to think I might go back this year.....

They announced the initial list of bands today. My old friends at the LAist broke down all the bands who identified themselves as LA bands (but missed several with made up city names).

After a very quick glance, here are a few of the bands that caught my eye:

LA Bands:
Abe Vigoda, Airborne Toxic Event, Anavan, Bodies of Water, Buddy, Castledoor, Correatown, Deadly Syndrome, Division Day, Earlimart, Ferraby Lionheart, Film School, Foreign Born, The Happy Hollows, Har Mar Superstar, HEALTH, Ice Cube, Jeremy Jay, J-Rocc, Let’s Go Sailing, The Little Ones, Eleni Mandell, Mika Miko, No Age, Oliver Future, Pity Party, Radar Bros., Jonah Ray (comedy), Jonathan Rice, Sea Wolf, The Watson Twins

Non-LA:
Aloha, A Place to Bury Strangers, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Black Mountain, AA Bondy, Bon Iver, Centro-Matic, Citay, Dr. Dog, El-P, Explorers Club, Earl Greyhound, Daryl Hall, Gary Higgins, Jens Lekman, Los Campesinos!, Thurston Moore, Peter Moren, My Morning Jacket, Okkervil River, Dolly Parton, Jay Reatard, R.E.M., The Spinto Band, Kelley Stoltz, Takka Takka, Vampire Weekend, White Williams, Why!, Wooden Shjips, Yo La Tengo

SXSW Application Deadline This Friday

Here's a reminder that the application deadline for SXSW is this Friday. The festival is a ton of fun, and any excuse to go to Austin is a good one. In the past four or five years the emphasis seems to have shifted away from the official showcases to the day parties and corporate events. So if you're a band that's thinking of applying, try to lock down some other performances too.....

From the SXSW website:
Apply to Showcase
New this year! Two ways to apply for a showcase slot at SXSW 2008.
Submit an online application from our website by clicking the "Apply To Showcase" link on this page OR submit your application though Sonicbids. It's your choice; the deadlines (October 26, 2007 for international artists, November 9, 2007 for artists in the USA) and fee ($20 for early submissions, $30 after applications submitted after October 5, 2007) are the same.

If you apply through the SXSW website you will need a credit card to pay your submission fee. SXSW accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and Diner's Club. Once your application is submitted, your Primary Contact will be sent a confirmation email with instructions on how to upload MP3s, a biography, an artist photograph, and a press kit.

To apply online via Sonicbids, click the link below. If you don't have a Sonicbids account, you can sign up for a 6 month free trial by using our link. You can pay the application fee with a credit card or Sonicbids site credit. We'll use your Sonicbids Electronic Press Kit to listen to your music and review your press materials. You won't need to upload any additional materials.

Check out the Showcase FAQ for more details.

Questions? If your question is not answered in our FAQ, contact: musfest@sxsw.com. For questions about applying through Sonicbids, write to sonicbids08@sxsw.com

Apply to Showcase through SXSW.com
OR
Apply for a SXSW showcase through Sonicbids