Acts I saw
My trawling of the music this year is characterized much more by what I missed, rather than by what I saw. But here's a rundown.
Wednesday, March 14
The 1900s
From my comments earlier: I liked their psychedelic sound a lot. I thought their talented "side" man was smokin' on the keyboards and guitar. He and the lead female singer were the secret weapons in this band. Another SXSW spouse in the crowd commented to me afterward that there was too much rotation of personnel onstage, people switching instruments between songs. And their violin player proved to be somewhat superfluous, as she inexplicably disappeared from the stage halfway through the set.
Finally Punk
Oh, how I wanted them to be good, a local, girl three-piece.
Thursday, March 15
Ozomatli
I'd never seen this LA-based act before. They are insanely talented. There is percussion, brass, wind, and traditional Mexican stringed instruments, besides the usual drums, bass, and guitar. They play hip-hop, Latin, and ska. Every man in the group has mastery of several instruments, and they all sing their asses off and move beautifully onstage. The punch they pack came as a real shock, and they really know how to make the most of a show.
Their showmanship was enhanced by the fact that we were watching them in the SXSW Live studio, and the performance was being broadcast live on Direct TV. Maybe you saw the Direct TV booth in the middle of 6th St., with Direct TV's on-air talent doing interviews. I can't say enough about the Direct TV people. They were like a micro-universe within SXSW. They had their sets, vans, trailers, everything, all inside the convention center. A world separate from every other eddy of activity going on in Austin, Texas that week.
We ducked inside master control after Ozomatli to peek at what they were doing. Everyone working in there was clearly stoked about it. They wrapped a street interview segment, threw to network for commercials, and whipped off headsets and shouted, "Yeah everybody! One hour of live broadcast down! Six more hours to go!! Wooooo!!" They had reason to celebrate. At the end of three days, they produced over 20 hours of programming in HD. That's more than most music shows do in months. And they made doing TV look so fun.
Sondre Lerche
Brought his band this time. This likeable Norwegian songwriter has such high energy onstage. In the interest of time, he said, he would not be bantering as much between songs as he usually does, but he was careful to thank his label from the stage. Something happened at this venue that has never happened to me in 20-plus years of clubgoing: a very tall guy insisted I stand in front of him or else I would not be able to see the stage!
The Awkward Stage
Small crowd for the Mint Records showcase, and this artist chose some down-tempo numbers
Northern State
I have devoted a post to them already, but I can't help myself. I had more fun at their showcase than any other this year. I love their hip-hop names: Hesta Prynn, Spero, and Sprout. I wish I had a hip-hop name.
Hesta Prynn is the cut-up onstage, and she drinks vodka and soda. (My drink!) When Sprout asked for more vocals in the monitor, Hesta Prynn followed up with, "Can I get more cocktail in my system?" (Before I could open my wallet, a curvy lady had already sped to the bar and fetched the libation.) They had a band, fronted by (I think, somebody correct me if I'm wrong) Chuck Brody (of Shitake Monkey).
"You a gangsta an' uh gennleman!" Hesta Prynn gestured and barked to him in appreciation. Then she let us in on the joke: A 13-year-old girl from Cincinnati, who changed her MySpace profile every day, had posted those very words on Chuck's MySpace page.
Hesta Prynn also announced that Northern State's choreography was done by Darrin Henson, of the "Bye Bye Bye" song and the "Darrin's Dance Grooves" video. "What, you don't like it?" she responded in mock surprise to the crowd's giggles.
Sprout has the leadership role in the act. I loved her movement and her lyric delivery. Spero is Sprout's friend from 10th grade on Long Island and has a coy and ladyish stage persona.
Oh, there is so much to love about this act. It would be easy to think of them as this sort of novelty thing — white chicks rapping — but I soon lost that idea because it was too much fun to watch them. Did rap just have to be made by people who look like me, think like me, so it would be liked by me? Possibly. I offer no other defenses.
http://www.northernstate.net
Ghostland Observatory
I had never seen this local act, a duo, and I was quite shocked how excellent they are. They make this screaming wave of rock-infused electronic sound that whips the crowd into this almost trance state. I freely admit I have seen precious few local acts perform live in recent years, and Ghostland Observatory should serve as a sharp reminder to others like me that not all great Austin music is associated with table implements. (Ba-dum.)
UGK
Oh, of course it was ridiculous for a white woman to be at a UGK show, but I was emboldened by my Northern State experience earlier in the evening. I'll just say I liked them and leave it at that.
Friday, March 16
The Buzzcocks
Did three songs in the TV studio, not for a live broadcast though. Watching them at 1 in the afternoon was funny.
The Oohlahs
There was a modest crowd in the TV studio for this LA-based pop act, fronted by the winsome Olivia Stone. Before they went live, she giggled, "This is the most expensive microphone I've ever sung into! I could hear a fart in here!"
Peter, Bjorn, and John
I have posted about them, too, already. How will you ever get that whistle song out of your head? Huh???
The one thing I will say is, I clearly remember a time when European bands — Scandanavian bands — could not get arrested at SXSW. I'm pleased that audiences' snobbery has lifted and pop music is resonating with everyone, even when it's from countries where they eat adventurous meat products. I tried to remember this when I nearly got knocked over by some fired-up, backpack-wearing doofus, who apparently was on his way to see the greatest rock band ever, PB&J.
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club
I liked their flouting of punctuation rules.
Rachel Fuller
This was also at the TV studio. They went off air while she sang a song called, "It's a Motherfucker." Her "old man," Pete Townshend did a few songs with her, and Martha Wainwright did one song with them as well. I hadn't really heard her before but I realized that she is who Neko Case wants to be when Neko Case grows up.
Saturday, March 17
Ponderosa Stomp
I ended up working at the Ponderosa Stomp day party, where I saw some pretty great music, including Ray Sharpe, Herb Remington, "Lil Buck," Tammy Lynn, Willie Tee, Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indians, and Barbara Lynn. I had some difficulty explaining what a Mardi Gras Indian is to our European friend and SXSW associate, Mirko Whitfield. (He eats this up with a fork, though, and I can still remember the first time he saw a Zydeco act.) So much of this music is what I remember hearing on AM radio when I was in elementary school, and it was great to hear it again.
Field Music
There was absolutely no chance of getting near this UK act, as the Beauty Bar patio was at capacity, so I hung out in the alley and tried to find a clean spot, which the piling garbage and a fetid Waller Creek made very difficult.
Palomar
I've been a big fan of this NY-based act for several years now, but their third release got caught in label collapse hell in 2005. Their new record's on Misra.
I heard a man in the audience say, "I have waited three years to see this band!" I wish the band had heard that, too, so maybe they would have quit tuning, and frowning at the sound person, and fretting, and more-vocals-in-the-monitoring. They sounded great out in the house. It would have been better if they'd just been, you know, happier. It wasn't their first SXSW showcase, and I hope not the last, either.
Girl Talk
Also no chance of getting near enough to this DJ hip-hop act to appreciate it, as Ye Olde Cave Club (aka Elysium) was jammmed.
I Wish I Had Not Missed:
Division Day
Rosie Thomas
Buttercup
Daylights For The Birds
Elemeno P
The Hedrons
The Trucks
The Little Ones
Duncan Sheik
Hoodoo Gurus
The Electric Soft Parade
The Apples in Stereo
Dengue Fever
Jets Overhead
The Moog
Mother Mother
Grand Buffet (who are like the hip-hop version of Tenacious D, only Grand Buffet is funny)
Wednesday, March 14
The 1900s
From my comments earlier: I liked their psychedelic sound a lot. I thought their talented "side" man was smokin' on the keyboards and guitar. He and the lead female singer were the secret weapons in this band. Another SXSW spouse in the crowd commented to me afterward that there was too much rotation of personnel onstage, people switching instruments between songs. And their violin player proved to be somewhat superfluous, as she inexplicably disappeared from the stage halfway through the set.
Finally Punk
Oh, how I wanted them to be good, a local, girl three-piece.
Thursday, March 15
Ozomatli
I'd never seen this LA-based act before. They are insanely talented. There is percussion, brass, wind, and traditional Mexican stringed instruments, besides the usual drums, bass, and guitar. They play hip-hop, Latin, and ska. Every man in the group has mastery of several instruments, and they all sing their asses off and move beautifully onstage. The punch they pack came as a real shock, and they really know how to make the most of a show.
Their showmanship was enhanced by the fact that we were watching them in the SXSW Live studio, and the performance was being broadcast live on Direct TV. Maybe you saw the Direct TV booth in the middle of 6th St., with Direct TV's on-air talent doing interviews. I can't say enough about the Direct TV people. They were like a micro-universe within SXSW. They had their sets, vans, trailers, everything, all inside the convention center. A world separate from every other eddy of activity going on in Austin, Texas that week.
We ducked inside master control after Ozomatli to peek at what they were doing. Everyone working in there was clearly stoked about it. They wrapped a street interview segment, threw to network for commercials, and whipped off headsets and shouted, "Yeah everybody! One hour of live broadcast down! Six more hours to go!! Wooooo!!" They had reason to celebrate. At the end of three days, they produced over 20 hours of programming in HD. That's more than most music shows do in months. And they made doing TV look so fun.
Sondre Lerche
Brought his band this time. This likeable Norwegian songwriter has such high energy onstage. In the interest of time, he said, he would not be bantering as much between songs as he usually does, but he was careful to thank his label from the stage. Something happened at this venue that has never happened to me in 20-plus years of clubgoing: a very tall guy insisted I stand in front of him or else I would not be able to see the stage!
The Awkward Stage
Small crowd for the Mint Records showcase, and this artist chose some down-tempo numbers
Northern State
I have devoted a post to them already, but I can't help myself. I had more fun at their showcase than any other this year. I love their hip-hop names: Hesta Prynn, Spero, and Sprout. I wish I had a hip-hop name.
Hesta Prynn is the cut-up onstage, and she drinks vodka and soda. (My drink!) When Sprout asked for more vocals in the monitor, Hesta Prynn followed up with, "Can I get more cocktail in my system?" (Before I could open my wallet, a curvy lady had already sped to the bar and fetched the libation.) They had a band, fronted by (I think, somebody correct me if I'm wrong) Chuck Brody (of Shitake Monkey).
"You a gangsta an' uh gennleman!" Hesta Prynn gestured and barked to him in appreciation. Then she let us in on the joke: A 13-year-old girl from Cincinnati, who changed her MySpace profile every day, had posted those very words on Chuck's MySpace page.
Hesta Prynn also announced that Northern State's choreography was done by Darrin Henson, of the "Bye Bye Bye" song and the "Darrin's Dance Grooves" video. "What, you don't like it?" she responded in mock surprise to the crowd's giggles.
Sprout has the leadership role in the act. I loved her movement and her lyric delivery. Spero is Sprout's friend from 10th grade on Long Island and has a coy and ladyish stage persona.
Oh, there is so much to love about this act. It would be easy to think of them as this sort of novelty thing — white chicks rapping — but I soon lost that idea because it was too much fun to watch them. Did rap just have to be made by people who look like me, think like me, so it would be liked by me? Possibly. I offer no other defenses.
http://www.northernstate.net
Ghostland Observatory
I had never seen this local act, a duo, and I was quite shocked how excellent they are. They make this screaming wave of rock-infused electronic sound that whips the crowd into this almost trance state. I freely admit I have seen precious few local acts perform live in recent years, and Ghostland Observatory should serve as a sharp reminder to others like me that not all great Austin music is associated with table implements. (Ba-dum.)
UGK
Oh, of course it was ridiculous for a white woman to be at a UGK show, but I was emboldened by my Northern State experience earlier in the evening. I'll just say I liked them and leave it at that.
Friday, March 16
The Buzzcocks
Did three songs in the TV studio, not for a live broadcast though. Watching them at 1 in the afternoon was funny.
The Oohlahs
There was a modest crowd in the TV studio for this LA-based pop act, fronted by the winsome Olivia Stone. Before they went live, she giggled, "This is the most expensive microphone I've ever sung into! I could hear a fart in here!"
Peter, Bjorn, and John
I have posted about them, too, already. How will you ever get that whistle song out of your head? Huh???
The one thing I will say is, I clearly remember a time when European bands — Scandanavian bands — could not get arrested at SXSW. I'm pleased that audiences' snobbery has lifted and pop music is resonating with everyone, even when it's from countries where they eat adventurous meat products. I tried to remember this when I nearly got knocked over by some fired-up, backpack-wearing doofus, who apparently was on his way to see the greatest rock band ever, PB&J.
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club
I liked their flouting of punctuation rules.
Rachel Fuller
This was also at the TV studio. They went off air while she sang a song called, "It's a Motherfucker." Her "old man," Pete Townshend did a few songs with her, and Martha Wainwright did one song with them as well. I hadn't really heard her before but I realized that she is who Neko Case wants to be when Neko Case grows up.
Saturday, March 17
Ponderosa Stomp
I ended up working at the Ponderosa Stomp day party, where I saw some pretty great music, including Ray Sharpe, Herb Remington, "Lil Buck," Tammy Lynn, Willie Tee, Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indians, and Barbara Lynn. I had some difficulty explaining what a Mardi Gras Indian is to our European friend and SXSW associate, Mirko Whitfield. (He eats this up with a fork, though, and I can still remember the first time he saw a Zydeco act.) So much of this music is what I remember hearing on AM radio when I was in elementary school, and it was great to hear it again.
Field Music
There was absolutely no chance of getting near this UK act, as the Beauty Bar patio was at capacity, so I hung out in the alley and tried to find a clean spot, which the piling garbage and a fetid Waller Creek made very difficult.
Palomar
I've been a big fan of this NY-based act for several years now, but their third release got caught in label collapse hell in 2005. Their new record's on Misra.
I heard a man in the audience say, "I have waited three years to see this band!" I wish the band had heard that, too, so maybe they would have quit tuning, and frowning at the sound person, and fretting, and more-vocals-in-the-monitoring. They sounded great out in the house. It would have been better if they'd just been, you know, happier. It wasn't their first SXSW showcase, and I hope not the last, either.
Girl Talk
Also no chance of getting near enough to this DJ hip-hop act to appreciate it, as Ye Olde Cave Club (aka Elysium) was jammmed.
I Wish I Had Not Missed:
Division Day
Rosie Thomas
Buttercup
Daylights For The Birds
Elemeno P
The Hedrons
The Trucks
The Little Ones
Duncan Sheik
Hoodoo Gurus
The Electric Soft Parade
The Apples in Stereo
Dengue Fever
Jets Overhead
The Moog
Mother Mother
Grand Buffet (who are like the hip-hop version of Tenacious D, only Grand Buffet is funny)
posted by Roseana Auten @ 2:43 PM
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