By now you’ve
been bombarded with dozens upon dozens of party options, and
you've probably cobbled together a list of "Must See" bands
for SXSW. You're ready. Or, at least you think
you are. I'm now going to mess that up by throwing out
two more parties that are, of course, full of good bands you
may or may not know and free beer and vodka. That's
what I like to call a win-win ... except for the whole
scheduling part.
On Friday
is the Ramble Creek Recording Studio Day Show, which
promises to be a uniquely Austin event. Hosted by the
fabulous Callie (aka Show Lush), it’s being held in Show
Lush’s Backyard (1704 Kinney Avenue) in South Austin.
Trust me, after a few days of downtown parties you’re going
to want a less chaotic environment to kick back, relax, and
drink free Lone Stars (and Tito’s Vodka) while listening to
a series of incredible bands. There’s an all Texas
lineup with performances by Monahans, Austin Collins, Doug
Burr, Seryn, and The Georgian Company. There’s even a solo
performance by Will Johnson from Centro-Matic (he’s also the
drummer for Monsters of Folk).
Here are some of my favorite tracks recorded at Ramble Creek
Studio:
:Centro-matic
- Huge In Every City:
A great tune
for bands coming to SXSW looking to making it big overnight.
The lesson: there’s no cutting corners if you want to make
great music.
:Monahans
- It's Enough To Leave You:
Anyone who read
my list of top albums of 2009 knows I’m a big fan of this
group. You’re missing out if you haven’t seen them
live.
:One
Wolf - Backyard:
A fitting song
considering the venue. I must admit this is the band
I’m most excited to see on Friday. I really know
nothing about them yet I love everything I’ve heard thus
far.
:Colin
Herring - Trazodone:
His new album
is entitled OCHO and was produced by Centro-matic’s
Will Johnson. It’s received critical acclaim and has
drawn many comparisons to early R.E.M. You need to
check this guy out.
:Telegraph
Canyon - Dressed In Fight:
A band that
never disappoints. The best, most accurate description
of them comes from the Seattle Weekly: "If the Arcade
Fire were a little more country and a little less Quebecois,
the band would sound like fellow apocalyptic ensemble
Telegraph Canyon."
:The
Georgian Company - Apology:
Two words:
steel guitar.
I usually
just cover the Austin music scene, but I have to put in a
plug for my old stomping ground - Washington, DC. On
Saturday afternoon DC Does TX will be held at Lovejoy’s (604
Neches St.). Just like the Ramble Creek show, there’s
plenty of great bands and free beer!
:Title
Tracks - Found Out:
Title Tracks is
the brainchild of John Davis, who many know from Q And Not U
and the now defunct Georgie James. If you enjoyed
those bands, you’ll like Title Tracks. In fact, I’ve
yet to find someone who has seen Title Tracks live and not
left the show a fan.
:Deleted
Scenes - Ithaca:
Probably DC’s
best band, although they aren’t as well known as others.
If I was betting on which DC band will blow up, my money
would be on these guys.
:Vandaveer
- Beverly Clearys 115th Dream:
Vandaveer is
the moniker for Mark Charles Heidinger. He specializes
in classic folk (think Dylan before he went electric) and
troubadour rock. He has effortlessly beautiful vocals
that make each tune welcoming.
:Le
Loup - Forgive Me:
Last year I saw
Le Loup perform an in-store at Waterloo Records. The band
seemed determined to challenge the audience and disappoint
fans who hoped the songs would sound like they did on
record. And you know what? It worked. This
is band that will never follow trends or settle for results
that lack true creativity.
:Pree
- In The Parlour:
Lead singer May
Tabol is not only gorgeous and talented, but she has one of
my favorite singing voices in indie rock. You can’t
help but love her songs.
Dan Corbin also writes for a blog called DC Rock
Club. If you would like to contact him in
regards to his writings here at Side One: Track One
then please do so
here.
- Dan Corbin
-
Unless
otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any
related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by
John Laird under a
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