DAY THREE - FRIDAY - SXSW
This set wasn't
as good as the one I saw them do a few months back, but the
banter between songs was funny and overall it was a pretty
nice way to get the day started. Still, definitely
wish I had been able to see them late at night somewhere.
Dee Dee used
to be (or perhaps still is) dynamic as the singer/drummer of
Grand Ole Party when it came to performing, so I know I'll
at least be in for a carefree and fun time when this
all-lady act takes the stage. Plus, with every new
track I like them a little more, so I'd like to see what
else they have.
I didn't know
anything about Golden Filter before they took the stage, but
I ended up having a great time with them. Their singer
is an eye magnet, and the songs are as catchy and dancey as
it gets. As for Best Coast, I think I realize now why
so many people seem to be stuck on them - there's a breezy,
infectious edge to their music. It really stands out
live, so if you're like the pre-SXSW me and not hearing it
then I recommend catching a show.
While there are
a lot of people that like Here We Go Magic, I get the
feeling they're not as appreciated as much as they should
be. I mean, this is a masterful act on the stage.
Throughout their entire set at the Lustre Pearl I just stood
their entirely enthralled in every note. Get the
old album, pre-order the new one and make an effort to see
them perform. Seriously.
There were a
lot of rumbles that Zooey Deschanel had been an absolute
pain to work with leading up to the She And Him performance
at the Lustre Pearl, but there really wasn't much of that
once she took the stage (aside from a request for people to
stop smoking). I will say this though, I don't get the
chemistry between Zooey and M. Ward. They churn out a
nice sound together, but they seem to be doing this just
because they don't have anything else going on. Kind
of weird, honestly.
I wasn't too
interested in this band beforehand, but I wanted to see the
almighty Danger Mouse and I wasn't going anywhere since
Surfer Blood were slated to take the stage once they were
done. Not surprisingly though, Broken Bells won me
over. They're consummate professionals and their songs
work a lot better live.
Surfer Blood
are the real deal. Their album is great. They're
fun to see live. If you're not on the bandwagon yet
then you should stop fighting it. Go ahead and come
onboard. I'll help you find a seat.
A few of my
friends saw these guys and weren't remotely interested in
ever hearing them play a single note again, but I thought
they were rather fun ... in a super dorky sort of way.
Expect them to be pretty big by the time the year is over.
SXSW has kind of become the home of surprise performances from mega-bands, all-star projects and other random stuff, so it didn't surprise me that J. Mascus, Thurston Moore, Andrew WK (he had Jonah from Fucked Up fill in for him at the MOG Party) and more joined together to blow minds. However, what did catch me off guard was the fact that it seemed to be a huge joke. Lyrics were read off pieces of paper, most songs were less than a minute and the banter was as ridiculous as it could get. Give it up to them for shitting all over the process of bringing in Hole and all those other acts who haven't quite made it so they can promote at SXSW.
In some ways, this was a better show than the one I had saw at the Lustre Pearl the night before. Probably because I knew what to expect and I was excited to seem them again.
If the Black
Angels hadn't attempted to permanently make me deaf then I
believe the Antlers would have easily come out on top as the
loudest show I saw during SXSW. It was insane.
Good, but insane. I need to see these guys do a longer
set though, as the quick thing isn't an ideal situation for
them.
What more can
really be said about the Black Keys? They're always
awesome live, and this performance was no different.
Probably would have been perfect had they unveiled a bunch
of new tunes or did some random Blakroc tracks (Mos Def was
in town).
Valhalla is not
a venue I ever think about going to, so I went sort of
expecting it be me and the wife as the only two in
attendance for Pree, who put out of my favorite tracks last
year. But, there was actually a nice crowd (including
those pesky School Of Seven Bells kids again) and the band
knocked it out of the park. I hope they come back to
Austin soon.
There's always
at least one show where the attendance really surprises me,
and the Casiokids at the Galaxy Room was it this year.
That place was packed and there wasn't a single person that
wasn't dancing their heart out as the band rolled through
its collection of pop jams. Great stuff.
This was a
weird show. The band didn't talk much and they ran all
of their songs together so that it seemed like one long
post-rock number. Kind of cool, I suppose, but on the
last night of a long festival I would have preferred
something less serious.
Since I saw
their first show at this year's SXSW, I figured I might as
well stay and see their 8th and final one, which actually
ended up being the better of the two. Aside from the
music, the best part of the night was actually them
confessing that they were exhausted and ready to go home.
It's easy to forget that while you are ready to fall over,
the band that's played double digit shows is in the same
boat. SXSW is a merciless beast for all who dare
attend.
Does anyone
know who the guy above is? I see him at shows all the
time around town. He strolls on stage, reads a strange
poem and then stands off in the corner for the rest of the
show. At SXSW I saw him open for Broken Bells and Joan
Of Arc. It's weird. I need to know, so someone
speak up!
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