This was the
year I finally did SXSW right. I went to shows for seven
straight days without totally wearing myself out or getting
sick. I had a blast despite the festival being way too
crowded (it had an estimated 40% increase in attendance). My
only regret was not seeing Wild Flag. HUGE mistake. Oh well.
Next year I’ll be sure to bring my bike every day. Then I
won’t miss a great show at Waterloo Records because I’m
stuck down on Red River. Ugh!
I’ll try to keep my recap brief but that might be tough to
do. I saw such a myriad of incredible bands playing all
types of music that it’s hard to not to get excited (and
thus wordy). Here we go!
- Dan's SXSW 2011 Recap -
- 6 Best Shows -
Typefighter at
Lovejoy’s - Four loveable guys that play punchy folk rock.
This DC band was funny, energetic, and full of great tunes.
They were unknowns to the majority of people watching but by
the end of the set they had a roomful of fans.
:Typefighter
- Frank Sinatra:
Hey Rosetta at St. David’s - You have to give a credit to
the organizers of SXSW. They knew exactly which bands to put
in St. David’s and Central Presbyterian Church. Hey Rosetta
beautifully mixed guitar rock and soaring vocals with piano,
cello and violin. They sounded amazing in the chapel. I need
to find out some more about these guys.
:Hey
Rosetta - Yer Spring:
Glasser at Central Presbyterian Church - Whoa. I was
completely enthralled with this band. The music had a
Bjorkish quality and the lead singers voice was absolutely
hypnotic. Add that to her Grace Jones robotic dancing style
and weird as fuck dress and it all made for quite the
spectacle. I have yet to find anyone who was at this show
that wasn’t totally blown away by Glasser.
:Glasser
- Home:
tUnE-YarDs at Central Presbyterian Church - tUnE-YarDs had
the unenviable task of following Glasser at the Pitchfork
Showcase, and yet they did it with style. Led by Merrill
Garbus, the band pounded out layered tribal rhythms backed
by bass, keyboards and horns. The crowd ate it up. It’s hard
not to love the magic Merrill produces and to share in her
enthusiasm. You could tell she was loving every minute of
the show (as were all her fans).
:Tune-Yards
- Bizness:
Mind Spiders at Easy Tiger - I went to the Dirtnap Records
Showcase and was treated to a killer set by Something Fierce
out of Houston. However, the highlight of the night was the
flawless performance by Mind Spiders. They ripped through a
big chuck of their latest album while also debuting a number
of new songs. If you love garage pop or lo-fi psychedelic,
you MUST listen to Mind Spiders. Their album is the best
thing I’ve listen to all year.
:Mind
Spiders - World's Destroyed:
Carsick Cars at Malaia - Haven’t heard of these guys?
They’re a no-wave rockers out of Beijing that have been have
been compared to early Sonic Youth. They crank out catchy
punk tunes that are peppered with searing guitar and plenty
of fuzz.
:Carsick
Cars - You Can Listen You Can Talk:
- Honorable Mentions -
Note: These are
all bands I’ve seen multiple times in the past, but I still
sought them out during SXSW because I love them so damn
much.
Leatherbag - I caught their showcase at the horribly named
Velveeta Room. The band is amazingly tight and proficient
while Randy Reynolds simply owns the room when onstage.
Frankly, I love everything about this band. I’m anxious to
hear their next album which is rumored to be released this
year.
Ted Leo - I never tire of seeing Teddy whether he’s by
himself or with The Pharmacists. He’s one of indie rocks
most talented and charming front men. He was doing the solo
thing this year, just him and his electric guitar. Seeing
him play solo reminded me that he’s an amazing guitarist in
addition to being a great songwriter.
Menomena - I kind of lost touch with this band for a while.
I didn’t realize one of the original members had left and
was replaced by two new guys. No worries. They still
delivered an engaging and often memorizing set which
featured their trademark deep sax. Even though they have a
new record out, they played all their old favorites which
delighted the crowd.
White Denim - Just as with Menomena, this was the first time
I’ve seen the band with its new lineup. The fourth member
definitely changes the dynamics of the band. The extra
guitar took up more space and pushed the rhythm section to
background. Initially I wasn’t feeling it but soon I
realized why they made the move. The band fed off one
another and it was interesting to see how they rearranged
old songs with the new lineup.
Thao And The Get Down Stay Down - I was kind of surprised
that these guys were at SXSW. Thao has an album with Mirah
coming out next month, but they weren’t playing of those
songs. So if they aren’t playing any new songs, why were
they here? Simple: they love Austin. And you know what? We
love them back. After Thao tours with Mirah in support of
their record, she’ll gather with the Get Down Stay Down in
July to record their next album for the always awesome Kill
Rock Stars label.
And last but not least ...
Peelander-Z - After going to shows for six straight days, I
honestly had no intention of seeing any bands on Sunday.
That was until I heard Peelander-Z was playing a kids show
at the Spider House. My two year old daughter insists on
playing Peelander-Z whenever we ride in the car so I
couldn’t deprive her of a chance to see them live. She was
completely mesmerized and after the show was over and we
started walking back to the car she asked, "Daddy, do we
have to go?"
- Dan Corbin -
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