Last looks at SXSW (all photos by Sam Ladach-Bark)
26/03/08 13:38
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SXSW in review (last day, March 15)
16/03/08 14:11
By SAM LADACH-BARK
AUSTIN -- There's an inherent feeling of relief when walking downtown for the last day of SXSW.
Like an unstoppable blob, the crowds keep growing with each passing day. A Saturday closer obviously has something to do with it. For those who couldn't swing a day outing Thursday or Friday becuse of their nine to fives, it's the most exciting day ever. For those of us in day three of this foolishness, we're content to walk very slowly from club to club, just trying not to get knocked over by anyone.
The day began disappointingly with news that the 12:30 set by Lyrics Born at Club DeVille had been canceled. So I headed over to Habana after hearing about free hangover-curing cocktails at the Bust magazine party. San Diego's Grand Ole Party was onstage, and I did a triple take on seeing that the lead singer looked and sounded exactly like Karen O. They played a solid set of foot-stomping, no-frills shock rock while onlooker sipped greedily on their free cocktails.
Moments after the band left the stage, lo and behold, Elijah Wood began setting up for what looked like a DJ set. When the music started, I had no idea he was even doing anything. And he kind of wasn't. His iPod was hooked into the booth and he was "spinning" with his thumb. Somehow I couldn't help but think about when Michael Jordan decided to play baseball for a year.
After getting over the spectacle of "DJ Frodo," I used the last of my energy stomping around at Emo's, where the name of the game was getting a place to sit at Mohawk for The Islands.
I'm really glad I arrived early, because Japan's Peelander-Z played a set that escapes words. It's more performance art than music, Dressed like hobo Power Rangers, they orchestrated a human bowling alley, climbed on top of the stage tents and gave audience members their instruments while they danced and jumped with toys and signs.
Then The Islands, who are ex-members of Unicorns, played songs off their new album Arm's Way, set to release in late May. Most of the new songs were similar in style to their previous work -- rolling transitions, dancehall pop and indescribably weird lyrics.
I didn't have the same momentum as night rolled around, but was pleasantly surprised by Minneapolis's Best Friends Forever. Think cute indie pop. During their first couple of songs the floor was bare. But that changed as people caught on, and their closing song was played for a roaring crowd hundreds strong.
Later I dragged myself to Elysium to see Japanese punk trio The Pillows. They played several songs from their work with the underground anime show FLCL. Good but not amazing. Time to find a pillow.
SXSW 2008 in review (Friday, March 14)
15/03/08 17:18
By SAM LADACH-BARK
AUSTIN -- Somehow the masses scraped themselves out of bed (or possibly the gutter), hit the streets and did it all over again. The crowds moved with less gusto, but the artists played with poise and passion.
UK's Lightspeed Champion did his best to waken a somber crowd inside the Paste/Stereogum day showcase. His off-kilter variety of indie folk worked better than the Bloody Marys and Micheladas ever could. Singing about comic books, traveling through space and geeking out to Weezer, his voice still carried a certain hidden repressed undertone similar to Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. But it didn't ruin the fun.
As the temperature rose, soaring above 95 degrees, heaven was found in the shade with a cold beer and busy stage. New York group White Williams, playing outside during the hottest part of the day, received an A for effort. But their sound was about as sophisticated as dropping loose change down a garbage disposal. Also powering through the grueling heat was Chicago get-up Anathalio. They featured an indie rock base and inspiring percussion that took one member of the band from one corner of the stage to the other playing snare, kettle and one gigantic timpani.
The night provided a refreshing, welcome change of pace and temperature. Downtown became flooded, not only by festival goers but the usual rabble of mostly overdressed ex-sorority girls and hair-gelled Blackberry owners. I even heard one girl exclaim, "What the hell is going on down here tonight?"
Getting around was tricky, especially if you were jumping venues to maximize the night's musical potential. Clubs were at capacity almost everywhere by 10 p.m. Inside Emo's, hip/hop buzz band The Cool Kids out of Brooklyn whipped a hipster crowd into an arms-in-the-air free-for-all, with the 10-foot radius surrounding the stage becoming one of the more dangerous places in Austin for 40 minutes.
With the crowd roiling to a boiling point outside, Akon/Family on the inside stage got set for their brand of crowd-captivating campfire rock. They played -- well, screamed actually -- songs from 2007's acclaimed Love Is Simple, inviting the crowd onstage at the end for one gigantic sing-a-long.
Meanwhile, Sonic Youth lead singer Thurston Moore's record label Ecstatic Peace was showcasing its best and brightest. Moore's musical tastes extend in all directions, and his record collection is legendary, which explains the diversity of his artists. Notable performances included pretty punk from Be Your Own Pet and a rebirth of grunge from Boston's Black Helicopters.
Moore took it upon himself to close out the evening with his back-up band, The New Wave Bandits. Selections from his latest solo album, Trees Outside the Academy, were thrown into overdrive, stretching and evolving amid the endless feedback. Basically, a label owner was telling his bands to watch and learn -- I'm still a lot cooler than you are.
SXSW 2008 in review (Thursday, March 13)
14/03/08 10:12
By SAM LADACH-BARK
AUSTIN -- It's that time again. The beginning of spring in Austin brings the hottest, most-blogged-about bands from every corner of the world.
The South By Southwest musical festival has been exposing the masses to eccentric, eclectic, electric sounds since its inception in 1987. But in past years it's become something of a circus. This year in excess of 1,700 bands will be showcased.
Downtown Austin is a veritable candyland for music enthusiasts. It becomes an enclosed entity that for three days seems to function only as a forum for live music. Every bar and restaurant has been retro-fitted.
Setting this year's festival apart from previous years' is the continuing trend of free day shows saturated with both promotional liquor and live music. They began bright and early at noon Thursday -- at least for those who were at the festival's kickoff Wednesday night.
Nada Surf, fresh from their fifth full-length release Lucky, treated folks to an early acoustic set. The Bloody Marys were free and the band's three core members kept things familiar with several tracks from 2003's Let Go. Still, there was too much to see elsewhere.
Avant-garde collaborative masterminds Film School also were happy to play a free show. Differing markedly from their usual slow-burn folk, these Cali rockers took a page from their label's founder (ex Pavement member Scott Kanberg), displaying a previously unseen penchant for forceful feedback.
Just down the road, The Raveonettes had their sound dialed in at Red-Eyed Fly and at first sat nonchalantly at the foot of the stage. Of course, the 200+ attendees were too freakin' scared to say hi. They then poured out selections from Lust Lust Lust, blowing away an already taken-aback crowd. Even though they're just three strong -- two guitars and a sparse drum set -- they created an atmosphere of pure ecstasy.
As the day shows come to an end, the drinks are no longer free. But the bands seem to become more obsessed with giving their all. Sound checks become more cumbersome, but it all seems worth it once washed over.
Up-and-coming Oklahoma get-up, The Evangelicals, spent several minutes arguing with the sound guys before their show at The Mohawk. There were no complaints afterward, though, as the band wove streams of unconscious rock across a post-punk canvas. Who the hell would have thought these boys could be from Oklahoma?
Soon after, Swedish rocker Jens Lekman took on the masses with his sweetly seductive brand of indie disco pop. Bringing a full band, Lekman doled out delicious doses of dance rock from his latest, Night Falls Over Kortedala. His hip-shaking sounds closed out day one of SXSW. I can live with that.
Music news for you to use
03/03/08 18:37
By SAM LADACH-BARK
In what could be his oddest coupling since the storied "Little Drummer Boy" duet with Bing Crosby, venerable David Bowie will be collaborating with Scarlett Johansson on her album of Tom Waits covers.
Scarlett Johansson? Perhaps, though, if the British prince of pop is lending his talents, it will be a project worth keeping an eye on. Bowie will lend two vocals to her "Anywhere I Lay My Head," scheduled for a May 20th release.
***Radiohead also has a new release on the horizon, although this one is produced by their former recording label EMI. Plans are in the works to release a greatest hits album later this year, which definitely will not be of the "pay what you may" persuasion. On a side note, California Hip-hop/electronic artist Amplive recently produced a remix of selected tracks from "In Rainbows," titled "Rainy Dayz." After a brief legal battle, Amplive was given the nod by the Radiohead boys, but only to release it to the public as a free download.
***In live music news, South By Southwest's list of approximately 1,700 bands and 81 venues includes Austin appearances by R.E.M., Dolly Parton, MGMT, British Sea Power, Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket and Akron/Family. The music portion of SXSW runs from March 12-16.
***Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks have announced their U.S. tour, to coincide with the release of their new LP "Real Emotional Trash." Indie pixel pop artist John Vanderslice will open for the majority of the tour.
***R.E.M. just added 25 European tour dates to follow their U.S. travels, which begin in early March. Their overseas stops include London, Germany, France and everywhere in between, from July to September.
***In random music news, Sonic Youth will sponsor a traveling museum exhibit featuring the work of artists who illustrated or designed album covers for the band during its 20+ year career. Also, work on their next full-length LP will begin this spring.
And in more Sonic Youth gab, bassist Kim Gordon recently endorsed Barack Obama for president. He's eight years younger than the iconic rocker.