SXSW 2009: A Cheapskate's Guide

OK. This is for Brown, Billy, Jared, and the three other people following along. Yesterday was Day One of the fabulous annual gift of SXSW. I'll try to update this as things go, but life is busy (you know... family, job, the things that are more important than music), so be patient. And many thanks to my wife and mother-in-law for picking up my parental slack and allowing me to enjoy what is becoming my annual indulgence. Everything listed below was free.

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009: Day One wrap-up, in order as the day progressed:
1 - Danny Malone (Paradise) - Perfect way to start things up. Still love this kid. ("Since Then" / more).
2 - Brothers and Sisters (Paradise) - Austin band gone 70s Calfornia.
3 - Ferraby Lionheart (Paradise) - First time seeing the folksy troubadour. Great tunes. ("Dear Corrine" / more).
4 - Micachu & The Shapes (Ms Bea's) - UK oddballs with great rhythms. ("Golden Phone" / "Calculator").
5 - Tacocat (Ms Bea's) - Unfortunately tuneless and chordy girl noise-pop from Seattle.
6 - Old Blood (Emo's Outside) - Walked in on this duo and dug the last tune. Like Matt & Kim through a distortion box instead of a keyboard.
7 - Deastro (Emo's Annex) - So began the wait for Maus Haus. These guys seemed like a forgettable British band to me.
8 - The Phenomenal Handclap Band (Emo's Annex) - Felt like a throwback to the dirty disco of 70s NYC. Lots of people, not a lot of catchiness.
9 - Maus Haus (Emo's Annex) - Longest sound-check ever cut the show to four songs, but those quirky rhythms came through. The younger keyboard/singer guy was probably the coolest kid in town. Sometimes you can tell when people are just chock full of novel ideas. ("Reaction" / "Rigid Breakfast").
10 - Harlem Shakes (Maggie Mae's inside) - Nerdy popsters with a few good tunes. So impressed that they could all sing so well. These full-band harmonies are a nice trend. ("Strictly Game").
11 - Cut Off Your Hands (Maggie Mae's upstairs inside) - Highlight of the day, for sure. Felt like a greatest hits set. The hooks just kept coming. Get on this bandwagon and book them into the holy pop trinity with The Cribs and The Wombats. That good. ("Turn Cold" / more).
12 - Pete & The Pirates (Peckerheads) - So catchy. You should know this story by now. ("Jennifer").
13 - Let's Wrestle (Ms Bea's) - I swear there are some tunes buried beneath that early Dinosaur Jr sludge. The atonal vocals were tough and the drummer always felt a touch behind, but they have a few hooks up their sleeves. ("I Won't Lie To You").
14 - Pete & The Pirates (Ms Bea's) - Yes, again. Clean riff-driven pop with the most perfect harmonies. I'm a massive fan. ("Mr. Understanding").
15 - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Ms Bea's) - Packed-crowd, band playing on the floor. I felt like what it must be to be a 5'1" Japanese girl at a packed gig. Frustrating (I'm the annoying tall white guy in the front). The tunes came through though. Would love to see them again. Probably the world's best "we lived on C86 & Sarah for years and this is what we came up with" band around. ("Come Saturday" / "Contender").

The goal today is Glasvegas. I'm hoping they sound more 2007 than slick 2009 to be honest. I hope the doo-wop hearts shine through (I mean, do you remember the promise of this one?). It's well documented in these pages that I love this gang, so I'm hoping the teen crush is validated today. I'm sure it will be. So, I'll be camping out at the Mohawk hopefully also enjoying the likes of Vivian Girls, Wavves, and School of Seven Bells. Time to go...
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Thursday, March 19th, 2009: Day Two wrap-up, in order as the day progressed:
1 - Vivian Girls (Mohawk Outside) - Met up with my friend Dee at the Mohawk around 12:30 PM and settled in for what would eventually be Glasvegas. Vivian Girls were up first and didn't seem thrilled about the early hour. I wasn't too familiar with them but was pleasantly surprised with their Tiger Trap bounce and general 90s K Records / Kill Rock Stars sound. The lead singer looked a lot like Kim Shattuck of the The Muffs (sigh), which was mildly frustrating because I started craving "Lucky Guy" instead of the Vivian Girls...
2 - Wavves (Mohawk Outside) - This duo seems to get a lot of blog love and I've yet to be converted, but seeing them live (with less distortion) helped me glean the tunes from the muck. I was increasingly sold as the set progressed and need to investigate further. Kind of like a No Age with way better melodies. ("So Bored").
3 - School of Seven Bells (Mohawk Outside) - I was excited to see this group and wasn't disappointed. While I honestly only like a couple of their songs, the vocals live were really good; very "Persian-esque" harmonies actually. I also dug the very "Loveless" tremelo-ed out strums. Great guitar tones. "Half Asleep" was the fave.
4 - Glasvegas (Mohawk Outside) - At this point, it felt like we were moving from "indie" bands to "rock stars". While the other bands had minimal stage/soundcheck help, the Glasvegas crew took the stage five strong. The change-over lasted about 40 minutes, complete with guitar pick holders mounted to all microphone stands. Unfortunately, the first few tunes ("Geraldine", "Lonesome Swan", "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry") were somewhat compromised by overly reverbed vocals, just too much guitar, and what seemed to be excessive stage movement in an attempt to "get into it". I was honestly a bit bummed as it just wasn't "connecting" in my opinion (it felt a bit posturing). Then, there was a new intro into "Flowers and Football Tops" and things started to click. The intro was a simple guitar-swell joined by James crooning out "why you not home yet?". For me, that's when the entire "blue-collar streets of Glasgow" vibe started to come across. "Flowers" is quite honestly one of the saddest songs ever (I used to sing it as a lullaby to my son when he was in pain and I'd get choked up before I would ever even hit the second chorus). It's a complete anthem, to me. From there, they went into "Ice Cream Van" which saw James really belting things out. The kid has pipes and it showed here more than ever. "Go Square Go" (the single version) was next with its classic "here we go, here we go..." mantra and finally "Daddy's Gone" was the expected closer. All in all, it ended as cinematic as I hoped it would be. While some of the early subtlety and charm still seem a touch lost in the neo-shoegaze guitars, the "broken hearts" vibe still shines through. Classic band.
5 - The Henry Clay People (Peckerheads) - From here we walked around a bit as there wasn't anything that I was strongly into by the late afternoon. We headed to Peckerheads and sat through Dark Meat (odd) and MegaFaun (like hillbillies covering early Slowdive at points) until The Henry Clay People came on. I don't love these guys as it's still a bit "major chord" for my blood, but the kids can throw a party. The energy was awesome and the songs had definite hooks. We're talking Springsteen/Replacements here and done really nice. They were refreshingly pose-free and just completely into it (not typical for an LA band). I'll definitely check these guys out.

By now, it was around dinnertime and my wife, kids, and mother-in-law met us downtown for some food and a stroll down 6th. My two-year son had his finger in his ear for most of the walk. It was hilarious. I can't blame him. The clash of band-noise on the street gets really annoying (why do open-air venues always book death metal bands?). The highlight of the walk was this Japanese band called Quaff who were obviously shooting a music video as they "marched" and lip-synced up 6th street. They tried to act so tough and then started chanting (as a boombox feebly attempted to blast out their music) "Shake Your Booty", complete with overhead clapping, at which point it all felt very boy-band. It was then off to home and unintentionally falling asleep with my son before the clock even struck 10 PM...
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Friday, March 20th, 2009: Day Three wrap-up, in order as the day progressed:
1 - The Rural Alberta Advantage (Mohawk, Inside) - Friday started just after noon as I slid into the Mohawk for the first part of the annual "Hot Freaks" party. The Wrens were just wrapping up on the outside stage, so I caught a couple of tunes (not my thing) and headed inside for the curiously named Rural Alberta Advantage. I'd never seen a show inside at the Mohawk and it was quite nice. These two guys and one girl were pretty good. I'm not so familiar with their stuff, but the first obvious comparison that hits you is Neutral Milk Hotel (that voice). All in all, a good set. ("Don't Haunt This Place" / "Four Night Rider").
2 - Little Boots (Emo's Jr. aka Inside) - I quickly headed down Red River and walked in just in time (a fortunate and common happening this year) to see Little Boots at 1 PM. I'm a huge fan of "Meddle" (moreso this remix), but the rest of the set was a bit too Dido for my blood. They are good at what they do though.
3 - The Warlocks (Maggie Mae's upstairs room) - Out of Emo's and straight west to Maggie Mae's to catch the drugged-up jams of The Warlocks. I'm not the hugest fan, but I am a sucker for those guitar sounds. This band has incredible guitar tone (thank Gretsch and Vox). I liked their set, though it did feel a bit odd at 1:30 in the afternoon.
4 - The Antlers (Emo's Annex) - After The Warlocks, I headed back to Emo's Jr in a vain attempt to catch The Pains of Being Pure at Heart again (line down the street), then headed back up Red River to the back-up plan of American Analog Set at Club DeVille (line up the street again). At this point I ran into a friend of mine and we headed back to 6th. As we were walking past Emo's Annex, I heard The Antlers playing "Two", a song that has slowly grown on me over the past few months. We cruised in and caught the end of it (which ended their set). I need to dig a little deeper with these guys.
5 - Loney Dear (Flamingo Cantina) - We headed across 6th to the Flamingo Cantina to check out Sweden's Loney Dear, who were disappointing. I expected live drums and shoegaze guitars, but got a drum machine and acoustic guitar. Perhaps they are changing; I have no idea.
6 - Cut Off Your Hands (Radio Room) - Off to the new Radio Room we went to await Cut Off Your Hands. In the meantime, it was Gentelman Reg (no thanks) and Young Galaxy (as Simon Cowell would say, "forgettable"). Both bands were harmless enough but never grabbed me (I like hooks). Eventually, New Zealand's finest took the stage and cranked out the same set as on Wednesday (which was fine with me). "Oh Girl", "Still Fond", "Turn Cold", etc. All classics.
7 - Maus Haus (The Wave) - I made a quick dash out of the Radio Room up the street to catch 2/3 of Maus Haus's set. I'm increasingly into these guys. Very original. ("We Used Technology (But Technology Let Us Down)").
8 - Dear And The Headlights (The Tiniest Bar In Texas) - It was now time to make a mad dash across town to see these guys from Arizona who I've been dying to see forever. I grabbed a slice of pizza (you know, for the journey) and headed west. I happened to walk by Latitude 360 where My Latest Novel ("The Reputation of Ross Francis") were playing. I stopped and looked in from the open front of the club. I'd love to see these guys, but what can you do. After walking 12 blocks west, I walked in on Dear about two minutes before they started. The set was awesome. I honestly love these guys. They even honored my shouted request of "I Just Do". I'd love to see a full set. ("It's Gettin' Easy" / more)
9 - Hatcham Social (The Fader/Levis Fort) - So, 12 blocks back east in a vain attempt to slip into Camera Obscura (line down the street). Then, off to the east side of town to await Hatcham Social. Fortunately, I showed up thirty minutes early as the line was massive. When I finally got in, Women were just finishing up. I'd heard their set through the fence while I was waiting and didn't really notice too much. This Fader/Levis Fort party was really impressive, spread out over a huge block in east Austin. The stage was massive and Hatcham Social looked somewhat lost on it. There were about 60 people into at the front and the other thousand or so partiers just milled around towards the back. The band sounded pretty good. "Murder In The Dark" is already classic and "So So Happy Making" sounded better than I expected. I must admit that I pined for their version of "Surfin' Safari", but in spite of its omission I was well pleased with the set. This band has a great future.
10 - Mika Miko (Ms Bea's) - Next it was off to Ms Bea's to await Mika Miko, the feminine pride of LA's The Smell club and a band that I've wanted to see live even though I don't necessarily love them. When I got to Ms Bea's, they were running well behind, so I sat through Japanther (fun band), Garotas Seucas (garagey tones from Brazil) and The Homosexuals ('78/79 style 'punk'; think Adverts or Athletico). Finally, Mika Miko hit the stage. Their guitar/basslines are straight out of LA 1979. Very catchy in that early Germs/SST way. The set was high energy and the kids went nuts for it. It was good. ("Wild Bore").

At this point, I went home to pick up my wife so we could come back downtown to grab some dinner and hang out. We ended up at the Lose Control party at Canvas (dance/electronica type stuff). The evening also included overhearing Metallica at Stubb's (no thanks) and hearing a band play not one, but two Twisted Sister covers ("We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", what else?). We headed home around 1:30 or so, pretty tired. Good day.
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Saturday, March 21st, 2009: Day Four wrap-up, in order as the day progressed:
1 - Casiokids (Lambert's BBQ, upstairs) - After a fun morning with my son (and Mickey Mouse pancakes), I excitedly headed to Lambert's to see Slow Club. When I walked in, they were running behind, so I sat through Norway's Casiokids and was really bored. Sorry.
2 - Slow Club (Lambert's BBQ, upstairs) - This was the moment that I'd been waiting for and they didn't disappoint at all. On the contrary, the set was more perfect than I expected with the only complaint being its unfortunate brevity. They started the with classic single "Me And You" and then played a few new songs which sounded great and are on their CD due for a June release this year. They ended the set by stepping into the crowd away from the microphones and doing an intimate version of "When I Go" sans any amplification. Chills. Honestly, this was the best show of the week for me. This band is so perfectly charming and talented it's absolutely amazing. My pick for album of the year already. I'll still be listening to them in ten years time. Classic. (more and more).
3 - Crystal Stilts (Spiderhouse Cafe) - I went home to get the family for the evening's finale of Explosions In The Sky and talked them into a detour to quickly see Crystal Stilts. I walked in two minutes before the first note. These JAMC/VU kids add some great tunes to a classic sound (and their keyboard player was the best "Rock Talker" of the week, by far). New single "Love Is A Wave" is a reverber-out burner. I'm into these guys.
4 - Explosions In The Sky - We headed down to Auditorium Shores (just south of the river) for the free city party featuring local headliners Explosions In The Sky (if you don't them yet, do yourself a huge favor). The crowd was huge and it was very "festival in a dirt field". We had the two kids in tow, so we hung to the back. When they finally took the stage (as they said looking out over the massive crowd - "This is a dream, so if you want to dream with us, we're Explosions In The Sky from this city"), the sound was sadly horrible, so we made a dash to the bridge in an attempt to find a better mix. No luck. Then finally we headed to the walking trail by the river. We ended up right behind the stage, between the stage and the river. The mix finally sounded awesome even though we were behind the PA (in the field, the huge crowd absorbed the subtleties of their sound). What started terrible actually worked out really well. I was able to sit on some stone steps by the river holding my son while my wife held our baby daughter. Looking out over the river and the Austin skyline with Explosions playing in the back was definitely one of those movie moments. At the set's end, we were surprised by a huge firework show right over the water (front-row view). It was awesome. My love of Austin sunk in a bit deeper.

Well, 360 days to go until SXSW 2010. This was my third year and it's increasingly stunning every year. The scale of it all has to be experienced to be comprehended in the least. To use an overused phrase, it's very "punk rock" to the core.

So, to close, my SXSW 2009 Awards:
1 - Best Song - Slow Club doing "When I Go" while standing in the crowd.
2 - Gold Medal Best Set - Slow Club at Lambert's BBQ.
3 - Silver Medal Best Set - Cut Off Your Hands at Maggie Mae's.
4 - Bronze Medal Best Set - Dear And The Headlights at The Tiniest Bar in Texas.
5 - Top Misses: Camera Obscura and Tyvek.
6 - Best Venue - Ms Bea's, a little bar in East Austin that was as punk rock as anything I've ever seen (in spirit, not just music). This place was dominated by the kids and felt like an emerging youth movement ten times more than any other joint in town. They did about 24 bands per day in the dirt backyard of a tiny tiny dive bar. Awesome.