The latest album from Chairlift, Something sees the band moving forward in a big way. They've taken the lessons they learned on previous releases and expanded upon their ideas considerably. Instead of being cooped up in traditional studios, recording all night they took a more guerilla approach. Recording in the back of an antique store, doing vocals in the back seat of a moving car and generally spending more hours in daylight. The result is a much more expansive sound, with songs that sound bigger than Chairlift has ever sounded in the past. They will be back in Austin tomorrow night playing at the Mohawk. I know Tuesday isn't necessarily an ideal night to head downtown for a show but look at the bright points. First of all, you won't have to feed a parking meter, also since the show is on the outside stage it will be done early enough so you can get some rest before heading to the office early on Wednesday. Also, isn't living in Austin all about going to see an awesome band on a Tuesday night? Hopefully, you see my side of thing, which means you're going to grab some tickets and meet me at the Mohawk tomorrow night.
Chairlift - Met Before video via YouTube
Playing the support slot for Chairlift tomorrow night will be Nite Jewel. Their latest release, One Second of Love, is a moody, dark, 80's-inspired, electro-pop masterpiece. The title track will be trapped in your brain for days after you hear it and I'm hoping they deliver in the live show department. Arrive early if you want to found out.
In lots of ways SXSW is as much about what you missed as it is about what you experienced. Just as our human brains tend to define things more by what they're not than by what they are. Yesterday, rather than relishing in all of the events I was able to attend and enjoy, I found myself lamenting the bands I didn't have the chance to see. My boyfriend, the wonderful Mr. S., expressed a similar sentiment saying there were many films he wished he had seen at the SXSW film festival.
I regret that I didn't see Rubblebucket, Sports, Races, DaughterThe Robert Glasper Experiment or Lee Fields & the Expressions to name a few. Now, let me tell you what I'm GLAD to have missed. I'm happy I didn't see Jay-Z, Nas, Erykah Badu, Bruce Springsteen, Timbaland, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Eminem, 50 Cent or Lil' Wayne. Why am I glad I missed these multi-platinum selling legends? Namely because they are a complete and utter distraction and their presence at SXSW is not only inappropriate, it's rude. For every corporately-sponsored, unofficial event that takes place, another potential fan for an unknown artist disappears.
There has been a lot of virtual ink spilled about how this year's festival was the most offensively corporatized event in the history of SXSW. I understand that without corporate money the festival couldn't be what it is today but I also feel like those corporations need to stop paying big-named artists to play private events. It makes your brand look bad, it makes the artists look like whores and it makes the audience look like sheep. It's a big, steaming pile of shame and its stench was all over downtown Austin last week. Does Lil' Wayne interrupting his set to pontificate the pleasures of Mountain Dew make you want to drink that neon-green, conduit for Type-II diabetes? If you answered yes to this question, please move on.
Robert Glasper Experiment - Ah Yeah feat. Musiq Soulchild and Chrisette Michele video via YouTube
Now, I am not going to claim to be completely above all of the corporate shilling, I like getting free alcohol and food as much as the next person. I'm more opposed to the attention magnets whose appearance at the festival detracts from the purpose of the festival. You want to build a giant branded stage, more power to you but if you want to put some big-named artist on that stage to try to big-up your brand, that's where I call bullshit. If 50 Cent wants to play a surprise, free, pop-up show in Austin there are 51 weeks that would be more appropriate. I'm sure he would still be mumbling and grunting in front of a large crowd and he wouldn't be upstaging someone who traveled across the globe for THEIR 30 minutes worth of industry attention. Now, that I have that rant out of the way how about some highlights. Let's do this Bloggy-Awards style:
Best Band You & Your Parents Can Jam Out To Together: Alabama Shakes.
They came in to SXSW with a lot of hype. They were chosen for some high-profile showcases and tagged by all of those Dad critics as the band to look out for. Great songwriting, great energy, buy their CD for your parents when it comes out, they will feel like the hippest people in their cubicle cluster.
Biggest Hype to Talent Ratio Imbalance: Grimes.
What is everyone seeing/hearing that I am not? Grimes are not re-inventing the wheel sonically, visually or in any other fashion. Sure, it's a fun record but everywhere I went it seemed like people were talking about how they saw Grimes and they were great or how they wanted to but missed them and were sad. Their performance is lackluster, a girl with a bunch of knobs and buttons vaguely singing while some, homeless looking guy squirms around on stage. We get it, you're quirky. Now get off the stage so Purity Ring can show these dumb motherfuckers how electronic music can and should be performed in a live setting.
Most Likely to Get a Best New Artist Grammy in 2014/2015: Of Monsters and Men.
This 7-piece from Iceland really lived up to all of the hype that surrounded them. Their songs are light, catchy, sing-alongs that are totally arena-ready. Sure, the opening track from their upcoming album sounds just like Home by Edward Sharpe but that's a great fucking song. I look forward to people telling me about Of Monsters and Men in the summer of 2013 when they are playing every major American festival.
Band I Was Predisposed To Love Then Did: Caveman.
This should come as a surprise to no one. The record is great, the band is great the only thing that wasn't great was the sound mix. I want them to come back and play The Parish soon and for a week-long residency.
Band I Thought I'd Like But Then Loved: The Apache Relay.
Perhaps, this love is due to their highly-enthusiastic audience but The Apache Relay kicked fucking ass. Their songs were terse Americana that made my heart race and I love them. I knew I liked their record but it's got nothing on the live show.
Band You Should Regret Missing But You Probably Don't: Team Me.
I could have given this award out to many, many artists who I saw at SXSW 2012. My strategy was to see as many international acts as I could. The logic there is that all of the American bands will be back in Austin by the summer time, whereas the bands traveling from abroad are less-likely to return, especially if they don't have a successful visit the first time. Team Me won best pop-band in Norway and after seeing them perform I can see why. Their set was completely infectious. They had to duct tape most of their instruments in place because they all jumped around so much. They looked like they were 17, they wore headbands, they played their instruments and sang in the crowd. What else do you want?
Band I Hope Finds an American Audience: Electric Wire Hustle.
I did everything I could to make Electric Wire Hustle more hyped. I talked them up in real life and online before, during and now after the festival but I fear they won't impact big here in the states. The vocals are beautiful and soulful, the drumming is driving and ass-shake inducing and the keys and electronics add the perfect textual element. For the love of all that is holy listen to Electric Wire Hustle and tell everyone you know how great they are!
American Band That Will Be Bigger in Europe Than They Are At Home: Love Inks.
To be honest, this award could have gone to several Austin bands including White Denim but I'm giving it to Love Inks because I saw them perform and there was a woman in the audience singing all of the songs. I approached her after the set assuming she was also from Austin, turns out she lives in Manchester, UK and tons of her friends and twitter followers were jealous she was seeing Love Inks perform. Couple that with their upcoming European tour and it's clear why they won this award.
Best Trend at SXSW 2012: Awesome female musicians. Tennis, Hospitality, Blouse, Widowspeak, Purity Ring and Eleanor Friedberger all had fantastic female leads. Team Me, Of Monsters and Men, and The Love Language all had kick-ass women in the band. Razika was an all-female band that sounded like the 5,6,7,8's. These are just a few examples of how females are making their mark on the indie-music scene this year. Move over smelly dudes with wretched facial hair and ironic wolf t-shirts!
Worst Trend at SXSW 2012: Women with Skrillex haircuts.
I know, I big-up the ladies then I subjugate them by criticizing their looks but seriously the shaved head on one side thing? I just want to smack your nose with a rolled up newspaper and firmly say, "No!"
So, there you have it, my curmudgeonly, get-off-my-lawn look at SXSW 2012. Another year with lessons learned and room to grow. Next year I hope to see even more incredibly obscure international bands who will never become famous and I hope you do the same. Don't buy into the hype y'all! No one gives a shit that you took a blurry picture of Timbaland on your camera phone. Next year try to focus on what's important, the cute, barely-legal Scandinavian boys who just want you to pogo at their rock show.
It's ironic that a festival that takes place here in Austin sees Austin bands so under-represented both at official SXSW showcases and in online coverage. I myself, have featured bands from all over the globe in the month leading up to SXSW but this will be the only post in which I highlight local talent. I could hypothesize about why this is so but for me, it's because I live in Austin and I can see Austin bands throughout the year. However, lots of you reading this right now don't live in Austin and you should see some of our bands while you're in town. Hell, you should listen to these bands if you're not going to be in Austin at any point in the near or distant future. If you're in Austin tonight, I HIGHLY recommend you head over to Hotel Vegas for this fantastic showcase of local talent:
The party above the break features Austin bands who are not official SXSW registrants and there's nothing wrong with that. As I mentioned, there really aren't very many Austin artists who are granted official status at SXSW but here are a few who are playing official showcases, in no particular order:
I've been writing about Ume for several years now. They write really fantastic, tight rock tunes and how can I not mention that their lead singer is a beautiful blonde who shreds on guitar? They releases a new record a couple of months ago so if you haven't seen them play lately then you haven't seen them play. Here's where you can catch them during SXSW 2012:
TUESDAY, MARCH 13
10 pm Campfire Trails @ Bat Bar | 218 E. 6th
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14
5 pm Sea Now! + Popantipop Party @ Brew Exchange | 706 W. 6th
6:50 pm Purveyors of Rock Audioperv Party @ Peckerheads | 402 E. 6th
1:00 am Modern Outsider Official Showcase @ Trinity Hall | 401 E. 6th
THURSDAY, MARCH 15
5 pm Brooklyn Vegan Party @ Hotel Vegas/Volstead Lounge | 1500 E. 6th
FRIDAY, MARCH 16
4:25 pm Berklee College of Music Showcase @ Friends | 208 E. 6th
6:15 pm Exploding in Sound Party @ Grackle | 1700 E. 6th
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
2:45 pm Thrillcall Party @ Whole Foods Rooftop | 601 N. Lamar Blvd.
5:40 pm Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Show @ Casa Chapala | 101 San Jacinto Blvd.
SUNDAY, MARCH 18
TBD Thrasher Magazine's Death Match @ Scoot Inn |1308 E. 4th
I'm new to being a fan of Love Inks but I am definitely a fan and I think they are hitting the scene at the perfect moment. Their sound is disaffected, minimalist, female-fronted synth-pop. Not too light nor too dark and I fully approve. If that doesn't sell you on this Austin band then we can't be friends. Find them here:
TUESDAY MARCH 13
8:00pm KVRX Official Showcase @ Trinity Hall | 401 E. 6th St.
10:00pm All Tamara's Parties @ Cheer-Up Charlies | 1104 E. 6th St.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 14
3:00pm East Side Tone Sessions Episode Two @ East Side Tone | 301 Chicon St., suite F
THURSDAY MARCH 15
5:00pm Lucy the Poodle, $2 Shows and Connect the Dots present Emerald City Limits @ Spiderhouse | 2908 Fruth St.
TBA Brooklyn Vegan and M for Montreal present Hotel Vegan @ Hotel Vegas | 1500 E. 6th St.
9:00pm StyleX/Charming Charlie Official Showcase @ Victorian Room at the Driskill | 604 Brazos St.
SATURDAY MARCH 17
6:00pm @ Waterloo Records | 600 N. Lamar
TBA Reverb Party @ Dirty Dog Bar | 505 East 6th St.
You might remember Nakia from NBC's The Voice. That show introduced him to the world outside of Austin but those of who have lived here are already familiar with this soulful blues-crooner. You only have a couple of chances to see him perform but one of those chances is in Austin's best sounding room:
TUESDAY MARCH 13
1:00am City of Austin Free Showcase @ The Parish | 214 E. 6th St.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 14
TBA The Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff Party @ The Dogwood | 715 W. 6th St.
THURSDAY MARCH 15
6:30am KGSR Live Broadcast @ Great Room at the W Hotel | 200 Lavaca St.
I feel like Oh No Oh My are one of Austin's most over-looked bands. They write indie-pop gems that are radio-ready yet they aren't on the radio. I feel like I have written about them every SXSW since I started this blog. Hopefully this is the year that sees them take-off. Watch them here:
THURSDAY MARCH 15
12:00am Official Nicodemus Agency Showcase @ The Whiskey Room | 503 E 6th St
SATURDAY MARCH 17
8:00pm The Show @ Continental Club | 1315 S. Congress Ave
Pure X used to use the moniker Pure Ecstasy, which implies a much happier sound than you will hear at one of their shows. They are a band who have been grinding out shows for a few years with little to no attention until last year. They put out one of the best local LPs in 2011 and if you don't see them in Austin, chances are you'll see them in your town at some point soon. This is where they'll be this week:
WEDNESDAY MARCH 14
11:15pm Official Dummy XO Showcase @ Barbarella | 615 Red River St.
SATURDAY MARCH 17
1:00pm Mess With Texas @ 1100 Warehouse | 1100 E. 5th St.
5:15pm The Fader + Converse Fort | 1101 E. 5th St.
I've only highlighted five of the numerous Austin bands you could and should see while you're here in town. If you're in an Austin band and you're reading this and you're sad that I didn't include you; don't be sad, there's always next year. Also, people have short attention spans if I wrote about all of the great Austin bands they only would have read about the first five or so anyway.
Well folks it's officially February, which means it's time to start thinking about/planning/freaking out about SXSW 2012. If you're an Austin resident then you should stop reading this for a moment and buy a wristband while you still can. The first batch at the deepest discount have already sold-out so now is your chance to get one for $175. After this 2nd batch of 2000 wristbands is sold-out, which will probably happen TODAY, the price will exceed $200. So, don't hesitate now is the time. By the way, before we get too much further I should clarify that this post is about the music side of SXSW, while some of the information relates to the Film and Interactive portions as well, I am focused on SXSW music.
Anyway, for those of you who prefer to experience all of the unofficial festivities that have become the parasitic leech of the true festival don't sweat it, there is a still a lot for you to do. However, if you want all of that free-ness you're going to have to work for it. I have already received an e-mail from Lacy Maxwell Productions, they are the production company who puts together the Levi's Fader Fort by Fiat. So, you know that will be going down. I don't know who will be there or when you can RSVP but when you can, you should. The best way to stay on top of that is to sign-up for the Fader Eventse-mail list. There's also, typically, two events hosted by Filter Magazine and at least one hosted by the Hype Machine. Truthfully, there are a billion parties and if you want the free, corporately-sponsored booze you have to RSVP due to some crazy Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission law. Don't ask me, I just work here. I've got some suggestions for how to battle the never-ending parties and other helpful tips below the break. For now, enjoy this great video from one of my favorite Austin artists playing SXSW 2012.
Love Inks - Blackeye video via YouTube
Ok, so let's start with how to navigate the wretched RSVP scene. I have 3 strategies for you, the first is pretty simple, keep an eye on Show List Austin, they will post most or all of the free events worth knowing about. I like to use the "Find on Page" feature and just search RSVP, click the links fill out the info. It's tedious because the parties will be added for the next 6 weeks, keep a list on your computer of parties you've already RSVP'd to and just fill in the blanks each week. Even if you don't think you're going to attend a party just RSVP so you don't have any issues at the door if you do choose to go.
There's also a new, more comprehensive list this year aggregated over at SXShhhh. The minds behind this site have created a tedious and extensive, private Google Doc every year outlining EVERY party happening in Austin with the when, the where and the RSVP info. This year they have chosen a different route, leaving it open to the public, making it more customizable and charging about the price of a beer for access ($5.)
The folks over at SXSW Party List are also a great resource if you simply want information and party posters.
Last, but certainly not least, you can pay the folks at RSVPster $40 and they will RSVP you to EVERY party with a +1. This is 9 days worth of parties and you don't have to go through all of the scouring of the internet and tedious entering of the same information over and over. They will do it for you.
Now, as far as the who to check out you should keep an eye out on my picks. I'll be highlighting bands almost every day leading up to the festival starting on Monday. You'll get a little info about each band and there will always be some form of song sample to check out. You can also check out 2 playlists I've created on Spotify. The first one is a monster, it features almost every band playing the festival and if you listened to it non-stop it would take you about a day and a half. You can find the comprehensive one here. I've also narrowed that list down to about a 2 hour list with roughly 40 highlights, which you can find here.
Things to keep in mind when planning:
Just because the booze at the parties is free, doesn't mean you have to drink it all.
Bring lots of $1's, the bartenders are working extra hard and their tip is not included just because you RSVP.
Have an idea of a few bands you want to see everyday but be flexible.
Utilize public transit. CapMetro isn't the greatest but it's better than cabs/parking.
Bring, buy or rent a bicycle. (Have a good bike lock too) <-- This tip via Rideincircles
Think about places to get food downtown NOW. Places with chairs will be your best friend.
If you have official credentials, don't waste your nights at free, unofficial events.
If you have official credentials, plan a couple of nights where you stick to one venue and a couple of nights to roam
Accept the fact that you can't do everything you want to.
Don't buy into the corporate hype. Who cares if [Multi-Platinum Selling Superstar] is playing a "secret gig," SXSW is about new, undiscovered talent. Give your attention to those who ACTUALLY NEED IT.
Bring earplugs! You'll be watching bands play in parking lots, alleys, tiny bars and amphitheaters protect your hearing future.
Bring a notepad and write down who you are watching. Thank me later for this one.
Bring a bag with snacks, toilet paper, wet-wipes, paper towels, cheap sunglasses and hand sanitizer
If there's free booze, there's free water, take both. You can't walk out of venues with any of it though (so put the sealed waters in your bag.)
So, there you have it kids. You have a little over a month so start planning. I hope this little guide has helped.
