Part of me hates to keep bringing up these sold-out shows since the majority of you won't be able to attend or already have tickets and thus don't need this little preview post. However, I know that some of you who are reading this right now aren't in Austin and aren't necessarily hip to every blog-buzz band to hit the interwebs. It is for you folks that I mention the sold-out show featuring CSS and Sleigh Bells at La Zona Rosa Saturday night. From the moment the show was announced it, instantly, became the hottest ticket in town. I'm not sure how these artists are received in other markets but in Austin both CSS and Sleigh Bells are bona fide rock stars. Those of you who have followed along with this site for a few years know that I featured Sleigh Bells as an artist to look out for at the SXSW 2010 music fest and I also had the chance to chat with them at SXSW this year. Their music is powerful, abrasive, raw, dance music with a punk-rock attitude and their shows are loud, propulsive experiences filled with energy. If this is your first time hearing about Sleigh Bells do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a copy of their album, Treats.
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill video via YouTube
CSS is a great match for Sleigh Bells their music is definitely not as in your face but it is certainly dance-rock. I, last, caught them at Stubb's where they played to a sold-out crowd opening up for Gnarls Barkley. They bring syncopated dance rhythms, bouncy keyboards, staccato guitars and some wild body-clinging uni-tards. Their latest album is their first since leaving Sub Pop and I haven't heard much from it but I'm guessing it doesn't sound like Bon Iver or anything. If you already have tickets for Saturday's sold-out show I highly-suggest you bring something to get sweaty and wear your dancing shoes. Oh, and you should probably bring some ear protection because both acts, especially Sleigh Bells, like their beer cold, and their music LOUD! If you're reading this outside of town you should do your best to try and catch these artists when they hit your area or at least rock 'em out in your car whilst sitting in traffic or rolling down the freeway.
CSS - Left Behind video via YouTube
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Showing posts with label Sleigh Bells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sleigh Bells. Show all posts
Friday, April 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
MtvU Woodie Awards 2011 Wrap-UP
Alright y'all, Sxsw 2011 has officially drawn to a conclusion, which means I can do my laundry and dishes and scoop Miss Paws' litter box. It also means I can do the stuff I should have been doing since last Wednesday, for instance, did I tell you I was going to the MtvU Woodie Awards? Yeah, I totally went, and not only that for some reason I was granted press credentials, which means I got to "work the red carpet." So, I put on my Jessica Rabbit dress and headed on down to the Austin Music Hall armed with a Flipcam, a point-and-shoot, my digital voice recorder and smartphone. I really had no plan of action, being an Austin music blogger I have very few opportunities to experience a red carpet scenario. It seemed so foreign. First, we were all gathered up and assigned numbers based on our importance, I was give the number 52 but the numbers went all the way up to the high 70's, so I wasn't in the bottom of the pack. The ironic thing was the lower the number, the older the person wearing that number. I suppose that's because the heavy-hitters have professionals with years of experience where as I have...a blog that my Mom really likes (mostly).
So, basically the way that it works is they put a label at your feet so the people walking the carpet know the name of your publication, then a press-agent comes down the line and discretely whispers the name of their client with a brief bio and asks if you want to talk to them. It was one part funny, one part sad and all interesting. A lot of the artists I hadn't heard of and/or knew very little about, while a few felt like old friends. I tried asking questions that would garner non-rehearsed responses. I ended up mostly asking the same family of questions revolving around the artists last day-job. So, here's the highlights and low-lights of my interviews. I didn't edit them so you'll hear my goofy voice and stupid laugh, also I didn't have a camera person I was just holding my Flipcam sort of beside my head so a lot of the shots are framed poorly and are shaky. With that all said, I give you the lovely Matt and Kim.
Matt and Kim - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
Matt and Kim was actually the last interview I did, so I'm posting these in reverse order. In other words my interviewing skills will get worse as you scroll down. Although, you can already tell from the Matt and Kim interview that my blessing and curse is I get just downright chatty and the interview format sort of devolves. That's part of the reason I have such a hard time transcribing interviews. Luckily, everyone was cool with the Flipcam.
Sleigh Bells - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
This Eliza Doolittle interview was funny to me for a couple reasons. Firstly, her press agent was walking down the line reading the names of the media outlets and he paused at AustinBloggyLimits and asked me about the name and what is it, who is it etc. I told him it's me and he said, "I like you, do you want to talk to Eliza Doolittle?" and I was like, "sure." The other thing that makes this interview funny to me is I asked her about her styling and then didn't show what she was wearing. Trust me, it was a valid question.
Eliza Doolittle - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
Ok, so I really didn't know much to anything about The Cataracs and I wasn't even planning to interview DEV but this ended up being one of my favorites. I really liked their answers and it was just fun to chat with them. For those of you who don't know, they are featured in that Fly Like a G6 song.
The Cataracs and Dev - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
I really love Two Door Cinema Club and I think this interview started out well but then I just sort of went off the deep end for some reason. Did I really need to bring up kitty-cats and Care Bears? Was it wise to insult Irish cuisine? Probably not.
Two Door Cinema Club - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
Oh Land is beautiful to look at and her music is really gorgeous as well but this was one of my first interviews and it really didn't go that well in my opinion. Although, it went better than the one I did with Nic Harcourt, which I won't even be posting.
Oh Land - 2011 Woodies Awards video via YouTube
So, there you have it. There's several reasons why Bloggy should not be allowed on a red carpet. As far as the show itself, it was cool to see a production like that behind the scenes. The performances were great, Sleigh Bells with a marching band was my personal highlight and I'm glad I can say I saw the Foo Fighters perform live. All in all, if they do it again next year I hope they allow me back and I hope they do it before or after SXSW so I don't have to miss any official showcases.
Read more!
So, basically the way that it works is they put a label at your feet so the people walking the carpet know the name of your publication, then a press-agent comes down the line and discretely whispers the name of their client with a brief bio and asks if you want to talk to them. It was one part funny, one part sad and all interesting. A lot of the artists I hadn't heard of and/or knew very little about, while a few felt like old friends. I tried asking questions that would garner non-rehearsed responses. I ended up mostly asking the same family of questions revolving around the artists last day-job. So, here's the highlights and low-lights of my interviews. I didn't edit them so you'll hear my goofy voice and stupid laugh, also I didn't have a camera person I was just holding my Flipcam sort of beside my head so a lot of the shots are framed poorly and are shaky. With that all said, I give you the lovely Matt and Kim.
Matt and Kim - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
Matt and Kim was actually the last interview I did, so I'm posting these in reverse order. In other words my interviewing skills will get worse as you scroll down. Although, you can already tell from the Matt and Kim interview that my blessing and curse is I get just downright chatty and the interview format sort of devolves. That's part of the reason I have such a hard time transcribing interviews. Luckily, everyone was cool with the Flipcam.
Sleigh Bells - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
This Eliza Doolittle interview was funny to me for a couple reasons. Firstly, her press agent was walking down the line reading the names of the media outlets and he paused at AustinBloggyLimits and asked me about the name and what is it, who is it etc. I told him it's me and he said, "I like you, do you want to talk to Eliza Doolittle?" and I was like, "sure." The other thing that makes this interview funny to me is I asked her about her styling and then didn't show what she was wearing. Trust me, it was a valid question.
Eliza Doolittle - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
Ok, so I really didn't know much to anything about The Cataracs and I wasn't even planning to interview DEV but this ended up being one of my favorites. I really liked their answers and it was just fun to chat with them. For those of you who don't know, they are featured in that Fly Like a G6 song.
The Cataracs and Dev - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
I really love Two Door Cinema Club and I think this interview started out well but then I just sort of went off the deep end for some reason. Did I really need to bring up kitty-cats and Care Bears? Was it wise to insult Irish cuisine? Probably not.
Two Door Cinema Club - 2011 Woodies Interview video via YouTube
Oh Land is beautiful to look at and her music is really gorgeous as well but this was one of my first interviews and it really didn't go that well in my opinion. Although, it went better than the one I did with Nic Harcourt, which I won't even be posting.
Oh Land - 2011 Woodies Awards video via YouTube
So, there you have it. There's several reasons why Bloggy should not be allowed on a red carpet. As far as the show itself, it was cool to see a production like that behind the scenes. The performances were great, Sleigh Bells with a marching band was my personal highlight and I'm glad I can say I saw the Foo Fighters perform live. All in all, if they do it again next year I hope they allow me back and I hope they do it before or after SXSW so I don't have to miss any official showcases.
Read more!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Shivvy's Best Of 2010 - Music
I'm honored to have what I believe is the first ever guest post contribution here at Austin Bloggy Limits. Some of you may know me from when I was on the air at WOXY. It's been a tumultuous year as far as my relationship with music goes. When WOXY closed down in late March, it was literally the first time in twelve years when it wasn't my job to keep up with the cutting edge of new releases. Honestly, I took some downtime and I can say that music was still a huge part of my year, but it didn't dominate it. I definitely didn't listen to as many albums as I normally would have and I know I probably missed out on some great stuff as a result.
Luckily, I still saw a ton of live music and many of my promoter friends continued to keep me in the loop with their artists. The following list represents my favorite records of the year, not the hippest. These are the albums I bought, mostly on vinyl, and have played over and over again. They paint a picture of how I'll remember the year, through good times and bad. I'm looking forward to 2011, but many of these records will keep soundtracking my life for a long time to come.
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Luckily, I still saw a ton of live music and many of my promoter friends continued to keep me in the loop with their artists. The following list represents my favorite records of the year, not the hippest. These are the albums I bought, mostly on vinyl, and have played over and over again. They paint a picture of how I'll remember the year, through good times and bad. I'm looking forward to 2011, but many of these records will keep soundtracking my life for a long time to come.
- 15. Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Jive)
- 14. Miles Kurosky - The Desert of Shallow Effects (Majordomo)
- 13. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening (DFA/Capitol)
- 12. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast (Kanine)
- 11. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Virgin)
- 10. The National - High Violet (4AD)
- 9. Tracey Thorn - Love and Its Opposite (Merge)
- 8. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Merge)
- 7. Robyn - Body Talk (Konichiwa)
- 6. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh (Universal Motown)
- 5. Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard (Barsuk)
- 4. The Roots - How I Got Over (Island Def Jam)
- 3. Sleigh Bells - Treats (Mom+Pop/NEET)
- 2. Mark Ronson & the Business Intl. - Record Collection (RCA)
- 1. The Mynabirds - What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood (Saddle Creek)
Sia - Clap Your Hands video via YouTube
Miles Kurosky - The World Won't Last the Night video via YouTube
LCD Soundsystem - Bye Bye Bayou video via YouTube
Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes video via YouTube
Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill video via YouTube
The National - Terrible Love (Alternate Version) video via YouTube
Tracey Thorn - Oh, the Divorces (Live at Home Version) video via YouTube
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs video via YouTube
Robyn - Indestructible video via YouTube
Erykah Badu - Window Seat video via YouTube
Ra Ra Riot - Boy video via YouTube
The Roots - How I Got Over video via YouTube
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill video via YouTube
Mark Ronson & the Business Intl. - Bang Bang Bang video via YouTube
The Mynabirds - What We Gained in the Fire video via YouTube
Read more!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Peen Is The Scene
Dearly beloved, we will gather at Barbarella tomorrow to join many men and many women in sweaty, dance-floor shakin ', bliss. That's right it's a Sunday night dance party in honor of the one, the only, Jenn Peen of the Peen Scene a lady never reveals her age but let's just say it's a milestone and all of Austin's bloggeratti will be in attendance. Lucky for you, you're people who know people so you're invited to get down with some loud-ass music, low-priced drinks and it will be your time to rub elbows with all of us cool bloggy, scenester-types. Make sure you bring your dancin' shoes 'cause Jenn likes to get down on that dance-floor and no one likes a wallflower. Things kick off at 10pm at Barbarella tomorrow night. If you would like to RSVP, which I recommend, you may do so at the Facebook event page and/or you can check out the listing on Do512. Here's a little taste of what you may or may not hear at Barbarella tomorrow night.
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill video via YouTube
If you've ever rolled with the Peen Scene before then you already know there's also going to be a sanctioned after-party for the post 2am crowd, 'cause that's just how we get down in the Austin blogosphere. Bloggy has to work at 5:30am Monday so I may wake up early for work and hit the after-party before I go in. We'll see how that plan comes into fruition. I may be that drunk dude at work on Memorial day...or at least one of those drunk dudes at work. Info for the after-party happs can be found on both Facebook and Do512 but chances are when you're all sweaty and drunk at Barbarella around 2am you'll notice a mass exodus heading Southeast to the former Music Gym.
I neglected to mention that these are hip-hop themed parties so you actually may not hear Sleigh Bells you're more likely to hear some raunchy, dirty-south hip-hop jamz. Get trill y'all!
Clipse featuring Pharrell - Mr. Me Too video via YouTube
Alright maybe that Clipse track wasn't the perfect example of a sweaty, hip-hop banger but you get the idea.
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Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill video via YouTube
If you've ever rolled with the Peen Scene before then you already know there's also going to be a sanctioned after-party for the post 2am crowd, 'cause that's just how we get down in the Austin blogosphere. Bloggy has to work at 5:30am Monday so I may wake up early for work and hit the after-party before I go in. We'll see how that plan comes into fruition. I may be that drunk dude at work on Memorial day...or at least one of those drunk dudes at work. Info for the after-party happs can be found on both Facebook and Do512 but chances are when you're all sweaty and drunk at Barbarella around 2am you'll notice a mass exodus heading Southeast to the former Music Gym.
I neglected to mention that these are hip-hop themed parties so you actually may not hear Sleigh Bells you're more likely to hear some raunchy, dirty-south hip-hop jamz. Get trill y'all!
Clipse featuring Pharrell - Mr. Me Too video via YouTube
Alright maybe that Clipse track wasn't the perfect example of a sweaty, hip-hop banger but you get the idea.
Read more!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sleigh Bells Is Upon Us
Well kiddos, you can't paw through the booklet or smell the vinyl sleeve YET but you can officially own your own digital copy of Sleigh Bells LP, Treats. They were one of my bands to watch during the SXSW 2010 preview and watch them I did. Even with only a 3 (possibly 4) song set Sleigh Bells brought the house down at the I Am Sound Records party. I shot the first two songs they played with the BloggyCam from on stage, if you look closely at the beginning of the video for Treats you can see that Alexis is about a foot away from me. That was also the show where I met the Peen Scene *le sigh* I love them.
Sleigh Bells - Treats video via YouTube
The blessing and the curse of shooting bands at SXSW is they are usually showcasing new material so you have to wait for the full album. Turns out the songs I shot are the opening and closing tracks of the LP. The self-titled track above the break is the album's closer and this next one is what opens the album. Kind of worked out perfectly, didn't it? Judging by the view count someone somewhere has found this video and they're sharing it.
Sleigh Bells - Tell 'Em video via YouTube
What do you think? Are all of us indie-snob, blog-nerds crazy for liking this? Or are you down with the visceral, futuristic sounds of Sleigh Bells?
Read more!
Sleigh Bells - Treats video via YouTube
The blessing and the curse of shooting bands at SXSW is they are usually showcasing new material so you have to wait for the full album. Turns out the songs I shot are the opening and closing tracks of the LP. The self-titled track above the break is the album's closer and this next one is what opens the album. Kind of worked out perfectly, didn't it? Judging by the view count someone somewhere has found this video and they're sharing it.
Sleigh Bells - Tell 'Em video via YouTube
What do you think? Are all of us indie-snob, blog-nerds crazy for liking this? Or are you down with the visceral, futuristic sounds of Sleigh Bells?
Read more!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
SXSW 2010 Day 1 in 18 Videos
So, yesterday was the first official day of SXSW. I started my day trying to see Broken Bells inside a parking structure but alas I was stuck in line while they were performing. I did get to hear them from the outside though. Up next was Emo's for the Brooklyn Vegan party. After that I went to Beauty Bar followed by the evening at Malverde. All in all I was downtown from 1pm until 2:40am, needless to say I'm tired but it was worth it.
Now, I tried to capture a song on video from all of the artists I saw yesterday. Pre-apologies for the varying visual and sound quality of these videos. I did my best to stay steady and get a clear shot. For a lot of these artists I am not familiar enough with their music to know the song titles, so if you know them feel free to include them in the comments section. Also, I tried to keep this in the order I saw the artists.
Morning Benders - Excuses video via YouTube
Japandroids - (Song Clip) video via YouTube
Yes Giantess - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Bad Rabbit - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Ninjasonik - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Yelawolf - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Kid Sister - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Kid Sister - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
We Are the World - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
We Are the World - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Suckers - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Suckers - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Fools Gold - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Men - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
JJ - My Life video via YouTube
jj - 2 songs Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Sleigh Bells - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Sleigh Bells - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Read more!
Now, I tried to capture a song on video from all of the artists I saw yesterday. Pre-apologies for the varying visual and sound quality of these videos. I did my best to stay steady and get a clear shot. For a lot of these artists I am not familiar enough with their music to know the song titles, so if you know them feel free to include them in the comments section. Also, I tried to keep this in the order I saw the artists.
Morning Benders - Excuses video via YouTube
Japandroids - (Song Clip) video via YouTube
Yes Giantess - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Bad Rabbit - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Ninjasonik - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Yelawolf - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Kid Sister - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
Kid Sister - Live at Beauty Bar video via YouTube
We Are the World - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
We Are the World - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Suckers - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Suckers - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Fools Gold - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Men - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
JJ - My Life video via YouTube
jj - 2 songs Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Sleigh Bells - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Sleigh Bells - Live at Malverde video via YouTube
Read more!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
SXSW 2010 Preview: Sleigh Bells
Twitter has already been a flurry about Sleigh Bells coming to SXSW and now I have a _____ Bells theme going. Like Broken Bells, Sleigh Bells is a duo but that's pretty much where the similarities end. Well, I suppose both bands are American and they probably enjoy lots of the same things but I digress. Sleigh Bells makes in your face dance music out of over the top noise matched up with basic dance-floor boom-bap. It makes me feel woozy, disoriented, excited and entranced, all the while dancing I might add. This is the soundtrack for the modern disaffected youth of the world.
Sleigh Bells - A/B Machines video via YouTube
While I was listening to the above track, I was reminded to remind YOU to protect your ears at SXSW. You obviously love music, you'll want to hear it when you're older too. On that note, find out where you, and your protected ears, can experience Sleigh Bells in person, after the break.
Once again the Cyrano to my Christian for this scheduling information comes from Do512, merci. With a little padding from the bands MySpace, linked above the break.
Wed 03/17 @ the Parish *Free Day Show*
Wed 03/17 @ Malverde *Free Night Show*
Thu 03/18 @ Mexican American Cultural Center *Free Day Show*
Sat 03/20 @ the Scoot Inn *Official Showcase*
That Wednesday show at the Parish is the one Do512 was missing, that's the NPR showcase, which is usually stellar. No need to worry if you don't get into the small space though, they record and broadcast/podcast etc. Also, some of the above mentioned free parties require RSVP so click the Do512 link if you need that sort of info. The party at the Mexican American Cultural Center is going to be absolutely bonkers!
Sleigh Bells - Infinite Guitars video via YouTube
Read more!
Sleigh Bells - A/B Machines video via YouTube
While I was listening to the above track, I was reminded to remind YOU to protect your ears at SXSW. You obviously love music, you'll want to hear it when you're older too. On that note, find out where you, and your protected ears, can experience Sleigh Bells in person, after the break.
Once again the Cyrano to my Christian for this scheduling information comes from Do512, merci. With a little padding from the bands MySpace, linked above the break.
Wed 03/17 @ the Parish *Free Day Show*
Wed 03/17 @ Malverde *Free Night Show*
Thu 03/18 @ Mexican American Cultural Center *Free Day Show*
Sat 03/20 @ the Scoot Inn *Official Showcase*
That Wednesday show at the Parish is the one Do512 was missing, that's the NPR showcase, which is usually stellar. No need to worry if you don't get into the small space though, they record and broadcast/podcast etc. Also, some of the above mentioned free parties require RSVP so click the Do512 link if you need that sort of info. The party at the Mexican American Cultural Center is going to be absolutely bonkers!
Sleigh Bells - Infinite Guitars video via YouTube
Read more!
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