The Current Music Blog
< My Honey-Do list assignment for today...spacewalk | Main | Song Of The Day Info - BLK JKS - 03/23/09 >

SXSW Friday recap

Posted at 9:39 AM on March 23, 2009 by Jim McGuinn

Friday was the peak of my SXSW experience this year. Twelve bands, two repeats, and a whole mixture of sounds that you only find in places like SXSW (and the Current!).

Melanie and I had some early meetings among our peers at non-commercial radio, discussing issues and hearing upcoming releases (can't wait to play the new Camera Obscura for you guys). Add in a taping of a future Theft of the Dial with Silversun Pickups and some great Indian food for a dinner break, the rest of the day and night were taken up by discovering artists. Here goes!

Gentleman Reg: We just got this record from a new band out of Toronto, and I didn't know what to expect from the live show. On the record there are fuzzy guitars and glammy T. Rex shuffling beats, but live the pleasures were more subtle. A four-piece with two gtrs, keys and drums, the live set was nothing flashy but nonetheless a gem, especially on a warm sunshiney SXSW afternoon. Def pick up the record if you like what we're playing, and while there's no fireworks or smokebombs in the live show, it's a satisfying shimmy that left both Melanie and I smiling.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Digging this record and fearful of encountering the Young-Band-Undeveloped-Live syndrome that seems to plague a lot of young bands, TPOBPAH pulled it off on stage at the Fader Fort. With hooks, looks, and a great interplay between the band members, this was one of the few bands that managed to elevate beyond their crowded genre. Watch out for them in the months to come - could be one of the significant breakouts from this year's SXSW.

We Are Band: UK dance band with a lineup like the Thompson Twins (white guy, black guy, white girl!) and a similar love of all things percussion and drum machine-like, We Are Band won the crowd with their energy and grooves.

Ed Harcourt: A bit sloppy and drunken, but charming nonetheless, our man Ed played part of a tribute to a tour / charity created by Billy Bragg called Jail Guitar Doors - commited to using music to help prison inmates rehabilitate.

Otis Gibbs: Another Jail Guitar Doors artist, this Indiana native toured with Bragg last year and gave the proceedings an air of Americana roots. Not unlike Steve Earle, Gibbs played actual prison songs, including a Hank Williams cover.

Frank Turner: Not just a friend of Bragg's but a near clone of his mixture of pop, politics, and verve - when the time was up for Turner's set he led the entire audience out onto Sixth Street where the singalong continued for 20 minutes more.

Mumford and Sons: One of my favorite discoveries of SXSW this year, I described this band to one as a gene-splicing of Fleet Foxes with the Thrills. Merging English folk with sun-drenched Americana, this English quintet captivated a large crowd, despite totally botched sound that made their harmonies even more impressive fighting against inept soundmen.

Radio 4: An "it" band of a few years ago, they brought their post-punk-funk to a small room this year and sounded great with their Americanized approximation of the Gang of 4.

The Hold Steady: Chatting with Craig Finn before this midnight show, he seemed a bit worn out from the SXSW multiple gigs per day routine, but once he took the stage, he owned it. What a thrill it's been to see this band develop over the past few years, and it was a treat to crowd into a tiny club (for perhaps the last time?) to see our hometown mythologizers turn in one of the dominant performances of the festival. Maybe it was just a warmup for their gig the next day at the Rachel Ray Day Party, but it was yet another gig where band and audience meld into one, singing along with the hooks of Finn's tales of his hometown and the Mississippi River, and the band's tight update of classic rock influences from Bruce to Thin Lizzy.

The Soft Pack: A bit of a buzz on this LA band, and while they didn't disappoint, they also didn't stand out in a field crowded with post-Strokes indie rock bands.

Peelander-Z: What can I say? I was back for round two from my favorite Japanese theatrical reductionary punk band. Performance art and pure adrenaline combined to make me laugh hysterically for hours afterward, despite being hit in the head by a drumstick and opening a cut. See, the band not only hands their instruments off to fans during their set, they also distribute colanders and drumsticks to the crowd to beat along with the mayhem. Leaving their show I talked to many new converts who agreed - Peelander-Z, a life changing experience.

Sam Roberts: Second time that I just happened to hear Sam ripping thru an epic set closer. The guy should be as big here as he is in his native Canada, where his last album entered the charts at #1.

E-mail this page
Print this page
Submit to Digg
Save to Delicious
Share
Audio help
March 2009
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31        


Master Archive
Recent Entries
Tools
Categories
Services
Become a Sponsor