Awesome. Shawn: Day Two. I woke up around 11am and caught a $1 bus back to downtown Austin and check out what kind of trouble I was going to get in. Now let me kind of explain how SXSW works in case you're not familiar. During the day, all bets are off. You can pretty much walk into any bar or venue in downtown Austin TX and catch a free show as long as you have ID. No RSVP (even though some places ask you to), no badges or wristbands, and free, yes [...]
Joe Pug has been a HearYa favorite since the very beginning with the release of his free Nation of Heat EP . He's since come into the studio for a HearYa Live Session , played in both of our SxSW parties, and put out one of our favorite records of 2010 with his new release, The Messenger . Joe is always a crowd pleaser and this day was no different. He writes amazing lyrics, performs with wit and sincerity, and connects with the entire audience. It's hard [...]
Here's a guess as to what SALEM was thinking Thursday night: We're really going to blow this crowd's mind! First off, we'll dress all provocatively: ass-high black dress and thigh-high black boots for Heather, black glitter sweater for John, and whatever you woke up in, Jack. Next, we'll totally fuck with the audience by acting like we don't give a shit. No smiling. Dead eyes. We'll even smoke cigarettes while playing! They're getting comfortable with our monotonous deep electronic beats and John's chanting, so we'll throw them a major curveball: Jack, get out there and rap! [...]
Okay, things are about to get complicated: Bubbz is a London- and Bristol-based rapper/producer of Ghanaian and British descent. His band, the Black Notez , comprises producer Ghettozoid (Sophie Ruston, formerly of Bristol and now based in electro mecca Berlin) and drummer Chelsea (absent due to visa problems). They all sound fascinating, of course, but they also have a fascinating sound-rap that is danceable, a bit grimy, and backed by minimalist tracks with a heavily electronic aesthetic. It didn't take Bubbz long to show that he [...]
In looking at my leading photo for this review, I realize that is not quite representative of Born Ruffian's set at Yard Dog Gallery , Wednesday afternoon. Not what's going on onstage (Luke LaLonde looked as dreamy as pictured), but in the audience: there is no way the audience looked this passive. More than any other band on the lineup, the crowd swooned over Born Ruffians. Whether they were playing new material or their earlier standout single "Hummingbird," boys and girls in the audience were singing along and seemingly overcome by being in such close proximity to [...]
If I were to give out an award for most likable band of SXSW, I'd be hard pressed to find one that would top We Are Scientists . And that was with their set in between two of the most adorable bands ever - The Rural Alberta Advantage and Freelance Whales. The trio, Keith Murray (guitar, lead vocals), Chris Cain (bass, backing vocals) and Andy Burrows (drums) were simply a pleasure to watch and listen to. Constantly smiling, laughing, making charming banter ("Here's an new song. So if you don't recognize it, that's why. Or you're not a We [...]
The legendary Big Star was to be celebrated at SXSW this year. A panel was planned on the band and its influence, as well as a closing set at Antones on Saturday. So it was a mighty big blow felt by everyone attending when news started circulating Wednesday of Alex Chilton's death. What was to be a performance by Big Star became a tribute to Chilton, with various singers slated to "borrow" Chilton's mic. I've got photos forthcoming of it all, but it was widely agreed upon by those who attended that Sondre Lerche [...]
S X S W 2 0 1 0 A Local's Perspective - By Olivia Gable Well everyone, it's that wonderful time of year again. The time when everyone who cares about new music at all is talking up the happenings of this past SXSW Festival and speculating on its aftermath. Lucky for you, we're doing our best in this post to be a one-stop-blog for band highlights, photos and anecdotes from SXSW 2010. So if you couldn't make it this year, at least we can pass some of the joy on [...]
Honestly, I'd never heard of The Hood Internet before their afternoon set at The Yard Dog Gallery . Now, I really wish I had. I am a big fan of the recent eruption of mashup mixtapes, and this Chicago duo has created a handful of the best, each packed with a couple dozen mouthwatering mashups ("Two Weeks Of Hip Hop" (Dead Prez vs Grizzly Bear), "Good Ol' Fashion Rump Shaker" (The Beastie Boys vs Matt and Kim), "We Share Our Mother's Jumper Cables" (Aesop Rock vs. The Knife), "The Ghostface Of You Lingers" (Ghostface Killah feat. Jacki-O [...]
photography by Benjamin Hoste This was my second year at SXSW and it was just as fantastic as last year. Part of my strategy for enjoying Austin this time round was to: a) drink less free booze, b) carry around less crap, and c) try and relax and see more bands I've never heard of. And [...]
In addition to our Comedy Central Live showcase at SXSW, The Syndicate teamed up with the fine folks at Purevolume and Taco Bell's Feed The Beat to help supply some bands for their week-long performances at the house and to help feed the Austin masses. Here are some photos from the week.
photography be Benjamin Hoste I had to camp out and wait few a through lousy acts and a couple good ones to see Band of Skulls at 1:00am at Maggie Mae's, but it was definitely worth it. They really brought their album to life and gave the performance of SXSW for me.
photography by Benjamin Hoste We Were Promised Jetpacks captured my heart at SXSW and I only wish I got seen them in Los Angeles when they passed through at the beginning of March. Their record is fantastic as well.
photography by Benjamin Hoste After a slight delay Red Cortez rocked the rook at Cheers on Sixth street at SXSW on Thursday, March 18th. They've recently returned from England where they recorded their first full length.
photography by Benjamin Hoste The Morning Benders gave a lukewarm performance at The Fader Fort at SXSW. They were much better when I saw them open at The Fonda a year ago.
Tanner : Driving into downtown Thursday gave a glimpse of how big this thing really was. Traffic was practically at gridlock miles from the epicenter of the festival; that is anywhere the roads were still open, which only added another layer to the vehicular frustration. Luckily, this was the only day that involved arriving by car for me. After painfully watching pedestrians and bikers zoom by while I moved at a snail's pace in bumper to bumper traffic to park, I finally made it to Beauty Bar where the Bay [...]
Evan Dando of Lemonheads: one of many musicians to pay tribute to Alex Chilton @SXSW The final,... Check out Indie Rock Cafe for more songs, artist and band profiles, playlists and videos.
The Low Anthem didn't perform "To The Ghosts Who Write History Books" during our live session, much to my disappointment. It's an overlooked track from their stellar '09 album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin , and places their songwriting prowess at the forefront. Once I heard them introduce the song at our SxSW 2010 party, I stopped in my tracks along with entire audience. Conversations ceased. All eyes were aimed at the stage and we hung on every word uttered from Ben Knox Miller's mouth. Video: The Low Anthem - To The Ghosts Who Write [...]
It hadn't been a quiet afternoon at Yard Dog Gallery : The Smith Westerns had sufficiently warmed the crowd and The Rural Alberta Advantage had gotten people moving with a short, tight set. Yet, Japandroids were a shot of adrenaline directly into the veins of the Schubas's 14th Annual SXSW Roundup. Then again, Japandroids would likely energize a riot, if playing nearby. After a quick mic and sound check, Brian King and David Prowse blasted into take-no-prisoners tour of their 2009 LP, Post Nothing . In other words, thirty breakneck minutes of hooky, fuzzy garage rock. [...]
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