Category Archives: SXSW

Music, SXSW

Bo-Peep is not so Sheepish

Leave a comment

In the grand spirit of the land of the rising sun comes Bo-Peep.  Mika Yoshimura and Ryoko Nakano formed a band way back in the day but didn’t have the juice they have now until they hooked up with Junko Himei to for a power trio straight outta Japan.  These lovely ladies call down the thunder at every show and I’ll be bringing my umbrella when I line up to seem the rock out SXSW 2010.

So there are some ginormous barriers to talk about here.  First off, the love for J-Rock that’s building up inside is about puke all over this keyboard in pure liquid rock fury.  Second, garage bands in Japan?  Yeah, the White Stripes caught wind way out east.  Lastly, it’s a power rock trio of ladies.  I’m scared for The Donnas because I think Bo-Peep might not show any mercy.  Here their terror in “B-Level Motion”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/Bo-Peep_BLevelMotion.mp3]
Music, SXSW

Anamanguchi Are Belong To Us

Leave a comment

Growing up in the 80’s (I’m a 70’s kid by one year though), I distinctly remember rocking out to ET on my Uncle’s Atari 2600.  Fast forward a couple of years and it the Nintendo Entertainment System.  The music producers for the games had the hefty challenge of composing music with a limited tonal space.  Fast forward even faster to today and you have Anamanaguchi.  These guys champion the 8bit music scene by mixing together 8bit sounds with a traditional rock backing.  They will be on showcase this year at SXSW 2010.

Bear with me here.  This warps right into nostalgia land for me.  Anamanaguchi reminds me of Saturday mornings trying to beat Bubble Bobble or Mega Man 2.  Technically it’s pretty tight.  They may not be Radiohead but they are respectable to say the least.  When the song’s over, I feel like I beat the game.  Check out “Airbase”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/Anamanaguchi_Airbase.mp3]
Music, SXSW

Les is More for More or Les

1 Comment

When you think rap music, do you initially think Canada?  Most people don’t but More or Les does.  You, see he brings rap down from the back bacon land of maple syrup and drips the lyrics out in a sugary flow of funky fresh show.  Okay, so you won’t see much in terms of gangsta when he rolls on through to SXSW 2010.   He’s been around just a couple of years, but he’s bringing the old school back.

When I pop on the wireless headphones, I hear the tones that brought me to rap in the first place.  Some rappers like to talk about how much money have and how shiny their rims are.  The other ones focus on the craft of rapping.  It makes sense that one of More or Les’s inspirations is Del tha Funky Homosapien.  I also hear a little bit of the Gift of Gab.  Seriously, this is what rap needs to be.  Wow me with lyrics and not by how hard you spit on the mic.  Check out “Talk 2 the Hand(Solo).”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/MoreOrLes_Talk2TheHandSolo.mp3]
Music, SXSW

Getting Some Sweet Floating Action

Leave a comment

Floating Action is actually the new moniker of musician Seth Kauffman.  Kauffman wrote and played most of the material and his supporting band mates take over on the road.  Hey, you can’t do everything on the stage.  These guys will trot on down to Austin, Texas for SXSW 2010.  This laid back dude sounds perfect for the chill portion of the music showcase.

So I’ve been accustomed to saying “this is the English version of this” or “this is the Swedish version of that.”  Welp it’s time to turn it around a bit.  This is the AMERICAN version of The Band of Bees.  The Band of Bees are a laid back Spanish group that goes out to left field and hangs out there for a couple of hours until it gets hungry and comes strolling back.  So Floating Action are like that, except these guys are from Black Mountain in the good ole USA.  Check out “50 Lashes.”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/FloatingAction_50Lashes.mp3]
Music, SXSW

I Follow The Law to a T

Leave a comment

The Law doesn’t come from the books, it comes from Dundee, Scotland. These scrappy chaps got together using their love for Joe Strummer and The Clash to glue them together. It’s a fairly young band, with most of their material showing up last year. Already, though, they are building up steam, unlike the dormant volcano from which they got their name. The Law will be making their way to Austin, Texas next month for SXSW 2010.

You know how some things end up being catchy and no matter how hard you try to figure out why, you still can’t put your finger on it? Yeah. It’s that with a Scottish Rock flavor to it. There’s a hint of Supergrass with a strong scent of Jimmy Eat World in there somewhere. I could be completely wrong. It doesn’t matter, my toes are tapping by the end of each song. Check out “The Chase.”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/TheLaw_TheChase.mp3]