Category Archives: SXSW

SXSW

Yuck, Not So Much

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Back again with another SXSW Music 2011 Showcasing act that I’ll do my damnedest to see.  This time it’s Yuck.  Yuck is a bunch of blokes from London, England.  Two of them used to be a part of Cajun Dance Party, Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloom to be exact, but they got tired of the band and left in late 2009 to form Yuck.  Maybe they got their inspiration for the name by thinking about their time in Cajun Dance Party?

At any rate, they are coming out with a new album and will be in Austin to support.  Check out this B-Side called “Cocunut Bible.”  These guys sound like a lo-fi retread of some great early to mid 1990’s alt bands.  I’m thinking My Bloody Valentine or Sonic Youth.  Yuck got the touch of NPR from its latest All Songs Considered podcast so I would expect the inevitable 90’s alt rock revival to happen anytime now.  I, for one, welcome it.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/yuck/coconut-bible-1[/soundcloud]

SXSW

A-Trak Attacks

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SXSW is coming up in March and once again I’m heading out there to catch all things music.  Leading up to it, I’m gonna curate the ginormous list of acts showcasing the event and talk about the ones you should see rightcheer.  First up, we got ourselves a legendary, but still somewhat unknown, A-Trak.  A-Trak won all, and I mean, all of the DJ competitions out there in the mid 90’s.  He did so at the age of 15 (and up).  Fast forward to today and we have a career that saw him be Kanye West’s tour DJ as well as a handful of original albums.  Check out his official web site for up to date deets on this guy, but head out to Austin to see his skillz up close and personal.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/a-trak/robyn-indestructible-a-trak-remix[/soundcloud]

Music, SXSW

It Came From SXSW 01: Hold-Up Records Sampler

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Yeah I’m still bangin’ on how I went to SXSW and will be rubbing it in just a couple of more times.  Not because I’m a bastard (well maybe just a little), but also because I grabbed some free music down there and want to talk about what I found.  So to kick this off I will talk about the Hold-Up Records sampler mixtape found from the mountain of schwag.  Basically, it’s a label from San Diego and they rap over some original and sampled beats.  What caught my ears, however, was a great little mix of lyrics, techno, and the Postal Service of all bands.  Dat Boy Sid spits on the mic for about half of the song and then the Postal Service takes over while a different mix of  ‘Such Great Heights’ glues it all together.  Take a listen for yourself.  It’s actually fairly endearing.

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/HoldUpRecords_DatBoySid_GreatHeights.mp3]
SXSW

SXSW Wrap Up

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This chocolate covered bacon I just ate is starting to be all acid refluxy.  Looks like it’s time to wrap up the SXSW music experience!  I’m sitting here in the hotel chilling out saving up juice for the long drive back tomorrow.  The bacon treat came courtesy of a specialty candy shop down on South Congress in Austin.  Much like the sweet release of flavor both the chocolate and bacon provides my taste buds, the SXSW Music Showcase provided the sweet release of sounds to my ears.  Here’s my highlights of the whole shebang:

  • Mariachi El Bronx really kicked off the tunes even though I saw them at the Interactive closing party.  The happy bounce I had in the chair came from when I discovered that they were, in fact, The Bronx and they decided to take the Mariachi route from their hard rock road.
  • Sharon Jones and Dap kings stole the NPR opening night showcase.  Look, Spoon’s great and Austin local, but the party music and soul motions Jones and company brought to the stage eclipsed everyone else’s performances.
  • Muse delivered.  I have yet to see them and now I can say that the live show is worth every penny.  They do so much more on stage than just play their songs.  I’m now even more of a fan of Muse than what I was before they hit the stage.
  • Street Sweeper Social Club rocked harder than anyone else out here.  Even more so than F@#$ed Up.  Maybe it was the funk tones or the fact I got to see Tom Morrello work his magic.  It doesn’t matter.  The show was the only one I was at where the crowd actually all jumped up and down.
  • Miike Snow impressed me and the whole crowd.  They fused together clear tones of electronic bleeps and bloops with some distorted guitar jams to create a sound that touched everyone at the Mohawk.  You know what?  Wave Machines did that too.
  • Ray Davies can still kick you in the face with his music.   The Kinks patriarch played about 2/3 of his show as you would expect from an old rock.  He was all acoustic and reminiscent.  Then all of the sudden, The 88 came out and they all brought the house down with some Kinks classics and new tunes.
  • Gordon Gano can play the violin.  I didn’t know he could but he showed off his pluckiness with the wooden instrument with the Ryan Brothers.   He totally dipped into the Violent Femmes well so it was a guaranteed win of a show.

That’s all I can remember off the top of my head.  There were so many high points, it’s hard to remember them all.  Well that and the bacon is starting to hit.  I’m sure in the ebb and flow of recovery this week I’ll figure it out.

Concerts, SXSW

SXSW Day 4: Cold Weather Doesn’t Stop Hot Rock

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The last day of SXSW proved to be much chillier than what I expected down here in Austin, Texas.  Winter wasn’t going out with  a band just yet and on the first day of Spring, a cold northern wind and storm brought things back to winter like conditions.  I speculated before the night time shows that the crowds would thin out.  I was only partially right, which is a testament to all of the  music fans who showed for SXSW.

During the day I hit up some of the SXSW sponsored and witnessed some free flowing music, along with some free flowing drinks.  I recharged at the IFC Crossroads house, hit a local pizza joint, and then headed out for the night shows.  By the time the winds calmed down, the night time air was more than manageable.  I didn’t stay out until 2 am, but we did get another full day of tunes under the belt.  Here’s the good stuff of what I saw:

  • The first stop for the day saw us hit the Soho Lounge for an Mpress Records Showcase.  The Meiko Canon played along and while they didn’t blow my lid off, the mix of folk and rock along with the female vocal marked a good start for concert going.
  • After a quick detour to the day stage at the conference center, we hung out at the Hauge party tent.  Nicad played and picked up the energy even more.  The lead singer push his voice toward Weird Al Yankovic territory while the punk rock rythms flowed through.
  • The Capital Records tent next door kicked off shorthly thereafter and I had a couple of drinks while watching Mackintosh Braun.  My interest didn’t pick up until they played their last song.  The synth and keyboard filled ambient noise washed over a baning drum set.  It’s worth checking them out.
  • I had a thirst for more food and drink so I went to the Aussie BBQ Showcase at Maggie Mae’s.  Andy Clockwise cursed like a sailor and rocked out like a soldier.   What better way to get your blood flowing to keep you warm than a nice hard rock set in the middle of the day?
  • The show off the night was at the Billboard.com Bungalow.  Street Sweeper Social Club brought down the tent with its funk infused rock and covers set.  Little known fact:  Tom Morrello of Rage Against the Machine just happens to be the guitarist.  Oh and it showed too.  That guy is an official guitar god in my eyes.
  • Hoofing it over to the Alehouse, I was expecting some Celtic music from the Mighty Steph.  What I got was a blues/country/irish mix of music that sat perfectly with the run down atmosphere of the joint.  If I ever need to just get drunk alone in a dank bar, I will be sure to play the Mighty Steph when I do so.
  • Finally, the last set of SXSW for me saw it being performed in the most fitting of places: the Driskell Hotel Cafe.  The Wave Machines are a British band from Liverpool and they sound like the evolution of another Liverpool band, the Beatles.  They had an impressive collection of drum machines, synths, and all things electric.  But they also had the standard rock setup of drums, guitar, and piano.  The didn’t go overboard on the instruments, however, picking and choosing the right piece for the right song.  All of it smooth, poppy, and dancy.  A great way to finish SXSW.