Flagpole's Music Blog
6 hours ago
SXSW: No Time for Blogging
Michelle Gilzenrat
This is a blog post to say I've been too busy seeing live music to write about it. I sort of think that's a good thing. I should be free at some point Saturday evening to get everything updated. I have about an hour's worth of great video clips, but with everyone in Austin online at the same time, it's been a nightmare getting them published. Maybe I'll get it all live before SXSW 2010.
Here are the bands I saw Thursday: Spring Tigers, Magic Wand, Jookabox, Broken Social Scene, Jimmy Gnecco, Vivian Girls, Liars, Dum Dum Girls, The XX, The 88, Ray Davies,Man or Astroman?
Super quick highlights before I head off the the super exciting super secret MUSE concert:
1. Biggest disappointment: The XX. Guitarist Oliver Sim said it best: "This is our first show at our first South by Southwest. Sorry if it's a bit shit." It kind of was. There was a bunch of feedback, the vocals were weak and wavering…but the crowd was incredibly forgiving. It seemed like everyone was just so excited to finally see this band live that they didn't care how poorly the set actually went. The setup took forever and they only played for about 20 minutes—not even every song on the record! They skipped my favorite track, "Basic Space." Too bad. Might give them another chance tonight.
2. Speaking of technical problems…that seemed to be the theme for the day. Liars had a hell of a time getting their equipment to cooperate over at Club DeVille, and later that night on the same stage, Man Or Astroman battled a busted amp fuse. "We thought we'd at least sound better than Liars," said one of the Astromen, "that remains to be seen." The tunes sounded great despite that; tons of great energy and precision.
3. Living legend! I feel like I saw Ray Davies just to say I've seen Ray Davies—a legend to check off the list. I got a bit bored by his acoustic set though; I believe he came back and did a set with The 88 backing him, but I had to move along to another showcase. His voice sounded strong as ever though.
4. The Bright Antenna label showcase paid off in a big way—I won a freaking free trip to London in a raffle. Holy crap! SXSW is the best thing ever.
7 hours ago
SXSW Coverage Continues
Michael Gerber's Live Music Roundup
Grey Market
SXSW can be overwhelming. When my Thursday outing to 6th street began I found myself standing between two open doors, one blasting out hard rock, the other serenading me with a piano and female singer. Taking in both at the same time was discombobulating and kind of freaked me out. All I could do was walk away. It was in this state of confusion that I found myself at a bar called “Chuggin’ Monkey” listening to Grey Market, an electric guitar and drum duo. Grey Market specialized in the hard to soft modern rock with a little more experimentation that the typical radio jams. But it was not interesting enough to make up for bad singing.
Recommendations
Buy the album? Don’t know if they have one.
See them live? Nope
Romantica
This was a much better way to start the day. Romantica play soft Americana with the twang of steal guitar, but not enough twang in the lead singer’s breathy vocals. On the spectrum between Gin Blossoms and Ryan Adams they’re on the Ryan Adams side, but not by much. This isn’t such a bad thing. There, I’m out of the closet as a Gin Blossom’s fan. I’m just a sucker for this pleasant strumming and laid back vibes with lyrics that include, “my heart is a highway.”
Recommendations
Buy the new album? Undecided. I’ve owned their 2007 “America” album for a year now and never listen to it. With that said, the name of their new release is intriguing, “Control Alt Country Delete.” I’ve liked what I’ve heard, which is streaming for free at: www.controlaltcountrydelete.com.
See them live? Sometimes a pitch down the middle can hit the sweet spot. That is, it’s not going to be an amazing night, but if you like the genre it’ll make you feel good, maybe even great.
MyNameIsJohnMichael
Controlled Chaos is at the heart of every great rock band. MyNameIsJohnMichael does this by double dipping in two of rock’s essential instruments. First there’s two percussionists, one on your more typical drum set, the other with an assortment of percussive items. Together, this gives things a tribal element. But sometimes the guy with the knick-knacks picked up a guitar, giving the band two or three guitar players depending on the lead singers instrument of choice. This makes the sound big. There’s also a trumpet in the mix, blasting away on when appropriate, adding emphasis when things need to get even bigger. There was a great energy to this party scene, which put a smile on everyone’s face in a 20-yard radius. By the end of the magnetic 45 minute set, an audience of about five turned into an overcrowded tiny bar.
Recommendations
Buy the album? I’m going to check out their myspace page first.
See them live? Yes, I can’t recommend this enough.
1 day ago
SXSW Photos!
Wednesday and Thursday Recap
1 day ago
SXSW: Gerber's Reviews
Nas, Everybody Was in the French Resistance (feat. Eddie Argos), Morning Bender
Nas and Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley
It’s hard to go wrong with a living legend in an intimate venue. Having a hip-hop original spit his classic verses so close to me is something I won’t soon forget. When Nas and DJ Green Lantern reached back to classic joints, like “New York State of Mind” and “One Love” a special energy was captured. These are songs that have been a part of our lives for about 15 years now. Nas rhymed clearly and comfortably, encouraging the crowd to join in at all the right times. The highlights actually came with two post Ilmatic songs. First, the up-tempo “Made You Look” got everybody hype. No need for instructions here, all hands were up and all voices chanting “Braaaaveheart! . . . Braaaaveheart!” Apparently he was still making classics in 2003. This is by far his most fun song and I now have a new appreciation for it. The other highlight was the quiet to chaotic “One Mic.” At first it was just a bongo drummer and Nas, emceeing it its purist form. Eventually DJ Green Lantern joined in and the familiar police sirens whined then faded for the perfect transition from reverential to critical then back again.
However, this was not a Nas solo show. This performance was supposed to build up anticipation for his ever-delayed collaboration with Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley. For the most part, it was subtraction by addition, interjecting elements of a Wailers concert when the audience wanted Mr. Illmatic. At least this was the case until the end, when they pulled out the song that began the partnership, “Road to Zion.” A rousing song, but it’s sounding like the high point of this collaboration. Which is a shame, because the album hasn’t even dropped yet.
Recommendations:
Buy the album? Not for the new one, but I was inspired to go back into Nas’ catalogue and enjoy some old classics.
See Nas and Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley live? Any time Nasty Nas comes in town it’s an event worth checking out.
Everybody Was In The French Resistance
This is the new band led by Eddie Argos of Art Brut. And even he seemed to admit that it’s more of a project than a band. The idea is that all their songs are responses to other songs. They have songs responding to artists from Kanye West to Avril Levine to Elastica. Up front is Argos’ clever story telling, which only hints at singing and is more talking with a thick British accent. Cool concept, lackluster execution. The woman on keyboards sang flat and despite their efforts, the energy was low. Argos tried to remedy this by getting off stage and singing/talking face to face with audience members. This made it feel like the cool teacher trying to get on the students level. He had humorous banter and there was a connection with the audience. A connection were people wanted to enjoy it, but it didn’t feel much like a rock show. It felt like an art project.
Recommendations:
Buy the Album? If you like brainy art rock and are willing to focus on lyrics rather than music.
See them live? If you’re an Art Brut fan but find them too aggressive, go for it.
Morning Bender
Typical indie rock set up (rock band with synthesizers) combined with a youthful preppy look and a polished pop sensibility brought to mind Vampire Weekend. But there was something more going on here. It was clean sound that got dirty at all the right times, which made me think of Wilco. And like Wilco does with alt-country, Morning Bender pokes holes in pop melodies and lets it bleed out. The results are pleasant and clean followed by cathartic and messy.
Buy the Album? I am.
See them live? Yes.
1 day ago
SXSW: Benton Day 2
Nas! Everybody Was in the French Resistance! Morning Bender!
Thursday March 18, 2010
Music seen: Active Child, Minus The Bear, Uffie, Reverse X-Rays, Tobacco, These Are Powers, Quiet Hooves, Acid Mothers Temple, Dum Dum Girls, Golden Triangle, The Ruby Suns.
I woke up in the morning feeling like P. Shitty, and I did my best Williamsburg LATFH impersonation for Thursday’s clusterfuck.
Went to Taco Shack. The enchiladas there are dank. Accordingly, my ass is also dank.
We get to the Filter Magazine Party. The line is two blocks long, so we walk to the front to realize that there actually was no line. We see Uffie and her new DJ arriving too, and try to get in with them, but to no avail. Uffie’s very pretty in person. And for some reason, we are not on the party’s RSVP list, although we definitely registered. We were told the list was incomplete but that it was “our problem.” We can see Active Child from the courtyard and even from far away I was amazed. These LA guys and girls make what most would call “darkwave”—that is, electronic pop with ominous synth tones, reverbed vocals, hip-hop drum machine sequencing—all smeared in '80s smegma.
We wait a little longer and they change door people. This new door girl “lets everyone in she can see.” Score. Just in time for Minus The Bear to start, of whom I payed no attention; I had to start getting wasted.
Uffie was up next. She played singles “Pop the Glock” and “MCs can Kiss.” And probably her best song, Mr. Oizo’s “Steriods.” She also played two new songs, one of which she said was her next single featuring a few bars from a Mr. Pharell Williams. She may be small but she commanded her audience, and it was obvious that most of the people were there to hear her songs. Her off-kilter flow has a much more controlled cadence live, and it was weird hearing her without the auto-tune. It’s exciting that after almost 5 years since “Read to Uff,” she’ finally putting out her album, which she said was complete.
We heard a rumor that Animal Collective was playing a set at Pure Volume so we split after Uffie. On our way to pick up wristbands we saw the entrance to a cleared a parking lot that read “Party Party Partners.” And the amazingness of what our local guys put on is a story that deserves its own post.
After PP Partners we try to find grub with our new friends Ian Vidaurre from Ars Phoenix, Michael Bringardner from Oh Fortuna, and his girlfriend Diana. We check out Stubb’s, which has great pork ribs but only average brisket. Some shitty bar band played in the background.
Wandering aimlessly about 6th St., we find the Sub Pop/Hardly Art Showcase at the Galaxy Room/ Galaxy Room Backyard.
First up was Dum Dum Girls, who were kinda dumb. But very very hot. They have that throwback girl-group sound matched with ramshackle 3-chord blah blah blah. This is the kinda shit that only sounds good on Gorilla V. Bear.
The Golden Triangle was on the Hardly Art stage so we left Dum Dum early. They were all wearing complicated clothing so I knew they were from Brooklyn. There’s three hot chicks in it and three dudes. They make cool little garage punk songs with sweet female-lead harmonies. It was good.
We were waiting to see The Ruby Suns all day, and they may have been the best show we saw. The trio is a New Zealand electro-psych outfit, but the lead singer is from Cali. A lot of press have reacted negatively to the band’s shift to more electronic textures--but I swear there’s real drums, bass, and guitar in there--unlike Animal Collective, who suck live, play no instruments, and of whom The Ruby Suns has been compared to for their whole career. The played mostly stuff on the new album Fight Softly, and three old songs off Sea Lion that sounded more lush and electronic than before. What’s more to say? Their breezy tropical world music vibe complemented the cool night air well, and lead singer Ryan McPhun’s smooth falsetto was near-perfect, although I’m sure he couldn’t hear himself.
1 day ago
SXSW: Gordon's Day 2
Cheap Trick Panel!
Interview with Jim DeRogatis
Wednesday, March 17 (part 1)
Cheap Trick (interview w/Jim DeRogatis)
Because the rest of the Flagpole crew was still en route to Austin this morning our hotel wasn’t yet available. I had spent the night with an old Athens friend who was loathe to drive through downtown Austin during SXSW, and he’d already braved the traffic picking me up the previous day from downtown, so I wasn’t about to ask him to do me the same favor twice. This combined with the lack of hotel meant I was hoofing it while carrying all my luggage, cables, computer, etc. It was about a good 50 pounds of stuff. (Adding significantly to this weight was the SXSW “big bag” of promotional mags, trinkets, CDs, guides, et al that I grabbed when I picked up my badge. I learned later I could have gotten the badge and picked up the bag later. Hell, no one volunteered that info! And, yeah, a lot of folks [including some in my immediate vicinity] walk straight to a trash can and toss a good amount of this stuff I think that’s kind of lame to do without at least reading through it first and, anyway, I’m still a sucker for free music magazines. I mean, damn, I kept the free issues of Vibe and XL, for cripes sake.)
So, with a bag full of writing gear on my back and a gym bag full of swag and clothes I travel by foot down Austin’s Barton Springs Road and, luckily, manage to catch the right bus. Well, sorta right. I took what I could get. He weather had warmed up considerably by noon or so, and I was still wearing the hoodie and jacket I had worn on the Greyhound, so by the time I set foot inside the functionally swanky convention center I was really rough looking; a sweaty, bearded dude carrying a week’s worth of laundry. (Side note: I had meant to shave this ill-advised thing off my face before I left Athens but never did. Now, believe me, I’m sure it made me less of a “mark” when I was being sized up for a hustle by that homosexual junkie outside the Dallas bus station [true story] but here in Austin I just look homeless. )
I was kinda cursing in my mind thinking I was going to miss seeing Rockford, IL heroes Cheap Trick being interviewed by Chicago Sun-Times music editor Jim DeRogatis but I made it just in time. They were great. Guitarist Rick Nielsen did most of the talking which was no surprise. Singer Robin Zander was so quiet for so long that he initially came across kind of surly but when he would answer questions he was really forthright. Drummer Bun E. Carlos wasn’t there but bassist Tom Petersson (yes, two s’s) was. But he was so quiet you’d barely know it. DeRogatis was pretty good with his questions and dug as much into the band’s past as possible. Although the exact questions are evading me, among Nielsen’s answers were that he was the only one in Rockford, IL in the late-1960’s with a subscription to England’s Melody Maker ($100/year in 1960’s dollars!) and that Milwaukee, WI had the biggest amount of transvestites and gays in their audience in the early 1970’s. (And if those are the answers then you can imagine how good the questions were!) It lasted just barely an hour and then I just figured, hell, I’m gonna get up in this Q&A so I asked the band straight off if they’d made any plans to release their re-recorded version of the notoriously disastrously recorded In Color LP. (They’ve been recording a new version of it with producer Steve Albini.) I volunteered that I had purposefully hunted around the ‘net for the leaked tapes, found ‘em and loved what they had done. Robin Zander looked straight at me and said, “Well, you’re hearing something that isn’t finished.” Nielsen weighed in with, “We’re not even sure anyone wants this stuff”. Then Zander said, “Yeah, no one except you.” It was actually really funny and not as mean sounding as it looks in print. Cheap Trick is nothing if not a fans band and, damn, I had just had an actual conversation with them, albeit brief and of self-inflated importance.
I’d love to be able to post a whole transcript of what they talked about but here are some gems: -Nielsen pronounces “roots” as “ruts”. -Nielsen is pretty sure people say, “What an ass!” about him when he’s not around. -Cheap Trick, early on, was routinely hired to play Top 40 covers, which they told talent buyers they could do, but didn’t know anybody else’s songs and got fired all the time. They’d change the band’s name every time they got fired and the one time they didn’t get fired was when they started using “Cheap Trick” so they kept it.
-Re: the band’s schmaltzy 1980’s hot “The Flame”, which they did not write, Sander said, “The record company of course, didn’t hear a single out of what we were doing so they kept throwing all these songs at us. Rick smashed the cassette of “The Flame” before he even heard it because he hated this process so much and all these songs coming in were crap…But this wasn’t the worst of them so we recorded it and it was a hit. DeRogatis, presumably positing whether that meant the label was right for doing this, asked Zander what that experience meant to him. Zander said plainly, “It means we can take shit and make it something.”
2 days ago
SXSW Wednesday Wrap-Up
From Michelle w/ Video!
Bands watched: Visqueen, The Coolness, The Walkmen, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Broken Bells, Spoon, Miike Snow
It's a little after 3 a.m. here in Austin and time for my work to begin. Videos are uploading as I type, and photos are on the way. Christopher Benton made it in last night as well, and I am watching Michael Gerber furiously type away. Gordon's got some great photos and video from the panels yesterday, and I should get his blog soon!
So far it's a been a typical first day at SXSW. That is to say, overwhelming, chaotic and rewarding. I am totally jealous of Spring Tigers, who ended up dining three tables away from Bill Murray and Robert Duvall (who were in town to attending the screen of Get Low, part of the film portion of SXSW).
I got off to a late start with live music; they moved the badge pickup to a different floor of the convention center, and me, being weary from travel and disoriented by the sudden sensory overload, wandered around for far longer than necessary before getting my act together.
On my way from dinner (ceviche!) to Stubb's, I was drawn in by the siren song of a couple acts along the way—a rowdy New Orleans jazz band, and a post-punk British band that I was sure introduced themselves as "The Hummus" (real name, according to my schedule, The Coolness). These are always some of my favorite moments of the festival; the accidental discoveries that pepper your schedule.
Over at Stubb's, The Walkmen played mostly new material which was a little more subdued than I've seen before, but Hamilton Leithauser's vocals sounded superb. I didn't real feel like there was much of a connection with the audience though. The sound was great, the tunes were solid, but everyone seemed a little aloof. Maybe that's just the result of partying too hard too early? Last time I caught The Walkmen in Atlanta I felt like Leithauser spent most of the time screaming, but tonight he had cool, lounge-y demeanor and demonstrated an impressive range and tone control As an added bonus, the band was joined by a 8-piece horn section which felt appropriately Texan. Mostly though, I was just glad he didn't get taken away in handcuffs after this SXSW appearance …as far as I know.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were by far the highlight of the night for me. Damn, that woman has incredible stamina and power. She was dancing and shakin' the whole way through, and never got close to winded. I honestly don't think I've ever been to a full-on soul performance like this. She is truly the female James Brown of our time—a living legend. At one point she pulled a mohawk'd fan on stage to dance with her, acting out the lyrics to her song about heartbreak. The audience came alive under her spell. The band was top-notch, too. I was particularly a fan of the sunglasses supporting bassist with the fu manchu
Up next was the highly anticipated debut of Broken Bells. Athens homeboy Danger Mouse (AKA Brian Burton) started off behind the drums with James Mercer (Shins) on lead vocals. I was expecting just a duo, as that's how the band has been billed, but they had four other musicians on stage filling out the sound. Burton moved around the stage, tinkering on different instruments. I thought the tunes were really well crafted; just classic indie rock at its finest with strong melodies and thoughtful arrangements. I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into the album when I get home.
The low point of the night, surprisingly, was Stubb's headliners and Austin natives Spoon. Well, maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise. Every time I've ever seen Spoon the band has underwhelmed me, but I had hoped with the big hometown crowd things would be different. Spoon opened with "Written In Reverse," which is my least favorite single from them…ever. It's just that awful opening line "I'm writing this to you in reverse/somebody better call a hearse" that turns me off immediately, and it was kind of downhill from there. The minimal arrangements didn't translate in the cavernous amphitheater-style stage setup. It felt kind of flat, and Brit Daniels' vocals, very much in the front of the mix as always, were just plain sloppy. I gave them four songs and then I was out. There is too much happening at SXSW to settle for lackluster performances.
I made my way over the Galaxy Room where an imposing line had already formed in anticipation of Miike Snow's performance. It was one in and one out for a while, but I slowly made my way inside, where I found the members of Broken Bells were already settled into the audience. Even they didn't stick around for Spoon, it seems.
Miike Snow was pretty incredible (video coming soon!); it was hard to see from the back of the very full outdoor tent, but I believe all the electronic flourishes were created live. The band members, dressed in matching shiny black jackets, triggered drum loops and mixed and manipulated them live beneath hooky choruses that inspired a lot of fist pumping and crowd sing-alongs.
And then it was 2 a.m. and time for the circus that is walking home at SXSW. To put it in relatable terms, imagine the rowdiest game day in Athens, around 2:30 a.m.…times Mardis Gras. The streets were jam packed with musicians, students and industry folks in all stages of intoxication. I had to navigate through a sea of spontaneous dancing, crying, arguing, stumbling, shouting, vomiting and assorted oddities. There was the street performer picking out Michael Jackson tunes on his sax; the rapper spitting out freestyle rhymes while shaking a tambourine decorated with Jesus' name; the lines of weary pedicab cyclists offering rides home; and scores of police officers. It made me wonder what exactly is considered public intoxication. At what point do the officers say "this guy has gone too far?" I imagine they've got to set the standards a little lower than usual otherwise…well, there are just not enough prisons in Texas to house all the drunken debauchery I witnessed.
(Oh no…Mom, you're reading this, aren't you? Don't worry, all the drunk people kept to themselves and I didn't feel endangered and I'll call you as soon as I get to my hotel room).
Oh! And I am beyond thrilled to hear that the big surprise act for Frday night is MUSE. Anyone who has stepped into my office at Flagpole may have noticed my framed, autographed Muse poster displayed prominently on my wall. I am a massive fan (not so much of the latest record, but I digress), and they are absolutely PHENOMENAL live. No set time confirmed yet, but the show is definitely happening on Friday night. I cannot wait!
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