I had the pleasure of shooting the Victory Records showcase in Austin. C'mon...you remember Thursday? Unearth and Hatebreed? As a label, they have a checkered past, and at times a questionable reputation. However, they have maintained longevity, and from the looks of it, a huge fan base. At Red7 in Austin there were droves of kids who came to see a few bands from North Carolina who delivered emotional angst ridden ballads and mathy progressive metal. I'll tell you whats AWESOME and TERRIFYING, is seeing a room full of hormonal pierced and tattooed teenagers explode during BTBAM. You never see that kind of energy at a show in NYC, nor do you ever see audiences so invested in bands at such a young age. It's all quite epic. I LOVED this show.

Between the Buried and Me, The Audition and The Secret Lives of Freemasons.

Between the Buried and Me front man, Tommy Rogers.

 

Full house at Red 7 in Austin for Victory Records showcase. There was actually a line down the street and around the corner, it was apparently packed to capacity and the fire marshall was called.

Between the Buried and Me

The Secret Lives of Free Masons

The Secret Lives of Free Masons front man, Brien Worsham

The Audition

The Audition front man, Danny Steven.

How much do I love The Giraffes? A LOT! This was the case even with the previous lineup, and now that my lover/partner/fellow LimeWire contributor is the new bass player, this band has reached supergroup status. They are currently on a national tour promoting their new album, which slays. These men are rude, lewd, filthy devil worshiping rock terrorists who are not to be left alone with your girlfriend, or anywhere near an open bar. However, their shows are legendary for promoting alcohol consumption and good times, so you should definitely go see them play in a town near you. Here they are in Austin.

The Giraffes at SXSW

more after the jump... 

 

Damien Giraffe

Jens Giraffe

Andrew Giraffe

Damien takes it in the crowd

Aaron Giraffe

Jens keeps it heavy

Blood

Terrorizing the streets of Austin

The SPIN party at SXSW was an extreme example of how major media can sway trends. It seemed like an exercise in relevancy, that left everyone scratching their heads. The two headliners being, "prep-rock" fresh faced Vampire Weekend, followed by the seasoned and seminal punk outfit, X. On an average, most X fans would be quick to punch VW fans in face, am I wrong? Let's take the 1,800-capacity Stubb's backyard and find out! Vampire Weekend (SPIN cover boys) were able to fill out the venue, and keep everyone's attention. I found them a little green on stage, and sadly, I found none of their songs memorable. Hey, it's just one woman's opinion though, I bet they're huge in Hoboken. By contrast, X from Los Angeles was the single act that made my trip to Austin worth it. The original members are on their 31st anniversary tour, and were well received both at Stubb's and at Emo's on Saturday night. I loved talking to all the rock and roll veterans who had stories about Exene and John Doe from their punk heyday. Perry Ferrel introduced them and hit the nail on the head, "New York had The Ramones, and LA had X."

Exene, DJ and John Doe, X


Billy Zoom, X


Exene Cervenka, X

Jens Carstensen, in the crowd for X


This is funny, I almost busted it down some stairs, and realized I was backstage at the X show on Saturday night. ha! A few seconds before the encore at Emo's.


Vampire Weekend at Stubb's


Vampire Weekend


Vampire Weekend


Perry Ferrel!

 

A pilgrimage to Austin, TX is just what the doctor ordered when you're tired of the same old NYC scenes. Of course, 1,800 miles later, you end up gallivanting with your friends from home, because Texas is a big scary place. Especially when the streets are filled with roaming musicians from across the globe, each one trying to lure you into their showcases or slip their band name into your consciousness so they can hitch a ride on the great big buzz-mobile. So you form a rock n roll gang, and go to each others gigs, crash parties, get hammered, and get lost in Texas together. This show of camaraderie is very specific to SXSW, and NYC rolls deep. Here's an homage to just a very few of the Brooklyn bands who made it down this year. Ex-Humans, The Big Sleep, Golden Error and Katy Mae.

Ex-Humans, loving it already!


Ex-Humans, Todd


The Big Sleep at Mohawk


Golden Error in a back alley


Golden Error tearing it up


Katy Mae at the Maggadee Records showcase


Katy Mae spotted on the sidewalk, taking a break from the SXSW hustle.


Ms. Bea herself, with her son. They run a little spot called Ms. Bea's, where Todd P has hosted his shows the past few years. They love New Yorkers, and gave me a free Ms. Bea's t-shirt so I could come home and advertise for them. Sweet!


There is not enough Lone Star in all the world to quench the thirst of the New Yorkers who went to Austin this year.

Don't listen to those other guys. Here's the real deal on what went down @ SXSW. -- brief reviews of all the shows I saw, in the order I saw them. If you have time, check out Part 1 here.

Fri. 3/14:
The Black Keys (La Zona Rosa) 8/10
They played mostly stuff off their new Danger-Mouse-produced (!) album, Attack & Release, out April 1 on Nonesuch. After kicking things off with a rousing cover of Captain Beefheart's "Here I Am I Always Am," they played their fantastic new single, “Strange Times.” Day shows are always difficult, but the boys from Akron managed to elicit a lot of crowd energy anyway, and they maintained it throughout their set. Random observation: Patrick Carney may be the hardest-hitting drummer in the whole world right now.

Working for a Nuclear Free City (The Fader Fort) 6/10
This was a show that I was extremely excited about, until I got there. I was severely bummed by how hot it was under the poorly-ventilated tent, and by how awful the sound mixing was. The Mancunian quartet didn’t play excessively loud, but they were projected that way by the sound guy, who completely drowned out Phil Kay’s vocals with the roar of the other instruments (bass, guitars, drums, synths).

Matt & Kim (Victory Grill) 9/10
Holy stromboli! These are the two hottest lesbians I've ever seen! (Just kidding!) And they have so much energy! Not only are Matt & Kim exuberantly in love with each other, but they also make it a point to tell their fans how much they love them. Fittingly, the only people with more energy than M&K are the kids going apeshit in the audience.

More reviews after the jump

MGMT (Stubb's) 10/10
Contrary to the propaganda spewed elsewhere on this venerable blog, these Brooklyn transplants have a great vibe, and despite being only recently converted from a studio duo into a full touring band, Andrew + Ben + friends played and sounded like road veterans. They’re definitely poised to make a big splash at their upcoming gig at Bonnaroo.

Man Man (Scoot Inn) 10/10
This was much better than the previous night's show at Cedar St. Courtyard. Not only was it a better venue with MUCH better sightlines, but there were also more true fans in the crowd – that is, people who trudged out to the “other side of the tracks” just to see Man Man go buckwild. As usual, the guys played with kinetic intensity, performing mostly songs from Rabbit Habbits, their new album out April 8 on ANTI- Records.

Sat. 3/15:
Chromeo (Stubb's) 7/10
Entertaining as always, with solid energy from Dave 1 and P-Thugg, but a daytime show at an outdoor venue as big as Stubb's (in 80-degree heat, no less) was not conducive to the usual hipster-friendly dance party that Chromeo incites. Even so, you can’t argue with Chromeo’s good-vibing synth-funk on a sunny day.

Kevin Barnes (Club de Ville) 5/10
Ultimately, I found Kevin Barnes’ solo acoustic performance as his character “List Christee” to be rather boring. Although he played a couple of covers by the likes of the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, which were crowd pleasers, he mostly just sang off-key and strummed softly. It was precious, really, but not very entertaining.

White Rabbits (Club de Ville) 9/10
This was a fantastic live set from a band I can't believe I've never seen in concert before. They had tons of energy, due in large part to their two-drummer, two-vocalist set-up. These guys are definitely an act worth seeing again (and again).

Yeasayer (Mess With Texas 2, Waterloo Park, SuperDeluxe Stage) 7/10
This Brooklyn buzz band du jour started their show with crowd-pleaser / lead single "2080," and played a solid set all the way through. They did seem to lack some spirit, though, perhaps due to the after-effects of near-constant touring over the last few months, including at least a half-dozen shows at SXSW.

No Age (Waterloo Park) 6/10
This was a decent performance, and the duo played pretty tightly, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about. They seemed like nice-enough guys, and they interacted well with the audience, but I was expecting a much more raucous live show from a band with so much hype swirling around it.

Matt & Kim (Waterloo Park) 10/10
See above review, and then add even more hardcore fan-kids, and then throw some of them on stage to dance and freak out with the band, and you've got yourself a show. The dynamic duo strikes again!

Simian Mobile Disco (Waterloo Park) 10/10
Unlike their DJ set Wednesday night at Antone's (see Part 1), this was a real-deal SMD performance, with the accompanying neon lights, strobes, and fog machines. In typical English fashion, they were exceedingly gracious and humble, repeatedly thanking and applauding the crowd, who were packed like little dancing sardines into the space in front of the stage. Of course, the kiddies went nuts over breakout hit "Hustler," so the UK duo rode it out for about seven minutes, repeatedly breaking into different beats and then bringing back the vocal loops. AND they even played a three-song encore…bonus!

Z-Trip (Vice) 10/10
I had never heard of him before, but I’m glad I know his name now. Take it from me: this DJ was a phenomenon! Think: a less manic, less silly Girl Talk, with heavier bass and a solid dose of 1970s hard rock and old-skool hip-hop jams (mashed-up together, of course). I'm telling you: dude was an effing phenomenon. I used to think that nobody was as good as Chromeo (see above) at making white girls dance, but I was wrong: Z-Trip is the heavyweight champ!

MSTRKRFT (Vice) 9/10
This Toronto twosome has absolutely no stage presence, but never mind that -- they literally brought the house down. That's right: MSTRKRFT played so loud, with bass so thick, that little bits of the ceiling showered down on the audience throughout their set! What a party, eh? I'm still not sure which is my favorite ALLCAPS vowel-less duo right now: these guys, or MGMT (see above).

The final piece of the puzzle! This is the third and final chunk of bands I saw at SXSW. Unfortunately, it seems that this last third is - with several exceptions - more disappointing than the first and second thirds of the alphabetized list. Oh well.

Okkervil River - I quite liked their new album, so I liked the parts of the show when they played those songs. Otherwise, it was good to see a band so well supported by a city.

Paper Rad - Not really a band, but this Providence digital art group deserves a mention. They opened the Knitting Factory (and Todd P) showcase at Emo's Jr.

Phantom Limb - Saw these guys by mistake. Not bad though!

A Place to Bury Strangers - Great band, this show will knock you down.

 

Pony Tail - Saw them at the Todd P/Free Agency showcase at Mohawk. Interesting concept of a band.

Jay Reatard - Great show on a hot day in the park.

Retribution Gospel Choir - I was unimpressed by these guys. They played right before Mark Kozelek.

Scissors for Lefty - Scissors for Lefty headlined the Lime Wire party and did a damn good job of it!

State Radio - Saw them at the Facebook party. I was not moved.

These Are Powers - After taking a LONG time to set up, the three songs they ended up getting through were good.

Virginia Coalition - Also playing the Lime Wire party, VaCo is my co-worker Sam D's favorite band.

Wizardzz - Brian Gibson of Lightning Bolt. Needless to say it was awesome.

Woods - This is a band that would benefit from a bit more coordination in their songs. Otherwise, pretty strong.

This second third of my SXSW band list has some of my favorites from my time in Austin as well as a healthy portion of Brooklyn-based bands.

Seeing some of these bands also demonstrated to me that in Austin, people think that there is no music which doesn't justify jam-band-dancing.

I don't get it either.

Fuck Buttons - I was expecting to see more people at this show. They were nothing short of brilliant.

The Giraffes - With LWMB writer, Jens Carstensen, on bass this band was unstoppable.

The Golden Dogs - I've had "Construction Worker" stuck in my head ever since I saw them. These guys deserve a lot more attention than they get.

High Places - Last time I saw them was at the Cake Shop during CMJ. It was basically the same show except with different hipsters.

Islands - How to describe Islands...well, just don't expect The Unicorns.

Japanther - These guys are never NOT entertaining.

 

Knyfe Hyts - Can't say much for their songs, but the dude had nice glasses and fur coat.

Mark Kozelek - Saw him at the Central Presbyterian Church. It was a good performance by the notoriously moody singer.

The Low Lows - Definitely see this band live, their albums do not do them justice.

The Lovely Sparrows - I saw them last year too, but they were MUCH better this year. Expect big things from them this summer.

Lucero - The only band I saw twice in my time in Austin. The first show ended abruptly, but the second one was classic.

Man Man - I wish they had been able to play longer. Then again, there was a big sweaty hippie jam-band-dancing next to me. (He also stole a pint glass)

Meneguar - Kind of like Japanther crossed with American Princes.

Nada Surf - Saw their solo acoustic set right before Destroyer. I've never really understood their popularity.

Here's Part II of my SXSW recap. Below are 10 short reviews of bands I saw last week. Read Part I.

The Donnas (6/10) - These four femme punks have outgrown small venues. Watching them on a small stage was like watching Ashton Kutcher in Eastchester Elementary's production of Guys and Dolls. Lead guitarist is a babe though.

Moby [DJ Set] (6/10) - Damn Moby, why so loud? We like dancing, but we can't gyrate (and look sexy) if we're covering our ears the whole time. Yeah, you spin good music, but turn down the decibel level.

Iglu & Hartley (10/10) - West coast '80s inspired glam rock at its finest. Even though these kids look like the Dazed and Confused casting call rejects, they put on one of the best performances of the week.

Justice (5/10) - The cops tried to shut this show down because it was too loud -- if being boring was a crime, the duo would have been arrested. Yeah, I love their album, but these guys are terrible live.

Matt & Kim (10/10) - The 10/10 score applies to both times I saw them last week. These guys just can't put on a bad show. The duo is extremely appreciative of their audience, and makes each show a unique experience.

The Hanks (8/10) - A lot softer and emotional than their image implies, yet an extremely solid performance. Read our interview with them.

MGMT (6/10) - Whiny pricks. Rather than playing their hit live, they spun a recording before going on stage, claiming that promotional events were lame. Being anti-establishment is so ten years ago.

The Heavy (10/10) - Amazing. Read my full review of this one here.

Die! Die! Die! (7/10) - I'm assuming the members of this band originally met at the ADD Doctor. An exciting show, with instruments and musicians flying off stage into the crowd. Not too fond of their sound, but was thoroughly amused.

Dizzee Rascal (6/10) -When it comes to raps about "the struggle," I always try to listen to lyrics. Unfortunately, Rascal's heavy accent makes him as coherent as a subway announcement.

We're all still recovering from the madness of SXSW last week. I can recall the names of 40 bands I saw, and there are at least a handful more that are slipping my mind or whose name I never caught. Here's the first of my three part band wrap-up (in alphabetical order):

American Princes - Saw these guys at the LimeWire Store & YepRock party. I like it when they call Providence, RI "sunny" - what a sense of humor!

An Albatross - This was the last band I saw in Austin. The SXSW crew had to threaten to kick them off stage if they didn't stop breaking things. Basically a typical An Albatross show.

David Bazan - Saw the former Pedro the Lion mastermind at the Hot Freaks party. He had an impromptu Q&A in the middle of his set.

Best Friends Forever - The music was good, the silk-screened posters and book marks were better.

The Black Keys - I caught the Black Keys right after seeing Wizardzz (see part 3). Quite a contrast, but well worth it.

Billy Bragg - If you don't mind a little preaching with your music, Bragg was great. I wished he played more old stuff though...

Cassettes Won't Listen - I'd been looking forward to catching CWL. I was not disappointed, especially with his Pavement cover.

Chatham County Line - I came into their set a few minutes in, but I'm a sucker for the new old-timey.

more...

Cloud Cult - I wasn't blown away by their songs, but one member of the band just paints during the set, then they auction it off after the show. Fun.

Dead to Me - They played right before Lucero at Mess With Texas. Reminds me of high school, but at least the singer agrees that Jawbreaker's "Kiss the Bottle" is one of the greatest songs ever written.

Destroyer - I'm a twentysomething male and I blog, how could I NOT see Destroyer?

Tim Fite - Awesome use of video + catchy, amusing tunes = Tim Fite. Listen to "Away From The Snakes"

The Forms - Poppy rock, well done, from Brooklyn. Can't hurt.

As my liver and eardrums recover from SXSW last week, I've been trying to piece together how many bands I'd seen while out there. According to my preliminary estimate, I saw a total of 43 bands (wow!) last week. Here's how a few of them rate (Part 1 of 4).

State Radio (7/10) - Dispatch alum/Seth Rogen look-alike Charlie Stokes has one of the better reggae rock voices. Hips were gyrating during this one.

Kimya Dawson (6/10) - I just don't understand the hype. Yeah, some of her songs are charming, nostalgic and heartwarming -- but half of her live show is immature, and seems experimental for the sake of being different.

Lights Resolve (8/10) - An ethnically diverse Fall Out Boy, with a bit more substance. The crowd enjoyed the engaging set, and turned the dive bar into a dance floor.

The Golden Dogs (9/10) - Every high expectation I had for these Canadian pop rockers were exceeded. I hate using the word 'adorable,' but check out the keyboardist.

November (7/10) - Highlight of this set were the two drunks rocking heavy air guitar. The band's music sounded pretty good, but the room was just too loud to enjoy it.

Scissors For Lefty (7/10) - An exciting set, as band members hopped on and off stage, fully engrossed in their fun, upbeat sound. A little cheesy though.

The Kills (7/10) - You know those big glasses for the visually impaired? For some reason, the guitarist was wearing a pair. Is that supposed to be ironic? Great set, but I wasn't a fan of their eye-wear.

Ravens and Chimes (8/10) - They were a lot nerdier than I expected, but still put on a fantastic show, playing all of my favorite tunes. Super humble for such a talented group of people.

Jeremy Fisher (9/10) - Although Fisher was a bit sick (the SXSW plague), he flawlessly brought his impeccable songwriting to life. The guy was surprisingly funny between songs. I smell a John Mayer replacement.

CunninLynguists (6/10) - The tongue in cheek band name correlates with their irreverent stage presence. Although I'm not a big hip-hop fan, this show was extremely entertaining.

SXSW has been a fantastic opportunity to experience a variety of indie music in one giant gulp. Saturday night, however, a bit of mainstream hip hop invaded Austin, as bad boy blogger Perez Hilton hosted N.E.R.D at his private SXSW bash. Although I'm not a big fan of the genre, the amount of energy Pharrell and his crew brought to the small room was mind-blowing -- it was refreshing to see a famous face perform without all the glitz of an arena-sized crowd. An intimate show from N.E.R.D is what I imagine a private lap dance from Jenna Jameson to be like, but with more gang signs. 

Perez's event also featured a handful of other great artists (I'll write 'em up later), but the highlight of the night came while waiting in line to get into the venue, The Palm Door. A large Swedish man with a heavy accent and a pungent odor cuts in front of me, and tells me how excited he is to see Robyn perform. He then starts telling me how much he wants to "teke a bier from duh barr." Once he gets denied by the list-keeper (event was invite only), he says "Fick of" and runs away. Once I'm inside an hour later, I see the Swede scaling the wall in the back of the venue. He successfully makes it over, but is very disappointed with the rum-only bar menu. He mutters to himself, and storms out of the room right before Chester French hit the stage. Pretty hilarious.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Playboy's sponsored SXSW party at The 301 in Austin. Scantily clad hotties paraded around in blue velvet bunny get-ups, while free JD flowed from a handful of make-shift bars. An impressive stage was set up in the giant warehouse, hosting a handful of SXSW's premiere groups, like Justice, MGMT, Moby and The Rub. A band of n00bs, however, stole the show. I've written about The Heavy in the past, but this was my first time seeing them live, and golly, did it exceed expectations. The band is the musical equivalent of a James Bond film -- a badass lead, a beautiful female side kick, and a group of evil-lookin' dudes rocking out behind them. The funk-rock blend drove energy into the room, bringing even the most self-conscious to a dancing fit. Mid-set, a handful of bunnies hopped on stage to dance with the band, which threw lead singer Swaby off a bit -- regardless, it made for some great visuals.

Here are my ratings and brief reviews for all the acts I've seen through the first two days of the SXSW Music Festival. [NB: All acts are rated on a 10-point scale, with only whole-integer ratings given. Ratings reflect the quality, energy, and fan-friendliness of the performance, not my overall assessment of the artists' music.]

Wed. 3/12:
The Kills (The Fader Fort) 8/10
Good show overall, but not as dirty as I'd hoped, and the set-up at Fader Fort was difficult to navigate & left a gap between band and audience. Free drinks were a major plus.

Ravens & Chimes (The Spider Room) 6/10
Good band on CD, but too much volume and a poor audio mix at this sparsely-populated UT venue doomed the show. I think they would definitely be worth another shot, though, as their recordings are reminiscent of early Arcade Fire tracks.

Simian Mobile Disco (Antone's) 4/10
The only song they played from their (kick-ass) debut album, Attack Decay Sustain Release, was "It's The Beat." Other than that, their set--which also lacked any sort of introduction, farewell, or dialog with the audience--was just a random assortment of ill-matched obscure songs. All in all, SMD were more like in-house DJs than an actual performing act. 'Twas a real bummer...

Todosantos (Ms. Bea's) 9/10
This Venezuelan electro-party trio would be a 10 if the crowd had more energy (the frijoles rancheros and sausage wraps they were doling out at the door didn't help matters), and if they hadn't tripped the power three times before the police intervened to end their set. These guys (and girl) were possibly the best new discovery of SXSW for me so far. Actually, they weren't exactly a "new discovery," since I initially fell in love with them after hearing their 2005 LP, Aeropuerto, but their new dance-friendly sound is a complete turn away from the slow, sample-laden fuzz-pop of their previous incarnation.

More reviews after the jump

The Russian Futurists (Habana Calle 6) 8/10
Welcome to America, boys! After being held up at the US-Canadian border and banned from the States for the last five years (according to the band, it was due to their sickle-and-hammer logo), this Peterborough, ON, quintet finally made it to SXSW. An old favorite of mine, they were true to the synth-laden pop sound they've perfected on their albums, and if they'd played "Your Life on Magnetic Tape" (my personal favorite), it would have been at least a 9/10.

Wizardzz (Emo's Jr.) 7/10
A good band, and an interesting discovery for me. Wizardzz are definitely derivative of their forebears in Lightning Bolt, and they make possibly the loudest music i've ever heard two dudes create. I would definitely see them again (this time, with earplugs handy).

Dan Deacon + Jimmy Joe Roche's Ultimate Reality (Emo's Jr.) 11/10
F'ing incredible. Nothing more need be said. Do yourself a favor and see this if you ever get the chance.

Thurs. 3/13:
Clipse (Mohawk patio) 10/10
Clipse have more energy than I've ever seen from a hip-hop live performance (save perhaps The Roots, who bring the funk every time). They didn't rely too much on the DJ or backing vocal track, which was refreshing. Unlike other jaded big-name hip-hop acts, Pusha T & Malice display the kind of exuberance and just-glad-to-be-here mentality that really connects with blog-happy indie kids. They played a perfect mix of tracks from Lord Willin', Hell Hath No Fury, and their new We Got It For Cheap, Vol. 3 mixtape. Performing together with their VA Beach cronies, the Re-Up Gang, it was truly a family affair.

Man Man (Cedar Street Courtyard) 8/10
Perhaps better suited to a more intimate venue with better sightlines, these white-clad, war-painted psychobillies from Philly still rocked the mixed-age crowd that had packed into the cramped outdoor venue (an oxymoron, i know). Man Man always delivers, though the vibes were better the last time i saw them: playing to a small college crowd at Illini Hall in Champaign-Urbana, IL, back in October.

Shout Out Out Out Out (Beauty Bar Backyard) 6/10
I love these guys, but they have way too much gear! It took them half an hour to set up and do sound check, and periodic power outages to their various gadgets (synths, soundboards, vocoder, bass guitars, etc.) led to a kind of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants show. Of course, the fact that the entire sextet admitted to having been drunk all day indicated that perhaps something more sinister was afoot, sabotaging their performance. Given all their problems, they had to cut their set short at just four songs, but a special cameo from their fellow Edmontonian, Cadence Weapon, helped elevate the energy in the place.

Dizzee Rascal (Scoot Inn) 9/10
The perfect end to a great night. Despite playing at 1AM at an off-the-beaten-path venue, Dizz rose to the occasion, getting the crowd amped immediately and maintaining the high level of energy through the end of his hour-long set. With a nod to southern crunk pioneers (and Texas natives) UGK, as well as to old-school 1990s gangsta and party rap, this Grandmaster of Grime set the outdoor stage on fire with infectious hooks, shout-along choruses, and a full posse of his fellow LDN-ers. Highly recommended performer.

I did a little better job of sticking to my show schedule last night, compared to the night before. It's tough to make a plan and stick to it here when there's so much good stuff happening at once.

I arrived at the Cedar Street Courtyard with the intention of sticking around through the night to see Billy Bragg at 1am, but the awkward set-up of the venue and the strangely fratty crowd made the prospect of spending 6 hours there a less than appealing one. Nevertheless, I did want to see Islands, Tim Fite, and Man Man before cutting out.

Islands played a good set, but it underscored the fact that you can't expect a band to live up to its members' former bands. Additionally it seemed like a lot of the audience didn't really get Islands' whole attitude toward their performance. I heard a few of these: "Dude, what the hell is this?"

When Tim Fite came on, he immediately got the crowd visibly more excited (and palpably less comfortable to be a part of). I'd never seen or heard Tim before, so at first I didn't know what to think of the large video screen behind him. His use of video, however, turns out to be an integral piece of his live show - when he's not interacting with the hand-drawn illustrations, or telling one of his song-stories with visual aid, the video shows one or several doppelganger Tim Fites, playing the keyboard or stiffly dancing to his song.

The venue's shortcomings lost whatever veils they had, up until then, retained as Man Man started their set up. I had seen Man Man this past summer at the McCarren Park Pool, so I knew what to expect from their performance, but the crowd seemed particularly bizarre. Sure, there were the usual hipster-types with handle bar mustaches and Deaconesque sweatshirts, but there was also a large contingent of folks who looked like they had just come from a UT frat party and all they knew about Man Man was the fact that they're from Philly. This was evidenced by the fact that they spent much of the time between Tim Fite and Man Man chanting "E - A - G - L - E - S" and much of the actual Man Man set standing still and looking confused.

Regardless, Man Man put on a show that matched their usual high-energy, raucous style.

I was thoroughly sick of the Cedar Street Courtyard after Man Man and high-tailed it out of there for the more sedate setting of the Central Presbyterian Church to see Mark Kozelek. I was early, so I caught most of the set by Retribution Gospel Choir, a three piece that often backs Kozelek in his solo efforts.

Retribution was a little disappointing, they seemed unfocused and unable to find their sound. Their set wavered from power pop, to droning introspection, to dark and plodding rock. They came across as a band that needs more time to hone their act.

Mark Kozelek, however was the perfect way to end the evening. He performed solo acoustic, opening with "Salvador Sanchez" from Sun Kil Moon. The woman sitting next to me explained that this was an uncharacteristically friendly night for Kozelek, who is apparently known for snapping at his audience or giving them the cold shoulder. Instead, last night, he seemed to truly enjoy performing and engaged in friendly banter and jokes.

I may have missed Billy Bragg last night (though I did catch him during the day), but all in all it was worth it if only to get out of the Cedar Street Courtyard.

California pop group The Hanks have a handful of shows lined up during SXSW. We stopped by their afternoon gig at The Troubadour earlier today, and thoroughly enjoyed their emotional blend of shoegaze rock. The gang (singer Josh, bassist Bryan, keyboardist Phil and drummer Shane) was cool enough to stop by the LW pad for a quick interview. Conversation of public indecency and Craigslist ensued. Check it out below, and then pick up their new album Distance on their myspace page.

LWMB: What's the craziest thing you've seen in Austin so far?
Bryan: Shane. Last night.
Shane: I got naked on 6th St last night. It was for MTV Canada or something. They'll put anything on there.

LWMB: Sounds nasty.
Josh: That's nothing. We were playing a few weeks ago, and mid-set, an overhead pipe broke. Water started cascading down. It was like a feces waterfall. That was nasty.

LWMB: That's awful. Any other tour mishaps?
Bryan: We stopped in San Antonio, and some huge drunk guy picked up Shane while he was playing. Threw him right into the frontline. Phil starts wrestling the guy off the stage. Finally, the sound guy comes out behind the decks and throws a beer bottle at the dude.

LWMB: Dangerous. So, Paul Simon seems to be a big influence in your music. Where does it come into your sound?
Josh: Harmony and rhythm. Simon's a great song writer, and tells great stories with his songs. Phil saw the Rhythm of the Saints tour a while back. We're all big fans of his sound, and covered "Song for the Asking" once.
Bryan: We all listen to him, and it comes through in our music. It's not intentional.

LWMB: What would you do if you weren't playing with The Hanks?
Bryan: Move off the grid, live in the forest. I don't want a job.
Josh: I'd probably try writing or acting -- something equally creative/difficult to succeed in.
Shane: Pro-surfer. I don't surf that much, but I bet that'd be cool.
Phil: I'd be teaching music -- or be one of those leathery river-rafting guides.

LWMB: When did you get together?
Shane: Today? We all woke up at like noon.
Josh: No, we all met at different times. Shane worked at a music store. Bryan and I went to boarding school together in Oregon. Phil was going to UCLA -- he answered a Craigslist ad we put up while he was looking at casual encounters, and we had a band.
Bryan: Funny thing, we were actually gonna throw a Craigslist party last week in Los Angeles. Just invite people from Craigslist. Kind of creepy, but we didn't do it.
Phil: Bryan's weird online. You should see the stuff he posts on little girl's myspace pages.

LWMB: Whats the difference than getting a crowd in LA and outside?
Phil: You have to work harder to create a buzz in LA. But at the same time, there are a lot more people out there that'll scout you out, and help you release a record.

LWMB: Any favorite local bands in LA?
Bryan: Flashing Red Lights. This is one of those bands that have phenomenal songwriting, yet barren crowds. There are a lot of other bands we see that have a huge following, yet shitty music -- we're not gonna name any names, though.

Last night, I was lucky enough to catch a performance that I've been hearing a lot about from my friends on the college-tour circuit: Dan Deacon + Jimmy Joe Roche's Ultimate Reality. I have to say, Deacon and Roche's little art project was true to its name: it was so much cooler than real life that I fancifully imagined the Wham City crew as inhabitants of a parallel reality all their own -- one, of course, full of acid, Casio keyboards, and Schwarzenegger DVDs.

Verily I say unto thee: it takes a real party monster to incite a full-on dance riot with little more than two brain-rattling drummers and some wacky electro-glitch effects. But that "little more" is exactly what cranks Deacon's soundtrack up to "religious experience" territory: Roche's psychedelic video mash-up of Governator movie clips, woven together to tell an all-new (Deacon-narrated) story of creation, loss, artistic freedom, and the inevitable mechanical Rapture of the near future. Nothing quite says "Dance, dance to Armageddon!" quite like a four-headed blue-and-yellow Ah-nuld.

Though the music was not quite as manic and powerful as the other two Dan Deacon shows I've seen, the overall experience of being a spectator at such a hilariously unpretentious piece of "performance art" was INCREDIBLE. I highly (har har) recommend it.  You can even buy the DVD here and stage your own dance party / screening.

London-based garage-rock duo The Kills played a set this afternoon at The Fader Fort here in downtown Austin. After entering through a Levi's store / hipster fun house from an alternate universe, Mike and I found ourselves in the tented backyard venue. And once there, we caught Hotel (Jamie Hince) and VV (Alison Mosshart) up to their old tricks: making sexy, riff-driven, meth-freak garage-blues over stuttering drum-machine beats [how's that for hyphens, eh?!]. Playing mostly songs from their new XXXChange-produced album, Midnight Boom, which drops stateside next Tuesday on Domino Records, The Kills looked and sounded in top form. And a good thing it is, as they're about to embark on a month-long tour of continental Europe on Saturday.

The SXSW music conference kicks off today, which means the interactive geeks are checking out of Austin hotels and the rock stars are checking in. Although last night could have been considered the calm before the storm, there was plenty of live music taking over 6th Street, the epicenter of the festival. A group of us started the night off at a bar (I think it was called Fuego?) that promised $1 shots (bad idea, I feel like trash right now) and some good live rock. When we got there, three young hipsters were setting up their equipment on a small stage. Two tequilas later, Lights Resolve fired up their guitars, and rocked the small, semi-trendy venue. The band took advantage of their wireless gear, leaping off stage and dancing with the liquored-up crowd. Their sound was fresh, energetic and upbeat; full of hey's and wha-whoas. Although I've never heard of them before last night, they're already well on their way to stardom, as they head on tour with Straylight Run and The Used. Check them out here.

Alright, off to see more bands.

The music portion on SXSW has officially started and Austin is packed.

Every day we'll be bringing you recommendations for the events during the day and at night. Here are my picks for Wednesday 3/12:

2:30pm - Emo's Inside Stage - Bowerbirds

4:00pm - The Peacock - Holy Fuck

5:00pm - Mohawk - Shout Out Louds

6:30pm - Fader Fort - YACHT

8:00pm - Emo's Jr. - Paper Rad

9:45pm - Emo's Jr. - Meneguar

11:00pm - Austin Music Hall - Okkervil River

11:30pm - La Zona Rosa - Yeasayer

 

(Photo: YACHT in Brooklyn, summer 2007)

Last night, Lime Wire threw an event at SXSW in Austin to celebrate the release of our new music store and LimeSpot platform. People swarmed to the shindig, held in the retro Club De Ville, to see performances from Scissors For Lefty, The Golden Dogs, Virginia Coalition and The Low Lows. All bands put on excellent sets, but The Golden Dogs stole the show as they brought their upbeat pop to life before our eyes. Headliners Scissors For Lefty also put on an energetic set, jumping off stage and gettin' jiggy with the highly amused crowd. The night was a big success, thanks to great music and free booze. I snapped a couple more shots from the night, all under the cut.

 

 

The Low Lows opened the night for us

The Golden Dogs stole the Show

Scissors For Lefty may be a new favorite

Jorge took advantage of the free drinks

Mustache chick stole my heart

Pelzer rocks the Lime Wire gear

Fischler liked The Golden Dogs a little too much

Last night was a messy one for the Lime Wire team. After stumbling out of Gawker's party at Side Bar, we made our way over to Pangea where Facebook was hosting their annual filmmaker meetup. The Zuck was there in high spirits, fully recovered from his keynote debacle earlier in the day, and seemed to be into the bands playing his party. We missed the first band that played, Wild Street Orange, but made it in time for headliners State Radio, the side project of Dispatch frontman Chad Urmstrom. The band brought a great vibe to the room, rocking out with their soulful reggae-rock. Jeremy Vest from the How's Your News Band hopped on the drums for a guest song, and put on an impressive solo.

After State Radio, we hit up a few more bars, until finally ending up at the Purevolume Ranch, where we caught the tail end of Austin local synth rockers The Laughing. They sounded a bit like The Bravery, with a bit more edge. The night ended with a DJ set from Rubix, which all seemed to be a haze at that point. Oh boy, don't know how I'll make it through tonight...

Texas will be overflowing with new music next week as hundreds of indie rock bands bring their original material to the SXSW music conference. For a new take on something a bit more familiar, make sure you check out G.G. Elvis and the T.C.P. Band, a west coast five piece that rearranges Elvis classics into mini punk tunes. Sound impossible? Check out the video under the cut. GGEatTCPB (what an acronym!) will be playing twice on Friday - - at 12:15 at the Lucky Flame Gallery, and at 8 PM at Red 7. Viva SXSW!

One of the 16 million bands I'm excited to see at SXSW next week is Iglu and Hartly, a Hollywood based quintet whose infectious songs fuse '80s synth rock with cheeky hip hop. The band subscribes to the emerging glam-hipster style, which is well supported by their dance-floor friendly sound. I'm curious to see how the flashy band will be received among the common indie rock folk. Should be a refreshing change of pace.

Here's something crazy I noticed. While listening to "The Pajama Song" (listen to it on their myspace) I couldn't help but think of a YouTube video I'd seen a while back. Listen to the tune, and then watch the video I'm talking about under the cut. Is there a similarity?

3/13 @ 9pm Cedar Door.....

3/14 @ 2pm Chuggin' Monkey.....

3/14 @ 4pm Agave.....

 

Among the 1,500 bands playing this year's SXSW music conference is Scissors for Lefty, a group of five young musicians from San Francisco. These guys have been kicking for a few years, but recently developed a strong buzz with their addictive album, Underhand Romance, which led to a tour with Juliette & The Licks. SFL's music is a pleasant sub-genre of pop with enough of an edge to keep heads nodding. Lead singer Bryan Garza's voice has a slight British accent, giving the band's American sound a more global appeal.

The band plays a total of seven shows (wow) during the conference, including a performance at Lime Wire's very own SXSW party on March 10th at Club DeVille. Stop by!

Thousands of musicians, fans, and industry folk will flock to Austin, TX, in mid-March for the SXSW Music conference. If you're not really sure what SXSW is all about, here is a hilarious documentary about it. During the '06 event, New Zealand comedy folk duo Flight of the Conchords made this short film to acquaint fans with the conference. (via Waved Rumor)

Hey HBO: We want more Conchords!!

It's not every day you discover a band you love, find out they have a new disc coming out on one of your favorite labels, and then get to book them to play at your party. But that's exactly what happened with us and The Low Lows.

The Low Lows' brand of psychedelic Americana sounds like a Raymond Carver tale baptized in the sweat of Galaxie 500 -- dirty, woozy, and beautiful. Get hooked on Fire on the Bright Side, then look forward to the follow-up out this spring on Misra Records. Hear some tracks from the new disc here.

Want to see the band live at the Lime Wire party during SXSW?

Win a chance to see The Low Lows along with Virginia Coalition, Golden Dogs, and Scissors for Lefty -- e-mail us for a chance to grab a spot on the guest list and a bag of Lime Wire swag: sxswparty@limewire.com.

1,500+ bands will flock to Austin Texas in March for the South by Southwest music festival. All month, we'll be profiling a few of the lesser known artists we're looking forward to seeing.

Three years ago, I was waiting on line for Broken Social Scene tickets when I eavesdropped on a guy talking about his band Edison Glass. The name stuck with me, prompting a trip to their myspace page -- impressed, I've kept the young group of musicians on my radar since. The Long Island quartet finds a midpoint between wavy-haired emo and soulful indie rock, creating an approachable sound for any alt-rock fan. They classify themselves as a Christian rock band (their original band name was Mannafest), yet I've never noticed the spirituality.

Edison Glass just released their fifth full-length album, Time is Fiction, on Credential Records. Make sure to catch these guys at SXSW if you're down there -- if not, you can catch them on tour with Nightmare of You.

1,500+ bands will flock to Austin Texas in March for the South by Southwest music festival. All month, we'll be profiling a few of the lesser known artists we're looking forward to seeing.

Back in November, we posted an mp3 from LoveLikeFire, a west coast foursome that has since found a special place in my iPod. By combining spacey, relaxed instrumentals with rich, haunting vocals, the band creates a powerful catalog. The passion and emotion instilled in their recordings has led critics to describe them as a female-fronted Arcade Fire. The band's music fell into the hands of Tom and Samara, a married couple who recently directed a phenomenal video for the band's track "I Will."

LoveLikeFire has already announced two SXSW dates: On January 13th, they'll be playing a 7:30 showcase for Giant Step Records at Beauty Bar. Two days later, they play Bourbon Rocks as part for the Talking House showcase.