Howdy all.
Today I come to you with a plea. No, I’m not asking for money. I’m asking for your recommendations.
I’ll be at the SXSW Music Festival this year and as I’m putting together my schedule I realize I’m checking off all my favorite bands. That’s cool but one of the things I love most is discovering new music.
Therefore, do you know of a band going to SXSW that I should check out? If so then hit me with your recommendation.
For those of you not lucky enough to be heading to Austin for the SXSW Music Festival, allow me to offer you a taste of what you’ll be missing. Just download this torrent and you’re ready to rock.
Now, before you get your panties in a twist, all of these MP3s are available for free from the SXSW website so it’s all legal. Someone was kind enough to gather them together in a single torrent.
For those of you that have never used a torrent, I suggest you download an aggregator. I happen to like Transmission for the Mac (if you really like the software, why not support the developer by making a donation).
Once installed, just open the torrent file with downloaded software and wait for all that musical goodness to arrive.
In regards to yesterday’s post, while movie awards don’t excite me music festivals send me to the moon. It is with that joy and energy that I present you with the Coachella 2010 lineup.
Of all those listed, I’m most excited about…
As was the case last year, I’m kinda hoping it’s “the year of the old man act” but I’d love to mix that up with some “I never heard of those guys and they blew me away” action too. Also, there’s a good chance I’ll see most of these acts at SXSW in March but maybe some of them will be worth a 2nd whirl.
So who are you excited to see?
Fridays could use more fun. Therefore I’m instituting “Friday Fun!” on this blog. Why? Because gray skies are turning black. Because I’m not at the edge of darkness, I’m in the heart of it. Because I heard this song this morning and I wanted to share it.
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I’ve seen The Ravonettes live twice at SXSW and while I like them, I’m not wild about their live show. What gets me juiced is listening to them while driving. This first happened after driving home from seeing Chrissy, a PhD candidate from UC Riverside that has since broken my heart twice. I hit the road around 3 AM, no one was on the freeway and my iPod was set to play my latest eMusic downloads. That’s when I first heard “Lust Lust Lust” by The Ravonettes and that terrible drive was transformed into a lone wolf’s nocturnal swagger across asphalt highways.
Now I haven’t heard the new album in its entirety but if this one song not only got me to post this but also institute a whole new subcategory of post, you’d think it’s gotta be worth it, no? FYI, thanks to Stereogum for the free MP3.
Of all the pop shows I’ve seen at The Hollywood Bowl, this was by far the most consistently enjoyable. By that, I mean that all the bands were good, not one was a dud (as is usually the case but I’ll address that phenomenon at the end of this post).
The first opener was The New Pornographers. While their melodies are sweet, clean pop confections their sound last night was anything but. It felt like they needed another 30 minutes for a sound check… or maybe the bowl just swallowed them up. It’s been known to happen to good bands and I can vouch for The New Pornographers. These guys rocked their SXSW set a few years back.
Also, as good as their female singer was, she can’t compare to the power and clarity of Neko Case.
The second opener was Tegan and Sara and they were much improved since I saw them open for Ryan Adams (dude, when you gonna make another album that floors us?). First, it helped that this time they had a backing band; the two of them acoustic = tedious. Second, their sound was clean and tight (New Pornographers, take note of what they did for next time). Lastly, these two girl have a great stage presence/banter. They reminded me of the Smothers Brothers. Hey, Logo, are you developing a variety hour for these two?
Finally, Death Cab for Cutie took the stage. Like all previous pop acts that have played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the first half of Death Cab’s set was loaded with their heavier songs while the second half focused on slower songs with a more cinematic scope. In my humble opinion, I thought Death Cab did a great job.
Now, those points I was going to address. First, The Hollywood Bowl is an unforgiving space for pop acts. While it’s a cool novelty for a band to play there and it’s awesome that the audience can bring in a picnic, I think most bands should avoid the Bowl. Second, if you’re gonna play with the LA Philharmonic, embrace it, don’t treat it like jamming with a buddy. Death Cab should have dumped their usual instruments and only had the orchestra backing them. That would have been amazing. Lastly, Transatlanticism is their best album but this might be my favorite song/video of theirs:
I know, I know, you’re saying, “I thought this was a film blog but all he writes about is music.” Sorry, but music is my drug. That’s why I’m heading to the desert for Coachella.
I’ll try to tweet and post pictures but as any of you that have been will know, cell signal at the festival sucks. Still, I don’t want to leave you empty handed. That’s why I’m pointing you towards some awesome free music.
So who should I check out? Also, if you’re in the desert be sure to say, “hi!”
Okay, one more post about SXSW. Warning: the sound is terrible; the camera’s on-board mic can’t handle the rock n’ roll thunder.
Here are the rest of my SXSW 2009 photos.
And I swear my next post will be film related.
And so we come to the last day of SXSW. My first show was none other than ’80s icon Echo & The Bunnymen.
This was everything I hoped it would be. They still sounded good and they played all the hit’s you’d hope.
Next was Gil Mantera’s Party Dream.
I’m not sure what kind of party they like to throw but I obviously hadn’t imbibed enough spirits to “get” it. Still, I’d give them another chance.
Have It told you yet that I love the Japanese night? So much so that I dropped by more than a few times? Well, I did. First I caught girl pop trio Stereo Pony
How can you not love hard rockin’ girls? You gotta!
On a friend’s suggestion, I checked out LA band The Little Ones.
Um, yeah, I was really feeling it. Maybe on a different day.
Part of the joy of SXSW is checking out some legends or notable acts you would see otherwise. So was the case with PJ Harvey.
I appreciate PJ. Now I can say that I saw her.
After ducking out early from that show, I wandered back into the Japanese night in order to catch The Emeralds.
Goddamn it, again the Japanese impress me with a power punk trio. I kid you not, these guys were really good.
I hung around for the next Japanese act, a rock-a-billy punk outfit called Sa.
While I was impressed with the lead singer’s pompadour, I still felt like taking a walk after a few tunes.
And so I stumbled into Silversun Pickups.
Now I wasn’t that impressed with their Coachella show last year (was it last year or was it longer?) but they rocked the s#!t out of a tiny venue. Unfortunately, the lead singer/guitarist can’t end a show properly. They don’t end on a strong song and they he gets all into his feedback. Dude, you ain’t Hendrix.
Again off a friend’s suggestion, I checked out Illinois.
I was assured they sounded better on their album. Hmm. So it was that I left to find the perfect cap to my SXSW experience.
Which is why I returned to the Japanese night. Thank God I didn’t listen to the ladies at the door that said, “too late, it’s over, go home” because then I would have missed Quaff.
Did I say I was impressed with the hair in Sa? It don’t compare to this band. After a quick version of the national anthem, the boys broke out into a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and I broke out into a smile because I found the perfect way to end SXSW.
Obviously, Quaff are my pick of the day.
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And as I lay my head to sleep I savor the memories while wondering if I’ll be back next year. I think so, if only to find the prefect brisket. Apparently Texas is famous for it but all the ones I’ve had have been dry and flavorless.
Good night.
Today was a rather international day. First I caught the Spanish (both in language and nationality) rap act SFDK.
Not bad. They didn’t tear the room down but then again they were playing the convention center during the middle of the day.
Next I drifted to Brush Park for the Aussie BBQ where Birds of Tokyo were playing.
A fine young band. Here’s hoping they do well in the US.
I then took a break to buy a cupcake from a cupcake (can you read the tiny print that says “… injected with cream…”?)
Afterwards I was challenged to game of Ms. Pac-Man and I got spanked.
No worries. Galaga was more my game and I’m more than ready for a rematch.
Japan Night is always a ton of fun so I was sure to catch at least one act. I wandered into the venue to catch Dirty Old Men (who were anything but).
I don’t know what it is about the Japanese acts but they’re always energetic and fun. I kid you not, this show was well curated.
I then caught a group of Mexican hipsters calling themselves Los Fancy Free.
Again, lots of fun and full of energy. Come on America, step up to the challenge.
Next I wandered into an outdoor tent to see School of Seven Bell.
Their mellow, ambient style (along with a show plagued with technical problems) failed to grab me. Maybe when I’m in bed on a Sunday morning but I wasn’t feeling it at the moment.
I then drifted across town to catch Tricky.
Jesus, his set was heavy. And I nominate Trcky as the next Bowflex spokesman.
And what about his Amazonian bass player?
Oh my.
Lastly, I caught Devo.
When they busted into “Girl You Want” I was in heaven.
Devo wins for best act of the day but I’ll leave you with some School of Seven Bells.
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Nite.
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