SXSW Day 4

Saturday we were up early enough to enjoy the free hot breakfast at our hotel for the very first time this week. Good day for a hot breakfast since the rainstorm that gave us 2 inches in about 2 hours made for a very cold & gloomy day. Shuttle, covention center, SXXpress passes. Stubb’s again.

Fletch had to get to Casino el Camino to set up for It’s True’s noon photo shoot. While he was waiting for his subjects, he met Casino himself. And no trip to Casino el Camino or a photo shoot that early is complete without Bloody Mary's! 

IT'S BLOODY TRUE!!

While Fletch was shooting I checked out indie band from Kansas City, Roman Numerals, before heading over to finally see Miho Wada at noon. I met them on the shuttle the first night. They were a fun little Japanese Punk Jazz band.

After all that we ended up at Galaxy for the Brooklyn Vegan showcase. Inside was psychedelic garage rock band, Crystal Antlers. The raw energy of Johnny Bell entranced me and the rest the crowd. Outside was Think About Life, a party band w/ fun, feel-good, energetic electronic pop w/ catchy anthems. On our way out Duchess Says was starting & I'd be interested in hearing more from them.

Over to Stubb’s for Rachael Ray's Feedback Festival to catch the indie folk of M.Ward & Zooey Deschanel of She & Him where we stood in the freezing cold. It was so cold & windy, I had to buy some gloves, the only pair in Austin I think.

Oh No! Have I been busted?

Nope. Not a smart phone.

Just textin' Tim McMahan to let

him know I just saw his beloved

Zooey.

Before that I sampled a tasty meatball

sub, a pulled pork sandwich & chicken

quesadilla courtesy of Rachael Ray while listening to Jakob Dylan w/ Neko Case & Kelly Hogan. In between I enjoyed the funky beats of Street Sweeper Social Club w/ Tom Morello.

Back to Galaxy w/ Jesse & Sarah. Inside was an over-flowing crowd there to see The Local Natives, an indie rock band w/ 3 harmonious singers which I really liked. Outside was psychedelic rock legend Roky Erickson backed by fellow Austinites, Okervil River. Then over to Beerland for folk rock singer/songwriter Harlan T. Bobo from Memphis.

The 4 of us spent the next hour or two at Daddy’s. We were so exhausted & needed a TIME-OUT from the cold. We invited ourselves to a table w/o even asking. Made friends with a friendly guy from Kansas that we probably could’ve chatted with the whole night.

                                                       
Off to Mi Casa to see Omaha band Thunder Power for the first time who sounded better & seemed more interesting on myspace. Maybe I was just over banded by that point. I’ll have to give them another try. Then Fletch & I caught the tail end of punk legend Excene Cervenka's folk country at Red Eyed Fly.

We got lazy so headed over to Stubb’s early to hook back up w/ Jesse & Sarah, but not in time for Minus The Bear. Next was 80’s sounding pop band, The Drums, which again I like better on myspace.They just kinda had a weird stage presence. Progresseive indie rock band, Circa Survive, was next.

We were too busy making a pizza on our pizza stone, the only flat surface in Austin, w/ new friend Allie, to enjoy either of these bands. A flat disc that fit 3 people comfortably. If any passerby's stepped on our stone, Allie would scare most away by asking if their feet were hot. If confused, she'd say "you just stepped on our pizza stone". This seemed to really upset one girl who told Allie, "No it's not, bitch!" & insisted on standing on our stone for about 2 minutes. We just sent her some cheesy energy until she left. We really needed Marq Manner. Instead, Allie & Liz turned into terrorists. The rest of the time they were perfectly pleasant napkin faces.

Seriously though, it was the only flat surface in Austin. All the bars in Austin had uneven pavement, dirt floors, gravel lots or steep hills for floors. Dancing on that sucks! And that is why my feet & legs were killing me, not from bad shoes or walking 10 times my required 10,000 steps a day.

We had fun singing "Oompa Loompa doompety doo, I've got another pizza for you!" But after what seemed like hours, we got bored with the pizza and moved up close and "cut it up" as we all danced our asses off to an awesome festival ending show by glam rock disco band & fashionistas, Scissor Sisters!
 
Although I had an awesome time, I feel I failed terribly at SXSW. I blew it on researching which bands I wanted to see before hand. I didn’t really figure out day showcases until the end. I relied on others opinions & that‘s always a mistake for me. At other festivals I figure out which bands I’m going to see when & how long I can I stay before moving on to the next. I usually do a pretty good job keeping up w/ my planned schedule. And I didn’t get to see my celebrity boyfriend, Matthew McConaughey, who was actually at a few of the same places I was & didn‘t realize it. So I didn’t see nearly as much as I thought I would. Next year I am going to attack SXSW!!

SXSW Day 3

I’ll say it again…H.S.I.F! (Holy Shit It’s Friday!)

Need I say we got a late start on Friday?

After a day with Puma and day with New Balance and seeing several others in their boots & wishing I was in mine, I decided to give my gals a shot. So glad I brought them, it was like comfort food for the souls of my feet! Again, I should've trusted my own instincts. Oh well, I got 2 new pairs of sneakers out of the deal.

After the disappointment of finding that we were too late to get SXXpress passes to see Hole at The Dirty Dog, as well as most other venues, we went straight to Casino el Camino for huge jalepeno burgers & some much needed Bloody Mary’s. This is where Fletch decided he wanted to do the It’s True photo shoot the next day.

Speaking of It’s True, that’s where we headed next. A crowd formed outside the open window of BD Riley’s. Adam Hawkins has a voice that will take you many places. He’s a crooner with a dreamy voice one minute & the next he’s down on the ground attacking his guitar strings with such angst. All the guys seem to have a mutual appreciation, understanding & goal.

Fletch & I headed to Stubb’s & waited in line for another one of my favorites, new wave rock band, Metric. I so love Emily Haines & her infectious side to side head-shaking. I danced my butt off & almost shook my head off. The next hour was lost.  Like I said, we partied like rock stars. The next day we were informed that we missed a secret show by Muse right after Metric at Stubb’s. Damn! So close. I’m not too keen on the whole secret show thing. I didn’t keep any secrets from SXSW when I gave them my credit card # so they could charge me an arm & a leg for my music badge and I really don’t feel they should be keeping secrets from me.

 

We then headed to Wave for the guitar-driven indie rock of Omaha band Little Brazil, where we got to see Oliver working the drums instead of drumming up trouble. They put on a good show. More quick chats with Omaha friends, then Fletch & I went separate ways. Fletch headed to Barbarella for Son Lux.

I was thinking Son Volt which I don’t care for so I fast walked the 10 exhausting blocks to meet up with Jesse & Sarah and Johnny Kotchian. Quasi was playin’ & I wasn’t feelin’ it. I know they’re good but at that moment they were just another indie rock band. So I headed 10 blocks back to where Fletch was & realized that it was Son Lux, which I do like, but by then had no energy to do anything but sit my ass on a hard to come by barstool and enjoy the beautiful chaotic sounds & trippy lights.

We used any street but 6th to get to the next venue. The locals were out in full force on Friday & it was tough gettin' around. Caught a bit of Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers as we passed BD Riley’s on our way to Maggie Mae’s for Band of Skulls. In this photo, Russell Marsden  & Emma Richardson look like a Band of Hair. They are entertaining great up front. Matt Hayward on drums was just as entertaining. I loved it! They were awesome & full of heavy driving guitar rock and packed with energy.

Shuttle, home, bed.

SXSW Day 2

Thursday afternoon brought us back to the convention center to pick up our SXXpress pass. We chose Stubb’s again. Then we started the long walk across the bridge to Dominican Joe’s coffee shop. On the way I made friends with a couple of locals. One told me to catch JEFF the brotherhood, a garage punk band, which I wish I would have, but I can do that on April 8th at The Hole here in Omaha. The other said doing SXSW in her cowboy boots was completely comfortable. I was strongly advised against wearing mine but I brought them because how could I go to Austin & leave my boots at home?

We made it before Omaha band The Mynabirds started. The first & last time I saw them I fell in love with Laura Burhenn's soulful voice by the end of their first song so I couldn’t wait to see them here at SXSW. She has a Dusty Springfield look & sound. They sold their first piece of merch to none other than me, a silk scarf screenprinted by Joey Lynch w/ The Mynabirds logo. Shopping & music, such a wonderful combination for someone like me.

On the back patio, we caught a little bit of Brooklyn band, La Strada. There were 7 members & they had an accordion, a cello, a violin & a viola. I really liked their jangly indie pop sound.

Back across the bridge we headed to a Spanish showcase where we listened to Unfinished Symphony while drinking free Spanish beer & eating free paella.

Later we headed to Canvas to see Omaha band & my favorite, It’s True, where it was like we never left Omaha, all the regulars from The Waiting Room were there. It's True made it into NPR's Top 100 bands to hear at SXSW. Another awesome show & another It’s True t-shirt for me! I tried to buy it but Kyle said I get one free after buying 5. Now I just need 1 more to complete the week.

Walking through the streets of Austin I still had the song “Numbers Don’t Lie” by The Mynabirds stuck in my head from earlier & couldn’t stop singing it and right then Dan McCarthy walked by. Weird.

Fletch caught a rickshaw to catch the upbeat sounds of Ozomatli, for a latin mix of salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, & heavy on horns. After seeing this photo I wish I had went with him.

In the meantime a gang of us Omahans strutted through the streets of Austin like we owned the place. Sarah, Jesse & I split off & ended up walking in circles inside of Emo’s just to find a bathroom. We then set out to find someplace to eat & rest.

Casino el Camino had an hour wait, so we pushed on. An hour later we found Jaime’s Mexican restaurant where Fletch met back up w/ us and told us about his rickshaw adventure. The driver got completely lost looking for Auditorium Shores but he made it just in time to run to the front & shoot the first few songs of Ozomatli .

After rest & nourishment we used our SXXpress pass at Stubb’s to catch some good old alternative country southern rock by Drive-By Truckers. We stayed for the beautiful high pitched dreamy sounds of Band of Horses. Both played great sets.

Next Jesse & Sarah went to see the frustrated Evan Dando while Fletch & I caught some punk blues from Omaha local garage band Brimstone Howl that I absolutely love, where we ran into Oliver from Little Brazil for the upteenth time.

From there we went to see the rootsy & edgy Delta Spirit at Emo’s. They have so much energy and so does their happy crowd. One guy high-fived me & another wanted to bump fists several times. They definitely had Delta Spirit.

We met Jesse & Sarah at the shuttle and went back to our room for a late night of debouchery & a game of Reefer City. We had to quit with no winners at 5am.

I got 4 hours of sleep while everyone else got about 7.

H.S.I.F! (Holy Shit It’s Friday!)

SXSW Day 1

We rolled into town on Wednesday about noon. We headed straight for the convention center where we picked up our stinkin’ badges & got our goody bag. Then up to the 4th floor to retrieve our daily SXXpress Pass which allowed us to surpass the lines at Stubb‘s that night.

We checked into our hotel, made ourselves presentable and had a few celebratory Bloody Mary’s before catching the shuttle back to 6th Street. We then went to Daddy’s for a $4 beer & a shot. I was a little too eager to start having fun & it hit me all at once. I had to drink some water & sober up if I was going to finish the night.

We went to Stubb’s for the funky soulful Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Her twisting & shaking & flying fringe were a sight to see. After that was the band everyone is talking about, Broken Bells, which is James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse’s Brian Burton and to our eyes surprise, it also included Nate Walcott and Nik Freitas from Conor Oberst’s Mystic Valley Band.

However for some reason we left Stubb’s during Broken Bells because fellow companions said there was a band they wanted to see at Club de Ville. My friends, including my husband, all turned into zombies at that point, not the wired kind, just zombies. We all stood around hee-hawin’ & I couldn’t get a straight answer out of any of them. I don’t know if it was the 15 hour drive or what. Finally we went into Club de Ville where we saw Bowerbirds & Califone which made me wonder why the we left Broken Bells for this? Like I said, all SX bands are good enough to be there but I was looking for something a little less mellow. I like music with energy, or some edge. I was so happy to see Neal Duffy, a fellow energetic soul & his fun friend, Allie, from New York.

Finally I made the call, grabbed Fletch and headed back to Stubb’s to catch the last of Austin’s very own, Spoon. Our fellow companions ended up there as well, which again made me question why we ever left? After Spoon, they went their way & we went ours. We ended up catching innocent looking The Morning Benders at Emo’s Jr. They sounded just as innocent and a little like early Beatles & Beach Boys.

Shuttle, home, bed.

My 1st SXSW

This is my story of SXSW. This is also my first attempt at writing. It didn’t get into any paper because I don’t do deadlines, so instead it is going into my blog as my first post. I don’t have an iphone, a blackberry, a ustream, a blog or any other type of device that keeps me connected to the rest of the outside world at all times. I don’t update, post or twitter constantly about everything I am seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, liking or not liking. I know that I am a rare breed in this world of wired zombies. But I actually enjoy my experiences too much to interrupt anyone of them just to update others about what I just saw, am about to see or what I am currently seeing.

In a world of constant tweet chat & face blogging, anyone can live vicariously through someone else’s post date or blog space. I feel the same way about this as I do about the guy at the concert that calls his buddy & holds the phone up for him to hear U2 play ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’. If your buddy didn’t buy a ticket then tough luck, he missed out. If you want to enjoy the ride, then get on the bus.

And that’s what I did! I got on the bus (in the form of a Ford F-150) and traveled the 15 road hours to Austin for SXSW. I went with my husband, Fletch, the photographer, and 2 writer friends, Jesse & Sarah. Including my posse, I was surrounded by 1000’s of not only music fans, but by these wired zombies I mentioned earlier.

I was always behind someone who was walking slow & aimlessly with his head in his phone who seemed more interested in letting others know about his fabulous life than getting to the next band at the next venue. Or I was waiting for one of my posse to get their head out of their (@$$) iphone & catch up.

SXSW is a music lover’s dream. Music is coming out of every doorway & every window on 6th Street and all the surrounding streets in every direction, not just south. I heard, saw, touched, tasted & smelled music everywhere. I partied like a rock star for 5 days. I didn’t need to update everyone constantly for them to know that. They knew where I was. They knew I was having fun. That’s all they really needed to know.

Now that I’m back, I can let you know what I saw, heard & enjoyed.
I saw & heard A LOT of awesome bands. But what did you expect, it’s SXSW! It was really hard to find something that didn’t sound good. I like a lot of different genres and I’m pretty easy to please….when it comes to music that is. Yet even when a band wasn’t my cup of tea, they still sounded like they deserved to be there.