The final, full day of SXSW 2010, Saturday, March 21, was freezing cold. In fact, it was warmer by 20 degrees-plus in the northeast; at one point it was barely 40 degrees, but the winds wiping off the Texas prairie lands made it feel like it could snow. People with warm clothes, hats and jackets were cold, so you can imagine what it was like for all of the folks who dressed for typical Texas late March weather. Dallas got two inches of snow!

Visitors to Texas expecting warm spring weather in this near-tropical locale were dumbfounded. But, thankfully, people found ways to cope, and one way was to get a little to a lot closer, and that's a good thing.

Perhaps, James Mercer, of an IRC favorite band, The Shins, performing at The Mohawk patio with Broken Bells - a great new band featuring Danger Mouse - summed it up best when he said: "welcome to Portland," sarcastically referring to the cold, cloudy and windy weather residents of Oregon's biggest city know all too well.

Although the weather was a huge topic of conversation - and even curse words - it was in fact the tribute show at Antone's to honor the sudden passing of iconic musician Alex Chilton of Big Star, that was the talk of SXSW today.

Chilton, who was 59, suffered an instantly fatal heart attack on St. Patrick's Day in New Orleans, only three days before the much anticipated reunion of Chilton with most of the original and later members of pop rock icons Big Star. In what surviving Big Star members called a musical wake, the 80-minute tribute to Chilton included guest appearances from the Lemonheads' Evan Dando, Meat Puppets' Curt Kirkwood, M. Ward, REM's Mike Mills, and many others.

"O My Soul" - Big Star

"I'm In Love With a Girl" - Big Star

Ray Davies, of the legendary rock band, The Kinks (and one of the first rock bands to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), and who was also at SXSW for a solo performance (and honorary speaker at SXSW some years ago), talked about how Chilton came to his aid after Davies was shot in New Orleans in 2004 during a mugging in the French Quarter. "He would come over and lend me a guitar," Davies said. "He became my friend ...[and] helped me a lot." Davies proceeded to dedicate The Kinks' classic "Till the End of the Day," a song Big Star previously covered. In the past, Chilton had credited The Kinks as one of the biggest influences on Big Star's sound.



"Till the End of the Day" (1965) - The Kinks

So far it's been a sobering year for many music lovers. In the past few months, fans have had to come to terms with the tragic and untimely deaths of Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), Jay Reatard and Vic Chestnutt. Yet as far as impact on music history, the sudden death of Alex Chilton is probably the most stunning of all, especially since Big Star were scheduled to reunite at SXSW.

Our Day Four got off to a slow start - after three straight days and nights of shows, often standing for 12-14 hours a day (that's a lot of standing, huh?), the freezing, overcast weather didn't help, and staying warm became more important than waiting in long, hardly moving lines outside. In previous days, long lines were cool because you knew it would be a great crowd, and probably a good showcase. One of the biggest downers about SXSW is waiting in a line for an hour or more and never getting in.

But with the case of Broken Bells show, unlike their shared showcase with Spoon, it was thankfully pretty fast and easy to get in. If only Austin's own indie rock band Spoon had been there too, well, that would have been something else.

Broken Bells' debut LP, released earlier this month, has created a lot of buzz. Broken Bells, dressed appropriately in layers, put on one of the festival's most memorable shows. Ironically, Mercer and Danger Mouse where collaborators with Mark Linkous, and performed on Late Show with David Letterman only a couple of days after Linkous' tragic death.

"The High Road" - Broken Bells

Following the Broken Bells, we headed inside to get warm with the Freelance Whales, who were performing in The Mohawk's so-called "cake shop," perhaps one of the smallest music venues in Austin. But because it was indoors, and smaller, the show was better than their outdoor performance at the Galaxy Room Backyard on Thursday.

After Freelance Whales, we headed over to The Parish where we unfortunately just missed Wye Oak, but were in time for Ben Gibbard's (Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service) solo set. In addition to playing a bunch of DCFC songs, Gibbard calmly did a terrific cover of The Magnetic Fields' song, "I Don't Want To Get Over You." The warmed up capacity crowd at The Parish were, not surprisingly, a bit older of a crowd than you see at other shows, but it was a highlight of SXSW to see Ben Gibbard, one of IRC's favorite singer/songwriters of the past decade or so.

"Cath" - Ben Gibbard

By early evening, rumors circulated that the line for the Alex Chilton/Big Star tribute show was insanely long. The same was also true for the Perez Hilton Party where Snoop Dog and Courtney Love (reunited with Hole) was performing. Well, we never planned on seeing that show anyway - much too much fake "A-list" Hollywood for us. And Courtney Love? Pah-lease.

After the Ben Gibbard show, we wanted to check out a new, promising band we previously featured on IRC - the Small Black at The Mohawk. However, five minutes before the set, there were literally seven people there. Tough decision time: at SXSW, you go for the energy of the turn-out almost as much as you do for the bands. One thing you learn really quick at SXSW, is that if a show isn't happening, either by attendance or performance - or technical issues - there are dozens of other choices unless, of course, it's a show you have to see. Anyways, we have the opportunity to see Small Black with Washed Out and Picturesque Airplane in San Francisco this coming weekend. We see a lot of potential in this exciting, and latest, edition to the "surf rock" craze of the past year or so in the indie rock genre.



"Despicable Dogs" - Small Black

Here's another video of Small Black performing "Pleasant Experience"
(Note: Now having regrets about not staying to see Small Black's Mohawk set)

Therefore, we headed out to catch a few songs from Minneapolis' Banner Pilot and fellow Minnesotian dance pop duo Swimming With Dolphins before walking back over to The Galaxy Room to watch the only Matt Pond PA show we knew of at SXSW at the Polyvinyl Records Party.

"Greenwood" - Banner Pilot

Matt Pond PA, our first time seeing them live, were joking with the packed room, and playing one terrific song after another, including "Halloween." We were disappointed, however, that they didn't play "Snow Day," one of their most well known songs, and it would have been so appropriate for the weather of the day.

"Halloween" - Matt Pond PA

"Snow Day" - Matt Pond PA

By the time Matt Pond PA wrapped up, SXSW was in it's final night of official showcases. So, we didn't waste much time; off next to see Titus Andronicus outside at Red 7, two blocks away. The Glen Rock, New Jersey band, whose new album, The Monitor, is one of our favorite 2010 releases so far, played a raw and energizing set of guitar rock, including a fifteen-minute, acid-freaked version of the guitar punk-rock song, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Right before the crowd-pleasing jam, Titus frontman, Patrick Stickles, said: "Thanks to Fuc*ed Up for making the world safe for 15-minute punk songs, like this..."



"Titus Andronicus" - Titus Andronicus

By this point, it was becoming apparent that SXSW was coming to a close, but we still had a few more gigs to catch before the ball dropped. So, we caught a bit of Woods set inside the Red 7 and then headed around the corner to Barbarella to see Abe Vigoda; doses of good guitar rock are filling up this part of the schedule, and Abe Vigoda lived up to expectations, as did the next performance by Canada's Two Hours Traffic at Mi Casa; they performed their best-known song, "Territory," with perfect musicianship.

"Territory" - Two Hours Traffic

The wheels are starting to come off - finished the official SXSW with Japandroids at The Galaxy Room and No Age at Barbarella. Both of those shows were packed and memorable as the night (it was now about 2 am) came to an end. It was time to say goodbye to everyone before turning in to warm up and rest aching feet. Next year, we hope to host a showcase, so stay tuned for updates about that in 2010.

"Wet Hair" - Japandroids



We would like to thank everyone - from the organizers (how do you do it?) to the venues, the musicians and bands, and the good folks of Austin - for a great first time SXSW experience. The past five days are like one long blur of venues, people and music, and it will take some time to digest it all.

SXSW typically kicks off the music festival season with big fests like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, Lollapolooza, Outside Lands and many others in the pipeline. Look out for our special series of features on music festivals of 2010.

Over the next week or so, we will have more coverage from SXSW, including band profiles, playlist mixes, show videos and interviews, samplers, photos and more. We'll also profile bands we heard about but didn't get to see, and bands we like, even love, that we didn't get to see. One thing you learn at SXSW - if you get to see even two dozens bands you wanted to see, it's an accomplishment - but there will always be those shows you missed for one reason or another, and that's just part of the gig.

On that note, it is hard to imagine what it is like for SXSW attendees who go to conferences, panels and seminars all day, because a lot of the best showcases - and chances for actually getting into see a show - are the unofficial, often free day-time shows. It's also very different than the more exclusive night-time showcases, and gives you a entirely different overall experience in seeing how many non-industry people respond, or don't respond, to a particular artist or band. See our full SXSW coverage, including dozens of songs, videos and handy links of SXSW 2010 bands.

Tomorrow, it's back to our regular programming with the Best New Releases of The Week feature. There is plenty of great new music out this week, so check back for that, as well as more SXSW coverage. In addition, we are excited to share with you in coming weeks a bunch of artists and bands that you probably never heard of, many of who have contacted us in the past few of months with music submissions. The amount and variety of great music we receive just In Dee Mail (our silly way of saying music sent in to us via email) alone is overwhelming.

Hoo-rah.

• SXSW Day One Coverage - March 17, 2010


• SXSW Day Two Coverage - March 18, 2010


• SXSW Day Three Coverage - March 19, 2010


• SXSW Day Four Coverage - March 20, 2010

Labels: RIP, SXSW 2010

The sun came out just in time for the first day of South By Southwest in Austin, and the big venues filled up to packed crowds as the day went on. Free Energy followed by The Freelance Whales created a line outside The Galaxy Room two blocks long.

We started the day around noon time at Emo's to see Rural Alberta Advantage followed by The Morning Benders. RAA belted out one catchy song after another, as the sun rays beamed in through the shackle roof to light up the stage while the band played "Frank AB" and "Don't Haunt This Place."

"Don't Haunt This Place" - Rural Alberta Advantage

By the time the Morning Benders got on stage, it took them 10-plus minutes to get the soundcheck right, and as a result, they were only able to fit in four songs - three from their new, critically acclaimed LP, Big Echo. Nevertheless, they got the crowd to clap and sing along with them on their most popular recent songs, "Promises" and "Excuses."

"Excuses" - The Morning Benders

Next it was over to The Galaxy Room just in time to catch Philadelphia's 70's FM pop rock (in a good way; think Cheap Trick) band Free Energy. They put on an energetic, engaging performance that had a packed crowd really going - definitely one of the most inspired shows of SXSW's Day One. Half way into Free Energy's set, the line outside The Galaxy Room had grown down the block and around the corner on Red River Street. Free Energy, a young, talented band have built a strong following in the past half year, and have been an IRC band to watch. The recent release of their album, Stuck on You, proves why.

"Dream City" - Free Energy

Following Free Energy at Wednesday's Paste Magazine showcase was Freelance Whales, yet another recent phenomenon to hit the "indie rock" scene in the past year. The band of musicians from the various boroughs of New York City fuse keyboard new wave pop with banjo-picking, stellar choruses and perfectly-timed bass, drums and guitar that round out a sound uniquely their own. By the time Freelance Whales were into their second song, the people outside in the line - including those with the all-mighty badges - were pretty much stuck there - no one was leaving at that point. And for good reason.

"Hannah" - Freelance Whales

Next it was over to Red 7 to see New Jersey's Real Estate perform a number of their widely acclaimed songs, including "Beach Comber," "Suburban Dogs" and "Green River." The band are likely to follow up their praise from CMJ last fall to even bigger buzz post-SXSW. They are scheduled oddly enough for only one official SXSW show, but are actually performing seven 'unofficial' shows by the end of Saturday. The only problem with the Real Estate show at Red 7 was that the vocals were not loud enough, and thus some of the songs sounded more like instrumentals, and still they pulled it off marvelously - which says much about any band's musicianship.

"Green River" - Real Estate

Official SXSW at Night: Good Luck Getting into the Best Showcases

That pretty much put an end to the day shows, which, interestingly enough, are not even considered official SXSW shows. In fact, the official SXSW Music Pocket Guide does not even list the day time shows. This is an interestingly separation as one spectator pointed out today. The day time shows, which are usually free, and somewhat easier to get into than night time shows, offer many regular folks who cannot afford - or get into - the exclusive, and official, evening showcases, a chance to see talented bands. The daytime shows also expose bands to a more diverse audience, and provide a better chance to connect with non-industry people, not to mention the perfect conditions for making new fans.

The interesting thing about the night time shows, is that not even the folks with the expensive badges, can get into a venue once it has hit capacity. The same goes for wristband holders. Many of the evening showcases are open only to badge and wristband holders, who tend to be music industry and press people. But it's still about capacity.

This was the case tonight at Stubb's, where the bill included The Walkmen, Broken Bells and Spoon. The line was extremely long, and not moving enough to create hope of seeing those bands. Before The Walkmen even completed their set, venue staff were telling people in line that they might as well go somewhere else because the joint was at capacity and badge holders, if there was capacity to let anyone else in, would get first priority. Basically, even badge holders were not guaranteed entry because any sane person that actually got in to Stubb's this evening wouldn't be stupid enough to leave, especially since Spoon wasn't scheduled until 12:15am. For many of us, not getting in was a big let-down. OK, get over it fast, and hit another venue with a solid showcase that may be a better shot.

So, we dashed across the street to Club De Ville in hopes of seeing Here We Go Magic, The Middle East, Bowerbirds and Califone. Unfortunately, it was pretty much the same deal. Club Deville was filled to capacity with little chance of getting in no matter how long you waited.

One thing you find out pretty fast about SXSW, especially at the official, popular night showcases, is that you may not get into see a lot of bands you planned on seeing - regardless of who you are, or whether you have a badge or wristband.

Leaving the Deville and weaving our way through the huge crowds in the closed-to-cars streets of downtown Austin, we headed over to The Galaxy Room to catch Denmark's Choir of Young Believers, and an awesome set from London's Fanfarlo.

After those shows, it was looking doubtful that we'd get into The Parish a few blocks away in time to see Codeine Velvet Club, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit. After 20 minutes in a long line, the staff informed everyone that it was sold out.

"Vanity Kills" - Codeine Velvet Club

"Swim Until You Can't See The Land" - Frightened Rabbit

Still, we were able to get into Wave, and proceeded to ascend to the relatively small, cramped rooftop area to see Florida's Surfer Blood, one of the most influential new bands, partly responsible for a wave of popularity in the "indie" surf rock trend that started to take hold in 2009, and is showing no signs of slowing down in 2010. Fans of bands like Pavement and Built to Spill are most likely to be interested in Surfer Blood. One indication of a new band's popularity is the number of profile views they have on MySpace. Surfer Blood's MySpace page already has well over half of a million profile views.

The band played an amazing 40 minute set, but it was literally the most packed crowd yet. Whether we liked it or not, the person in front and back of you were pressed up against you - through no fault of their own. Thankfully, we had a really fun, and tolerable, group of people that were having a blast and took for what it was worth - after all, it's SXSW, and St. Patrick's Day.

During Surfer Blood's set, the band grooved on their psychedelic surf rock sounds on tracks like "Floating Vibes" and "Take It Easy," saving their most well-known song, "Swim (To Reach The End)," to close out the set. During "Take It Easy," front man JP Pitts, took his name a bit literally and jumped into the crowd who caught and held him up perfectly, giving many people the first chance to see a band member because the stage was so low only the people right in front saw the band - unless you were seven-feet tall.

"Floating Vibes" - Surfer Blood

See other Surfer Blood posts with more songs

By the time, Surfer Blood finished, it was 2 am, and time for the festival to close up until 10 am this morning, when dozens of daytime showcases will kick-off and go on all day throughout Austin, with a brief break, usually between 6-8 pm, before the big nightime shows started.

No matter what one does when they visit SXSW, there is no way you can see most of the bands you planned to, not only because they are playing at the same time in different dozens of venues. So, the best one can do at SXSW, is to hope and to get to see as many shows as possible. But after 15 hours on your feet, it starts taking it's toll.

There were many other artists and bands that we wanted to see today that we could not for no other reason than having to make tough choices about which showcases we wanted to see, and which we had the best chance to get into, preferably where you can stay for at least a few sets in a row. Some of the shows we missed today, unfortunately, included Titus Andronicus, Beach Fossils, Neon Indian, Small Black, Washed Out, and Japandroids, to name a few.

"Time" - Beach Fossils

"Phone Call" - Washed Out

One of the saving graces when missing shows by artists you want to see, is that many play more than one - in some cases up to eight - other gigs during the four-day festival, many times at unofficial SXSW showcases. And yet, no matter how well you plan and try, there are going to be bands that you want to see that you simply will miss.

Thursday is yet another big day for SXSW, although it will lack the same energy and green attire and costumes that Day One/St. Patrick's Day offered.

The Austin Convention Center has a great day showcase featuring The Walkmen, Frightened Rabbit, Codeine Velvet Club and Dr. Dog.

"The Rat" - The Walkmen

"California" - Dr. Dog

However, the Bay Area Takeover Party at the Beauty Bar (617 E. 7th St.) offers a splendid lineup for the entire day, including The Ferocious Few, Sonny and the Sunsets, Leopold and His Fiction, Sleepy Sun, Man/Miracle, and so on, not to mention the "other" Beauty Bar (distinguished as "Palm Door" at 401 Sabine Street), which is hosting Bear Hands, Yacht, Fool's Gold, Banjo or Freakout, Growlers and Active Child.

"Too Young To Burn" - Sonny and the Sunsets

"Hot Sprawl" - Man/Miracle

"Upside Down" - Banjo or Freakout

The Fader Fort (1101 E. 5th St.) will host Everything, Everything, Best Coast, Neon Indian, Local Natives, The Morning Benders and others. The Galaxy Room, with an inside and outside stage, will have Shearwater, Miles Kurosky (of Beulah), Lou Barlow, The Lonely Forest, The Low Anthem, The Middle East, Black Prairie and Dinosaur Feathers.

"Sun Hands" - Local Natives

"Blood" - The Middle East

Check back tomorrow for more about the Thursday night shows, news of the day shows, and some videos, photos and more as they begin to pile up. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook for lots of updates that we send out during the entire day and night events.

As we are putting this together at a ridiculous time of the morning, we're still debating how we can see most of our top-pick shows tomorrow, while also considering heavily the logistics.

Labels: SXSW 2010

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

It's not a stretch that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club would be high on the list of bands to see at SXSW in 2010, even though they are definitely not indie (they're signed to a major label), yet rule in the minds of many alternative-to-heavy rockers. The band's new album proves their status in the rock world. The band keeps pumping out exciting rock songs with all the right elements to keep their original fan base engaged, and reach new fans. The music speaks for itself.

"Conscience Killer" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club from Beat The Devil's Tattoo

BRMC SWSX Shows:

March 19th at 11:00 at La Zona Rosa
March 19th at 4:30 at Cedar Street Courtyard

- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on MySpace


Princeton

Kanine Records (Grizzly Bear, Surfer Blood, The Depreciation Guild) has steadily been building a solid roster of bands in the past few years. One of their most recent family members, are the shoegaze pop band Princeton of Eagle Rock, California.

The band has climbed up quickly since the release of their 2006 DIY EP debut, A Case of the Emperor's Clothes, followed in 2008 with their second EP, Bloomsbury. Last year, their debut LP, Cocoon of Love was released to critical acclaim and a growing following of fans.

"Calypso Gold" - Princeton from Cocoon of Love (2009)

"Korean War Memorial" - Princeton from Cocoon of Love (2009)

Bonus tracks:

"Ms. Bentwich" - Princeton from Bloomsbury EP (2008)

"The Waves" - Princeton from Bloomsbury EP (2008)

Princeton shows at SXSW:

Mar 17 2010 10:00P KANINE SHOWCASE @ WAVE ROOFTOP
Mar 18 2010 12:30A CREEKSIDE LOUNGE
Mar 19 2010 12:00P BROOKLYN VEGAN PARTY@ CLUB DEVILLE
Mar 20 2010 4:00P KEVCHINO PARTY @ CAFE MUNDI

Princeton on MySpace


Real Estate

New Jersey band Real Estate are returning to SXSW for their second year. Plus, the band released their much anticipated debut LP in November to a great deal of positive reviews. The LP is definitely one of the best debuts of 2009. Check out our review of the LP and then come back here to listen to two additional songs not included in the release review. This band is truly amazing and unique and just about every track on the LP is a keeper - can't say that about most debut albums. Anticipate big crowds for their shows at SXSW next week.

"Suburban Beverage" - Real Estate from s/t debut (2009)

"Black Lake" - Real Estate from s/t debut (2009)

Real Estate Shows at SXSW:

Mar 17 2010 1:00A Underwater Peeps house show
Mar 17 2010 4:30P Forcefield Party @ Red 7
Mar 18 2010 3:00P Other Music show @ French Legation Museum
Mar 18 2010 9:00P 2908 Cole Street w/ Woods, Pocahaunted, Beach Fossils, Eternal Tapestry, Silent Land Time Machine
Mar 19 2010 12:00P Ground Control Party @ Urban Outfitters
Mar 19 2010 2:00P Pitchfork Party @ Emo’s Jr.
Mar 19 2010 11:00P Gorilla Vs Bear/ Mexican Summer @ Klub Krucial
Mar 20 2010 2:00P The Mohawk, Mog Party
Mar 20 2010 6:45P Fader Fort
Mar 20 2010 11:45P Woodsist Showcase @ Red 7

- Real Estate on MySpace


Surfer Blood

Surfer Blood definitely fall into the new wave of surf rock bands during the past year or so. The West Palm Beach, Florida area band broke through last August after putting on a much-talked-about show at Brooklyn's Bruar Falls, and subsequently, during last falls' NYC CMJ festival. The band relentlessly toured throught 2009, including bills with Art Brut and Japandroids. Within months of literally becoming a band, Srufer Blood were making it on to many music blogs' and sites' "Bands to Watch" lists. Heather Phares of the All Music Guide wrote warmly that Surfer Blood "fuse sunny surf rock charm with indie rock cool." In January, the band released their excellent debut LP, Astrocoast.

"Swim (To Reach The End)" - Surfer Blood from Astrocoast


Surfer Blood SXSW Shows:

Mar 17 2010 4:00P Waterloo Records (live free instore)
Mar 17 2010 11:45P The Wave Rooftop, Kanine Records SXSW Party
Mar 18 2010 1:00P Club Deville (Insound SxSw Party)
Mar 18 2010 3:00P The Parish (NPR SXSW Party)
Mar 18 2010 5:45P Sled Island Party
Mar 19 2010 1:00P La Zona Rosa: Village Voice SxSW Party w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Superchunk, The XX
Mar 19 2010 5:30P Emos (Pitchfork SxSw Party)
Mar 19 2010 10:00P Lustre Pearl (Filter, Dickies SxSw Party)

- Surfer Blood on MySpace


The Drums

The Drums have busted through in the past year to praise from bloggers and the music press, not to mention enthusiastic fans. It's easy to get lost in the vast ocean of "hot, new" indie bands from Brooklyn nowadays, but The Drums have definitely carved out their little piece of home turf with their decidely catchy, post punk/pop sound. The Drums are considered by some to fall into the so-called "surfer indie rock" that has been attributed to other bands like, ironically enough, Surfer Blood, Real Estate, Holiday Shores, all of which are also favorites to be seen at this year's SXSW fest in Austin.

"Let's Go Surfing" - The Drums from Summer Time EP

"I Felt Stupid" - The Drums from Summer Time EP

The Drums SXSW Shows:

Mar 19 2010 1:00am NME Showcase @ Latitude
Mar 19 2010 3:45pm FADER FORT
Mar 20 2010 10:00pm Stubb’s Showcase

- The Drums on MySpace

Bands that Should be at SXSW 2010: The Swimmers: We plan to feature this band in the near future. They are good. Also, The Canon Logic; see our review for perspective on that. Other bands that would have been cool to see at SXSW, but apparently won't be there, include Pete and the Pirates, Frank Ferdinand, Sigur Ros, The White Stripes. Getting conflicting messages of whether The Ruby Suns are showing or not. While they are doing one show, more slots at SXSW of The Morning Benders would be a good thing.

Labels: Indie Artist/Group Profiles, SXSW 2010