SXSW

Monday, 29 March 2010 21:05

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals is perhaps the biggest orgy of new music packed into five days. Hundreds of bands descend on Austin, Texas to play shows and showcases in the area's clubs, bars, restaurants and basically any place with an open space and a willing audience - I have seen performances in the street, in parking lots, and in hotels. At the same time, industry professionals host meetings and panels to discuss industry trends and check out new music or showcase its own.

By John Davisson

For the past three years, I have photographed at SXSW, and this year was as exciting as ever. It’s a great chance to find new music and photograph them in small venues before it gets big. In addition to official SXSW events, there are also unofficial events that merge to form an atmosphere unparalleled for music fans.

Although the festival technically started on Wednesday, March 17, I arrived on Tuesday, March 16, to catch a couple of early shows. This SXSW started with a performance by Warren Hood at the Austin-Bergstorm International Airport on a stage proclaiming Austin the “Live Music Capital of the World.” In all my concert travels, this is the only airport I know of with a concert stage.

From there, I headed to Stubb’s Bar-B-Q for BMI's "Howdy, Texas" party to see So-Cal band Rey Fresco, an indie band, which features a harp player in its lineup. It was definitely a different sound.

I then headed to a showcase called the "Pure Volume House," to catch Eisley, Jakob Dylan and Three Legs, and Johnny Flynn. When I got in, Johnny Flynn was already playing. I caught him at SXSW two years earlier and got hooked on his quirky, British, folk sound so I wanted to see his whole set. I did catch most of his set, including two of my favorite songs, “Leftovers,” and “Tickle Me Pink.” Apparently he played “The Box” early in his set and I missed it. Jakob Dylan and Three Legs was interesting, not at all like The Wallflowers. The new group, which also featured Neko Case on backing vocals, was more folky. The club had no photo pit, so I had to shoot from the audience, which limits the angles to explore.

Wednesday began at a show called the "Levi’s/Fader Fort," which is off the beaten path, but features bands and has a photo pit. The venue is set up like a self-contained compound with a work area for bloggers and photographers, as well as food, drinks, art installations and corporate installations so companies can plug its brands. It is very journalist-friendly and many writers and photographers spend the days here for the accommodations.

At the fort, I caught Visqueen, a nice, indie band from Seattle; The Bloodline, a Swedish, heavy-rock band; LA band, Chasing Kings, who are almost screamo; and Scotland’s latest darlings, We Were Promised Jetpacks. I then headed to City Hall for the Mayor’s reception, which featured performances by Austin bands Uncle Lucious and Del Castillo. Every year the mayor hosts a reception for journalists who come to Austin to cover SXSW. It is a nice place to catch up with friends, sample local cuisine, and see local bands.

Wednesday evening was about the metal as I went to the Austin Music Hall to photograph Motorhead. Melissa Auf Der Maur played first, with material from her upcoming album. Voivod and Michael Monroe (formerly the singer for Finnish glam-punk band Hanoi Rocks) also performed before Motorhead brought the heaviest metal.

After a short taxi ride across downtown, I ended the day with a set by Spoon at Stubb’s. Leaving the venue, I also photographed a street musician hulahooping while playing acoustic guitar and harmonica. Only in Austin.

I started Thursday wandering Sixth Street checking out random musicians with no specific itinerary in mind. A thrashy band called Violent Soho played a small club, where free breakfast tacos were served.

Down the street, I caught new artist Anna Soltys playing acoustically in a club (more my speed this early in the day). Although Anna does not have an album out yet, she had a nice sound, and her manager was interested in my photos. Networking the streets of Austin is one of the benefits of SXSW, as marketing new music is important to the event. I headed to an upstairs lounge and caught the end of a set by Kelley James playing acoustic music and freestyling. Kate Voegele then played an intimate set for a few dozen people at the lounge.

Thursday evening at La Zona Rosa promised a great lineup. First was Nicole Atkins, a New Jersey singer with a great voice. Then John Hiatt rocked the place with his inimitable quirky style and great songs. I always love catching John Hiatt. Across the street, I photographed Stone Temple Pilots at the Austin Music Hall. The guys played songs from its upcoming album, and Robbie Krieger from the Doors joined in for an encore. Back across the street at La Zona Rosa, Ray Davies got off to a late start, but it was so worth the wait to hear him break out Kinks classics in a small, packed club. It was a great way to end the evening.

By Friday, I was tired. Shooting all day and processing images at night does not leave much time to sleep, but the annual Spin Magazine "Spin@Stubb’s" showcase is enough reason to get to work early as they always have a great lineup. Foxy Shazam, a new band with quite a stage presence played first. Rogue Wave brought some indie rock next, and then Fucked Up put on quite a spectacle with the singer creating a mud pit in the audience, stripping to his underwear, and rolling in the mud. He spent most of the set singing from the audience. Next up, Miike Snow brought some European electronica to calm the crowd down before Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings tore off the roof with some fierce R&B. She even got funky with Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes on one song. Courtney Love with Hole closed the showcase down with her own unpredictable style.

After Hole, I wandered over to the Hilton to catch a solo set by U.K. folkster Bobby Long in the lobby on the Second Play Stage. I got there early enough to catch the end of a solo Johnny Flynn set (and still managed to miss “The Box”). It was a nice mellow break.

Next on the agenda was Muse at Stubb‘s, but my credentials were messed up, and I could not get in, so I treated myself to an electrifying set by Band of Horses in the Central Presbyterian Church. Sitting in the pews and rocking out to Band of Horses under stained glass was so awesome I decided to stay in the church and see bands I never heard of. After Band of Horses was an avant-garde artist from Sweden named jj that was, well, avant-garde. Holly Miranda played some rock next and she had a nice voice but turned me off by cursing. It is a church afterall. The xx, a buzz band from the UK, played last, and was very gothy. Black clothes, low lights and a sound that was as gloomy as Joy Division but with no joy and no variety made for a strange set in a church.

Saturday was unusually cold for Austin. But the day started with the "Mr and Mrs T and Rachael Ray's Feedback Festival" at Stubb's, featuring four stages and good, free food. I caught a couple of great artists, Bob Schneider (a Texas legend) and J Roddy Walston and The Business (who I had never heard of but played a great rocking set). Rachael Ray’s husband John Cusimano fronted a band called the Fringe and did a nice set, with John Popper joining him for the final song. Andrew W.K. and Dr. Dog played nice sets that had the crowd worked up despite the cold. The final shows were the heavy hitters though, with Jakob Dylan and Three Legs bringing some folk before Street Sweeper Social Club tried to start a socialist revolution (not sure how that will work, post-Obama). She & Him, featuring M Ward and Zooey Deschanel closed the showcase with some great songs.

After a break, it was time for SWAGGSM Presents. Perez Hilton’s “One Night In Austin” showcase in an old warehouse. Last year Perez brought some great buzz bands and a surprise appearance by Kanye West and this year promised the same, with twice as many stages. Each set was only a half hour and there was a green room with artists dropping by for photos. The most impressive bands were Marina and the Diamonds, Macy Gray, VV Brown and Alphabeat. You’ll hear more from them this year. Sliimey was not so impressive, Soko was good, and Agnes (from Sweden but not avante-garde so she redeemed her country) had some sound problems. DJ A-Trak and Mike Posner also performed. With so much going on, I missed Estelle (damn) and Snoop Dogg (oh well). Courtney Love and Hole closed down this show as well, playing the hits at the request of Perez, who hand picked the line-up and introduced each band.

The week wrapped up with an exhaustion and traveling-induced cold, but it was worth every minute. Checking out new music and photographing bands and eating tacos, barbecue, and quesadillas, plus the free drinks, free swag, and networking. SXSW in Austin is the fuhshizzle (or whatever Snoop says) - it‘s always the place to be.