By: Stacy Schwartz
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| Lindsey Kimball of 89.3 The Current, Nomad Pub booker Matt Perkins and HWTS's Neil Olstad - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom |
I am so tired. So, so tired. Not hungover tired. Just a horse dragged me town the street by my ankles tired. But because I hope this is interesting, I’ll tell you what I did today.
11:45am: Woke up, ate a granola bar, got ready for Rain to pick us up in the hippie-cab again. Neil is still sleeping…
1:30pm: Neil & I hit our first day party—the Found! Magazine party. We are given two drink tickets as we walk through the front door of Bourbon Rocks. Woo hoo! We listen to one of the founders of the magazines Found! and Dirty Found! Read us some of the contributions to this new mag. Basically, it’s exactly what it sounds like. People find lists, old letters, parts of letters, postcards, etc. all the time. They send them in to the magazine and they get published. Dirty Found! is basically the same thing—only naughty! He reads us some funny lists, like one where the first seven lines are “chicken ramen noodles” and then condoms. What? Silly. The founder also mentions that what Found! really wants to do is a compilation CD where artists use found lists/letters and write songs about them. Could be cool. Time will tell.
After he leaves the stage local Austin favorites Okkervil River take the stage. I was a little scared that they would be all old-school folky. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when you’re tired it’s not the best. Zzz…. Instead, I was pleased to find that they blend some folk with rock and country and really make it work. They mention they have a new album coming out—in fact the lead singer lost a bit of his voice while working on it yesterday. Okkervil plays two new songs for us at this point, and they have a great sound.
2:15pm: Neil and I mosey on over to the 89.3 The Current’s party to see what’s going on. Not much as it turns out, but we do run into Minnesota peeps Lindsey Kimball and Perkins. I am starving. We all decide to check back when Brother Ali is scheduled to perform live on air at 4:15.
2:55pm: Neil and I walked all the way to Houston and back. Ok, that’s not true, but that’s what it felt like. We hit up the Mother Egan’s Irish Pub, which is far, far away from the comfort of 6th Street (where the majority of the venues are here). Nothing is going on after that long jaunt, so we head over to Antone’s Records. There’s a band changing equipment onstage and I am still starving. There’s a sandwich company selling overpriced subs by the door, but they also have large chocolate chip cookies for $1. Score! I grab a cookie and leave Neil at Antone’s to head back to Mother Egan’s. I am going to attempt to catch Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at 3:30.
3:15pm: While walking to Mother Egan’s I hear a lovely Britpop sound. As I am smitten with most things Britpop, I am drawn into a small secluded courtyard to scope out the source of this noise. I have stumbled upon my second great find of the week. A band from Wisconsin (!) who now lives in Brooklyn, NY. It’s Locksley. I meet their manager while asking who’s playing (ugh) and it ends up working out since I get a free CD out of it. There are maybe 40 people in the courtyard—15 in front of the stage, including me. I sigh with contentment and realize it’s 3:35. Crap.
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Mary Lucia - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom
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3:40pm: I’ve arrived at Mother Egan’s just in time to miss Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s first song. It’s ok though, as I get to see the rest of the set. I am also sweating like a pig. I may gloat that it’s 80+ degrees here in Austin (and sunny), but after walking so much I feel gross. SSLYBS is good, but not as good as I’d hoped. They are very young and the band needs tightening. Of course, they are playing all new music, so I am a little forgiving. The boys play musical chairs as drummer becomes guitarist/singer and vice versa. It was fun, but I’m ready to move on.
3:55pm: I’m off to meet Neil at Antones… but the line to get in is ridiculous and after 15 minutes of waiting (and sweating) I decide I should head back over to Buffalo Billiards to see Brother Ali.
4:20pm: My favorite local DJ, Mary Lucia, is interviewing (gasp!) the guys from Chicago’s Sound Opinions on air as I enter the upstairs room. I totally geek out and wait for them to finish their talk. Afterwards I get a photo with them both. God, I’m such a nerd. Then I go over and talk with Ms. Lucia about Klostertapes, morning radio in the Cities and the like. It’s nice. We also discuss why I’m in Austin and she asks how I’m uploading everything to HWTS. Turns out, The Current’s employees are both living in and working in places with dial-up internet. Yuck!!
4:45pm: Brother Ali starts his interview/show 30 minutes late. Oops. His first song is “Truth Is,” the first song from his new album Undisputed Truth. I am impressed. In his short interview with Mary Lucia, Brother Ali talks about his involvement with local label Rhymesayers, the possibility of moving away from Minneapolis (his answer was “no” by the way), and his MySpace page—which apparently he checks and tries to personally respond to. Brother Ali comments about all the “very good looking people here today.” Lucia responds with a totally deadpan, “Yes, they’re all very sexy.” I snort a little. Brother Ali then performs “Uncle Sam, God Damn,” cutting out the “God” so as not to swear on public radio. To introduce the song he says, “This is a showtune, but the show’s not written for it yet.” After the song, the interview continues. Lucia asks, “You once said you want the whole world to feel the way you feel when you’re performing. Is that true?” Brother Ali responds by saying, “The feeling is more important than anything else in music.” Right on.
5:15pm: I hang out at The Current’s party to hear the first two songs by Norway’s Sondre Lerche. Pretty good stuff, but I have to see Flatstock before it closes.
5:30pm: I meet Neil and Jim at the convention center to hit up Flatstock. Flatstock is a concert poster display here at SXSW. You can see most of them on gigposters.com, but it’s amazing to see the artistry in person. Even better, you can buy most of them and send them home. I pick up a Death Cab For Cutie poster. We are all tired and so we take a 45 minute rest in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel across the street.
6:50pm: Hungry! We meet Erik from the Varsity Theatre, Jeff from Cloud Cult, Perkins, and Lindsey from The Current and head over to a great BBQ joint here in town. In case you’re wondering, I had a delicious sliced beef sandwich. Mmmm….
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| Brother Ali - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom |
8:00pm: We run into an artist from New York who’s originally from Minnesota. His name is Brandon Patton. We crack Minnesota jokes (ohhh yeaaahhhh) and discuss music. Although this is fun I have a show to see.
8:30pm: I am back at Buffalo Billiards where there is a long, long line. Oh no. I get into the considerably shorter badge-holders line, but it still doesn’t look good. Suddenly, success! They have one spot open and I’m the only single badge holder! Wheee!! I sprint upstairs and squish through a totally full room. I am so psyched because I’m about to see Minneapolis’s own Bob Mould. Yes!! Mould is playing a solo acoustic set here at SXSW and only this one time. I am so pumped. Bob-FREAKIN’-Mould! He opens with a few songs off his last solo album and then I hear the intro to Sugar’s “Hoover Dam.” The energy in the crowd is amazing. People seem pretty excited to see him play. Mould mentions he is just two weeks away from having his last recording for his new album due out in August. He said he welcomes the break tonight from staring at electronic equipment to come and play guitar for us.
The floor is literally moving beneath my feet during the remainder of the set. It’s like when I went to UW-Eau Claire. There have this pedestrian bridge that runs over the river, and in between classes when all the students were moving from one classroom to another that bridge would bounce. The floor at Buffalo Billards is doing that now. Mould continues with a few more Sugar songs, “ Your Favorite Thing,” and “Believe What You’re Saying.” I am in heaven. Mould thanks the audience and then makes a move that allows me to check another box off my to-do list. He sings “If I Can’t Change Your Mind.” Ahhh…. It’s a newer version with different harmonies, but it’s a great song and I am at peace a little. After the show I stalk Mould and get my pic with him. Eee!
10pm – I hit up the Secretly Canadian party to check out Bishop Allen. They haven’t started yet when I arrive and I am treated to the last song of I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, another local Austin band. At 10:30, Bishop Allen hits the stage at the Mohawk Patio. The first thing I noticed is that the female keyboarist has an avocado on her keyboard. I am confused, but intrigued (turns out later it’s just like a shaker egg, but in avocado form). It’s beautiful outside and I am glad to be outdoors. Bishop Allen starts their set with “The Same Fire,” and then moves into one of my favorites, “Click, Click, Click.” According to the lead singer, “This is a song about cameras… sort of.” They are upbeat, smiling and playing with each other throughout the set and the audience claps along. People from the street who couldn’t get into show are peeking through the fence surrounding the venue. I get an entire beer spilled all over my shoes by a drunk member of the crowd. Gee, thanks.
11:30pm: One of my “must sees” of the week is Scottish band, The Fratellis and they are playing tonight at The Dirty Dog. I head over there and catch the end of the MuteMath (from New Orleans) set. It’s crowded as hell and I’m nervous about getting near the stage for The Fratellis. The lead singer is doing handstands onstage and the drummer is literally leaping from a drum kit at the front of the stage to one at the rear. It’s crazy. Their music is not my cup of tea, but there’s not much left so I can easily tolerate it. Next up is Mando Diao, who goes onstage at 11:45pm. I consider heading back to the hotel, as The Fratellis are playing tomorrow at a day party. I am so tired. Feet are dying and I find my eyes closing during Mando Diao’s set. That’s bad. I stay though, because day parties are generally open to the public and I don’t want to risk seeing those Scottish boys. Somehow I glide through the crowd and find myself front and center for the show. I am thrilled. Not, apparently, as thrilled as the girl next to me who called in sick to work and drove from Houston to get here. She has no badge, no wristband, or anything else that would let her bypass the huge line outside. Instead she just got to the bar at 5 p.m. 5 p.m.! She’s been waiting seven hours for this moment. If I were in a band, I’d want fans with that dedication. The Fratellis hit the stage and don’t seem to be all that exciting. Their music is infections Britpop with some ska thrown in for good measure, but their stage show really isn’t much. There are only three members and only two of them sing. They do pick up a bit during the song “Henrietta,” which is my favorite, but overall I’m sadly unimpressed. I still love the album and advocate for it, but as for the show… eh.
2am: Go to the Hilton Hotel lobby to meet Neil and catch a cab.
4:14am: Finishing this mess of a journal for you folks. G’night. More tomorrow.
Artist Info: Bishop Allen, Bob Mould, Brother Ali, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Locksley, Okkervil River, Someone Loves You Boris Yeltsin, The Fratellis
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