Soundcheck Blog: On Site - SXSW

Friday night was my last night of SXSW. I’d seen a great collection of bands: Crystal Castles, Santogold, MGMT, Land of Talk, and Cloud Cult. And with 10 minutes before my rendezvous with my Austin fixer, Vic, and his trusty van, I ducked into Bourbon Rocks for one last band. The place was crowded, but I was able to sidle up stage right.

Four guys who look like members of “Up On Cripple Creek”-era The Band seem to be in another universe, summoning the folk-rock ghosts of Laurel Canyon. This is not music that will rudely spill out onto Sixth Street outside. This is haunting, old-Americana stuff. Four-part harmonies, a mandolin, and a frontman who prefers to sit. I only catch two songs, but they’re both remarkable — even soothing — and I can’t help thinking this was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Before the last song,

I catch the name on a list of set times outside: Fleet Foxes. I hustle down to the interstate bridge in time to catch a glimpse of Vic’s trademark white van. (He’s owned two, and buried one.) As we pull away, with a drive-thru trip to Whataburger in our sights, I’m yammering about this band with great vocal harmonies I just saw.

Later, I discover that Pitchfork went wild last month (8.7) for their tour EP, Sun Giant. And, Billboard reports that they were signed to Sub Pop last month (I saw them at a Sub Pop showcase, as it turns out). A full-length is due in June. Looking forward to it.

I split mid-way through Crystal Castles’ set and head over to Stubb’s, quite likely the largest official outdoor venue at SXSW. It’s where R.E.M. played on Wednesday night. Onstage is an artist who seems poised for big things: Santogold. The Brooklyn-based artist came up as a songwriter/producer for Sony and also fronted her own punk band. Now she’s rocking it “like a classier M.I.A.,” according to a guy standing next to me in the crowd. It’s a snide remark, but I think he means that Santogold, already entrenched in the industry, comes without some of M.I.A.’s baggage (blurry radical politics, occasional visa/tour issues, flair for using unusual recording studios, etc.). And the music of both artists shares more than a little in common. Maybe that’s what the guy next to me meant by “classier.” Or maybe he was just being a jerk.

Another artist from the borough of Kings, MGMT, takes the stage after Santogold. They signed to Sony/Columbia, which inked these freaky-deaky Williamsburg new wavers to a four-album deal. It’s kind of a weird act to be gracing a major label, but anything goes these days, right? Also, when MGMT takes the stage, they look and sound more like a rock act. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve listened to the album, but I swear it’s more electronic than what I saw Friday night. But most interesting was the crowd. Call me crazy, but Stubb’s seemed just as packed as the R.E.M. show on Wednesday.

Bands at SXSW cram in as many performances as possible over the course of just a few days. For young bands, it can be extremely taxing. The English band The Duke Spirit has been touring like crazy, so it’s understandable that singer Liela Moss (below) and her voice were a bit tuckered out. The group played a short set on Friday at The Current’s stage for a live on-air performance.

Singer-songwriter Matt Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel have teamed up for She & Him. Ward, Deschanel and their band played a “day party” (read: free!)badge or wristband required!) hosted this afternoon by Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current (FYI: Red River and 7th Street).

DJ Mark Wheat asked Deschanel how many shows the new band had under its belt. “About six,” she replied. They played three songs as the Texas heat climbed well into the 90s. My neck: so, so sunburned.

Here’s a clip of “Black Hole”:

Last night was this Soundcheck staffer’s third straight night of clubhopping here in Austin. For the most part, I’ve decided to wander around without a clear itinerary of bands to see. The result: lots of good shows, a few stinkers, and a few excellent ones. But there’s a problem: I often don’t have the foggiest idea who I’m watching. I’m a contestant on a game show called “Who the Heck Is This Band?” It’s actually kind of refreshing, the indie-rock equivalent of the “screen” audition in classical music. On the other hand, it’s maddening when someone asks me who I saw earlier, and I respond: “They played guitars. Loudly.”

Thank god for the internet machine. The morning after, I can decipher who I saw. Like Seattle’s The Boss Martians. Could this be the same band whose CD I reviewed like 10 years ago at my college radio station. Indeed, it is. They don’t sound quite as twangy as they did back then. Now, the group is full-on, aggressive power pop. Super high energy and sweaty. It’s the kind of show where, when I’m walking in the door, someone is getting 86′ed. (Not the last time this would happen that night.) The Boss Martians’ Evan Foster gets the award for greatest rock ‘n’ roll statement of the night. He introduces one number with a growl: “I looooooooove playing this f*@king song.” At first, I think it’s lame and promotional, but then I think about it … I kinda wish more songwriters would be honest and say how much they love playing their f*@king songs.

Later, I end up at Jaime’s Spanish Village, a restaurant Vic claims is never open during the rest of the year (the web site begs to differ: “After a Longhorn victory, we will play the Texas fight song full blast and everyone will be singing along.”) Out on the patio, on a beautiful night, the six-piece Portland, Ore., outfit The Upside Down is rocking it Brian Jonestown-style. And let me tell you, it takes guts to dedicate one member solely to the playing of a tambourine. (It’s expensive to come to Austin from the Pacific Northwest, and some groups might be tempted to “forget” to tell the tambourine player about the show. Not this group.) I don’t know the name of the band until their label head spots me writing in the dark, and he fills me in. Yes, there are Brian Jonestown Massacre and Dandy Warhol connections. One guy works for Nike (hey, it’s Portland. In a six member band, at least one person puts on Airs.) And the tambourine player is a very valued member of the ensemble. Awesome show, al fresco. You can follow the band’s adventures in their van, “Steve,” on this blog.