Americana ruled the daytime at parties good & bad, but SXSW got very interesting at night with some of the most memorable artist-meets-venue-meets-festival-meets-audience experiences ever.
We had a trio of correspondents covering South-by-Southwest in 2010: Ted Chase, Abby Johnston, and Robin Sinhababu. This is Ted’s recap of Day Two; Abby’s is here, and Robin’s is here.
iHEARTCOMIX/Jelly/Mad Decent Carniville @ Mexican American Cultural Center
Cymbals Eat Guitars, 2:20 PM
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After waiting in all those lines yesterday (QRO Day One Recap) for badges & wristbands, how did Day Two start? By waiting in line for another multi-day pass, this time for ‘Carniville’, down by the river at Mexican-American Cultural Center. But this was a wristband worth the wait, as one of the groups throwing Carniville is Jelly NYC, who are best known for Brooklyn’s ‘Pool Parties’ – first at McCarren Park Pool (QRO venue review), and now at Williamsburg Waterfront (QRO venue review). The great folks over there have a great ear for the new bands people are interested in, and don’t skimp on extras – like games & free beer.
And Carniville had both – that, plus the nice weather & downhill location, made of a place one was tempted to stay at all day. The only problem? The schedule hadn’t been announced beforehand – only knew of Cymbals Eat Guitars’ set time thanks to their publicists (who used to be the publicists for the Pool Parties…). Thankfully Cymbals were early on the first day – unthankfully, wasn’t able to schedule Carniville in again at SXSW.
Had seen Cymbals a few times already, but felt I needed to give them another look, as, while I had started off ‘meh’ on them and their debut, Why There Are Mountains (QRO review), others at the Q have raved (QRO live review), and had liked them more & more each time seen. That progression continued, as I enjoyed them even though missed opener/best song “And the Hazy Sea” – blame it on having to get over bias against anything coming out of their home of Staten Island…
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Mint Records Party @ Headhunters Patio
Hot Panda, 3:10 PM
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But onward and (literally) upward, back up the hill to Headhunters Patio for Mint Records showcase. Last year, the western Canadian label’s party (QRO 2009 recap) had a Kathryn Calder-less Immaculate Machine (QRO photos) & free fajitas – this year, still had free burritos (definite draw), plus a more feminine Hot Panda.
Since seeing them in October (QRO photos), the British Columbia band swapped out the bassist that looked like a young Benjamin Gibbard for a girl with a ton of energy, which helped compensate for the fact that the guitarist/keyboardist had to play the latter instrument from his knees, with it set on a chair. Their sound was pretty varied, mostly party (like the Mint Records sunglasses they were sportin’), but also a stripped number they’d never played before for anyone.
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Soundcheck Magazine Party @ Emo’s Annex
The Rural Alberta Advantage, 3:50 PM
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One of those many hyped Americana bands at South-by-Southwest, others have been high on The Rural Alberta Advantage & their debut, Hometowns (QRO review), but running around in the midday Texas heat to a packed tent is really not the best way to get into an act like them, and couldn’t.
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Filter Magazine/Norway Party @ Cedar Street Courtyard
Minus the Bear, 4:30 PM
Headed there for Uffie – that hot chick you can’t even touch – but Minus the Bear were still on. At least, think they were – crowds were spilling out into the street for what sounded like Minus the Bear…
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Paste Magazine Party @ Galaxy Room
The Low Anthem, 4:05 PM
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So tried for an indoor hyped-up Americana act, The Low Anthem. So well-loved by the Q that we’ve interviewed them twice in just about as many months (QRO interview – QRO interview) – and they’re from Rhode Island, always a bonus (think Family Guy, James Woods, mobbed-up Mayor Buddy Cianci…). But the Paste Magazine party at Galaxy Room was unsurprisingly filled to the brim, making it near impossible to see the talented multi-instrumentalists.
[note: luckily, Abby had a better seat, and better time, at this show – Abby’s Day Two recap].
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Manatt Party @ Blind Pig Pub
Casxio, 5:40 PM
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Well, you can’t say Blind Pig Pub was too full – but that’s about all you can say for the place. Casxio took an 
intermidable time setting up, but it almost certainly was the venue’s fault, as it was the kind of place that drew a douche-y sports bar crowd, the kind who’d shout things down to the street below. And they didn’t have plates or wraps for their free fajitas.
Casxio themselves are not a subtle band – album is entitled I Just Wanna Have Sex With You – but not as out-and-out as that title, which is both true and ironic. Live, singer/bassist Lucas Guerin’s funky dance is aided by the actual dancing of his guitarist and jammin’ keyboardist.
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Party @ Dog and Duck Pub
Meat Puppets, 6:15 PM
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Needed a break from everything South-by-Sixth Street, and certainly got that eleven blocks to the north to de animals of the Dog and Duck Pub. What I didn’t get was one-half of the SST reunion had been told was going on there, Grant Hart (QRO interview) of Hüsker Dü (QRO spotlight on), a.k.a. the greatest band ever. So didn’t stay up north for that long, but did take an interesting experience.
Dog and Duck ‘Pub’ is actually a fenced-in parking lot, but larger than the back parking lots used as second stage ‘patios’ by many places during SXSW (see below). Mostly tented, with folding tables & chairs, stalls, port-a-potties and a massive selection of tap beers (though you had to buy drink tickets), and with a much older crowd, Dog & Duck was as removed from SXSW in feel as in distance, very ‘Middle America’ – but not in a derogatory way. It had the feel of an event in one of those spread out flyover towns that aren’t large or ‘hip’ enough to support clubs, but can put together something like this – using a parking lot as a natural, not cheap or second-rate solution, beer-drinking without a security presence, un-hipster & un-ironic (& not a minority in sight…). The kind of place where someone would wear a Foo Fighters tour t-shirt.
The Meat Puppets’ alt-country-rock also very much fit. One of the core punk bands of the eighties on SST Records (and, like most SST acts, later divorced the poorly-run label acrimoniously), the Meat Puppets got a second wind in the early nineties as Kurt Cobain’s favorite band (well, after Leadbelly, but perhaps ahead of The Vaselines – QRO live review – or Shonen Knife – QRO spotlight on), with “the brothers Meat” – singer/guitarist Curt Kirkwood & singer/bassist Cris Kirkwood – guest-spotting on Nirvana’s legendary MTV Unplugged (QRO DVD review). Then Cris fell into heroin addiction & legal troubles, Curt had a short-lived second, sole Kurtwood incarnation of the band, but they’ve since come back together, now on their second reunion release, Sewn Together (QRO review) – though Cris does definitely look the older and more haggard of the two, but also more energetic (but that is the bassist’s role).
After opener “Plateau” (made famous by that Nirvana MTV Unplugged session), the Meat Puppets played mostly unfamiliar pieces (though also did “Oh Me”) – unfamiliar, at least, to this Blue Stater, but not to the attentive and appreciative crowd at Dog and Duck Pub. The reunited Meat Puppets have gone a not overly gravelly alt-country rock that matched the whole experience, but still had a sense of humor, as Curt hocked their ‘sponsor’, ‘Ultra Strength Muscle Rub’ – “If you rub this ’round three times, will lose ten pounds. Results not substantiated…”
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SXSW Showcase @ BD Riley’s
The Seedy Seeds, 7:15 PM
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To shift back into the Sixth Street scene (and get over the walk & no Grant Hart…), hit up the Americana-meets-indietronica Seedy Seeds. Wasn’t the only one interested – though the Seeds were helped out by BD Riley’s open windows onto the street serving as the back of their stage, as well as slightly nicer western Sixth Street locale (wood more polished, less beer-stained). The Seedy Seeds reminded of another Americana-meets-indietronica act, New York’s Savoir Adore (QRO live review), though perhaps it’s the other way ’round, as the Seeds are older (and wear glasses).
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Merge Records Showcase @ Cedar Street Courtyard
Superchunk, 7:55 PM
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As day changed to night, people began lining up for the evening’s showcases – with massive lines ’round the block for the Merge Records showcase at Cedar Street Courtyard. But this came as no surprise, as Merge is one of the biggest indie imprints out there, with everyone from Day One’s Stubbs headliner Spoon (QRO Day One Recap) to when-will-they-return? Arcade Fire (QRO live revew). Their showcase, however, was naturally mostly their newer/lesser-known acts, with a few mighty exceptions, like the solo side project by Lou Barlow (QRO album review) of Dinosaur Jr. (QRO live review) to the music & film stars She & Him (see below) to the ‘special guest’ billed to start it off at 7:30 PM.
After 7:30 PM, word began moving on the non-moving line that the special guest was Superchunk – with which many said, “Who?” And if you didn’t know, you shouldn’t have been let in! In addition to founding Merge, Superchunk were a nineties alt-rock act who’ve only made sporadic one-off returns in recent years – and killed it every time. They were billed to play The Village Voice‘s free, all-ages daytime official showcase the next day (QRO Day Three Preview), and one-half did a reading & acoustic cover set the night before (QRO Day One Preview), so it wasn’t such a surprise, but certainly a pleasing one.
Their long set-up time (and only being scheduled for a half-hour, as opposed to the hour for everyone else at the showcase) did limit the band to only six songs, but also let the crowd get a glimpse of their self-effacing humor, such as bassist Laura Ballance checking her mic by repeating, “I am not a very good back-up singer…”, or guitarist Jim Wilbur telling the sound guys they didn’t have to make his amp very loud. And singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan jokingly asked the early arrivals, “Who’s got a badge?” (the badge line was let in first – SXSW’s dirty little secret).
Moreover, despite only knowning one of the songs (closer “Hyper Enough”), Superchunk delivered. They harkens back to a simpler, pre-hipster time known as the nineteen-nineties, when alt-rock could both be skillful and fun, not either/or. Are they reuniting? It’s a question that been asked for a few years now, ever since they released single “Misfits & Mistakes” for Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Colon The Movie (one thing they could have used was Meatwad…), and they had a new song at Cedar Street (Ballance joked she had to check her notes on the ground during that song), but these one-offs might be better – at least if you live in cities that they play in those one-offs. And it’s not like they don’t have a demanding day job…
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Let’s Wrestle, 8:35 PM
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Merge’s newest signee, the U.K. act are reminiscent of The Soft Pack (QRO album review) – actually pretty decent garage-rock in an otherwise over-saturated, mediocre field. The singer/guitarist was too loud, but that was likely the sound system – though that couldn’t excuse his talk-singing, like the singer of The Hold Steady (QRO live review), who he also resembled. Merge has a strong PR presence, so expect to hear more of Let’s Wrestle.
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Radar Brothers, 9:25 PM
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Shifting to another old school sound making a popular comeback, Radar Brothers play sweet-sounding, relaxed alt-country that is nice, but not exactly gripping. Spent most of their set sitting on a couch inside one of the courtyard’s bars, only emerging late in their set to get a spot for the following She & Him – which a lot of people did, giving the band a packed, if not fascinated crowd.
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She & Him, 10:30 PM
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But this is why you, me & everyone we know came to Cedar Street – She & Him, the alt-folk duo of alt-folk superstar M. Ward (QRO album review) and movie star actress Zooey Deschanel (Elf, Yes Man). And if you were looking for a memorable experience to write about, you certainly got one, with much to discuss – though not so much about the music:
* Absolute crush of people. Seriously, there was a squeeze right from the end of Radar Brothers (see above) all the way through the set-up & performance. Had to hold my camera in my hand above my shoulders the whole time, because wasn’t sure that I’d be able to fit it & my hand down to put it away, or retrieve it later. Of course, the sound guys had to make their way through the crowd to go from the stage to the soundboard, despite there being stairs to some backstage right from the stage.
* Among the people I was crushed next to? CBS News’ Anthony Mason! Okay, that nugget was for my parents, but I like to think I was one of the few at SXSW who recognized him without looking at his badge (was covering it for The Early Show – all this and Harry Smith’s on-air colonoscopy?!?).
* What can make a masive audience squeeze worse? Taking forever to set-up. Cedar Street Courtyard is likely a SXSW-only venue, but it’s billed as one of the classiest (Filter Magazine had parties there during the day – see above), yet the sound guys had to make their way through the crowd multiple times. But maybe this was also because of She & Him demands, or at least She & Him’s people – some hair-gelled L.A. publicist/flack guy seemed to be arguing with a sound guy. This + audience squeeze actually resulted in a rowdy crowd for a very un-rowdy band in the otherwise un-rowdy industry showcase setting, with a few folks yelling for them to get on with it.
* That hair-gelled guy, when finally introducing the band, asked that people not take photos, with which a rather incredulous, somewhat nervous laughter scatter through the crowd. Why were people here, packed like sardines, if not to take photos? Could security (which seemed to be just one guy, albeit a big guy & possibly the only black person there) actually make his way into the crowd to stop anyone? And could you really be asking this favor from the crowd, after the wait & squeeze?
The photo prohibition was semi-enforced, mostly no-flash. One photog right (and I mean right) next to me saw security rather deftly but surely head through the crowd to tell him that, “If you use your flash one more time, I’m going to have to throw you out – do you understand?” A few songs in, Deschanel herself said, “Can we talk about flash photography? Just use a longer exposure – it’ll look cooler. And we won’t go blind…” Relatively speaking, it was a pretty nice & decent way of asking for no flashes, but after everything, it had trouble going down (and how many other bands in Austin that week have survived flashes?…).
(one photographer, who’d refrained from any shooting at the start, at that point took Deschanel at her word, and began shooting, without a flash, only to have the hair-gel guy who was next to him, on the side of the stage, tell him no photos – but this was the same guy who tried to prevent waitresses from bringing drinks up the stage-side stairs to the upstairs/backstage)
* If they didn’t want flash photography, how about better lighting? While the lights had been fine (if a little yellow-green-heavy) before them, it was all turned down, and mostly red for She & Him. Plus Deschanel herself wore a red dress & large, floppy hat, like a much younger version of the Red Hat Brigade of women of a certain age.
And the lighting they did have included bursts of light very reminiscent of, you guessed it, flash photography. One could have been forgiven for thinking that flashes were allowed, since they seemed to be coming out of the corner of your eye – to the beat of the music.
* Oh, yeah, the music? Actually pretty good. At South-by-Southwest to promote their upcoming Volume Two (they also visited the festival two years ago to promote debut Volume One – QRO album review), Ward’s still got his great way with melody, and Deschanel’s still got a lovely voice. And they were ably backed up by, among others, Mike Mogis (Ward’s fellow Monster of Folk – QRO album review) & The Chapin Sisters. But Deschanel’s own stage charm just couldn’t shine against everything else faced.
What can you say? You couldn’t say you didn’t expect a packed house for She & Him, or at least some diva-like behavoir. You knew that any starlet would be wary of flash photography (too paparazzi-like). And no one could think that an industry fest like SXSW would be ideal for their alt-folk. But you came anyway, as did everyone else, because we’re all starfuckers, whether we like to admit it or not…
(but it’s not like she’s Emily Deschanel…)
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Rolling Stone Magazine Showcase @ Beauty Bar/Palm Door
Titus Andronicus, 11:40 PM
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Had some time to kill between She & Him (see above) & Camper Van Beethoven (see below), so decided to utilize my badge at a badge-only showcase along the way between the two shows. But why, exactly, was the Rolling Stone Magazine showcase at Beauty Bar/Palm Door badges-only? The acts there (and at the other badges-only showcase at Lustre Pearl) were better on average, at least evener (i.e., fewer weak bands you have to sit through), but no one heart-stopping – and there were no free drinks.
New Jersey’s own Titus Andronicus weren’t helped by the limits preventing their younger fans, as well as the blacklight lighting (and random pole right in the middle of the front of the stage). And when when did they get a g-g-g-girl?
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Monterey International Showcase @ Encore Patio
Camper Van Beethoven, 12:30 AM
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If the issues at She & Him were split somewhere between the artist & venue (& festival), those at Encore Patio were all venue (& festival) – and boy did David Lowery let them know it! After the intermidable sucky guitar-wankery of what I assume to have been Mother Hips finally ended, Camper Van Beethoven began to set up, with which singer/guitarist shouted (microphones weren’t set up yet) that they needed a drum kit, because Encore didn’t supply one like they said they would, “‘Cause this is a bullshit venue at a bullshit festival…” And that was only the beginning.
Camper Van Beethoven are not some brand-new act, but an alternative veteran from all the way back in the eighties. They broke up in the early nineties, with Lowery going on to form the equally iconic Cracker (see below), and then reuniting in 2004 for New Roman Times. Since then, both acts have been on the road, most recently together (QRO live review together), in an ironic alt-country dream for their dedicated fanbase. Both came to South-by-Southwest, playing a handful of dates, but this was the only time they were playing together – and the festival stuck their official shows in the back parking lot of a lesser Red River Street venue?
Camper knew this was all a bit of a joke going in, from actually joking that they were going to get their ‘big break’ here, and changing their name to ‘Deer Bear’ (an even more clichéd indie name than ‘Crystal Wolf’), to recruiting their own sponsors for their SXSW appearances – for each song, someone paid $100 for a Santa Cruz Roller Derby Girl to hold up a sign with your name on it [note: did not get to choose what the band played, but did get to pick which piece from the already-created set list – QRO photo]. Though, with just a scrawl on a posterboard, didn’t quite get your money’s worth.
After Gringo Star (QRO interview a week before) brought up their drum kit for Camper & Cracker drummer Frank Funaro to play (and you thought Lowery was going to get tired…), and Camper themselves had to lug their equipment on stage, through the crowd, they began – but about a third of the way through the set, Lowery stopped, saying that something had been done to the voltage on his equipment, pushing it up to the point that he could electrocute himself, holding his guitar up to the microphone to display the dangerous electricity level. He then went on to curse Encore, saying, “Don’t spend another dime here if you’re a fan of Camper Van Beethoven. Other venues know how to put on a show without killing the band!”
Some staff guy walked through the crowd and onto the stage to talk with Lowery, off-mike – while holding a beer in one hand! It might be Texan custom for people to work events while drinking (or doing anything else…), but he couldn’t have put it down before going up there? He works at the place – think he gets free beer. After some off-mike discussion, Lowery announced to the crowd, “This guy works here, runs the show, and is drinking…” – with which Lowery grabbed the beer out of the fella’s hand and poured it out on stage, the staff member feebly attempting to stop him.
Yes, it made for an awkward moment. But it was also awesome. Lowery had specific, real complaints, not a ‘this place sucks’ primadonna attitude. He never stormed off, still playing a full Camper set (though Cracker’s was shortened – see below). And that guy (who went on to have a seemingly more friendly conversation with Camper’s David Immerglück, but after talking to some mad guy in the crowd – possibly an irate fan, possibly an irate superior) had one of the all-time funniest looks on his face after being cursed out & stripped of his alcohol by Lowery, looking out into the crowd, possibly at the angry mob yelling at him to get off the stage, possibly at co-workers/superiors, expressing ‘What the fuck have I gotten myself into?’ perfectly.
[note: even if you weren’t there, you can thankfully see everything that went down, as Cracker & Camper were filming the whole tour for a documentary, including that incident. And, as Lowery put it, “By walking on stage, you give us the right to use you in the film.” Or as Camper multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Segel said, “By being on this earth, you give us the right to use your likeness…]
Despite this all, Camper Van Beethoven still played their whole set (had to, for the sponsors), though Immerglück tried to stay away from his mikestand and all the cords at the front when he could, from “Balalakia Gap” to “Club Med Sucks”. And is there a greater indie-rock violin intro (admittedly not a huge group) than Segel’s on “Pictures of Matchstick Men”?
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Cracker, 1:25 AM
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At the end of Camper’s set (see above), Lowery told the audience that he didn’t know if there was time for Cracker, considering how delayed they were at the hard 2:00 AM curfew the venue was sure to enforce (were now…). But they set up fast, just the core four (without Immerglück on backing instruments like on the Cracker/Camper tour – QRO live review), launching into two new numbers, “Yalla Yalla” & “Hey Brett”. A band with as long a discography as Cracker picking two from their newest record, Sunrise in the Land of Milk & Honey (QRO review), neither of them singles, might have seemed a douche-y move, except that “Yalla” & “Brett” are their two most workingman tough rollicking-est, the latter for the time-carders (title/chorus line followed by, “You know what time it is!”), the former for the troops out there in who-knows-where (and this is a band who puts their money where their mouth is, having toured for the troops in Iraq last fall – time constraints prevented Lowery from telling his hilarious story about playing Iraq, or his about Europe & old ladies & whores).
The crazy, infuriating, exasperating situation didn’t damper Cracker, with guitarist Johnny Hickman (QRO interview) rocking out particularly hard – maybe no one looks more like they enjoy playing guitar while they’re playing, while also not performing guitar-wankery solos. He was egged on by some fans at the next venue over, whose own, actual patio was only separated from the crowd & stage by a shaky chain-link fence. And Cracker killed it when they closed with the oldest of their classics, “I Ride My Bike” (though also one of their longest – perhaps an odd pick for such a shortened set, or perhaps picked because they knew that it could play longest past the curfew) – an actual mosh-pit developed, not among kids but among Cracker’s older fanbase, with a few ladies leading the way.
