SXSW 2013 Saturday Recap

South-by-Southwest can wear you down by its final day. Your best bet is to stay at a few showcases, or just go where the night takes you, which...
SXSW 2013 Saturday Recap

SXSW 2013 Saturday Recap

The Economist just said that the music industry is growing again – or at least finished bottoming out. So with that ringing endorsement, there hadn’t been a better time to head down to Austin for its annual, massive, music industry festival, South-by-Southwest – Tuesday-Saturday, March 12th to 16th, which QRO did, with Ted Chase, Ivey Haber, and Alex Ramirez.

 

 

South-by-Southwest can wear you down by its final day.  Your best bet is to stay at a few showcases, or just go where the night takes you, which is what QRO did.

 

Party @ Waterloo Records

Ra Ra Riot, 3:00 PM

Ra Ra Riot

Click image for full photo

It was unsurprisingly packed at Waterloo Records for Ra Ra Riot, and Ted Chase couldn’t get anywhere close (especially under the hot sun).  The band did still sound great, at their last SXSW show.

~

 

American Rag/Filter Magazine party @ Cedar Street Courtyard

Wildcat! Wildcat!, 4:00 PM

Wildcat! Wildcat!

Click image for full gallery

Ted Chase went to Cedar Street Courtyard for A Place To Bury Strangers (QRO spotlight on), but got Wildcat! Wildcat! instead.  They were dancey, but looked annoying based on their fashion.

~

 

Asos Music Lounge presented by Touch media party @ Cedar Door

Youngblood Hawke, 4:30 PM

Youngblood Hawke

Youngblood HawkeClick image for full gallery

On the positive side of fashion was the Asos Music Lounge at Cedar Door, which had a very well dressed & attractive crowd.  Indeed, Nicky Digital was there taking photos of those in attendance (all the days of SXSW work showed on Ted Chase’s photo – but it did also show that he had the wristbands to prove it…).  Caught Youngblood Hawke at their tenth and final SXSW show; the band interestingly did their hit single “We Come Running” in middle of their set, not the end.

 

Youngblood Hawke

~

 

American Rag/Filter Magazine party @ Cedar Street Courtyard

Surfer Blood

Surfer Blood

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There was a huge crowd later in the day at Cedar Street for Surfer Blood, but Ivey Haber got to see the absolutely incredible performance from VIP by just waltzing her way into it.

 

the hoi-polloi, as seen from VIP

~

 

Perez Hilton’s ‘One Night In Austin’ showcase @ Austin Music Hall

Perez Hilton

Perez Hilton

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For the last few SXSWs Ted Chase has always hit up Perez Hilton’s ‘One Night In Austin’ event to end the festival.  While nothing can match the chaotic fun of when it was unofficial back in 2010 (QRO recap), this was probably its best year since becoming official and moving to the classy Austin Music Hall.

 

Foxes

Foxes

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Foxes wasn’t on the handbook’s schedule, so only caught her at Hilton’s useful red carpet to the side of the stage – but had already seen her at the end of last night.

 

Kerli, 5:55 PM

Kerli

KerliClick image for full gallery

Estonian pop princess!  Kerli was a perfect fit for Perez (who, like at all of his musical events, was in the photo pit the entire night, rockin’ out, not backstage schmoozing or drinking).

Kerli & Perez

 

Angel Haze, 6:30 PM

Angel Haze

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While she did have an awful twitter war with Azealia Banks earlier this year, Angel Haze certainly knows her rhymes & lines.  She went from homeless to big time (though the stage was a little too big for all of these solo performers).

 

Stooshe, 7:15 PM

Stooshe

Click image for full gallery

One of the pluses to this year’s ‘One Night In Austin’ was that Hilton brought in some artists who weren’t otherwise playing South-by-Southwest – or, in the case of U.K. trio Stooshe, had never even played stateside before!  They were kind of like Destiny’s Child meets Lady Sovereign, w/ some Scary Spice Sporty Spice thrown in

Stooshe

 

Charli XCX, 7:55 PM

Charli XCX

Charli XCXClick image for full gallery

Ted wasn’t impressed with hyped U.K. songstress Charli XCX when she played very early at Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal (QRO recap), but was with this performance, in a better time & better space (and an actual drummer – he was happy to be here & still has a job in these electronic beats days…).  Hilton compared Charli to previous Perez SXSW acts Robyn (from 2008) and Marina & The Diamonds (from 2010 – QRO photos), an apt comparison, especially considering Charli is about to go on tour with Marina.

Charli XCX & band

 

Capital Cities, 8:35 PM

Capital Cities

horny hornClick image for full gallery

The only males officially scheduled on the night by Hilton were Capital Cities (who unfortunately didn’t wear the oversized glasses used in their promo photos and littered around the venue).  Sort of like if Miike Snow (QRO live review) went upbeat, they also had some sweet horn action.

Charli XCX

 

Wynter Gordon, 9:15 PM

Wynter Gordon

Click image for full gallery

Wynter Gordon got lights down lower for an acoustic set (which had one photographer complaining and trying to use flash – if Ted could get usable no-flash photos, then an old professional like this guy should have had no problem…).  Gordon did kind of apologize for not having her full crew, and made the transition work.

Wynter Gordon

 

Lissie, 9:55 PM

Lissie

LissieClick image for full gallery

Most of the artists at ‘One Night In Austin’ were new to QRO but not Lissie.  Basically the only artist in the old ‘rock’ mode (and thankfully had more of a backline than Garden), Lissie was nicely rockin’ (even if the ‘Press Lounge’ ran out of free drinks at this point, way too early…).

Lissie & band

 

Paloma Faith, 10:30 PM

Paloma Faith

Paloma FaithClick image for full gallery

While Paloma Faith is big in her native Britain (QRO photos from across the pond), she’s only breaking over here, but Hilton mentioned how much he not only loves the ladies, but also the Brits.  Faith did a cover of “Never Tear Us Apart” (though gotta say – ‘Press Lounge’ running out of free drinks really dampened the whole thing…).

 

Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy

Click image for full gallery

South-by-Southwest Saturday is the night of all the special guest appearance by big artists, and Perez Hilton had special show by recently reunited kings of emo, Fall Out Boy.  But Ted Chase left before they came on (just catching them in the red carpet area) because his phone died, his memory card was full, his back-up memory card was full, he lost SXSW handbook, and there were no more free drinks (plus, he isn’t & never was an emo teen…).

Perez & Fall Out Boy

 

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, 11:05 PM

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

watch out for those thrift shop fringes!Click image for full gallery

Ted did catch the hardest-working big act of South-by-Southwest 2013, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who seemed to be playing everywhere this year.  Despite all of that work, the duo was still effective and energetic (though one feels a little bad for Ryan Lewis, being stuck at the back doing DJ work while Macklemore gets all of the attention & lighting…).  And yes, Macklemore once again said that what he was wearing (his jacket with fringes that he was worried were going to hurt someone) was from an Austin thrift shop…

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

~

 

Apes On Tape showcase @ TenOak

Ivan & Alyosha

Ivan & Alyosha

Click image for full gallery

Ivey Haber showed up early for Apes On Tape’s chicken & waffles and Ivan & Alyosha, who were also being filmed by NPR.

Ivan & Alyosha on NPR

 

Parenthetical Girls

Parenthetical Girls

Zac PenningtonClick image for full gallery

While at TenOak for Ivan & Alyosha, Ivey ran into Marty Crandall from The Shins (QRO live review).  He told Ivey that he is roommates with one of the Parenthetical Girls, and it made Ivey want to stick around.  She was very happy with the decision.

Zac Pennington, hailing from Portland, OR (kept pronouncing it “Ore-GON”) was truly a David Bowie cookie cut.  He was so extravagant and awesome; one wouldn’t be surprised if they were the next band to blow up.  An amazing show.

Pennington – You have to be careful at SXSW, there are these little photographers, all around, so you have to make some conscious outfit choices…  I know this shirt is going to look like shit…

It looked good to Ivey…

Zac Pennington

~

 

SXSW showcase @ Club de Ville

Pharcyde, 2:00 AM

Pharcyde

Click image for full gallery

Ivey Haber randomly stumbled in drunk to Club de Ville, wanting more beer, and a guy came up to her and said, “Who are you here to see?”  She just replied “Huh?  Just sitting around here,” and he went, “You know Pharcyde is on next?!”

“It’s my fifteen-year-old self’s dream circa 1989” – and the hip-hop legend didn’t disappoint.

Pharcyde

~

 

 

Other notes:

-SXSW Saturday is typically when huge artists have their unofficial shows that everyone finds out about but no one is able to get into, and 2013 was no different.  Justin Timberlake came down from his five-night stint on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to perform a MySpace/Yahoo secret show, while Prince did one for Samsung.  But do you go to SXSW to see the likes of Prince & Timberlake?

Secret shows by giant artists like these, even more so than the official ones by the likes of Green Day, can take attention away from all the artists trying to make it at SXSW – and the shows themselves are a pain unless you’re on the super-VIP list (in which case you probably don’t even care about the performance).  While they’re meant to show that the massive artist is still relevant & fresh (not to mention a major draw), they mostly just prove that they can’t fit in an ‘intimate’ setting – and are available if the price is right.

-There was yet another alcoholic cider sponsor at SXSW, this time Strongbow at Perez Hilton’s showcase.  Would have been more impressed if they’d stocked enough in the press area.

 

 

Unfortunately missed:

-Rachael Ray party @ Stubb’s.  Best food of SXSW.

-Snowden (QRO spotlight on) and Turbo Fruits (QRO live review) @ Blackheart, 12:20 PM – 1:20 PM.  Sorry, Jordan… (QRO interview)

-Wild Belle (QRO spotlight on) @ Mohawk, 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM.  Sorry, Bergman siblings (QRO interview)

-A Place To Bury Strangers @ Cedar Street Courtyard.  See above

-The Features (QRO live review) @ Blackheart, 4:40 PM – 5:20 PM.  Serpents & Snakes, the new label by Kings of Leon (QRO album review), were having a good showcase – but of course tastemakers were just hoping that the Followill family would be performing…

-Steve Earle @ Auditorium Shores Stage, 5:55 PM – 6:40 PM.

-Earl Sweatshirt (featuring Captain Murphy) @ FADER Fort, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM.  Just to shout out quotes from the namesake of Flying Lotus’ (QRO live review) alter ego, the greatest character on the greatest mock-cartoon ever, Sealab 2021.  There go my nipples again!…

-Black Lips (QRO live review) and Parquet Courts @ VICELAND, 8:00 PM – 9:45 PM

-The Stargazer Lilies (QRO photos) @ The Velveeta Room, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM

-Cashmere Cat @ Mohawk Outdoor, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM

-Iron & Wine (QRO live review) and Devendra Banhart (QRO album review) @ Central Presbyterian Church, 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM.  A church is a perfect setting for these two singer/songwriters.

-Vampire Weekend (QRO live review) and HAIM (QRO photos from Thursday) @ Stubb’s, 11:00 PM – 2:00 AM.

-DeLorean @ StubHub Live at Old School, 11:35 PM – 11:55 PM.

-Not In the Face! @ Blackheart, 12:00 AM – 1:00 AM.  Ted Chase once against missed the best band name since Spoon (QRO live review)…

-The Skatalites @ The Stage On Sixth, 1:00 AM – 2:00 AM.  Inventors of ska.

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Concert Reviews
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