SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Amanda’s Recap

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sxsw2011d3amanda.jpg" alt="SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Amanda's Recap" />From solo artists to six and seven member musical collectives, Friday blew me away multiple times over with a...
SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Amanda's Recap
SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Amanda's Recap

The massive music industry festival that is South-by-Southwest fell into some bad timing this year, coming right after the Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis, and right before the United States and her allies joined the fight in Libya by bombing Muammar Gaddafi (Day Two of the festival was also St. Patrick’s Day, but SXSW knew that going in…).  It all threatened to make the festival, and music in general, seem irrelevant, what with the world going to hell in a handbasket.  But ensconced in the cocoon that was downtown Austin, on your smart phones and Twitter, with wristbands and free drinks galore, SXSW proved to once again be an engrossing, all-encompassing musical clusterfuck of an experience.

 

From solo performers to six and seven member musical collectives, Friday blew me away multiple times over with a slew of enchanting artists, proving that in Austin, the volume always goes to 11.

 

Again I arose earlier than the average festival-goer (well, earlier than my roommate at least) to attend a demo of the fancy new Topspin platform.  I recommend checking it out, especially if you’re an artist.

The first show of the day went to Owen Pallett, who I missed at the Domino showcase the night before and was determined to see. 

 

[Note: QRO had a number of correspondents at SXSW this year; this is just the Day Three recap from Amanda Krieg; click here for Ted Chase’s Day Three recap, click here for Tammi J Myers’, and click here for Robin Sinhababu’s]

 

Shure Presents the Under The Rader Party @ Flamingo Cantina

Owen Pallett, 1:35pm
Owen Pallett

I got there a bit early and camped out on one of the tiered seating areas near the back of the venue.  Hooray For Earth (QRO spotlight on) had just finished up, and it seemed prudent to give my feet some R&R before what was sure to be another epic day of walking.  From my perch I watched as roadies bustled around changing out equipment, until a particularly lanky fellow in all black picked up a violin.  At first I thought he was just getting it ready – only when he started playing did I realize it was Pallett himself.

Some of the reviews that I saw of Owen Pallett’s performance on Wednesday evening were less than flattering.  Based on my experience, however, Emo’s must have just been the wrong space for the guy.  With it’s raised, open back patio, high ceilings, dangling balls of Christmas lights and tropical feel, the Flamingo Cantina was perfect for such an unearthly artist – I felt like I was in Neverland being treated to a private performance by Peter Pan himself.  Pallett’s rich, almost theatrical voice skipped through each song with uncanny ease.

"You guys here for the free beer?  That’s why I’m here," he joked.  It didn’t quite land on the crowd, but in the way that you wanted to give him a hug for trying rather than give a demerit for poor banter.

From there he took requests, and played his cover of Joanna Newsom’s (QRO album review) "Peach Plum Pear", making sure we know that he rarely plays it anymore, and that we were getting a treat.  Now, I can’t verify whether or not he was pulling our leg, but a treat it was.  The amount of control he has over such a wild voice is uncanny.

Mostly though, I could not stop focusing on the violin.  Pallett wielded it like a magician casting a spell and was able to use just that one instrument to make the room burst at the seams with sound. 

I departed about a song early to make it to Emo’s in time for…

~

 

Windish Agency Party @ Emo’s

Foster the People, 2:00pm
Foster the People

There was a bit of a line, but I managed to get inside just in time for "Pumped Up Kicks" – so naturally the crowd inside was at peak level of excitement.  While I was familiar with their three-song EP, I had never seen Foster The People live.  They sounded exactly like the recording – bright, electro-pop melodies, Mark Foster’s youthful voice contributing that unique dose of personality.

Even so, Emo’s was not quite the raucous party I expected.  The Los Angeles natives were certainly turning in a high-energy performance, but there was bouncing instead of jumping, a buzzing instead of raging.  The impressive percussion breakdown on "Houdini", which was my favorite part of the set, and saw the band completely unleashing – did get some heads banging, but there was a general chillness to the scene I did not see coming.   Perhaps it was the addition of the hot sun and cold beer, but it was easy to imagine that we were lazing around a friend’s backyard on a summer Saturday, minutes from the beach and a comfortable chaise lounge.  And to be perfectly honest, that was fine with me.

~

 

Yelp’s Skinny Pants Dance @ Betsy’s Bar

Polock, 3:30pm

At the urging of my roommate, I made my way to Betsy’s Bar to see Spanish indie quartet Polock, who had their first North American show ever earlier that week in Los Angeles.  That being said, it was no wonder the band looked so shell-shocked as they stepped on stage.

The show started about 15 minutes late, but it didn’t matter.  The young rockers made up for lost time quickly, moving from one lush, infectious tune to the next.  Then, about three songs in they really began to shine, adding unexpected nuances and strength. Unfortunately I wished I could have heard the vocals, but it was enough just to watch them go at it.  All the members were totally in sync and absorbed in the music – particularly the keyboard player who was jamming out as though he was the only one playing.  They may be new to this part of the world, but Polock presented us with big, full, indie dance rock at it’s finest.

~

 

Brooklyn Vegan/Partisan Records/KF Records Party @ Barbarella

The Dodos, 5pm
The Dodos

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Back in the heart of downtown, Barbarella was quickly filling up to catch San Francisco duo, The Dodos – fresh off the release of their new album No Color, which came out days earlier on Frenchkiss Records.  The dark, cramped space gave the impression that it was late night rather than late afternoon.  Without much ado, they launched right into their set of catchy, melodic, indie rock tunes – each one requesting the audience to put a smile on their face and jam along, some more insistently than others.

It became clear very quickly that the great strength of The Dodos is their enjoyable ability to balance a big rock sound with folk-like harmonies and precise work on an acoustic guitar.  While each track is distinctly the band’s style, they’re all distinctly different from each other as well.  Song after song they proved that rock can be just as danceable as the wave of electronic music sweeping the nation these days.  All those factors combined make them just immensely listenable for anyone.  My one complaint?  I couldn’t quite tell if the band was going for that ‘in your living room’ feel, or if it was the slightly muffled sound quality.  Either way I’m psyched to give the album a spin.

~

 

SXSW Showcase @ Rusty Spurs

AgesandAges, 8:00pm

The wait in line to get into Rusty Spurs was probably the longest one I experienced during the entire festival.  But one I was totally determined to do and ended up completely worth it.

I had fallen in love with Portland collective AgesandAges upon first listen.  Their debut album, Alright You Restless, came out this past February on Knitting Factory Records and was on regular rotation in my car for quite some time.  Due to the audience being held up outside until about ten minutes past start time, they seemed a bit perturbed – especially at the end when they asked if they could play two more songs and only got one, resulting in a seven-song set.  Even so, they were as charming as they could be as they eased into the music. 

The Portland natives didn’t come off at all like typical hipster indie rockers, more like the gang of kids that grew up on your block, small town and wholesome.  Each earthy song showcased at least two members singing at one time – in unison, harmonies, rounds or call and response – accompanied by claps, stomps and a variety of other sounds.  All seven members were so in tune with each other that when two of them clapped at once it made a single, robust sound.  So driven by percussion and especially vocals was their music that I imagined the band could be performing a cappella and it would be equally captivating and uplifting.  Making their vocals even more effective was the fact that they committed so completely to every word.  At the height of their performance I felt as though I was being preached to – in a good way.  More than once I felt compelled to leap up and shout to the heavens in adulation.

 

Dolorean, 9:00pm

Not to be confused with DELOREAN or The Deloreans – Dolorean is another Oregon based band that’s on Partisan Records.  The trio released their fourth album, The Unfazed, this past January, and was one of the older (age-wise) bands I saw at SXSW.

The sound was an odd amalgam of country and soul – a rich, melancholy voice and acoustic guitar laced with piano melodies and a strong bass line.  Which is not to say that they didn’t rock – it just had a very deliberate ebb and flow.  Big power chords full of passion followed by more restrained emotion.  When the band did unleash though, the crowd loved it – and let them know it with hoots and cheers.  Frontman Al James loved it too, lapsing into groovy guitar-noodling every couple songs, proving that without much fuss he knew what he was doing.  And if his laid-back performance style didn’t make that point clear enough, his wardrobe certainly did.  The man was wearing shorts more in the style of boxers than anything a middle-aged person should wear out of the house.  Plus the open short-sleeved button down and V-neck T-shirt, he looked like he had stopped by to play the show on his way back to bed from grabbing a midnight snack.

~

I Guess I’m Floating/Big Ugly Yellow Couch Present Killer Tofu @ Lipstick24

The High Highs, 10:30pm

Because I apparently cannot stay away from blogger parties, especially ones hosted by the guys at I Guess I’m Floating, I found myself next at Lipstick24.  The plan was to see Guards, but due to a last minute time slot swap and me not paying attention, I completely missed the set.  I did however get to have my first genuine music discovery moment of the festival, courtesy of New York natives, The High Highs.

They played in an odd corner of a packed patio, under a tiny tent, lower than much of the audience – but the music still meandered it’s way throughout the crowd, cooling and refreshing us off after a the long, hot day.  The duo treated us to sparkling acoustic melodies and dreamy falsetto vocals.  They managed to be slightly lo-fi, organic and soulful all at once.  Completely captivating.  As of now three tracks are available for free on their Bandcamp page, but here’s hoping a proper full length is on it’s way soon.

After The High Highs finished up, I stuck around for Round 2 of GOBBLE GOBBLE – my thoughts were pretty much the same as on Day 1 (QRO recap) – before crossing the street for my final show of the night.

~

 

Sub Pop Showcase @ Red 7 Patio

The Head and The Heart, 1:00am

The Head and The Heart’s self-titled debut album was one of my favorite releases of 2010.  Now that the Seattle natives have signed to Sub Pop – one of my favorite labels – and are re-releasing the album with some new tracks, I am even more excited about the alt-country musicians.  So of course I eagerly awaited 1:00am to see them live for the very first time.

"This is our last show so let’s fuck it," was the first thing they said.

And indeed they did.  Like AgesandAges (see above), The Heart and The Heart is a large band – six members in all.  The difference is that when listening to the latter, even live, you wouldn’t know it.  Far fewer of them sing the vocals, and the instruments all blend together so seamlessly to create complex, vibrant layers of sound.  And the Red 7 Patio is not small – it’s a large stage under a large tent, opening up into the wide-open night.  Still The Head and The Heart conquered it, filling the space with soaring harmonies, positive energy and their own lively, dancing bodies.  They sounded just like the recording – but with twice as much power coursing each song.  Each build was even more cathartic, each belted note teetering on the edge of bursting straight from the singers’ throats.  No song was a better example of this than the grand finale, brand new track "Rivers and Roads," when they were joined on stage by Ivan & Alyosha for a romp that brought down the house. 

~

 

Other notes:

-A detailed schedule of bands is one thing, but make sure you keep track of at least a couple spots giving out free food.  Particularly ones as close to downtown as possible.

-Plan a visit to Waterloo Records either early or in the middle of the day.  It’s a bit of a hike (I estimated about a 20 min walk from Red River & Sixth St.) so a decent amount of time should be allotted.  Maybe even plan to eat breakfast or lunch at the flagship Whole Foods Store, pretty much right across the street.  I went to check out the famed records store right after their final band of the day (Cloud Nothings) had finished up. 

-Sit wherever you can find seating, whenever you have an opportunity.  You never know when it will come again.

 

Unfortunately missed:

-Guards @ Killer Tofu, 9:00pm

-Josh Ritter (QRO album review) @ St. David’s Church Sanctuary, 10:30pm

 

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Concert Reviews
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