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Monday, February 22, 2010
SXSW party watch: South By Soup Fest
Enjoy performances by Austin musicians — and help feed our city’s hungry — at this year’s South by Soup Fest.
The party happens Wednesday, March 17 — the first day of the South by Southwest Music Festival — from 2 to 8:30 p.m. at Gueros, 1412 S. Congress Ave.
Performers repped by ComboPlate Booking are set to appear, including:
- 2 to 2:40 p.m.: Elizabeth McQueen
- 2:50 to 3:30 p.m.: Eric Hisaw
- 3:40 to 4:20 p.m.: A.J. Roach
- 4:30 to 5:10 p.m.: Moonlight Towers
- 5:20 to 6 p.m.: Michael Fracasso
- 6:10 to 6:50 p.m.: Matt the Electrician
- 7 to 7:40 p.m.: Nathan Hamilton
- 7:50 to 8:30 p.m.: Beaver Nelson
Admission is — wait for it — free. Tips given to the bands, as well as proceeds from CD sales, will go to Caritas of Austin. A number of gift certificates to area business are also set to be raffled.
To check out our ever-growing list of SXSW parties — updated daily — click here.
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CD review: Shearwater - ‘The Golden Archipelago’
‘The Golden Archipelago’
(Matador)
Grade: A
Jonathan Meiburg and company proved they were a unique force in the Austin music scene with the 2008 release of “Rook,” a seductively dark affair elevated by Meiburg’s haunting, operatic voice. The follow-up, “The Golden Archipelago,” pushes into even darker territory, and the result is a gem of an album. It isn’t necessarily music for people looking for a catchy single, but that’s never what the band has been about.
Rather, “Archipelago” is an actual album in a time when the idea of releasing a collection of songs that work together as a unit has fallen out of favor with many bands.
While it’s a concept album of sorts about the Pacific, listeners aren’t going to find any stereotypical, resort “island” sounds here, as evidenced by the 40-year-old recording of the national anthem of the Bikini Atoll that starts things out. It’s quiet and vaguely unsettling, especially when paired with the translation in the liner notes, which contains lines like “no longer can I stay, it’s true/no longer can I live in peace and harmony.”
From there the album builds on itself, with the band combining its various skills to great effect. On “Corridors” a noisy guitar weaves its way through layers of galloping percussion and strings; it’s followed by the quiet, dirge-like “God Made Me,” which utilizes the same elements to produce a much different result. Part of what makes the album work so well is the band’s ability to use moments of quiet, or even silence, to heighten the drama of the songs. On “Castaways,” one of the more upbeat tracks, Meiburg’s voice and Thor Harris’ near-militaristic drums rise out of tranquil opening moments to captivate the listener.
Taken together, it’s all very cinematic, almost like a film score. A lot of times when a band releases a well-received album with a unique sound, the follow-up is a messy affair, an expression of uncertainty about where to go next. Shearwater does not suffer from this problem, and continues to develop their sound in a successful direction.
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Save the Cactus Cafe group raising money, collecting signatures
What’s next in the campaign to try to save the Cactus Cafe? The group known as SavetheCactusCafe.org and FriendsOfTheCactusCafe.org has formed a nonprofit and scheduled times and places (including tonight at the Saxon Pub) to have petitions signed and to take donations. They’re aiming for 5,000 signatures and $66,000.
From the release (the first scheduled events are after the jump):
Austin, Texas, February 22, 2010—The newly formed non-profit, Friends of the Cactus Cafe (FOTCC), announced plans today to demonstrate community and University support for keeping the Cactus Cafe open by launching petition and fundraising drives.
“We have set a symbolic goal of raising $66,000—the purported shortfall that the Cactus Cafe currently operates under—and we want to raise $6600 of that before this Friday’s Texas Union Board meeting,” said Wiley Koepp, a board member and one of the founders of FOTCC. “The financial support exists in this community to keep the Cactus Cafe open and we need to show that to the Texas Union administration. If we can raise a tenth of the shortfall in about ten days, imagine what is possible with even just a little more time and development.”
The petition drive is similarly aimed at making a statement of community and UT student support for the legendary venue. Veteran grassroots organizer David Kobierowski is heading up the signature effort for the Save the Cactus Cafe campaign.
“We have just begun to collect signatures and the response has been overwhelming,” said Kobierowski. “We anticipate getting 5000 signatures in fairly short order and plan to collect 500 by the Friday Union Board meeting.
A number of music venues around the Austin community have joined in the effort and will open their doors to petition circulators this week. These include:
Monday, Feb 22nd
Venue: Saxon Pub
Time: 7pm
Artists performing: Matt the Electrician at 7pm, Nelo at 8:30pm, Jeff Plankenhorn at 11pm, George Stathakes at 12:30am
Tuesday, Feb 23rd
Venue: Ruta Maya
Time: 9pm - 1am is Music Open Mic, 6-9pm is Poetry Open Mic
Artists performing: Local talent
Wednesday, Feb 24th
Venue: Broken Spoke
Start Time: 8pm (or earlier)
Artists performing: Dale Watson at 9pm, Vince Moreno 6-8pm, Dance Lessons 8-9pm
Venue: The Triangle Austin Farmer’s Market
Start Time: 4-7pm
Thursday, Feb 25th
Venue: The Sessions @ The Hideout
Start Time: arrive at 7:45pm (show at 8pm)
Artists performing: Matt the Electrician, Danny Malone, DEADMAN, Carley Wolf
Venue: The Broken Spoke
Start Time: 8pm (or earlier)
Artists performing: Jesse Dayton at 9pm, Tony Harris (6-8pm), Dance Lesson 8-9pm
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SXSW2010: 10 questions for Nive Nielsen
Nive Nielsen just might be the first ukelele-playing eskimo who has starred in a Terrence Malick film ever to play SXSW. “The New World” actress from Greenland recorded “Nive Sings!” with help from the Black Keys and Howe Gelb (Giant Sand) and her multi-instrumentalist boyfriend Jan de Vroede. John Parish (P.J. Harvey) produced. The lovely, kooky Nive is Inuk, which is not the new black.
1. Your record “Sings” was recorded all over the world, but two places can’t be less alike than Tucson, Ariz. and Nuuk, Greenland. Does the climate and setting influence the sound?
It really does. What I remember most from being in Tucson was the constant sweating. It was so hot that the songs I made there turned out real slow, and real short. Lazy porch tunes, really. They definitely have that vibe. In Nuuk it was winter, storming, really really cold. It blew so hard that the wind’s on the recordings. The songs there turned out to be really playful and happy - it was just so cozy to sit inside and play in front of the fire place.
2. How far do you live from the North Pole?
It’s like a 3 mile bus ride.
3. What’s the biggest myth about eskimos? Do you really kiss by rubbing noses?
We sure do. Saves on hankies, too. Hehe. But no seriously, we do talk a lot with facial expressions. Like lifting our eyebrows, that means “yes”. Or frowning our nose, that’s “nope”. Also, just for the record: nope we don’t live in igloos.
4. You starred with Colin Farrell in “The New World.” What was it like working with (Austin resident) Terrence Malick? Is it true he’s a big karaoke fan?
Haha that’s too funny. Terrence Malick is super cool. I only had a minor part in “The New World.” I almost was Pocahontas but then I wasn’t but then he wrote a brand new part just for me so that I could be in anyways - pretty awesome huh! As for his well-known and widely published karaoke addiction… Now that I come to think of it: he DID make me sing!
5. If you had to break it into percentages equalling 100 per cent, how much actor are you and how much musician?
Ohh that ‘s a hard one… When I play music I’m totally 100% musician, definitely - there’s zero acting involved there. But when I act I ‘m still a musician. Hmm that doesn’t make much sense does it. Can I say I’m 200 % both?
6. Was it hard to find a ukulele in Greenland?
Really hard. That’s why I got one in Canada. Although strangely enough we have a local traditional music called Vaigat. Which is a combination of Greenlandic lyrics and melodies with Hawaii guitar. Come to think about it, there should be ukuleles in Greenland!
7. Will you play “Over the Rainbow/ What a Wonderful World” if requested?
Definitely. I might ONLY play those tunes. Yup…
8. Is there any kind of food you can get in the U.S. and not Greenland that you crave?
Man coming to the US is always such a pleasure - for many reasons, one big one being the food. I just LOVE the traveling and local cuisines… in Austin I’m soooo looking forward to BBQ!! And good Mexican. Breakfast burritos. More BBQ… yes!!
9. Is Santa Claus real?
He’s most definitely real. And real grumpy most of the times, too. Actually my band mate Jan dated his daughter for a while (no kiddin’!)
10. Colin Farrell’s not going to read this. Don’t you think he’s gotten boring since he cut down on the drinking?
Maybe now that he stopped drinking he’ll actually read this… how ‘bout that huh. Hi Colin!
Nive Nielsen and her band will play 10 p.m. Thursday March 18 at the Hilton 18th Floor.
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SXSW party watch: FILTER magazine hosts Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit
As the industry music festival to end all industry music festivals — sorry, MIDEM and CMJ, but we have more free barbecue than you do — draws inexorably closer, the party announcements are beginning to fly fast and furious. Although we won’t be posting them all here in the blog — that’s what the side parties page is for — we’ll continue to mention some of the more notable announcements in this space.
And FILTER magazine has put together a pretty strong party lineup this year, taking over Cedar Street Courtyard from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday March 18 through Saturday March 20. Highlights include Miike Snow, Dr. Dog, Delta Spirit and Frightened Rabbit — and free BBQ from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., because, really, what is SXSW about if not free food? You can RSVP here.
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KCRW will broadcast live from Tequila Mockingbird during SXSW
Influential Santa Monica Cal.- based KCRW will once again broadcast live March 18 and 19 from the Tequila Mockingbird jingle factory behind the Clay Pit on Guadalupe Street. The Thursday act will be Australian indie rock band the Middle East. Friday’s live act has not yet been named.
The live broadcasts are not open to the public.
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The Octopus Project debut ‘Hexadecagon’ during SXSW
Erich Schlegel/FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Attention to those who would endeavor to throw the craziest, most elaborate and most intriguing free event during South by Southwest: the Octopus Project have thrown down the gauntlet.
This morning the ever-whimsical indietronica band announced the details of its “Hexadecagon” project, a free multimedia extravaganza on the upstairs plaza of the downtown Whole Foods to be performed at 7:30 and 9 p.m. Friday, March 19. The project will include eight channels of audio and eight channels of video — hence the name, which refers to a sixteen-sided figure.
If you’re wondering how they’ll pull that off, it’s probably best to let the band describe it in their own words. From the announcement:
“The eight speakers will be set up in a circle surrounding the audience, who will in turn be surrounding us (the band), set up in the middle of the whole shebang with eight images projected overhead.”
The visual component will be handled by blogger, actor, general man about town and occasional Richard Linklater muse Wiley Wiggins. Admission will be free and open to the public, but with the patio’s limited capacity of about 600, prospective attendees should probably get there early.
It’s the rare band that looks at the Flaming Lips’ “Zaireeka” and says “We don’t think that’s quite crazy enough,” but then, that’s why Austin loves the Octopus Project. Ball’s in your court, Fader Fort.
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MTV to take over Seaholm during SXSW
The vacant Seaholm Power Plant, which is managed for temporary use by Austin’s Real Estate Services Division, will be occupied during South by Southwest by MTV, the city’s Gloria Aguilera said Monday.
“They’ll be filming there all four days,” Aguilera said.
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SXSW music and food, Uchi and the Germans
Yes, yes Bloody Marys and Shiner Bock are indeed the official SXSW breakfasts of champions, but its highly likely that a couple days into the fest you’ll need to supplement the liquid diet with a little actual sustenance. Thankfully a lot of SXSW day parties incorporate some sort of food, frequently consisting of good ol’ fashioned Texas staples, barbecue and/or tacos.
Press releases for two notable parties offering different flavors landed in my inbox over the weekend. The first is Uchi’s annual “East Meets Fest” event. The day party goes down in the parking lot of the high-end sushi joint from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 20 and features music from The Authors, The Red Boys and more, with members of the Octopus Project playing DJ between sets. It’s an open, free event and “Japanese street food” and beer will be available to purchase. I’m not exactly sure what “street food” entails but I’m guessing (hoping) it translates to something a little more affordable than the restaurant’s standard fare.
On the less open, but presumably (ahem) free-er tip, an intriguing invite for “Wunderbar presents Lunch with the Germans” came across. The event features music from heavies in the German house music underground and cuisine by a pair of gourmet chefs from “Berlin’s outdoor venue/gastropub Bar 25.” Sounds tasty. The party goes down from noon to 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 18 at Park Side on Sixth Street. Hit up this site to try to talk your way in.
And, as always, be sure to bookmark austin360.com/sxswside for the latest info on the myriad of free events going down throughout the festival.
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SXSW2010: 10 questions for Sleepy Sun
San Francisco-based sextet Sleepy Sun makes spacey psychedelic rock that recalls blues rock of the ’60s and ’70s without sounding like a Zeppelin cover band. They’ll be playing almost every day during the festival, including the Bay Bridged day party at Beauty Bar on March 18 and the Rolling Stone day party at Peckerheads on March 20. Sole female member Rachel Williams takes part in our “20 bands, 10 questions” series below.
Is this your first time at SXSW?
No! we were here last year : )
What do you hope to achieve at the festival?
I’m sure the guys can agree, we’re coming back to party,
play as hard as we can and catch other cool bands.
How would you describe the San Francisco music scene?
Its like a bunch of humming birds moanin’ and groanin’, makin’ sweet
music nectar for the rest of the jungle creatures.
If you were to come up with the name of a genre to describe your music, what would it be?
We collaboratively came up with an answer to this once, something like psychic depth rock & muppet roll. Can I say that?
Your band bio says you honed your craft in ‘the occult influenced creative community of Santa Cruz.’ What role did the occult play in the band’s development?
Santa Cruz can give you what you need at just the right moments, most of it has to do with the forest, it’s been staring at the sea for hundreds of years just watching.
How does your sound differ from bands like Zeppelin and Sabbath that get mentioned a lot in write-ups of the band?
oh geez what a question - come to a show! its all for you
How did you get involved in the tribute to Graham Nash? Did you pick ‘Chicago’?
Our good friend Brit Govea, who is the man behind FolkYeah!, chose the song
and asked us if we would like to be apart of the project. And yes we did!
What have you been listening to in the tour van?
Recently, Juvenile, Black Sabbath, Leonard, a mix of goodies.
What was the highlight of your European tour last year?
Another FANTASTIC ATP festival and I personally enjoyed playing with Jay Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) I had a dream we kissed!
What is the most difficult part of being on tour?
I’m the only girl. Also long drives get a little taxing.
Pick your own question and answer it.
POOF?
POW!
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