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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Trophy’s SXSW lineup released
THURSDAY 3/18
INSIDE
12 Glass Trees
1 John Biz
2 Frankie & The Zombeats
3 The Death Kings
4 The Hickoids
5 Silvering Denizens
6 Exene Cervenka
OUTSIDE
12 Heather Duby
1 Vitamins
2 ETA
3 The Safes
4 Adrian and the Sickness
5 Spain Colored Orange
6 Peelander-Z
7 AV Okubo
PORCH
230 Whisky Dick
330 Model U.N.
430 Shotgun Hustler
530 Carsick Cars
630 P. K. 14
FRIDAY March 19
INSIDE
1 Stay Home Lucy
2 Thee Royal Butchers
3 The Danvilles
4 The Last Vegas
5 Scott H. Biram
6 Lions
7 A Few Nice Things
OUTSIDE
12 Electric Society
2 Black Pistol Fire
3 Invade Rome
4 Awesome Color
5 27 Devils Joking
6 One-Eyed Doll
7 Triple Cobra
PORCH
130 Chylde
230 White Rhino
330 Angola Farms
430 The Blind Pets
530 Shoplifter
630 Babydick
730 Shootin’ Pains
SATURDAY March 20
INSIDE
1 Paleo
2 Jail
3 The Dirty Pearls
4 Golden Boys
5 The High Watt Crucifixers
OUTSIDE
1 Los T-Birds
2 Spider Bags
3 Down Syndrome Army
4 Lords of Fuzz
5 33 Overdose
6 Dead Lotus Society
7 Brothers Lazaroff
PORCH
1230 Xathax
130 Charlie Hurtin’ and The Hecklers
230 The Wait
330 We Were Wolves
430 Hot Rails
530 El Ten Eleven
730 Taun Taun
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Tom Morello, Billy Bragg to rock jail guitar doors in Del Valle
Prisoners at the Travis County Correctional Facility in Del Valle will get a taste of SXSW goodness next week, when politically active rockers Tom Morello and Billy Bragg pay a visit on Mar. 19.
The concert, which is obviously closed to the public, is connected to the launch of the U.S. branch of Jail Guitar Doors a charity that provides guitars to prisons as tools to help rehabilitate inmates. Launched in 2007 by Bragg and named after a song by The Clash, Jail Guitar Doors uses benefit concerts to raise most of its operating costs and can provide guitars to a prison for around $800 per facility.
The charity’s U.S. offshoot is being led by former MC5 member Wayne Kramer, who will also be in Del Valle for the concert along with Ozomatli guitarist Raul Pacheco, Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters, and Morello cohort Boots Riley.
Roger Wade, spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff’s Department, confirmed the show will happen and stressed that the concert is for prisoners only.
Not to worry, though. Fans of Morello, ex of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave and currently of Street Sweeper Social Club, and Bragg will have plenty of chances to see the two perform together and solo when the simply gargantuan music fest kicks off Mar. 17. To find out where and when, we suggest a little Ctrl+F action on the SXSW site or at our exponentially growing side parties list.
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Austin at SXSW: Kat Edmondson
Jazz artist and Houston native Kat Edmondson has been in Austin about six years and has a “voice somewhere between Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee,” according to our own Michael Corcoran. Edmonson will play several shows during SXSW, including the opening music for Smokey Robinson’s keynote. Her main show will be during the KGSR Live broadcast at 8:30 a.m. on March 16th with Chet Mimes at The Four Seasons. Here’s what Kat had to say about her SXSW plans…
Describe your sound. ‘Equal parts Billie Holiday and Bjork, it is Edmonson’s distinctive coyness that marks her as a vocalist of 2009, not merely a re-do of the 1930s.’ —All About Jazz
What can SXSW attendees expect at your showcase? Songs from my recent debut release, “Take To The Sky” as well as some originals and new songs from my upcoming record.
What other acts are you excited to check out? Smokey Robinson.
Are you planning to go to any panels? I’m opening for Smokey Robinson’s keynote address and look forward to hearing him speak.
What are some Austin must-do or must-sees for out-of-towners? You must sit outside on Congress at Jo’s Coffee and watch the people go by or check out Mike Flanigin at The Gallery (above The Continental Club) on Sunday night.
Where do you like to hear live music, when it’s not SXSW? Cactus Cafe.
What’s your favorite ‘only in Austin’ thing to do? Do I have to pick just one? I love dancing to Red Volkaert on Sunday nights at The Continental Club.
Complete this sentence: ‘Industry folks and visiting bands, while we love having you as guests of our city, please don’t…’ hesitate to come back when there’s not a festival going on. Austin is a wonderful place to visit ANY time of the year!
Track and photo (above) courtesy of Kat Edmonson.
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Austin at SXSW: The Rocketboys
Originally from Abilene, the five college friends who make up The Rocketboys now call Austin their home. The band succeeds in crafting a unique blend of earnest, ambient indie-rock. You can see the official SXSW showcase on Thursday, March 18 at 9 p.m. at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop. Justin Wiseman, Brandon Kinder and Mitch Holt answered our questions via e-mail.
Describe your sound. We always try and create original music that is palatable to a wide variety of people. More specifically the music we play falls into an ambient indie rock vein with a distinct pop sensibility.
What can SXSW attendees expect at your showcase? Our music is written to be performed live, so a live performance tends to be the best, most powerful way to experience our music. We’ll be playing almost entirely new music from our latest album “20,000 Ghosts” at our showcase.
What other acts are you excited to check out? Band of Horses, The XX, Fanfarlo, Andrew W.K. — also a lot of our friends are playing: Dignan, All Get Out, This Will Destroy You, Danny Malone, and The City Lives to name a few.
Are you planning to go to any panels? We definitely plan to attend panels. Sometimes as an independent band we feel at a disadvantage to keep up with all you have to know to be at the cutting edge of happenings in the industry without a team of professional help. But fortunately SXSW has a lot of offerings in terms of syncs and placements, advice on signing, booking better tours, as well as other innovative ways to broaden the accessibility of our music.
What are some Austin must-do or must-sees for out-of-towners?
Alamo Draft House, Barton Springs, The Cathedral of Junk, and of course Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon Presents: Chicken (Expletive) Bingo.
Where do you like to hear live music, when it’s not SXSW? We frequently end up at the staples of Austin venues (i.e. Mohawk, Stubb’s, Emo’s) to support friends and bands we like. I think The Parish provides the most enjoyable setting to view a show though.
Finish this sentence: ‘Industry folks and visiting bands, while we love having you as guests of our city, please don’t… ‘ Bring the rain….
Tracks and photo (above) courtesy of Paper Thin Media.
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ATX Emerge kicks off SXSW week in style
Photo by Jay Janner/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
ATX Emerge, the annual showcase for Austin music that kicks off SXSW, has released its 2010 lineup, and it’s an impressive slate of the city’s best.
The show goes down from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday, March 15 at the Mohawk. Garage soul sensations and certified breakout Austin success story Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears headline, with other performers including the White White Lights, Brazos, Sunset and the Peligrosa All-Stars. The show celebrates the Texas premiere of “Skateland,” which is screening as part of SXSW Film.
You can RSVP to the free show at the link.
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Another 500 SXSW wristbands on sale March 13
If you missed your chance to grab a SXSW wristband during February’s online sale, you’ll have another opportunity Saturday, March 13.
That’s when another 500 of the bands will go on sale at Waterloo Records. Cost is $165, limit one per customer, and they have to be placed on your wrist on-site.
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SXSW2010: 10 questions for Freelance Whales
New York City’s eclectic junkyard pop band Freelance Whales comes to SXSW with buzz aplenty, as their debut LP “Weathervanes” is about to drop like a ton of goose down. Their official showcase is 8 p.m. Friday March 19 at Galaxy Room, but you can catch them the day before at Yard Dog at 4:15 p.m. for the Schuba’s party.
Chuck Criss answered our goofy questions.
1. This this your first time at SXSW?
Second time to Austin, first time at SXSW. Don’t really know what to expect.
2. What TV shows will you be recording back home while you’re on tour?
“30 Rock,” “Lost,” “Damages.” We mostly play catchup on shows like “It’s Always Sunny” and “Friday Night Lights.”
3. Can Staten Island ever become the next Williamsburg?
Not sure if that is geographically feasible.
4. What’s the biggest tip you got while busking in NYC?
Two dollars!
5. Might you play out on the street during SXSW?
We’d love to, but not sure if we’ll have time. Plus, I think a lot of bands already do that during SXSW.
6. What’s the last song you bought on iTunes?
Just got the new Joanna Newsom record which is currently occupying my head space. Oh, and I bought that techno song “Sandstorm.” That takes me back.
7. Anything non-musical you’re looking forward to doing while in Austin?
Lots of BBQ.
8. Do you all really like each other like it seems?
I hope so.
9. What makes you most impressed about Austin: Lester Bangs lived here, Jimmy Buffett had his first margarita here, Roky Erickson still lives here, George W. Bush doesn’t?
Probably Jimmy Buffet. He is impressive.
10. If you had only enough money for cowboy boots or a cowboy hat, which would you buy in Austin?
How much for a classy pair of chaps?
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SXSW party update: Ultra8201, the 40 Watt Club and more
If you thought 2009’s economic doldrums might result in a quieter, downsized SXSW — possibly, heaven forbid, with less free beer, free food and free music — then our recently updated, nearly 600-strong side parties list scoffs at you.
Yes, you read that correctly — our searchable database of official and unofficial SXSW parties is now closing in on a mind-boggling 600 events. With that kind of scope it’s both impossible and ill-advised to recap everything here in the blog, but this week has included a handful of particularly intriguing party announcements that bear mentioning. As always, for a more exhaustive look at your free options throughout SXSW, hit up the list and get to planning. But here’s some highlights:
First off, beloved local music blog Ultra8201 and a plethora of sponsors will throw Eastbound and Found Thursday, March 18 from noon to 9 p.m. at 1001 E. Sixth St. You can RSVP for the epic day party here. Two stages include GZA, Ume, Freelance Whales, Here We Go Magic and Danielson, among others.
Athens, Georgia’s the 40 Watt Club will throw a shindig from noon to 8 p.m. at the Sidebar Saturday, March 20. The party is free and open to the public and runs on three stages, including one dedicated to the late and lamented Vic Chesnutt. Performers include the Whigs, Warpaint, Dead Confederate and Camper Van Beethoven.
The Billions Corporation will present Fat, Corked and Unwound at the Mohawk Thursday, March 18, from noon to 6 p.m. The lineup includes Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, the Black Angels, Bowerbirds, Generationals, Bear in Heaven, the Cave Singers, Oh No Ono, Avi Buffalo, the Dutchess and the Duke and Cate Le Bon.
You can RSVP now for Taco Bell’s Pure Volume House, located at 504 Trinity St., which runs from Friday, March 12 to Saturday, March 20. The house boasts free tacos from Taco Bell — exciting, we know — and shows and parties both in the afternoons and evenings. You can scope out their Web site for a full schedule of events, but highlights include Eisley, Jakob Dylan and Neko Case, the Postelles, the Love Language, April Smith, Andrew WK, Movits, a DJ set from the XX at 3 a.m. on Friday March 19, and many, many more.
Music mag Under the Radar will host a soiree Saturday, March 20 at the Emo’s East Annex, 614 E. Sixth St., from noon to 6 p.m. that includes all-girl trio the Vivian Girls, Sondre Lerche, the Veils, Plants and Animals, Avi Buffalo, Everything Everything and the Invisible. The party is free and open to the public, with no RSVP needed.
Speaking of the Vivian Girls, they’ll also be playing SXSaint Patrick’s Day at the Ghost Room on, naturally, Wednesday, March 17. This party kicks off bright and early at 11 a.m. $5 will get you unlimited beer and a lineup that also includes Ola Podrida, DD/MM/YYYY, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, OK Sweetheart and others.
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The Old 97s and Ben Kweller celebrate Earth Day at Stubb’s April 14
Earth Day actually falls on April 22, but the Hill Country Conservancy is kicking off an entire week of celebrations in honor of the event’s 40th anniversary with a benefit show at Stubb’s April 14, featuring Dallas country rockers the Old 97s and Austin’s own Ben Kweller.
Tickets, $18, are on sale now, and benefit the Sierra Club and the Hill Country Conservancy.
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SXSW2010: 10 questions for The 88
Los Angeles pop rockers The 88 got a hero’s hand in finally making it to one of the big stages at this year’s South By Southwest Music Festival. The hand in question belongs to Ray Davies - the man behind stone-cold anthems such as “You Really Got Me,” “Lola” and “All Day And All of the Night” - who will feature the quartet as his backing band for the finale of his set at La Zona Rosa on Thursday night (March 18).
The pairing came about when Davies, long a hero of the band, sought support for his current tour behind “The Kinks Choral Collection,” that ends each night with a handful of original renditions of the above-mentioned songs.
Adam Merrin, The 88’s keyboard player, talked about the day to day of playing with a legend.
How long did it take you to say yes when Ray Davies offered you the spot?
It happened pretty fast. He was looking for a band to back him up and our old booking agent is his booking agent now. He said we’d be perfect for it and after we sent him some recordings of us doing some Kinks songs he asked if we were free, and we said of course. He’s one of our favorites.
What songs did you record for him to hear?
“Lola,” “Low Budget,” “You Really Got Me,” “Do You Remember Walter?” “Animal Farm”… there were a few others. We just quickly threw some recording equipment up in our rehearsal space and got to it.
You come out at the end of the night and back him up, but how much actual interaction do you get with him?
We’ve just gotten started and only played a couple of shows, but when we were in Maryland it was in a small venue and a small stage so we were all right in there together. It felt like we were a real, full-time band with him, which was also a bit like being in a dream when you stopped to think about it.
What did you learn about The Kinks’ songs by having to really study them and learn them inside and out?
We learned an extra 20 songs of their’s before we went out, and it makes you so better musically. To sit down and figure out the arrangements was really eye opening because you see that he has his own style and his own thing that he’s doing where it’s not all just verse-chorus-verse stuff. The other big thing is you realize just how lo-fi that stuff was recorded… because of that the guitars are a little buried, which made figuring out the chords to everything a little difficult. Between listening a bunch of times I think we got everything covered.
You guys got a lot of attention last year when you recorded (‘Love Is The Thing’) entirely on an iPhone. Did you think that would catch on like it did?
We knew that being the first band to record and release a song done entirely on the iPhone would get some attention, and we did it because it was a song we liked and wanted to get recorded as quickly as we could. But we didn’t know it would get on the news all over the world, and that a video we put on YouTube afterward would get 200,000 hits in a day. It was the perfect type of thing, and we had talked about trying different things and one of them hopefully hitting.
Where are you with your next record?
We got the call for Ray during some recording sessions. We’ve got 15 songs put together and this tour has been a nice pause for us. We’ve produced this record ourselves because we think we’re to a point where we know how we want things to sound and how to make that happen ourselves. We’ve got a great engineer helping and we’re looking forward to finishing up when we get back.
Do you think the experience of playing with Ray Davies is going to to affect your songwriting in the future? Have you learned from doing this?
Some of what he does could have rubbed off on us, for sure, and I’m sure it will influence us. For Keith, The Kinks are already a deep down influence and this will only do that more. We always want to sound like us, and make it as good as possible, though. We never say “Let’s try to sound like that guy.”
What are your thoughts on South By Southwest?
We’ve done it a couple of time and our goal has always been “Let’s do as many parties, showcases and interviews as you can while you’re there.” You meet people and hear just a ton of bands. It can get to be too much, but it’s great no matter what.
But this is going to be the highest profile show you’ve had, right?
Yeah, being there and playing with Ray we’re at a bigger place than we’ve ever done before. We’ve always been in the small clubs and those are great, but we’d talked about wanting to make it onto one of the big shows, so it’s nice to have that happen.
Anything or anyone you’re going to try to catch this year?
I’ve never been big on the idea of staying really on top of who all is playing, because once you get there none of that matters and you just kind of see whatever you see. This year, though, we’re only there one day because of this tour. It’s a quick in and out deal, but I’m going to see what I can in that time.
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Mess With Texas 4 lineup announced
Check out a gallery featuring the full lineup, led by Gwar, here, or go below the jump to see the list of acts playing.
-Man Man
-The Bronx
-GWAR
-Man or Astroman?
-Black Angels
-Neon Indian
-Frightened Rabbit
-Billy Bragg
-Grupo Fantasma
-YACHT
-Jeff the Brotherhood
-Lissie
-Mariachi El Bronx
-Admiral Radley
-Brazos
-OFF!
-Hacienda
-Oh No Ono!
-Suckers
-Lost in Trees
-Jim Jones Revue
-DJ Spooky w/ Golden Hornet project
-YACHT
-Jail Weddings
-Andrew WK
-We Were Promised Jetpacks
-Japandroids
-Soft Pack
-Let’s Wrestle
-Adam Green
-Pivot
-Avi Buffalo
-The Smith Westerns
-Fool’s Gold
-Crystal Antlers
-(Expletive) Up
-Katie Stelmanis
-Dam-Funk
-Holy (Expletive)
-The Duchess and the Duke
-Japanther
-Big Freedia of the New Orleans Bounce Showcase
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SXSW 2010: 10 questions for the Dandies
Band names don’t come much more misleading than the Dandies. This quartet out of Lucerne, Switzerland — led by brothers Adrian and Eric Weber, 22 and 20 respectively — play raucous, sweat-soaked, party-ready rock ‘n’ roll that owes a hefty debt to the feel-good hijinks of the Strokes. The brothers Weber sing in English and, according to their bio, have “roots in Baltimore.” Their debut album, out later this year, was produced by none other than Austin’s own Chris “Frenchie” Smith, member of Sixteen Deluxe and producer to such buzzed acts as the Dandy Warhols and Jet. Adrian spoke with the Statesman via Skype to discuss why they went with Frenchie, how two English-speaking brothers wound up playing in a Swiss band and just why they don’t sing in Switzerland’s native tongue.
Will this be your first time playing SXSW?
Yeah, it’s our first time playing outside of Switzerland in general, so we’re really excited for it. We feel really honored being able to play at a festival like that. Getting recognition and being able to play there is crazy. I’ve heard so much about it, and just looking at the bands is overwhelming.
Who in the lineup are you excited about?
There’s a couple of awesome bands that we’ve known or just started to check out, like for example We Are Scientists. We love those guys. We kind of like Miike Snow and we’re just starting to get into the Postelles from New York. They have that late 50s, early 60s kind of rock ‘n’ roll sound. We’re really digging them. And of course Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
So being from Austin I have to ask how you wound up working with Frenchie. He’s something of a local legend around here.
(Laughs). It’s not hard to believe that he’s a local legend. We wanted to record an album to get some interest from the industry, and our manager, who’s based in England, wrote some different producers that he knew, and Frenchie was one of them. And Jet is a big influence in our music, so that was exciting for us. And right from the outset Frenchie seemed like the coolest guy and the one who wanted to produce us the most. For the others producing just seemed like their job. But with him it was his passion.
What kind of strengths did he bring to the record?
We’re very young and, maybe at the point where we met Frenchie, inexperienced. So he taught us so many things from A to Z, from how you play guitar on a record to how to sing on a track. He shared all his experiences he had and just helped us so much. He taught us what rock music is all about. He changed the sound and made us a bit more edgy.
So the obvious question when talking to you guys is, how did two English-speaking brothers with roots in Baltimore wind up in Switzerland?
You should actually ask our parents! My mom’s American, born and raised in Baltimore, so that’s where those Baltimore roots come from. When my mom finished college, she traveled Europe with two of her best friends. And they were in the same train as my dad, who kept walking back and forth through the aisle until he finally worked up the courage to talk to my mom. So we were born in Switzerland, but our household has always spoken English. We’re kind of both American and Swiss as the same time.
What led you and your brother to decide you wanted to form a rock band together?
For my brother and I it was the bands that came out in the era of 2001 to 2003 that really blew us away and made us want to be a part of a band. The Strokes, the Libertines and especially the Kings of Leon. When bands like that came out, the White Stripes even, it was more than just listening to music for us. It started to become a passion to us. So we said we wanted to create a band, and that was 2005, and we started learning instruments. So we had a few years of being a crap band before we really got good at it.
Did anybody in your family have an influence on your music?
My dad was a major influence on us. He cannot sing to save his life, and he has no musical talent whatsoever. He can’t even whistle in pitch. But he’s passionate about music and loves listening to it. I remember being a kid going through all of his records from his room to find things to listen to, and he had a couple thousand of them. It went from Jimi Hendrix to every single Beatles vinyl to the Housemartins, to some Cuban Dutch crossover mixed jazz weird stuff you’ve never even heard of heard. We wouldn’t be playing music without my dad.
You and your brother kind of share front man duties in the Dandies. Lots of brothers grow up wanting to kill each other — why do you think the two of you get along so well as musicians?
Don’t get me wrong, we do want to kill each other every once in a while. That does happen. But we have a very close bond and we always were very protective of each other. That’s how brotherly love works. You have fights, but you move on. When I started high school, I didn’t get along with anyone and neither did my brother, so we were each other’s only friends for a good year or two and that really helped us bond. We’ve always done everything together.
Is it difficult being a band that writes and sings in English when you’re based in Switzerland?
Nah, I don’t think so. Because all of the bands here write and sing in English. What is frustrating is that, and no offense to Switzerland, but people over here really don’t care much about lyrics. They spend no time on them. Most of the bands sing “Sky is blue and I love you” or “I got drunk last night,” or something like that. There are no metaphors. In the USA or England lyrics are so important, which I think is good because it forces you to really express yourself or tell a story. It gives you a chance to say something that you couldn’t say in regular conversation.
Why don’t any of the bands sing in Swiss German? You’d think if they sang in their first language they’d probably have more elaborate lyricism.
Man, you do not want to hear Swiss German. It’s very different from German German. When people from Germany hear Swiss German they do not understand what we’re saying. It’s not like a differently accented version of German, it’s like a totally different language. And it’s a horrible language. A while ago Frenchie asked us why were fighting when he heard us talking to each other in Swiss German, because the language sounds very aggressive. It’s very direct. Someone who speaks Swiss German might almost seem a bit rude or offensive to you at first. When you speak Swiss German with someone it sounds like you’re hollering and cursing at each other. If somebody sang a love song in that language the audience, if they weren’t aware of, would probably assume they were singing a song about killing their wife.
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