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SXSW scene report: the sounds of Sixth Street
With the weekend looming and the South by Southwest Music Festival crossing the halfway point, crowds on Sixth Street reached epic proportions and by late afternoon entrance to many of the more desirable parties — including Pitchfork’s bash at Emo’s and the Onion AV Club’s annual throwdown at the Mohawk — was something of a pipe dream for the impatient.
Fortunately, SXSW essentially transforms Sixth Street to the street music capital of the world for four days, so, turning my back on the hipper day parties I elected to stroll down a couple of blocks — between Trinity and Red River — and sample the street musicians on display. What I found was an astounding array of great sounds bringing life and verve to Sixth and more than deserving of attention all their own.
On Sixth and Red River, Knoxville, Tenn. experimental pop band joined with their tour mates Dr. Manhattan — the former had no official SXSW showcase, the latter did — for an on-street jam session that attracted large crowds of onlookers. The bands weren’t accepting money, choosing instead to hand out free CDs and get their names out. I Need Sleep’s DL Bergmeier said they started playing street shows after playing to an empty bowling alley in Wisconsin and realized they could get more attention by simply playing for free on the street. They played several hours Friday afternoon, garnering applause and singalongs during a joyous and thundering cover of Daft Punk’s “One More Time.” Earlier in the day, musicians from GWAR joined them on the street to play the cowbell.
Members of I Need Sleep and Dr. Manhattan play for a crowd Friday afternoon on Sixth Street.
“It’s been amazing. Austin is really great,” said Bergmeier. “It seems like a lot of people are out here, and if they can’t get into shows they can at least hear us right out on the street. I’ve been really surprised by how good the reaction has been.
California’s the Sunshine Brothers play on Sixth Street Thursday.
A few paces down, the Sunshine Brothers of California attracted a smaller but still substantial crowd with mellow folk perfectly suited for a sunny afternoon.
Seattle, Wa. musician Emery Carl.
At Trinity St., theatrical one-man band and folk rock troubadour Emery Carl might have been Austin’s hardest working busker. The Seattle musician sings, plays guitar, plays the harmonica, and performs with a hula hoop, and has been sighted across Sixth Street all three days of SXSW and on Red River during the NPR showcase Wednesday night. Perhaps most impressively, Carl, a throaty singer with a keen sense of showmanship, occasionally plays the guitar while it’s balanced on his nose. He said business was good throughout the festival.
“All three days I’ve sold out all my CDs and given away all my business cards,” said Carl. “And the crowds have been really great.”
Bloomington, Indiana Impure Jazz drummer Joshua Morrow.
Between Nueces and Trinity, Bloomington, Indiana’s Impure Jazz drummer Joshua Morrow performed solo, improvising — naturally — for a large circle of onlookers and pounding out catchy notes.
And the greatest surprise of all might have been an impromptu reprise of 8-bit music festival Datapop at the corner of Sixth and Neches streets. Some of the international artists in town for the event took to the street to perform with one amp and a series of modified Game Boys, proving that you don’t need an elaborate light show to throw a good chiptunes show. The U.K.’s Sabrepulse joined with French 8-bit artist Je Deviens DJ en 3 Jours and attracted throngs of dancing festivalgoers in minutes. Like I Need Sleep, they weren’t taking money — instead just bringing merriment to strangers.
France’s Je Deviens DJ en 3 Jours plays an impromptu show with his modified Game Boy Friday afternoon.
“We’ll be here on Saturday too, if the weather cooperates,” said Michelle Davies, who was touring with Sabrepulse. “We’ve only been out here about 10 minutes and we’ve already got a great crowd.”
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