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SXSW 2008 - It begins.
Announcements have started rolling out of the South by Southwest camp at a rate that’s just going to increase as the music conference’s Mar. 12 start date draws closer.
Daryl Hall will be appear both as a speaker and as an artist. This of course prompts us to ask, “Where is John Oates?”
Spanish (as in, from Spain) hip-hop artist Mala Rodriguez, aka La Mala, British dubbists Dokkebi Q, rapper Tech N9ne and a crew of Argentinian dance artists including El Remolon, Frikstailers, Axel Krygier, Fauna, King Coya & El Trip Selector, Oro11 and Tremor are all slated to perform sets.
Minimalist composer Steve Reich and Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore are confirmed for sit-down interviews. No word yet on who will be interviewing either one.
We hold out hope that Moore will play a set with his solo group, which includes former Come guitarist Chris Brokaw, who is one of the most unjustly underrated rock guitarists of our age.
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Seeing isn’t believing
Don’t call him Milli VanIggy.
During the Stooges SXSW set Saturday at Stubb’s, bassist Mike Watt’s amp blew up, and he appeared to stop playing as he talked to his tech. Meanwhile, the bass line to “Skull Rings” kept churning out of the speakers.
It sure seemed like the Stooges were using augmentation — maybe a tape loop — and my review said so.
But Stooges publicist Angelica Cob says that assessment was wrong.
“The Stooges have never used backing tracks and never will,” Cob says. “During ‘Skull Ring,’ the bass amp went out, but that didn’t affect the sound coming through the PA and the monitors.”
I saw what I saw — moments when both hands were off the bass — but who am I to dispute the greatest band to ever play SXSW?
Let me set the record straight: Stooges don’t fudge!
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Thank you and good night!
The perfect absurd conclusion for SXSW — about 4 a.m. Saturday, at the intersection of Oltorf and South First, there was a middle-aged guy in a loud-print shirt walking south while strumming an acoustic guitar with an American flag hanging from the headstock. Crossing against the light, naturally.
Turn up the Pendergrass and life is good
If you think your SXSW was hectic, try working the convenience store in the Littlefield Mall on Sixth Street. But the female clerk on duty Saturday seemed to be enjoying the drama — and the opportunity to show off chandelier-sized earrings, which a customer admired.
“I think I look cute today!” the clerk agreed, and then cried “Hey! No public bathroom here,” to head off three young women in clubwear who’d just strolled in the door, apparently with the look of women on a mission. The clerk then scolded one customer in her line over to the other register — “Cash only here, baby!” and chided the cash customer for handing her a large bill.
“You’re killin’ me with these twenties! I got no pennies in this register, baby!”
A friend of hers stopped by to say hello, and she greeted him warmly but said “Thank you for comin’ in and showin’ me some love, but I’m busy, busy, busy! It’s been bad all week.”
An hour later, things were even more hectic, as beer-sale hours were about to end. The clerk hollered at a customer who was headed to the register with a 12-pack to hand her that beer, quick, so she could ring it up. He deposited it on the counter, and as she rang it up, she ordered him to pick up a can of potato chips from the floor.
“But I didn’t knock it over,” he said, quickly handing her the potato chips.
“Oh, I know that, I just saw them laying there,” the clerk replied.
Thirty seconds later, she spotted her co-worker starting to ring up a six-pack for a customer who had failed to heed her command to hurry up.
“Don’t ring that up!” she exclaimed indignantly. “I told him. You can’t sell that to him, it’s after 1. He didn’t listen to me.”
Her co-worker checked the time on his cell phone, shrugged, and sold the man the beer. The man had the poor sense to grin at the female clerk, who exclaimed “You don’t care if we go to jail because of you!” Then she turned on her co-worker and hissed “I hate you rung that up!” She looked like she wanted to smack him, but instead rolled her eyes and said “One thing is, the music’s too low!” Turning Teddy Pendergrass up to a proper level restored her good humor instantly.
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Lights out for ‘The Upsetter’
“You need a new government!” proclaimed reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry, a.k.a. “The Upsetter.”
He wasn’t protesting the war in Iraq, or U.S. environmental policy, or even Washington influence-peddling scandals.
His issue was with closing time.
“Justice for the people!” Perry cried.
Those would be the people oppressed by the Austin police, who had arrived to shut down Perry’s show at the Flamingo Cantina, which was scheduled for 1 a.m. but didn’t start until 2:45. The crowd had gamely gotten into a long set by Perry’s excellent backing band, Dub Is A Weapon, applauding for the snaky, smokey sax solos (although some fans seated on the risers in the back were dozing on each others’ shoulders) and moving to the music, as much as possible in a tightly packed house (“no cash,” badges and wristbands only, line across Sixth Street). By about 2:15 a.m., with the bar closed and the bartenders dispensing only cups of water, about half the audience had given up and left, but those who remained rejoiced in finally having a dance floor, skanking wildly to the hypnotic beats or snagging a spot closer to the stage.
Finally, with no fanfare, Perry suddenly walked up the steps to the stage, resplendent in a “uniform” of combat books and khakis decorated with rhinestones, mirrors and photographs. His microphone was festooned with charms, gems and even a golfball-sized crystal. Though small in stature, his demeanor was commanding, and the crowd showed no ill-will for the long delay.
After Perry’s first song, a voice came over the loudspeaker and requested that he and the band find a good way to end the show, as if they didn’t, the power would be turned off at the insistence of the police. Perry glowered, made his protest remarks and defiantly started a second song. The crowd sang along with Perry’s chorus: ‘Burn down Babylon.’ The police weren’t playing, however. The power went off. The crowd shouted encouragement, wanting Perry to go on, but he shook his head and pointed at the dead microphone. He walked around the edge of the stage, reaching out to touch some hands as the crowd cheered, and then was gone.
The owner of the club, meanwhile, was arguing with two officers near the front door about the citation they were giving him. Fans took off for their cars, or gathered in little clusters to savor the excitement of having seen Perry, and having participated in an act of rebellion, sort of. One guy laughed and said Perry had been nearby during the whole set by his band — all he’d had to do was walk the short way between buildings.
So did he start late just so he could get away with a two-song set?
Another guy laughed and said “Hey, he’s 70. And he’s the Upsetter!”
Playing on ‘empty’
The “special guest” was scheduled to begin at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at La Zona Rosa, but at 12:50 a.m. no one had graced the stage. The venue’s capacity is 2,000 people, but barely more than 300 were in attendance (and that’s being generous). Word began to spread that SXSW had sent out text messages that former Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell and his new band were the “special guest,” but Farrell certainly did not receive special billing. Most people at La Zona Rosa didn’t seem to know who was about to perform.
“Do you know who is playing next?” four people asked me separately. I was standing at the merch booth with an open laptop, so I suppose I looked as if I might have information.
Later, a text message went out that the show was now free and open to the public.
Let’s expect SXSW organizers to examine why one of the best venues in Austin was basically empty that night. An empty venue means the venue’s bar didn’t make money. An empty venue means the bands were disappointed (imagine traveling hundreds of miles to hear crickets). And the people in attendance were confused about who they were going to see.
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Signs and a celebrity sighting
“NO SPECIAL TREATMENT” was written in big letters on a sign Saturday night outside Beerland. It continued: “Yes, Mr. Old School rad tattoo guy, this means you!”
Meanwhile, actor Jamie Kennedy has been seen around town, taking in his third year at SXSW. He’s heard many a bad impression from the film “Malibu’s Most Wanted.” Yes, Mr. You Crack Up Your Friends Every Time, this means you.
Another cancellation …
Balkan Beat Box, a band out of Tel Aviv, Israel, had to cancel its Saturday night show, set for 1 a.m. at Habana Calle 6 Annex, because of “hellish New York City weather,” according to a sign at the venue. Soulico, the band scheduled to play at midnight, will play two hours.
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You’re welcome to VISIT anytime …
Ian McLagan treated the crowd at the Raji World Party to a prime quip, as well as a killer set of old-school, keyboard-based rock ‘n’ roll. Surveying the assemblage, which included a lot of hipsters obviously not from here, he said, “Welcome to Austin!” Then, after an exquisite pause, he added, “Please don’t move here! There are plenty of people here already! But you can visit anytime you like.” Of course, he admitted with a laugh, he himself is “a foreigner.”
The Hacienda Brothers were also a huge hit at the party. Applause for Chris Gaffney’s soulful vocals bled right into applause for one of Dave Gonzalez’s guitar solos or David Berzansky’s pedal-steel excursions. The rhythm section proved irresistible, too. The accordion-fueled closing cover of the Box Tops’ “Cry Like a Baby” had even the most BlackBerry-dependent industry types smiling and nodding, if not up and dancing.
The party was held at Big Red Sun, which deserves kudos as both the only venue I’ve seen with a recycling container prominently placed next to the garbage can, and for the amazing two-story outhouse with plumbing (every Dwell magazine subscriber will want one).
Cover man
Brit singer Paolo Nutini continued his trend of covering a song by one of the biggest acts in the festival (remember he did a version of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley at last year’s ACL Fest?). At the Esquire showcase Saturday at Stubbs, Nutini covered “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse.
Iggy in traffic and on toast
The horrible traffic this week turned out to be a good thing for fans of the Stooges, about 1,000 of them who couldn’t get into Friday’s in-store appearance at Waterloo Records. Sitting in a black Lincoln Town Car without tinted windows, Iggy Pop was spotted by the hordes, who surrounded the car. A gracious Iggy signed autographs while still stuck in traffic and was very impressed when one fan gave him a painting of Iggy. What made the painting special? It was on a piece of toast. At one point during the four-song in-store, Iggy took his microphone out into the parking lot and sang for the fans who couldn’t get in.
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Another chance to see Perry?
Word from a source is that the unnamed “Special Guest” headlining La Zona Rosa tonight will be Perry Farrell. The guest is scheduled to perform at 12:30 a.m.
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Stooges sold out?
Statesman reporter Patrick Beach reports that at 6:40 p.m., the badge and wristband line for the showcase at Stubb’s headlined by the Stooges was perhaps hundreds long. Stubb’s officials said they would sell 50 GA tickets; that line was around the block. The show is scheduled to start at 12:30 a.m. after sets by Kings of Leon (a big hit at the Spin party Friday) and Austin favorites Spoon.
Let us know if you get in.
Charles Wright cancels
Charles Wright and the 103 have canceled their 8 p.m. show at Antone’s. No reason was given. Word from the club is that long lines are already forming around the block. The scheduled lineup for the rest of the night: Garland Jeffreys (9 p.m.); Kenny Wayne Shepherd with special guests Pinetop Perkins & Hubert Sumlin (10 p.m.); Charlie Sexton (11:45 p.m.); and the Tragically Hip (12:45).
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Twice is better
There’s so much going on at SXSW, it seems a little sinful to see the same act(s) more than once, but there were definitely some repeat offenders at the Saturday afternoon Ponderosa Stomp party at Bourbon Rocks. How do you pass up an opportunity to hear the real deal?
Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural and Willie Tee sounded even funkier on keyboards than at their splendid Friday night showcase — can you name a jam band that can jam as hard as these guys? — and had refined their vocal harmonies on Tee’s twisted R&B hit “Teasin’ You.” Folks who had wandered in off Sixth Street, including a couple of party guys in Polo logo shirts and a clean-cut youth in ranch wear, looked pleasantly jolted when Rockie Charles, resplendent in rhinestone-studded shades, picked up his gleaming red Gretsch and whipped through “Johnny B. Goode” with an energy that would put most punk-rock bands to shame. Charles’ R&B material had the bartenders dancing, and one got so giddy he knocked a cap off a beer bottle with enough force to send it whizzing right past a customer’s head. Outside the open windows, a hipster girl all in black slouched by in time to the beat.
Best SXSW T-shirts
Best SXSW T-shirts: Gang of Four — $45 Pixies — $60 Robert Pollard — priceless O’Bama 2008 — in green, with shamrocks serving as the zeroes Get Ready to Stumble — yes, more shamrocks
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Take a turn in the Story Booth
Immortality awaited on Congress Avenue on Saturday afternoon, not in the shape of a recording contract but in the form of the Story Booth, a sort of digital video Photomat on wheels. Proprietor George Morrow, a design student at the University of Texas, said he had been collecting stories on video for two years but just finished building the booth and had towed it to Congress behind his old bicycle. He said he got the trailer under the booth at a farm supply store, “and all these farmers were helping me figure out different ways to hitch it up.” The booth has a black-and-white checkerboard linoleum floor from Home Depot, a stool and a digital video camera.
A group of six twentysomething friends stood on the sidewalk next to the booth, debating whether one of them would be brave enough to tell a story. The guys were all chicken, although one asked, “How long will you be here?” and said he might come by later. “Can we make something up?” another asked. One of the young women decided she’d try it, and her friend joked, “What if he drives off with you in that?” Undaunted, the storyteller entered the booth, pulled the curtain and then emerged about two minutes later.
Morrow said his academic project is exploring the gray area between documentary and fiction, and what he does is select from the stories people tell him, find actors to play the parts and then film them, using the original narration as the audio. In case you have a story for posterity and don’t see him out and about, he said the booth will be displayed at the Creative Research Laboratory on East MLK Boulevard beginning March 31.
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JoHell loves his guitar
And the award for best use of guitar-as-phallus since Prince at the Super Bowl goes to JoHell of JoHell & the Red Roosters, whose extremely testicular show late Friday-early Saturday at Speakeasy covered the Stones, ZZ Top and AC/DC and showed Lenny Kravitz to be the big faker he is.
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Nick Drake Remembered panel
The Nick Drake Remembered panel at the Convention Center held a moderately sized audience captivated Saturday. Nick Drake’s sister and estate trustee Gabrielle Drake revealed an intimate portrait of the clinically depressed singer-songwriter.
Nick Drake was a guitar virtuoso who wrote autumnal songs and released albums on Island Records during the late 1960s and early ’70s, yet his albums never sold, and he never found a large audience.
Several panelists — including musician Robyn Hitchcock, Drake contemporary Sylvie Simmons, Drake producer Joe Boyd and Drake’s sister — spoke about his creative process and his debilitating shyness and depression.
“When his depression took hold, he simply could not communicate with people,” Gabrielle Drake said. “There was a barrier up that you couldn’t get past. You simply could not get through with him.”
Panel speaker and Drake album producer (“Five Leaves Left,” “Bryter Layter”) Joe Boyd noted, “If anyone had ever told me I’d be (in favor of) a commercial with Nick’s music 15 years ago, I’d have thought they were mad.”
Boyd explained that when he and Gabrielle looked at the storyboards for a Volkswagen TV commercial, they could tell that it was going to be a very unique commercial.
“I don’t think there has ever been another commercial like it,” Boyd said referring to the artistic advertising in 2000 that brought Drake’s music out of the underground and into the popular consciousness.
“(Basically) it was a commercial for Nick with a car door slamming at the end,” Boyd said.
Tsunami Entertainment will release a new album of early Drake recordings on June 5 titled “Family Tree.”
Albert Hammond Jr.
Best cover at SXSW this year? Could be “Postal Blowfish” by Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. It was about 3 a.m. at the Blender House, a converted office building at Fourth Street and Congress Avenue, and all I was getting from Hammond was that he was the one responsible for the Strokes sound. All they needed was a wasted singer, and it could’ve been the Strokes in that little 200-capacity room. But then he went “Postal” on the Guided By Voices song, and the set just seemed to catch fire.
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Amy Winehouse Vs. Bobby Patterson
Friday night, two soulsters of different generations performed three blocks away from each other, but I won’t automatically say the vintage version was better. Both were in the pocket, which is what counts most about soul. Amy Winehouse is a star. With her hair piled like a Ronette and her tattoos dancing under the lights, the 23-year-old Brit has certainly got the looks. She’s also got the voice: Her sultry tone at La Zona Rosa, backed by an eight-piece band and backup singers, told Joss Stone to go back to school. W’House, whose biggest song is about blowing off an intervention, is a “Wishing Well” away from becoming the female Terence Trent D’Arby. Keep it together, girl: You’ve got it. Then there was 63-year-old Bobby Patterson of Dallas, who wrote “How Do Spell Love?” and many other great R&B songs, at Opal Divine’s. Patterson made a splash at SXSW 10 years ago when he joined Golden Smog on their rendition of “He Don’t Have To See You (To See Through You).” But as the headliner of a fine Ponderosa Stomp revue that included Barbara Lynn, Dennis Coffey and Archie Bell, Bobby P. gave a much better representation of what he’s about. Opening with “TCB or TYA,” Patterson kept a simmering pace on his short set, which threatened to bubble over at any moment. He’s not a screamer or a yelper but a natural soul singer who’s always in control. Winehouse and Patterson have nothing in common except they’re classified as soul singers. That, and on a Friday night at SXSW, they provided a delightful segue, a break from guitar-guitar-bass-drums.
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I was the sound engineer who mixed the Stooges show for SXSW. I was not hired by the Stooges. I was in house all week at Stubbs. The Stooges did not bring any sound tech with them. I can say FOR SURE that there was NO backing tracks what so ever. What you
... read the full comment by Brian | Comment on Seeing isn't believing Read Seeing isn't believing
Speaking as the sound engineer “NOT HIRED BY THE STOOGES” and also “THE ONE WHO MIXED THE SHOW” at Stubb’s, there were no backing tracks. What you may have heard, my friend, is the lower frequencies of the guitar chords chunking
... read the full comment by Sound Guy | Comment on Seeing isn't believing Read Seeing isn't believing
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