Am I the only person in the world who thinks Passion Pit has just the one good song?
So once upon a time I told a friend of mine “Sure, I’d love to write on a music blog.”
Nine months later I make a post.
I suck. Sue me.
But last weekend was the greatest bluegrass festival east of the Mississippi each year, so I thought I’d scribble down some quick thoughts.
Attendance was way down this year, pretty much a direct correlation to the economy. We got to the festival after noon on Friday, and were able to set up camp way, waaayyyy closer to the main stage than we’ve ever been before. I heard a rumor that presales were down by nearly 25%, but walkup traffic was good. That still means better than 60,000 of my closest friends were gathered in North Wilkesboro for some of the finest boogie known to man.
The Hillside Album Hour with the Waybacks is starting to be a rocking tradition. It all started a couple years ago when the Waybacks did a killer set with Bob Weir on the Hillside Stage. Then last year they covered Led Zeppelin II with John Cowan. This year they did a track by track rendition of the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers with John Cowan, Sam Bush and special guest Emmylou Harris (on Wild Horses). It was a rocking good time, and with nothing going on the main stage, the crowd at the hill was astounding.
Donna the Buffalo crushed their set on the Hillside Stage, and after we jammed with DtB, we headed down to the dance tent to hear the end of The Duhks set. My crush on the girls of The Duhks was renewed, and they closed out their set with a great cover of Whole Lotta Love.
I’ll be back later with more updates, but for now, here’s a couple thousand words to keep you happy. 
After spending my Thursday afternoon at the French Legation Museum with Brian, I decided to forgo my only chance to see the Oak Ridge Boys and went to see All Tiny Creatures at Habana Bar. If I could only say one thing about the show I would say it was SUPER FUCKING LOUD. Musically it was pretty much what I expected from hearing the songs on their myspace page - Instrumental music with an electronic slant. Live, they tended to recreate the sound live rather than rely on endless loops out of the laptop. They were definitely lacking in the “stage presence” area, but that’s not really atypical for a band with no singer. Overall, while it didn’t blow me away I’m glad I checked it out even if my ears are still ringing.
A response to Thomas from All Tiny Creatures:
First, thanks for responding; I think it’s only fair to you that I respond to your comment. I said that you guys “might as well be the octopus project” because you’re both in the “electronic/indie/rock instrumental” genre and it was the easiest way for me to express what you sounded like without trying to get too technical. And don’t take that as an insult; I really like The Octopus Project and I have probably seen them around ten times in the past 4 years. You should check them out if you get the chance this week.
And concerning the bio, don’t feel too bad; you’re nowhere near the worst bio. I mean, you could have Catsus’s bio. And you also didn’t make the mistake of putting your phone number on your bio, (though you have to admit that their picture is awesome). I’ve never tried to write a bio before, but given the number of bad bios I’ve read, I suspect that it’s no simple task. For your bio specifically, I would have gone with the quote from The Onion and a band member names. It’s a really good quote and if nothing else, using a quote can’t be considered pretentious (well, less pretentious at least).
I look forward to checking out your show this week.
Somewhere around 5:00pm as the work day was winding down, I became aware that the song I was listening to on the 2nd half of the SXSW torrent sounded familar. And the band name… it wasn’t a Z. I’d hit the end; Media Player deciding to loop back to the beginning instead of just falling into silence. I took a moment to congratulate myself for getting through all of that, told Gus the good news, and took my headphones off for the first time in days.
So, you wanna know who made the cut? I’ll tell ya. But I won’t link ya, cause I’m too lazy to do that. I love you though. Lots.
13th Ghosts
18th Dye
Adam Stephens
Alberta Cross
Amanda Palmer
An Horse
Battle Hymns
Birds Of Tokyo
Braille
Buff1
Cecil Otter
Crocodile
D.O.
Da C.O.D.
DADDY
David Dallas
Dead Confederate
Dmitry Fyodorov
Don’t Tell Sophie
Don Rimini
Easy Star All-Stars
Eyeris
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
Fannius III
Gary Clark Jr. (duh)
Gavin Castleton
Geeks
Gentleman Reg (not new)
Glacier Hiking
Great Northern
Greg Camp
Ian Moore
Johnny Goudie and The Little Champions
Kill The Noise
Kristoffer Ragnstam
Kyle Andrews
Ladyhawke
Landon Pigg
Le Castle Vania
Li’l Cap’n Travis (not new)
Littl’ans
Macaco Bong
Mack Winston & The Reflections
MAGIC WANDS
Magneta Lane
MC Frontalot
Melissa Auf der Maur
More or Les
Motel Motel
Mr Lewis and The Funeral 5
Nadastrom
NID & SANCY
Passion Pit
Port O’Brien (duh)
Prolyphic
Scissors for Lefty
Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned
Shiny Toy Guns
Shout Out Out Out Out
Solid Gold
Sonpub
The Brothers Movement
The Chesterfield Kings
The Cloud Room (not new)
The Ettes
The Gay Blades
The Gin Riots
The Golden Filter
The High Dials
The Hot Kicks
The Lemurs
The Love Language
The Moog
The River Phoenix
The Sea
The Von Bondies
We Were Promised Jetpacks
White Lies
Wintersleep
Little Black Dress
Living Things
Quaff
Rafter
Rediscover
Ringo Deathstarr
Ross Royce
Russian Futurists (not new)
Sam Roberts Band
Alaska in Winter
Now keep in mind this is just the stuff I deemed worthy of going on my iPod. At that moment. On second review, that might change. As you know, I am incredibly picky about what goes on Steve. Something may be iPod worthy but not really show worthy, so this is no guarantee that I will be attending said shows. But I love new music.
My next step should really be to make notes on the bands, like Gus does. [My favorite being the description he gave to Winter Gloves - "tokyo police club w less guitars and worse singing"] We’ll see how that goes. And then of course there is the party list to go through….
Normally I hate posting chats, but we covered so much ground in this one, it seemed a waste to just let it go. So I prettied it up with links where appropriate, stripped out the “brb”s and present to you now. Also, check out the Austinist list of parties and day shows - it’s one hell of a list!
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Gus: 
gearing up for sxsw?
do you like Hole?
April: i did at the time
Gus: did you like celebrity skin?
April: yes
Gus: Melissa Auf der Maur
is playing sxsw
April: and yes, i am gearing up for SXSW. this dude uses the “i’m a loner” line in his song and i love it for that
oo, she’s Canadian.
you know how i love the Canuks
Gus: I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far
it’s clear that she and billy corigan wrote that entire album
April: it’s pretty good
i like the song on the sxsw page
Gus: oh and the other band that I think might be good is An Horse
April: i think they made the cut last night
Gus: and I listen to way to much girl music
April: i’m on the J’s right now
HA
Gus: oh and amanda palmer
I’m still on the b’s
April: i got through A-C last night, then brought in the rest of part 1 of the torrent to work with me.
Gus: I should consider doing that
an horse I think will be good
like an australian rainer maria
and they don’t even have a cd out yet
April: nice comparison
Gus: any other bands you’ve found so far?
April: Dead Confederate
liked them
Gus: i’ve heard that name somewhere
April: i thought i had too
Gus: listening to the random stuff on the player now
Perseph One
houston hiphop
April: interesting
speaking of which
check out this party
friend of mine runs the charity
Gus: hiphoppedity
April: i’ll need to stop by at least
Gus: oh and Joe Jack Talcum
ha!
April: …seriously?
Gus: yes
April: mmmk
Gus: heartsrevolution
April: interesting sound
me likey
Gus: me too
oh dude and we need to go see the oak ridge boys
April: HAHAHA
ironically, right?
Gus: i know all the oak ridge boys hits
elvira? my heart’s on fire.
hell yes
April: they play at Stubbs right?
i will need 6 Texas Teas
Gus: I’m not sure where they’re playing, but it’s probably too much of a pain in the ass to go
but I think it would be hilarious to go
April: i’m pretty sure it’s Stubbs
and um, i doubt it’ll be a big crowd…
Gus: one of the few memories I have of nebraska is my dad’s oak ridge boys 8-track
oh and I also like electro too much
from Mexico!
April: are they going to ask to borrow your cell phone?
Gus: haha
I almost forgot about that one
where were we?
April: like in the middle of Red River
Gus: it was a valid question
April: true
but it was the delivery that made it
Mexican electo, huh?
i dig it
but they need new shirts
look kinda gay in their pic
Gus: and that’s not cool in mexico
so they must be really cool
April: you know, the two of us have excellent taste in music
we should totally start a blog
Gus: ha
oh and stillwater oklahoma
this dude listens to ok computer every day. I promise
April: not in love with that one so much
Gus: it sounds like an interpretation of ok computer
not as good, but it’s stillwater
April: it’s not like they’re from Mustang
Gus: oklahoma is a small state
nerdcore hiphop!
April: sounds like Andy Samberg
change the lyrics around to be about dicks in boxes and it’s totally a Lonely Island song
Gus: he does actually
April: Kill The Noise
Gus: Gordon Gano is playing tooo?
April: wha?
Gus: he just came up in the player
April: huh
Gus: its not doing much for me
kill the noise or gordon gano
April: agreed on gano
Gus: dude, there’s a lot of mexican bands
or the player just really likes them
April: could be you got a racist player
i’m sad i didn’t like Kittens Ablaze more
cause that name is awesome
Gus: maybe it’s racial profiling
I knew I should have used a fake name
April: totally
ooh, maybe you could sue!
Gus: all tiny creatures might as well be the octopus project
April: which is gonna be awkward, b/c i think octopus project is on the list
Gus: haha
i’ve seen them somewhere around 10 times
I’ll give all tiny creatures a shot
April: i don’t like their little bio section
pretentious
Gus: haha
pretentious indie rock bands
don’t be ridiculous
April: i know, it’s so rare
but it does happen!
Gus: fuck yeah third eye blind
April: NO GUS
Gus: ha
-fin-
I preach over and over the benefits of using sched.org for your SXSW planning needs. It’s awesome. FAR better than the my.SXSW site, especially when you get to the music schedule. [Viewing 100 different events going at the same time in a linear format? Ugh.]
Anywho. Last year I printed out my sched.org schedule and carried the page around with me in my little blue patent purse; hauling it out every hour to see where I was supposed to be next. This year I am thrilled to see I can export to my iPhone. Totally made it for me this year.
Today though, they topped themselves. Now there is a playlist that creates off the schedule you’ve made. Unbelievably freaking cool.
Here’s what mine looks like today; based off the initial pass I made at the schedule:
Super cool, right??
sched.org never fails to impress. Now to rift through the SXSW showcasing artist mp3s and add to the list!
Here we are, mere weeks away from SXSW, and neither Gus nor I have gotten around to doing our SXSW ‘08 writeups. Personally, I always thought it would be more interesting to do the writeups months later, after all the buzz and hubbub had died down. Our stuff would filter through the noise just by virtue of being late. Finally! Procrastintion could pay off.
Then of course, the 2009 lineup came out. In pieces. The first list didn’t excite me much. The second installment (bringing us to the full list) was MUCH better, even as it came on the heels of rejection letters for several of my friends. Now we’re excited. And why? Well, let’s take a quick glance through the list..
[We'll be using Paul's SXSW Artist Catalog because 1) now that the schedules are out the master list of bands has been removed from the SXSW site and 2) it's freakin awesome.) Follow along if you'd like, we're starting with 'A']
We’re not going to talk about anything till we get to B though. 
I just love seeing Ben Mallott’s name next to Benjy Ferree. Ben is a old friend mine, so I won’t even bother going on about how incredibly talented he is and how awesome his CD is, because you’d totally discount anything I say. [Still saying it though - Ben Mallott=awesome]. Go listen to him yourself, you’ll see. Benjy Ferree is an act I’m excited to see, and he’s playing at Buffalo Billards, which is a surprisingly nice venue for music.
Camp Lo is scheduled to be back this year, after dropping off the list last year at the last minute. Which sucked, because BoyGenius had gotten me into them and I really wanted to catch their show. Here’s hoping it goes off this time. [Karma on 8th street? You're killing me SXSW.]
CKY… really. Interesting selection SXSW. Have the CD on recomendation from a friend; not sure about seeing them live. [And it may not matter; they're not listed on the SXSW schedule right now]
Classified’s on the list; a white boy doing hip-hop and doing it quite well. I’ve been digging his stuff for a while now. And now I see he’s Canadian - what is it with me and Canadian bands???
The Decemberists - nice. Good thing I have a badge this year; I predict a bright yellow “BADGES ONLY” sign for that one.
Ahh Delta Spirit is back. Lemme tell you a little story about Delta Spirit. Last year, the very first show Gus and I tried to get in to was Simian Mobile Disco, over at Antone’s. It was so not happening. When we got there the badge line was wrapped around the building, those of us with mere wristbands stood no chance of getting in. We stood in line for a bit, planning out the next move and hanging out JUST IN CASE the doors opened wide and everyone was allowed in. While in line a woman next to us, in the badge line, said this: “Go to Emo’s and see Delta Spirit. Trust me. It’ll change your life.” Well alrighty then. We did end up at Emo’s; Gus wanted to see the band on before them as I recall. When Delta Spirit started to play; I was hooked. Dude plays a trash can lid for God’s sake. The music is awesome - rocky, feel good stuff. As for the “change your life” bit; well we’re waiting on that. [Playing at... where the fuck is the Radio Room?? Oh, it used to be Bourbon Rocks. When did that happen??? Dammit Austin can't your clubs retain their name for longer than a few months??]
DJ Mel - nice. At Speakeasy? Gah.
Dressy Bessy - should we find ourselves at this show, I’ll be pulling out the “this is it. this is the one i know” line. I’ve got one song; Who’d Stop The Rain. It’s cute. Not sure I could handle a whole show of that though. Annndd especially not if they’re playing at Lamberts!
Earlimart; been listening to them for a while now. Like their stuff; LOVE the venue (church). Might be a nice low-key way to kick off the last night of SXSW.
Echo and the Bunnymen - my favorite part is how the site says “don’t know much about them”. I swear, these kids today…
Elliott Brood - OMG YES PLEASE. You will never, NEVER, see a better live show. [At least not from the alt-country, Canadian category.] First caught them at SXSW 2006, when I tricked Gus and Brian into ending our week with them. And they play TWICE this year - again at the Velveeta Room, which is where I saw them last year. It’s small but great for them. I would say that I hope they remain relatively unknown, like I said last year, so I could be sure to get in to see them. But fuck that this year; I got a badge bitches! Bring it.
Eol Trio - friend of mine has been working with this band; I’ll probably drop in for that reason alone.
Evil Nine - MUST see this. They were in Austin recently, and I missed the show for a variety of reasons; namely the ick factor associated with the venue. Based on the friend who left the show early for that exact reason it would appear my suspicions were correct. But this is a rare show to catch, so I don’t want to miss it.
The Gourds - YES! Missed them when they were in Houston recently and the schedule showed no return either there or Austin any time soon. Always a good show.
The Indigo Girls - really?
Invincible - I was exposed to her recently, and I gotta say I love what’s she doing. She’s a political FEMALE RAPPER, who isn’t afraid to take an opposing viewpoint. Definately check her out.
Katy Perry - why? I mean come on, I know of SEVERAL bands who would have been better served with this spot than she. Someone needs an ass-kicking.
Leo Stokes - wow. Talk about a blast from the past there. Used to work with what I assume is still an ex-girlfriend of his.
M. Ward - again at the church. YES. Tried to get in last year, but was badges only. I think it’s safe to assume that’ll be the case again this year. It’s an amazing venue to see him in.
Marcy Playground - wha? Who is picking these bands? We’re not in the 90s anymore folks, and it’s too soon to be “retro”.
Mark Mallman - but of course. I always go, will again if there’s nothing else interesting up against him.
Meat Puppets - AGAIN. STOP IT. I half expect to see Nirvana on the list…
Monotonix - I know where I’ll be able to find Gus as SXSW ends. Missed these guys on a recent Houston stop; I’m told you must see them live at least once in your life.
Oak Ridge Boys - dear God. Someone seriously needs to be fired. We’ve completely forgotten what SXSW is [supposed to be] all about, haven’t we?
Pigeon John - I caught ONE song from his show at SXSW last year. Love this guy, it’s impossible to stand still during his set.
Russian Futurists - I seriously have a thing for Canadian music.
Silversun Pickups - YAY. I have never seen them live. Gus caught them in 2006 and fell in love. I quickly followed.
Steel Panther - OMG. It’s Bad Blood’s favorite thing to do in Vegas, live in Austin. I may have to go just for the dial-a-shot from the bar at La Zona Rosa. Following Tori Amos no less; wtf Matt?
That Petrol Emotion - REALLY? I’ve been listening to them since middle school. I still have the actual CD I bought back then; one of the rare few that has stood up through moves, etc. I am so surprised to see them here, I had no idea they were even still together.
Third Eye Blind - I’m just not even going to complain anymore. [At least not in this post]
The Tontons - a Houston band, very good and up and coming. I’m surprised to see they don’t have the Last.fm page filled out; they’re actually very good about using social media. I sense an email I need to send…
The Whip - I wrote about them last year. They hold a special place in my heart for the way in which I found them.
That’s it for the list on first glance. Favorite band name so far? Kittens Ablaze.
Now to just get those mp3s in zip form….
Which I find almost impossible to believe, given the whole writing for a music site, writing about a band from Austin, live music capital, and so on. But yet here it is:
To answer a question they’ll soon tire of hearing, Harlem are not from Harlem. They’re from Austin, Texas (by way of Los Angeles), a place full of cheap beer and cheap rent and lots of sun; basically a perfect spot for a trio of dudes to play music that sounds like The Move sped up to +8 and not really have to do much else.
Raise your hand if you can spot the whaaa? in the above paragraph. Keep ‘em up for a bit. It comes from RCRD LBL’s new exclusive download this week; it being from Austin’s Harlem*. The writer of the above apparently hails from Brooklyn so sure Austin rent is probably cheaper - but cheap? Hardly. Cheap beer though, yes. Ahh Thursday nights at the Draught House, how I miss thee…
But we’re here to talk about the music. Check out the two songs over at RCRD LBL and also hit up gorillavsbear for another plus excellent photos from their recent show at the Mohawk in Austin. Harlem is growing on me; I think Psychedelic Tits is my favorite song thus far. The vocals are a bit rougher than what I’m used to listening to, but I love that same quality in the music itself. Plus did I mention they have a song called Psychedelic Tits? Sing along to that with the kids!
*If for no other reason than SEO purposes alone; never name your band after a city. Or anything else that is already getting ONE MILLION Google hits before you come along. Your marketer will thank you.
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Taking a completely different turn, have you gotten a hold of Jaydiohead yet? Yes, finally someone decided to expound upon the idea of mashing up Radiohead and Jay-Z for a full length album and put it out on the internet for all the kiddies to enjoy. Grab it now before it inveitably goes the way of LudacrisDemocracy and gets a hate letter from the RIAA.
Even if this fake, only had one truth (Cocteau Twins), I could die a happy Betty.
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