Alicia J. Rose, Live Wire's new Music Curatrix, reporting from the couch here in NE PDX. Now that i have sufficiently recovered from my bout of fun in the sun in Austin, TX I thought it high time to dig into my visual diaries and share some potentially compelling and moderately tawdry moments with you all....
Now...where to start. YES! Austin, Texas, land of delicious meats and sauces, keeper of far too many cheesy bars (on the main drag - 6th st.), and for one week in the middle of March, home to the funnest version of music business/fans summercamp EVER. I realized that this will be my (yikes!) 11th year attending....I must say it's always a treat to see old friends, and make new ones too....
Anyhoo - this is kind of a combo visual/verbal diary...so buckle up for a pictorial tour of some fun SXSW '08 adventures...enjoy!
Day 1: The Builders and the Butchers - Yard Dog Patio - NOON.
I dragged myself up at Texas' version of the crack of buns to see my PDX boyz at this Spin Magazine BBQ. Besides the gazillion official showcases held at night, there are also a bazillion non-official FREE parties happening all around town all day long for festival goers and freeloading music lovers. Basically, the fun never stops. So, noon is like 7am regular reality Portland time in Texas....so, it had to be love for me to shuck my buns outta that cozy hotel room so early. However, The Builders and the Butchers are one of my top 5 PDX combos, as they tend to rip the roof off virtually every show i've ever seen them play, so it was worth it. Their brand of broke-down punk folk reminds me of a cross between Neil Young's Crazy Horse and the Violent Femmes being gently massaged by a very dastardly early Decemberists Colin Meloy. Got that? Yeah...Of course I hadn't eaten anything when i got to the show, so I rooted around for the alleged complimentary snacks offered at this bash, eventually unearthing a choice between nasty looking sloppy joes and breakfast beer. Beer it was. I started getting a little lightheaded, then the B&B came on and rocked my pants off.
During the show the boys passed around various percussion treats, which me and my pal played, as did a suspicious looking pirate, who kept staring at us with a creepy grin on his face. Turns out he is a big Builders and Butchers fan...here he is (below) throwing the "peace" sign with the band. I don't buy it. What self-respecting pirate gives props to peace? Hmmm....
After the B&B I wandered the streets of Texas bleary and bloated on breakfast beer. I don't even like beer - so this was a unique state of mind. Somehow I made it to Gueros on S. Congress and ate some delicious breakfast tacos. Chorizo and eggs, you are my friends.
Then after a nice nap, I busted a move to see the amazing Scroobius Pip & Dan LeSac whose single "Thou Shalt Always Kill" has been breaking my brain for a few weeks now...peep it here:
Cool huh? But not as cool as this:
Who's the non-psuedo-Haside? Yeah, that's me on the right. I became a Scroobius Pip stalker. These cats rocked the scrappy 6th Street hole of a venue they were playing at with their relentless mix of hip-hop electronic ala The Streets but with just the right amount of kinetic Bob Dylan style snark. (Sidebar: During SXSW, Downtown Austin's mega-strip of 800 crappy college boobsnbeer joints turn into makeshift venues, some of which truly blow). More on the Pip 'n Sac soon....
After Pip n Sac was fabulous PDX uber-duo Yacht. Who were way more funky and awesome than i remembered. Props to them making the most of the room by getting up in it. That's Jona from Yacht in the crowd with the sexy sweat soaked tee hittin' it:
And then there was Yeasayer. Ah...Yeasayer. Perhaps my top new obsession, spawned directly from SXSW-land. A few prime insiders tipped me off to these lads, who somehow seamlessly blend bits of early Genesis, Kate Bush, TV On The Radio and early Talking Heads with their own poly-math rhythms and weird vocal genius. I was transfixed. You will be too. Check 'em out.
After getting my head blown off by the Yeay's, i headed outside with my pal Mike Jones for a Best Wurst..whose buns were about as soggy as mine. But it was the only late night snack that could quell my drunken lobe-deficient rocked-out stupor. Then it was back to the hotel for a nighttime nap sesh. Good stuff....
Stay tuned for SXSW DAY 2: How I learned to eat breakfast before beer! Also, don't miss my live report including even more sordid details at the April 12th live show at the Aladdin.
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