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Written by Brandace Chatman
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Friday, 14 March 2008 |
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Welcome to the Jungle! SXSW is here and the city of Austin is crawling with bands, civilians, groupies, fashionistas, and me. So on the first day of SXSW Music I picked up my badge and the goodie bag that they give you that not only weighs thirty pounds, but out of those thirty pounds contains only two items of importance…the SXSW Directory and the SXSW Pocket Guide. The Pocket Guide tells you what bands playing at what venue, directions to the venue, parking suggestions, etc. I like to think of it as a survival guide for pounding the pavement. On the way out Billy Bob Thorton was in the Dell Lounge playing some tunes, and from the looks of it had started partying a little too early. That meant I need to get on the ball. My first stop was the FADER Party to see The Kills. Every year Fader Magazine and Levi’s host showcases from a warehouse they call The Fader Fort. The lines are always mega long and an RSVP is a must, that is unless you know somebody. You’ll find this is a commandment when it comes to any party during SXSW. Once inside The Fort you have your choice of shopping from their onsite Levi’s store, lounging in one of the many rooms that pay homage to a certain decade of denim, or hitting the bar for the free array of drinks. This year you had a choice of Bass, Vitamin Water, and Southern Comfort mixed with your choice of Sweet Leaf Tea. I chose the later and took my spot on the patio. The Kills are one of my favorite bands and in my opinion are better than any other guy-girl duo gracing the covers of Rolling Stone or Spin. I think you know who I’m talking about. Their performance was raw, energetic, sexy and got everyone amped for the next four days. They played with such intensity that no one in the Fort never took their eyes off them.
After their set I headed to The Firehouse for the Hoe Down Under Party, a party dedicated to the Aussie’s to welcome them to SXSW. On my way their I ran across Perry Farrell getting out of his limo in front of The Driskell Hotel. I didn’t bother him for a photo because during SXSW you’ll never see someone just once. Once in you were greeted with more free booze of your picking and the video game sensation that is ROCKSTAR. It was a good time for all, but one can never really stay in one place too long. Next stop, Antone’s for the Domino Showcase. At Antone’s I got my first taste of badge snobbery. Let’s break down the hierarchy for those who aren’t too familiar with the music scene. It goes badge, bracelet, cash. Those who don’t have a bracelet or badge usually wait in line and pay their way in, only to be passed up by those who have bracelets, only to be passed up by those who have badges. Badge holders jump to the front of line and are usually let in first, sometimes there is a wait…don’t get me wrong. The line for the showcase wrapped all the way around Antone’s, but I didn’t have to worry about that because I had a badge, so I just went in…and it felt good. I know that sounds horrible. The first band up was Simian Mobile Disco. I had heard a lot of talk about the dj’ing duo from London and decided to check them out. Antone’s ,which is usually a blues bar, turned into a dance club the second they hit the stage. The heat was on and so were the beats. I wasn’t too impressed with their performance. They just stood behind their station bouncing their heads to the beats, like they were 15 year old boys mixing beats in their bedroom. The crowd didn’t really pay any attention to them because of the full on dance party. Simian Mobile Disco spun for about an hour and had everyone moving every second, they were puppets on a string. After they made their exit, I actually made mine. Another commandment of SXSW…pace yourself. I have four more days of music and parties, and don’t really feel I should burn out so soon.
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Written by Beth Thomas
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Friday, 14 March 2008 |
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The Nightwatchman, also known as Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, had his second official showcase in as many years tonight. The Nightwatchman is a vehicle for Morello’s acoustic folk, which he’s been performing for about 6 years now. With the exception of open mike nights at coffeehouses, the first official performances for The Nightwatchman were during the Tell Us the Truth tour with Steve Earle, Billy Bragg and others back in 2003. The Nightwatchman’s message has become stronger and more powerful with time. Last night’s gig showcased this quite well. He chatted with the audience between songs, telling stories about both his and his friend, director Michael Moore’s arrest records. The set list was primarily from his CD, One Man Revolution. He entered the stage wearing his traditional Nighwatchman garb – jeans, suspenders, white shirt and baseball cap – with just his acoustic guitar. He opened with the title track; that was followed by Union Song. An acoustic version of the Rage Against the Machine’s Guerilla Radio, which he performed un-edited was next. Last year, The Nightwatchman’s showcase was at Central Presbyterian Church. He prefaced Guerilla Radio that night by saying that he’d promised the good ladies at Central Presbyterian that he’d not swear, so he stepped away from the mike at every point in the lyrics containing profanity. At Esther’s Follies last night, there was no reason for him to edit himself; therefore we got the original version. Guerilla Radio was followed by a new song – he didn’t mention a title – about, in his words, the victims of war not only being on the battlefield. The song was so new that he read the lyrics from his notes propped on the lectern on stage. It was about a son losing his father in Iraq and managed to hush the otherwise rowdy audience. The Nightwatchman then mentioned the film, Body of War, being screened at SXSW on Thursday, March 13, for which he contributed to the soundtrack. He also mentioned that various musicians contributing to the soundtrack, including himself, would be performing at Stubb’s on Thursday evening, and that others involved in the film would also be in attendance. Then he performed his contribution, Battle Hymns. He followed that with Flesh Shapes the Day, also from his CD. Then he invited his good friend, Ben Harper, to the stage. At this point, the audience went wild as camera phones were raised to snap pictures. Together they performed a rousing version of Harper’s song, Gather ‘Round the Stone. Harper left the stage amid whoops, cheers and applause. The Nighwatchman ended his set with The Road I Must Travel. With the house lights up, he invoked the audience to stand, sing along and jump up and down at the end of the song. Having seen The Nightwatchman many times now, I believe he’s a musician who practices what he preaches, and in this day and time, his message of standing up against those who would oppress us is more important than ever.
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Written by Christine Banks
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Thursday, 13 March 2008 |
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