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.

Amy Lavere was, as she phrased it, the sacrificial lamb for the Americana Music Association’s showcase by being the first act of the night. She definitely held her own. This tiny girl with the big stand-up bass wowed the audience with her sweet vocals and rockin’ music. Lavere, who has done a bit of acting in addition to playing her music – she took on the role of Wanda Jackson in the film, Walk the Line – is beginning to attract quite a following. In addition to her individual music, she often performs with Jimbo Mathus, founder of Squirrel Nut Zippers – that may give you a bit of an idea of the sound of her music. Most folks were just milling about Antone’s, waiting for acts like Joe Ely, but they were soon up front and center to check her out. She opened with the bluesy Washing Machine – she and her guitarist, Steve Selvidge, trading riffs and drawing the crowd closer. Someone next to me wondered aloud about how such a little girlie girl could get such a rough and tumble sound from her bass. The bulk of the songs in her set came from her second album, 2007’s Anchor & Anvils. She introduced Killing Him by saying she couldn’t take all the credit for the song, as it was inspired by a Memphis news story showing a woman crying, taken away in handcuffs, arrested for murder and saying, ‘Killing him didn’t make the love go away.’ The country flavor of song suits the subject perfectly. Also in the set were Pointless Drinking (a personal favorite!), Overcome (which she told the audience should really be entitled Overwhelmed), People Get Mad, Cupid’s Arrow, and Time is a Train. From her first CD, This World is Not My Home, she did another of my favorites, Take ‘Em or Leave ‘Em. Her live show is quite different from the soft, country sound of her CDs (her voice is often compared to that of Norah Jones) – surely Selvidge and drummer Paul Taylor are a huge reason for that; they seem to inspire her to get raucous as well. She danced with her bass, feeding off them and her audience. By the end of her set, she had the crowd eating out of her hand, and genuinely appeared both pleased and surprised to have received such a warm and enthusiastic response from them. I think many of those who ‘stumbled upon’ her showcase will become fans – certainly the people I spoke to around me were among the converted.