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| From | Jennifer Leduc <jenleduc@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | SXSW 2008 - part 2 |
| Date | Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:54:00 -0500 |
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I got little sleep because I had to be up the next morning for my SXSW volunteer shift at the Austin Convention Center but I was free in the early afternoon to catch some day party action. SXSW has reached the point where you can tons of music without going to any official showcases. I was hoping to see The Alarmists (http://www.myspace.com/thealarmists), a Mpls band I've become fond of recently. But they played before I could get there. I did have a nice chat with them as they were getting ready to load up their van. They gave me a CD sampler which contains 2 new tunes along with a few tunes from their prior releases. And they shared their chocolate peanut butter bars with me -- how very Minnesotan hospitality of them :-). On the next block, a radio station from the Twin Cities (The Current 89.3) was broadcasting in the parking lot so I stuck around to see Sons and Daughters (http://www.myspace.com/sonsanddaughters). I haven't bought the album but "Gilt Complex" is a choice tune nonetheless. Several blocks away, I headed over to the Filter Magazine party -- one of my favorite unofficial SXSW events. The weather was perfect today -- sunny and gorgeous. I arrived too late for the free BBQ. But my main reason to head over there was to see The Duke Spirit again and I wanted to arrive early enough to get a good spot. I caught 2 bands before TDS. One of them was Low Vs Diamond (http://www.myspace.com/lowvsdiamond). They reminded me a little bit of Remy Zero. Good stuff. I might check them out more later. As much as I enjoyed TDS the night before something about seeing them in the sunshine was even sweeter. Before the evening showcases began, I walked back towards 6th St for a brief respite, met up briefly with a few friends, and a quick bite to eat across the street from the first evening venue. My first evening showcase was to see my Scottish friends from Popup (http://www.myspace.com/popuptheband). I met them when they were here last year. At first it looked like the venue was going to be nearly empty but they ended up with a good turnout. I'm a little biased but their new tunes are fantastic. The new record, A Time and A Place, will be released in May. If you're in Glasgow, go see them if you have a chance. They've fallen in love with Austin though and hope to return to Texas in October. I headed over to see an upcoming young Austin band, The Steps (http://www.myspace.com/thesteps). The future is bright for that band. If they sound this good now, I can't wait to hear what they'll be like in a few years. They're releasing their upcoming full length CD next month on a Japanese label, Kurofune Records. A couple of friends were with me and we went across the street to see Liam Finn played at a packed, tiny bar called the Ale House. The lights weren't working but that didn't stop from working his magic with the guitar pedals and smashing the hell out of his drumkit. He's on tour in the US right now -- go see him ! I was feeling really beat but I didn't want to head home quite yet so I stuck it out for The Raveonettes. Great songs but they don't have the most dynamic stage presence. Or maybe my aching feet were clouding my judgement. I caught the last couple of songs at a BBC Introducing showcase from a band called The Pan I Am. I remember the name but nothing else about them comes to mind. I did run into a friend who was chatting with Steve Lamacq from BBC 6 Music, spotted Stuart Maconie from BBC 2 as well.
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