SXSW Bands I Saw (In The Order I Saw Them)

This year I saw 50+ bands while in Austin. It was pretty exhausting. More exhausting though? Writing this post. What follows is a recap, illustrated through video I took during the week, and soundtracked with two jam-packed mixes for your streaming pleasure. You may notice that some bands have more love in the commentary than others. This is not a reflection of any one band, just the time I had to devote to researching them further. You’ll enjoy it anyway, I promise. All of my photos from Austin can be found here.

The first four bands on this list were actually during SXSW Interactive, but who’s counting, right? The Walkmen played during the Digg party, and We Are Scientists played during the closing party. Technically, I only heard the latter band over the concrete wall of Mohawk, since we were next door riding a mechanical bull. Both of those bands have been on past mixes, I’m sure you are aware of them. The Octopus Project played at Barbarian’s party at Mohawk. They are pretty much all instruments (including a theremin!), no lyrics. They also incorporate trippy videos on a huge screen behind them. Probably the most artistic band I saw all way. Here is the video for the song Truck:

I am aware His Orchestra exists because one of it’s members, Kestrin, kindly let me sleep on her couch in LA last summer, and also, she runs the RVIP – one of the greatest creations to ever hit SXSW. Also, her band is pretty awesome. I caught them in a pop-up show out by the power plant. I can’t embed, unfortunately, but here is some video Cameron took that night. Yes, that is a flame-thrower attached to the fence. Really fun band, I hope to catch them when they hit NYC in May. Now onto bands from the actual music portion of the festival…

Day One. Eleven Bands.

I tried to see Broken Bells first, but lines were insane. Any time they played lines were insane. So they are not on this mix. I don’t like lines. I ended up catching the end of Rural Alberta Advantage’s set while waiting for The Morning Benders. Both were great. The Morning Benders are about 12 years old. How have they been making music for (relatively) so long? Here is my video of them playing Wet Cement, off their new album Big Echo.

Free Energy is a band that flew into my SXSW experience under the radar. I forgot I knew who they were. I loved their song Something in Common before, and then kind of forgot about them. Big mistake.

So fun live, this turned out to be one of my favorite shows all week. Best I can describe them is dancy-punkish-pop-rock. Also, they look like they stepped out of some nostalgic movie of my generation, like a mix of Dazed and Confused and Almost Famous. Does that help?

Joe Pug was recommended to me when I was back into my folk singer songwriter period for a bit. He played before Freelance Whales. Thought he was good, maybe a little too acoustic for the crowd at hand, but worth looking into back home. Freelance Whales were good, of course, but nothing in this concert differed much from when I saw them in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. Suckers also play in NYC a lot, you should go find them. Great live.

I did not love Real Estate live as much as I had hoped to. This is most likely chalked up to the fact that I had super high hopes. I expected them to be a little more jammy, less rock-infused. I loved their Beach Boys-ish influences, which were a little lost in concert. Still love them though. I stumbled across Or, The Whale in Zone Bar’s strange little refresh lounge thing. Really pretty harmonies define an otherwise hard to pigeonhole band. Part country, part rock, but in no way are they alt-country. Apparently from San Francisco, though I would have been quicker to guess Texas or New Orleans or the sticks of Arkansas. Look them up, if only because they are named after Moby Dick.

I meant to see Here We Go Magic last year, but didn’t, so I guess I was just making up for that. Perfect stoner music. The Middle East is the one band that I was truly let down by at SXSW. I thought their live show paled in comparison to their album. I’ve been told since that maybe I was not in the right area of the venue – apparently the acoustics were vastly different in the back of Club de Ville than they were up front, and their quiet lulling vocals didn’t travel well. Plus I heard they rocked elsewhere. But truth be told, my friends and I could not stick out the whole thing. Which was fine, because I got to see Spoon instead.

Day Two. Nineteen Bands.

This video is the reason I will continue to love Shearwater:

The dude on the left is the drummer, Thor. (Real name.) Fanfarlo’s song The Walls Are Coming Down is one of my favorites of theirs, the lyrics are beautiful. Always happy to see them live:

I saw Neon Indians and Local Natives play at Fader Fort this year. The fort is not so much a fort, more a little pop-up refugee camp for lost little hipsters. Once you braved the line for the wristband, the line-up was pretty solid, and the set-up, while a hike, was actually pretty nice. Local Natives was one of those buzzy bands that somehow was dubbed to be a darling of SXSW, so there was a lot of interest wherever they went. Ultimately, worth the hype, I think. Good on paper, better live.

I didn’t mean to see Julianna Barwick, and though this was primarily because I did not know who she was, I was probably better off with that original plan. I went to the French Legation in hopes of catching the end of Dum Dum Girls, but they were running so super late, that I got this set instead. Interesting music, I supposed, just not my cup of tea. The poor timing meant I only got to catch the beginning of Dum Dum Girls and none of The xx, who were to follow.

*Technical Note: I saw a band called Label Whores, who all I can gather about them is they are a local Austin group, and that they have zero online presence. They were good, so if you hear of them in the future, look them up.

Nicole Atkins was nice. I didn’t really know her before, but have been actively seeking her music since I’ve been home. Superchunk is one of those significant bands that I am aware of due to their significance, but never really got into. So when I showed up a little late to the Merge showcase to hear Let’s Wrestle, a band I have never seen and knew little of beyond 2 songs, it did not occur to me that the band I was watching might be a surprise performance by Superchunk. So I agreed when Theresa said “The lead singer is way older than I pictured.” And was appreciate of Rick and Emma setting us straight. In the end, both bands were good.

Mistaken identity #2 of the night led me to Moonrats. I was walking down a shady back alley to get into the backstage of some venue on 7th Street, and went into the wrong shady back entrance. Stayed for two songs to hear this band. Ended up only able to catch the last two songs of the band I originally intended to see, Harlem. While sad about this, I’d say in the end that finding Moonrats made it a win. Harlem still has one of my favorite albums this year.

Love love loved seeing jj in concert. Just the lead singer on a folding chair, a commanding presence on the stage. Leaving Mohawk, Ang and I heard Lonely Forest playing at Club de Ville from the street, and had to go check them out. Really good show. Piano-driven pop music with a slightly rockier edge than I would have expected, reminds me a little of Snow Patrol, back when Snow Patrol was the band I fell in love with. They just signed with Chris Walla (of Death Cab)’s label, if that is an indication of style. I caught the end of the set from The Soft Pack. I spent the whole time they were on just waiting for the Drive-By Truckers. Sorry Soft Pack.

The Truckers will probably forever be one of my favorite bands. Long ago in these mixes I’ve professed my love for Patterson Hood, and each time I see them live, that spot in my heart swells just a little bit more. If you only watch one video (though later I will say this again, so watch 2 at least, okay?) watch this one.

I would have recorded more, but someone on the patio above us spilled their beer and it started pouring through the slats of the floor/ceiling. It is Hood’s intro (and the beginning of) Let There Be Rock. And in case you don’t take me up on watching the video, here is what he says before the song: “I worked at record stores, and had friends that worked at record stores, which is why we need to keep record stores alive. Cause where else can troubled young men and troubled young women who are into rock go to learn about great new things and great old things; like Big Star. So I want to dedicate this to Alex Chilton – the late great Alex Chilton. This song is about how rock and roll saved my life as a teenager, maybe some of yours too, and I woke up this morning and I’m forty-five years old and I gotta birthday in a few days and I got two small children at home and goddamn if it doesn’t still save my life each and every day…” Love.

Band of Horses was a slight let-down for me. I thought they were a bit cheesy on stage, and were really far better than the set they played. What saved this show was the insane set design – videos projected onto the canvas overhang of the stage. Here is a moose walking near the water to No One’s Gonna Love You:

and here is The Funeral, set to a giant mountainscape:

The last band of the night, Delta Spirit, by all accounts, put on a throw-away set. It was fine as background music, but nothing about that show made me jump out of my chair. I miss their older stuff tremendously.

Day Three: Eight Bands

*Technical Note: The first band on my list for the day I have written down “band from across the street that woke me up; wave rooftop – look them up.” I tried and failed. While I am typically opposed to being woken up by noises from the street, this was actually kind of nice. Oh well.

Band of Skulls were another somewhat buzzy band I went to see. Technically, I didn’t actually see them, because the line to get in was somewhat insane, so Willo and I made the executive decision to just hang around the sidewalk of Cedar Street and listen to their set from there. They are good, though from what I heard, maybe a little over-hyped.

I was always a bit of a sucker for a band with a good emo name, hence my love of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart at the Village Voice party. This party also featured The xx, who I again missed, as I opted to head to the other side of town for some South Congress shows. Jukebox the Ghost at Home Slice and Justin Townes Earle at Yard Dog. Jukebox The Ghost have been featured here before, but I had never heard of JTE until here. We got out of the taxi and he was standing on the sidewalk, totally peculiar looking in electric-blue pants and a cowboy hat. Go google-image him for an idea. I listened to almost all of The Antler’s set from the really long line to get into Club de Ville, and they lived up to my expectations, even without being able to physically see them.

We got into de Ville in time to see Centro-Matic and Lucero, two bands that I knew of peripherally, but had never really delved into. I watched them standing with a pack of dudes who were waaay into them. These are the guys you see at concerts who are super drunk, and super into the band, rocking out jumping and throwing full cups of beer. The guys you only find amusing if you’re with them, I suppose. But the whole experience, while mildly surreal, made the show what it was. And when one of said dudes leaned over and whispered (albeit drunkenly) “I would totally go gay for this band,” I got it. Because regardless of what was going on in the crowd, Lucero demanded my attention. They reminded me somewhat of a Hold Steady DBT mash-up, in the best alt-country of ways.

*Technical Note: I went home to grab some food and rest up and ended up watching tv and getting Kebabalicious with Jessica and passing out. So no bands after 6pm. Oops.

Day Four: Twelve Bands

Started my last day right when I made the last second decision to pop into Red Eyed Fly to catch Dawes. Now, I will repeat myself. If you watch only one video of all of mine in this email, watch this one:

It is of When My Time Comes, which happens to be my second favorite song of theirs. And this song is a great way to get your day started with a bang. For the record this is the official video for my favorite:

From there I traveled to Stubb’s to catch some of Rachael Ray’s party. Dr. Dog did not disappoint, though the sound guys did. The vocals disappointingly kept dropping off entirely, and it was never exactly mixed properly. But they played their asses off in the cold, and I friggin love everything they do. They played a variety of stuff from recent albums, and threw in this new one, called I Only Wear Blue – off the album Shame Shame, which came out this past week:
And here is The Rabbit, The Bat, and the Reindeer:

I also stayed for a bit of Jakob Dylan and Neko Case but don’t really have all that much to add about them.

The next chunk of my day was spend at Cedar Street. Athlete played an acoustic set, which was pretty awesome. I love when they rock out a bit, but this set made me appreciate them a little more. Here is my video of the acoustic version of The Getaway:

and here is the official video, full band:

The Constellations were 8 people packed onto a relatively tiny stage, jamming out with a little funk-infused 70′s-esque rock. Here ismy video of their brave-the-wind performance:

Looking forward to their album, due out in June. I watched the next band (in large part due to the aforementioned wind) from inside, but that should not be a reflection of how good they were, only that it was goddamned cold in Austin that day. I did emerge for Frightened Rabbit, though. I mean, who wouldn’t?

*Technical Note: Post dinner, I ended up at some douchey lounge for a bit. It is the type of place you would expect a super bad techno dj to be holding court, but instead it was a super douchey loud punk band. I didn’t bother to find out who they were, because I didn’t want to feel obligated to subject you all to them. You’re welcome.

I truthfully only caught Felix Cartal because I was patiently waiting for Wallpaper to come on. I’m at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. You’re welcome again. Here they are playing Poison, with apologies for the shaky camera-work, but c’mon, you know we were dancing at the same time.

Stars of Track and Field ended the night. One of my favorite shows of the week, sad to say not too many people in the audience, since they all missed an awesome set. Lucky for you, this being the last show of the night also meant I could take video till the memory card stopped me. Here are three videos, so you can almost feel like you were there.

So kudos to you if you got through that entire write-up. The 50-track mix comes in at just over 3 hours, so good luck with that too. Enjoy!

Full Track Listing:
01 – The Walkmen – If Only It Were True
02 – The Octopus Project – Truck
03 – We Are Scientists – It’s A Hit
04 – His Orchestra – Attached
05 – The Rural Alberta Advantage – Frank, AB
06 – The Morning Benders – Excuses
07 – Free Energy – Hope Child
08 – Joe Pug – Unsophisticated Heart
09 – Freelance Whales – Broken Horse
10 – Suckers – It Gets Your Body Movin’
11 – Real Estate – Fake Blues
12 – Or, The Whale – No Love Blues
13 – Here We Go Magic – Ahab
14 – The Middle East – Fool’s Gold
15 – Spoon – Is Love Forever?
16 – Shearwater – An Insular Life
17 – Fanfarlo – Finish Line
18 – Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer
19 – Local Natives – Warning Sign
20 – Julianna Barwick – The Highest
21 – Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La
22 – Nicole Atkins – Together We’re Both Alone
23 – Superchunk – Like a Fool
24 – Let’s Wrestle – My Arms Don’t Bend That Way, Damn It!
25 – Moonrats – FLM
26 – Harlem – Poolside
27 – jj – masterplan
28 – The Lonely Forest – Now On To Other News
29 – The Soft Pack – Future Rock
30 – Drive-By Truckers – The Fourth Night Of My Drinking
31 – Band of Horses – Monsters
32 – Delta Spirit – People C’mon
33 – Band Of Skulls – Light of the Morning
34 – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – A Teenager In Love
35 – Jukebox The Ghost – Miss Templeton’s 7000th Dream
36 – Justin Townes Earle – They Killed John Henry
37 – The Antlers – Kettering
38 – Centro-Matic – Triggers and Trash Heaps
39 – Lucero – Tears Don’t Matter Much
40 – Dawes – Love Is All I Am
41 – Dr. Dog – Uncovering the Old
42 – Jakob Dylan – Will It Grow
43 – Neko Case – That Teenage Feeling
44 – Athlete – Vehicles & Animals
45 – The Constellations – Setback
46 – The Boxer Rebellion – Flashing Red Light Means Go
47 – Frightened Rabbit – Foot Shooter
48 – Felix Cartal – Why Wait
49 – Wallpaper – The Remix
50 – Stars of Track and Field – The Breaking of Waves