Review Local Natives

Really impressed with their album.  They belt out some amazing vocal harmonies that remind me of Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, but with considerably more upbeat tunes.  There’s a hint of Midlake and Tacks, the Boy Disaster type haunting melodies.  The songs pull in me in more & more each time I hear them.  Stranger Things is one of their best songs at capturing your attention.  Tell me what y’all think.  They were just here for SXSW.  I believe the guys over at HearYa think they are among the best bands around right now.

SXSW Music Recap

So this year’s SXSW festival has come and gone.  I spent at least twice as much time at the festival this year due to volunteering for the Film & Interactive portion (which I highly recommend).  But my main music fanatic friend Eric and I also spent more time watching day shows and night showcases than ever.  I put in a solid 12+ hours per day for all four days and got to see lots of great bands.  But I still managed to miss several of what I considered to be must see bands this year.  Who did I miss?  Well, it wasn’t for lack of effort (stupid badges only parties & showcase no-shows).  But I missed:

• Broken Bells (their album is great and many of my friends saw ’em – dangit),
• Band of Skulls (my number one or two band along with the xx – no-showed at showcase!),
• Fanfarlo (just didn’t work out),
• She & Him (heard they weren’t that good live, so that’s nice),
• We Were Promised Jetpacks (missed all my Scottish bands),
• Broken Records (didn’t play much),
• Frightened Rabbit (and missed even more Scottish bands)

Now, I did manage to catch 55 bands, and most all of them were good to very good.  And for a change, we did get to see several great electronic bands, which are in short supply some years.  Here is a summary (in no particular order) of the best bands I saw this year:

• The xx – great band, not a great show at the French Legation – too crowded
• Temper Trap – simply awesome band and awesome show at Lustre Pearl
• The Morning Benders – talented San Fran band who put on a nice androgynous show
• Chew Lips – awesome new UK female vocalist with sweet electronics – great show too
• Banjo or Freakout – thought they were someone else the whole show, but were quite good
• You Say Party, We Say Die – like a poor man’s Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – fun live
• The Veils – good enough to see twice – Finn Andrews’ voice is amazing
• The Golden Filter – more great electronic-influenced acts that are hard to come by – from NYC
• Cymbals Eat Guitars – math rock with crazy lead vocal/guitarist who plays with frenzy & passion
• The Boxer Rebellion – kind of U2 influenced UK rock that was much better live than on CD
• We Are Scientists – we had our choices, and though we’d seen ’em before, we went again.  So awesome!
• Local Natives – didn’t get to hear much of them, but album is incredible – kicking myself
• Free Energy – great summer power pop – like Weezer without the snark – Fun!
• Memory Tapes – more cool electronic stuff – need to listen to their album again now
• Surfer Blood – good indie rock – hard to go wrong with that
• Twin Tigers – more good indie rock – still can’t go wrong
• Solid Gold – way fun, dancy electronica – the place was bumpin’
• Tanlines – more of the same fun, dancy electronica – the place was bumpin’ even more
• Codeine Velvet Club – great new big band from Fratelli’s guy with female vocalist & horns – watch for ’em
• Sondre Lerche – seriously, if you haven’t seen him live, do so –  he’s a great entertainer with true talent
• Wave Pictures – kind of UK version of Violent Femmes, I liked ’em
• Nic Armstrong – just caught a brief song, but man, he was really good and is a local UK ex-pat
• Miss Li – Little Swedish dynamo with serious pipes and hilariously fun stage presence

1st SXSW Vid – The Temper Trap

By popular demand, here is the first SXSW video I shot myself.  This was at Lustre Pearl at the Filter/Dickies party at 11pm on Thursday.  The Temper Trap performs ‘Sweet Disposition’ here, and they were simply awesome.  Check ’em out in the next couple days if you have the chance.  Hell, make time to check ’em out.  Don’t leave it to chance.

SXSW Friday Showcase Picks

TIME	BAND & VENUE
07:00 PM	Mayer Hawthorne & The County at Austin Music Hall 208 Nueces St
07:00 PM	Tape Deck Mountain at Lamberts 401 W 2nd St
07:45 PM	Say Hi (solo) at Galaxy Room 508 E 6th St
08:00 PM	Band of Skulls at Beauty Bar/Palm Door 401 Sabine St
08:00 PM	Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at Austin Music Hall 208 Nueces St
08:00 PM	Cheap Trick at Auditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake) Riverside Dr & S 1st St
08:00 PM	Freelance Whales at Galaxy Room Backyard 508 E 6th St
08:00 PM	J Roddy Walston And The Business at La Zona Rosa 612 W 4th St
08:00 PM	Jenny Owen Youngs at live.create. lounge 503 Neches St
08:00 PM	Sex With Strangers at Jaime’s 802 Red River St
08:00 PM	The Golden Filter at Emo’s Jr 603 Red River St
08:00 PM	Thurston Moore at Red 7 611 E 7th St
08:15 PM	Dan Black at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
08:30 PM	Metric at Stubb’s 801 Red River St
08:55 PM	Band of Horses at Central Presbyterian Church 200 E 8th St
09:00 PM	Anya Marina at Maggie Mae’s 323 E 6th St
09:00 PM	Bachelorette at Emo’s Jr 603 Red River St
09:00 PM	David Garza at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard 1106 E 11th St
09:00 PM	Harper Simon at live.create. lounge 503 Neches St
09:00 PM	Here We Go Magic at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
09:00 PM	Lights at Prague 422 B Congress Ave
09:00 PM	Local Natives at Galaxy Room Backyard 508 E 6th St
09:00 PM	Sarah Jarosz at Momo’s 618 W 6th St
09:00 PM	School Of Seven Bells at La Zona Rosa 612 W 4th St
09:00 PM	The Ugly Beats at Habana Calle 6 Patio 709 E 6th St
09:00 PM	Twin Tigers at Emo’s Annex 600 Red River St
09:00 PM	Yppah at The Independent 501 N IH 35
09:30 PM	Lissie at St David’s Historic Sanctuary 301 E 8th St
09:30 PM	Solid Gold at Club de Ville 900 Red River St
09:30 PM	The Dollyrots at Buffalo Billiards 201 E 6th St
09:50 PM	Julianna Barwick at Beauty Bar Backyard 617 E 7th St
10:00 PM	Active Child at Latitude 30 512 San Jacinto St
10:00 PM	Elk City at Lamberts 401 W 2nd St
10:00 PM	Hot Panda at Jaime’s 802 Red River St
10:00 PM	Linda Kiraly at Creekside at Hilton Garden Inn 500 N IH 35
10:00 PM	Little Brazil at Wave 408 E 6th St
10:00 PM	Murder By Death at La Zona Rosa 612 W 4th St
10:00 PM	She & Him at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
10:00 PM	Smokey Robinson at Austin Music Hall 208 Nueces St
10:00 PM	The Boxer Rebellion at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop 323 E 6th St
10:00 PM	Uffie at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
10:00 PM	Yacht at Billboard.com Bungalow 708 E 6th St
10:00 PM	Zeus at The Parish 214B E 6th St
10:15 PM	Born Ruffians at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
10:15 PM	Tanlines at Club de Ville 900 Red River St
10:30 PM	Jakob Dylan and Three Legs (Featuring Neko Case and Kelly Hogan) at St David’s Historic Sanctuary 301 E 8th St
10:30 PM	jj at Central Presbyterian Church 200 E 8th St
10:45 PM	Twin Sister at Galaxy Room 508 E 6th St
11:00 PM	A Sunny Day in Glasgow at Lamberts 401 W 2nd St
11:00 PM	Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at La Zona Rosa 612 W 4th St
11:00 PM	Citizen Cope at Momo’s 618 W 6th St
11:00 PM	Codeine Velvet Club at Rusty Spurs 405 E 7th St
11:00 PM	Cymbals Eat Guitars at Emo’s Annex 600 Red River St
11:00 PM	Deer Tick at Red Eyed Fly 715 Red River St
11:00 PM	Delorean at Emo’s Jr 603 Red River St
11:00 PM	Girl in a Coma at Buffalo Billiards 201 E 6th St
11:00 PM	Jason Collett at The Parish 214B E 6th St
11:00 PM	Neon Indian at Club de Ville 900 Red River St
11:00 PM	Nico Stai at Maggie Mae’s 323 E 6th St
11:00 PM	Rusted Shut at Club 1808 II 1808 E 12th St
11:00 PM	Trembling Bells at St David’s Bethell Hall 301 E 8th St
11:15 PM	Broken Bells at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
11:15 PM	Fool’s Gold at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
11:30 PM	Holly Miranda at Central Presbyterian Church 200 E 8th St
11:30 PM	LA Riots at Aces Lounge 222 E 6th St
11:30 PM	Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings at Austin Music Hall 208 Nueces St
11:30 PM	The Cool Kids at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
12:00 AM	Anti-Pop Consortium at The Independent 501 N IH 35
12:00 AM	Balkan Beat Box at Spill 212 E. 6th St
12:00 AM	Broken Social Scene at The Parish 214B E 6th St
12:00 AM	Chew Lips at Maggie Mae’s 323 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Fanfarlo at The Ale House 310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)
12:00 AM	Fang Island at Habana Calle 6 709 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Flosstradamus at Emo’s Jr 603 Red River St
12:00 AM	Foxy Shazam at Dirty Dog Bar 505 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Memory Tapes at Klub Krucial 614 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Miike Snow at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
12:00 AM	Shelby Lynne at Buffalo Billiards 201 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Sum 41 at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop 323 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers at BD Riley’s 204 E 6th St
12:00 AM	The Antlers at Galaxy Room Backyard 508 E 6th St
12:00 AM	These Are Powers at Billboard.com Bungalow 708 E 6th St
12:15 AM	Surfer Blood at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
12:15 AM	We Are Scientists at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
12:30 AM	Ra Ra Riot at Club de Ville 900 Red River St
12:30 AM	The xx at Central Presbyterian Church 200 E 8th St
01:00 AM	B T at Billboard.com Bungalow 708 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Band of Skulls at Maggie Mae’s 323 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Bear In Heaven at Emo’s Annex 600 Red River St
01:00 AM	Daedelus at The Independent 501 N IH 35
01:00 AM	Les Savy Fav at Galaxy Room Backyard 508 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Liars at Antone’s 213 W 5th St
01:00 AM	Matias Aguayo at Emo’s Jr 603 Red River St
01:00 AM	Mayer Hawthorne & The County at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
01:00 AM	Minus the Bear at Rusty Spurs 405 E 7th St
01:00 AM	Muck and the Mires at BD Riley’s 204 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Nneka at Beauty Bar/Palm Door 401 Sabine St
01:00 AM	Shout Out Out Out Out at Prague 422 B Congress Ave
01:00 AM	The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Mohawk 912 Red River St
01:00 AM	The Veils at Cedar Street Courtyard 208 W 4th St
01:00 AM	Washed Out at Klub Krucial 614 E 6th St
01:15 AM	The Very Best at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St

All Bands Seen @ SXSW = 55

Wednesday
Rural Alberta advantage at emo’s
The Morning Benders at emos
Dan Black at mohawk
Bear Hands at creekside lounge
Casiokids at creekside
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons creekside
Shout out out out creekside
Chew Lips at latitude 30
Banjo or Freakout – latitude 30
You Say Party We Say Die Elysium
The Muffs at Elysium
The Veils at Elysium

Thursday
Warpaint at Urban Oufitters
Bachelorette at Urban Oufitters
The Golden Filter at Urban Oufitters
Freelance Whales at Yard Dog
Julianna Barwick at French Legation
Holly Miranda at French Legation
The xx at French Legation
So Many Dynamos at Emo’s Jr
Cymbals Eat Guitars at Lustre Pearl
The Boxer Rebellion at Lustre Pearl
The Temper Trap at Lustre Pearl
We Are Scientists at The Phoenix

Friday
Local Natives at Emo’s
Free Energy at Emo’s
Washed Out at Emo’s
Dam-Funk at Emo’s
Best Coast at Emo’s
Memory Tapes at Emo’s
Surfer Blood at Emo’s
Say Hi at Galaxy Room
Freelance Whales (again) at Galaxy Room
Twin Tigers at Emo’s Annex
Solid Gold at Club Deville
Tanlines at Club Deville
Delorean at Emo’s
Fool’s Gold at Emo’s
The Antlers at Galaxy Room backyard
Sum 41 at Maggie Mae’s

Saturday
Jason Collett at Galaxy Room
Besnard Lakes at Galaxy Room
Children Collide at Cedar Street
Codeine Velvet Club at Cedar Street
Royal Bangs at American Youthworks
Rafter at Barbarella
The Veils at Klub Krucial
Sondre Lerche at Klub Krucial
Wave Pictures at Barbarella
The Tenants at Side Bar
Susan Herndon at Artz Rib House
Grammatics at The Phoenix
Nic Armstrong at Victorian Room
Miss Li at Victorian Room
Class Actress at The Phoenix
papercutz at Prague

SXSW Thursday Showcase Picks

TIME	BAND & VENUE
12:00 PM	The Walkmen at Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center 500 E Cesar Chavez St
12:00 PM	Yorkshire SXSW Party at British Embassy at Latitude 30 512 San Jacinto
01:00 PM	Frightened Rabbit at Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center 500 E Cesar Chavez St
03:00 PM	Sondre Lerche at Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center 500 E Cesar Chavez St
04:00 PM	Codeine Velvet Club at Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center 500 E Cesar Chavez St
05:00 PM	Dr. Dog at Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center 500 E Cesar Chavez St
07:25 PM	Citizen Cope at Victorian Room at The Driskill 604 Brazos St
07:30 PM	Nicole Atkins featuring Future Clouds and Radar at La Zona Rosa 612 W 4th St
08:00 PM	Banda de Turistas at Flamingo Cantina 515 E 6th St
08:00 PM	First Aid Kit at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
08:00 PM	General Elektriks at The Ghost Room 304 W 4th St
08:00 PM	Lissie at The Parish 214B E 6th St
08:00 PM	Ozomatli at Auditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake) Riverside Dr & S 1st St
08:00 PM	Sarah Jaffe at St David’s Historic Sanctuary 301 E 8th St
08:30 PM	The Besnard Lakes at Stubb’s 801 Red River St
08:45 PM	So Many Dynamos at Emo’s Jr 603 Red River St
09:00 PM	CHLLNGR at Beauty Bar 617 E 7th St
09:00 PM	Cymbals Eat Guitars at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
09:00 PM	Love Of Diagrams at Wave Rooftop 408 E 6th St
09:00 PM	The Whigs at Beauty Bar/Palm Door 401 Sabine St
09:30 PM	Nneka at The Parish 214B E 6th St
09:30 PM	The Soft Pack at Stubb’s 801 Red River St
10:00 PM	Athlete at Billboard.com Bungalow 708 E 6th St
10:00 PM	Broadcast 2000 at St David’s Historic Sanctuary 301 E 8th St
10:00 PM	Glint at Dirty Dog Bar 505 E 6th St
10:00 PM	jj at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
10:00 PM	Lawrence Arabia at Buffalo Billiards 201 E 6th St
10:00 PM	MEN at Beauty Bar Backyard 617 E 7th St
10:00 PM	Rogue Wave at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
10:00 PM	She & Him at Cedar Street Courtyard 208 W 4th St
10:00 PM	The Boxer Rebellion at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
10:00 PM	VV Brown at Latitude 30 512 San Jacinto St
10:15 PM	Adventure at Wave 408 E 6th St
10:30 PM	Generationals at Club de Ville 900 Red River St
10:30 PM	Ray Davies at La Zona Rosa 612 W 4th St
10:30 PM	Stone Temple Pilots at Austin Music Hall 208 Nueces St
10:40 PM	These Are Powers at Club 1808 II 1808 E 12th St
11:00 PM	Alpha Rev at Dirty Dog Bar 505 E 6th St
11:00 PM	Beast at Paradise 401 E 6th St
11:00 PM	Ear Pwr at Wave 408 E 6th St
11:00 PM	Efterklang at Buffalo Billiards 201 E 6th St
11:00 PM	Greg Laswell at The Parish 214B E 6th St
11:00 PM	Holy Fuck at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
11:00 PM	Jokers of the Scene at Club 1808 1808 E 12th St
11:00 PM	Local Natives at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
11:00 PM	Slaraffenland at Mohawk 912 Red River St
11:00 PM	Spindrift at Habana Calle 6 709 E 6th St
11:00 PM	Tacks, the Boy Disaster at St David’s Historic Sanctuary 301 E 8th St
11:00 PM	The Jim Jones Revue at Prague 422 B Congress Ave
11:00 PM	The Temper Trap at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
11:00 PM	Titus Andronicus at Beauty Bar/Palm Door 401 Sabine St
11:00 PM	UUVVWWZ at Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room 512 Trinity St
11:00 PM	Woodhands at Speakeasy 412 Congress Ave
11:00 PM	Wye Oak at Cedar Street Courtyard 208 W 4th St
11:20 PM	A Classic Education at Friends 208 E 6th St
11:20 PM	She Wants Revenge at Rusty Spurs 405 E 7th St
11:30 PM	Band of Horses at Stubb’s 801 Red River St
11:30 PM	The Cave Singers at Club de Ville 900 Red River St
11:30 PM	The Dutchess & the Duke at Galaxy Room 508 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Adam Green at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
12:00 AM	Anni Rossi at St David’s Historic Sanctuary 301 E 8th St
12:00 AM	Broken Records at Buffalo Billiards 201 E 6th St
12:00 AM	Camper Van Beethoven at Encore Patio 611 Red River St
12:00 AM	Dr. Dog at Lustre Pearl 97 Rainey St
12:00 AM	Franki Chan at Beauty Bar 617 E 7th St
12:00 AM	Lou Barlow at Cedar Street Courtyard 208 W 4th St
12:00 AM	Marina & The Diamonds at Lamberts 401 W 2nd St
12:00 AM	Rocky Votolato at Red Eyed Fly 715 Red River St
12:00 AM	Shout Out Out Out Out at Beauty Bar Backyard 617 E 7th St
12:00 AM	The Constellations at Dirty Dog Bar 505 E 6th St
12:00 AM	The Crystal Method at Elysium 705 Red River St
12:00 AM	We Are Scientists at The Phoenix 409 Colorado St
12:20 AM	Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Antone’s 213 W 5th St
12:45 AM	Broken Social Scene at Stubb’s 801 Red River St
01:00 AM	Bear In Heaven at Mohawk 912 Red River St
01:00 AM	Dan Black at Dirty Dog Bar 505 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Dead Confederate at Billboard.com Bungalow 708 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Deer Tick at Beauty Bar/Palm Door 401 Sabine St
01:00 AM	Delta Spirit at Emo’s Main Room 603 Red River St
01:00 AM	DJ Spooky & The Golden Hornet Project at The Independent 501 N IH 35
01:00 AM	Eisley at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop 323 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Evan Dando at The Ale House 310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)
01:00 AM	Floating Action at The Tap Room at Six 311 Colorado St
01:00 AM	Harper Simon at 18th Floor at Hilton Garden Inn 500 N IH 35
01:00 AM	I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness at Red 7 611 E 7th St
01:00 AM	Jaguar Love at The Ghost Room 304 W 4th St
01:00 AM	Midlake at Buffalo Billiards 201 E 6th St
01:00 AM	Phantogram at Red Eyed Fly 715 Red River St
01:00 AM	Steve Aoki at Elysium 705 Red River St
01:00 AM	The Love Language at Cedar Street Courtyard 208 W 4th St
01:00 AM	The Ruby Suns at Galaxy Room Backyard 508 E 6th St
01:00 AM	The Rural Alberta Advantage at Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room 512 Trinity St
01:00 AM	The Toxic Avenger at Beauty Bar 617 E 7th St
01:00 AM	The Very Best at Beauty Bar Backyard 617 E 7th St
01:00 AM	The xx at Mohawk Patio 912 Red River St
01:00 AM	Toro Y Moi at Wave 408 E 6th St
01:00 AM	White Denim at Emo’s Annex 600 Red River St
01:00 AM	You Say Party! We Say Die! at Speakeasy 412 Congress Ave

SXSW Thurs. Party Picks

More of the same excellent party info.  Even more parties on Thursday than Weds.  This is the norm.  RSVP as illustrated.

SXSW2010 day party thurs

SXSW Weds. Party Picks

Here are my picks for Weds. day parties.  This isn’t an exhaustive list.  It is just the parties with good/great bands in good locations.  Most of the venues I pick are in the heart of the downtown entertainment area.  There are a few exceptions.  The Fader Fort is listed here, but ignore it if you didn’t RSVP.  And if you haven’t used the excellent http://www.showlistaustin.com site or sxsw2010.sched.org, get after it!

SXSW2011 Day Party Weds

SXSW Begins – with a Bang not a Whimper!

Here are my early picks for next Wednesday (17th) showcases.  This is the first night of showcases.  Music day parties have basically already started.  I’ll get out a list of those soon too.  There’s a pretty big group of people I know with wristbands this year: me, Kelle (wife), Eric (fellow music zealot friend), Jessica (coworker), Amy (friend/coworker/boss), and Rachel & Logan (friends).  Hopefully we can all meet up and have a blast.  If you don’t have a wristband, you can still join the fun.  It is just a little more complicated.  And yes, this list is long, but you’ve got to have options!  Cream of  the crop are in bold.

Time	Band	Venue
5:00 PM	Nneka	Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center
7:00 PM	Balmorhea	Central Presbyterian Church
7:30 PM	Hesta Prynn	Buffalo Billiards
7:45 PM	The Russian Futurists	Habana Calle 6 Patio
8:00 PM	Lost In Holland	Maggie Mae’s
8:00 PM	Madi Diaz	Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room
8:00 PM	Nat Jenkins	Prague
8:00 PM	Nice Nice	The Phoenix
8:00 PM	Ruby Isle	Lamberts
8:00 PM	The Coolness	Emo’s Annex
8:00 PM	The pEneLOpe[s]	Copa
8:00 PM	The Spit Brothers	Barcelona
8:00 PM	Zoe Keating	Central Presbyterian Church
8:25 PM	Boats	The Tap Room at Six
8:40 PM	Yukon Blonde	Habana Calle 6 Patio
8:45 PM	The Walkmen	Stubb’s
9:00 PM	Ben + Vesper	Beauty Bar
9:00 PM	Choir of Young Believers	Galaxy Room Backyard
9:00 PM	Ezra Furman and the Harpoons	live.create. lounge
9:00 PM	Here We Go Magic	Club de Ville
9:00 PM	Pivot	The Phoenix
9:00 PM	Plastic Crimewave Sound	Rusty Spurs
9:00 PM	The Beauvilles	Barbarella
9:00 PM	Toy Horses	Galaxy Room
9:15 PM	Angelo Spencer	Beauty Bar Backyard
9:30 PM	Hot Club of Cowtown	Beauty Bar/Palm Door
9:35 PM	Modern Skirts	Habana Calle 6 Patio
9:45 PM	Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings	Stubb’s
10:00 PM	Banjo Or Freakout	Latitude 30
10:00 PM	Blessure Grave	Rusty Spurs
10:00 PM	Born Ruffians	The Phoenix
10:00 PM	Butterfly Explosion	Habana Calle 6
10:00 PM	Codeine Velvet Club	The Parish
10:00 PM	Dam-Funk	Speakeasy
10:00 PM	Eprom	Barcelona
10:00 PM	Fanfarlo	Galaxy Room Backyard
10:00 PM	Findlay Brown	Galaxy Room
10:00 PM	Floating Action	Flamingo Cantina
10:00 PM	Josh Charles	Victorian Room at The Driskill
10:00 PM	Kaiser Cartel	Lamberts
10:00 PM	Magic Magic	Spill
10:00 PM	Mariachi El Bronx	Emo’s Main Room
10:00 PM	Matthew Perryman Jones	Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room
10:00 PM	Mini Mansions	Encore
10:00 PM	Nico Stai	live.create. lounge
10:00 PM	Palenke Soultribe	Mi Casa Cantina
10:00 PM	Pong	Scoot Inn
10:00 PM	Rauberhohle	Club 115
10:00 PM	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	Emo’s Annex
10:00 PM	The Uglysuit	Dirty Dog Bar
10:00 PM	Ume	Submerged
10:15 PM	Javelin	Buffalo Billiards
11:00 PM	Banda de Turistas	Billboard.com Bungalow
11:00 PM	Bomba Estereo	Antone’s
11:00 PM	Bowerbirds	Club de Ville
11:00 PM	Broken Bells	Stubb’s
11:00 PM	Cubic Zirconia	Speakeasy
11:00 PM	Gin Wigmore	Galaxy Room
11:00 PM	Hudson Mohawke	The Phoenix
11:00 PM	Jenny Owen Youngs	18th Floor at Hilton Garden Inn
11:00 PM	Jookabox	Beauty Bar
11:00 PM	La Strada	Wave
11:00 PM	Ozomatli	Galaxy Room Backyard
11:00 PM	Stardeath and White Dwarfs	Spill
11:00 PM	The Megaphonic Thrift	Habana Calle 6
11:00 PM	The Young Republic	Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room
11:00 PM	We Were Promised Jetpacks	The Parish
11:00 PM	You Say Party! We Say Die!	Elysium
11:10 PM	Allo Darlin	The Tap Room at Six
11:15 PM	Danielson	Beauty Bar Backyard
11:15 PM	Hauschka	Central Presbyterian Church
11:15 PM	MRK1	Barcelona
11:20 PM	James Kinney	Klub Krucial
11:20 PM	Smokey Angle Shades	Prague
12:00 AM	And So I Watch You From Afar	Friends
12:00 AM	Califone	Club de Ville
12:00 AM	Eskmo	The Phoenix
12:00 AM	Frightened Rabbit	The Parish
12:00 AM	The Black	The Ghost Room
12:00 AM	The Depreciation Guild	Wave Rooftop
12:05 AM	Andrew W.K.	Buffalo Billiards
12:10 AM	Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly	Prague
12:15 AM	High On Fire	Mohawk Patio
12:15 AM	Spoon	Stubb’s
12:30 AM	Dikes of Holland	Headhunters
1:00 AM	DM Stith	St David’s Bethell Hall
1:00 AM	Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now!	Galaxy Room
1:00 AM	Hudson Mohawke	The Parish
1:00 AM	Jeremy Jay	Beauty Bar
1:00 AM	Miike Snow	Galaxy Room Backyard
1:00 AM	She Wants Revenge	Emo’s Main Room
1:00 AM	Surfer Blood	Wave Rooftop
1:00 AM	The Morning Benders	Emo’s Jr
1:00 AM	The Veils	Elysium

Florence + The Machine

One of the best things about SXSW is the totally obscure bands you can discover en route to see a band you know about.  Case in point: Florence and the Machine.  Who the hell is Florence, and, um, what kind of machine are we talking about here?  A keyboard? A mannequin band like at Chuck E. Cheese? Or something I shouldn’t be mentioning here?  Well, she’s Florence Welch, a Londoner with a serious set of pipes.  Interestingly she was diagnosed with dyslexia (and some other related conditions), but it hasn’t hindered her musical career.  Apparently the Machine is her backing band which at one point included Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion, another band I saw at SXSW and loved.

Florence Welch

As you can see here, and in my Flickr photostream pics, Florence is a fan of unusual garb while performing, not that she’s a Lady GaGa or anything like that.  Eric Chiang and I managed to see her open for MGMT 2 years ago at the Rio Grande restaurant (a horrible music venue, but no reason for the place to go under; for that we’ll blame the food which was improved too little, too late).  Not sure about Eric, but Florence blew me away (MGMT were good too, but downplayed their keyboards which irritated us).  On stage it was little more than just her at that show, but her stage presence and giant, powerful and soulful voice filled the joint. We found her first EP somewhere and devoured it, eagerly awaiting her debut album Lungs which finally came out in July 2009.  I don’t think it has made a dent on American radio (but really, who cares about American radio?), but it went to #1 in the UK after many weeks in the top 40.  Her voice sounds like a mix of K.T. Tunstall, Allison Moyet, Kate Nash and Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes, with a little punk rock girl thrown in there.  I challenge you to not like “Dog Days are Over”, “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”,  “Kiss With A Fist” and “You’ve Got the Love”.  These are singalong anthems of an unusual variety.  They’re a bit poppy, but filled with enough odd notes and instrumentation to keep you coming back to hear the nuances of each song.  She even displays a twangy, sort of alt-country influence in her voice from time to time.  I tend to prefer her more upbeat songs, many of which have a driving rhythm section that is infectious.  Most songs have a sprinkling of synths, which usually help them to be my favorites.  A little synth applied just right knocks songs out of the park for me.  She aspires to a career like that of PJ Harvey, and you can definitely hear her admiration for PJ in these songs.

There are no duds here folks.  Give her a listen and I think she’ll be added to your playlists pretty quickly.  Enjoy the vid!