Tag Archives: SXSW

Yes, some people do listen to less famous bands at SXSW. Here were my favorites

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6th Street around 9pm. Madness already, I think this was Thursday night.

6th Street around 9pm. Madness already, I think this was Thursday night.

As every media outlet has been writing for years, SXSW is a big bloated corporate monster that had some standard organizational problems this year, but it didn’t stop me from seeing 50 bands, there are problems every year. Years of attending and deep, former drunk knowledge of 6th Street from my college days helped me out immensely (miss you, nasty ole’ Treasure Island), as I bobbed and weaved through crowds and skipped the big elaborate shows to see bands I’d never seen before. I flew in Monday night to catch the tail end of Interactive, but mostly because I love watching the change in people as you move from Tuesday into Wednesday; blazers, jeans and Google Glass quickly turn into black skinny jeans, black t-shirts, and black hotpants. The streets were packed, but once you got inside most venues it was really roomy thanks to fire marshal capacity levels, and the bands were always happy to chat. Out of all those bands, these were the ones that stood out the most to me, and I can’t wait to watch their future career trajectories.

Mozes and the Firstborn

Mozes and the Firstborn


Mozes and the Firstborn: My favorite parties of the festival were definitely the Netherlands showcases at Bar96. Polite people, loud authentic garage rock and a food trailer inside made me keep coming back to them. I’ve been listening to Mozes and the Firstborn’s latest album a lot lately and expected them to be good- they ended up blowing me away. Walking a fine line between control and chaos, this Dutch garage band had top notch showmanship, a big crunchy sound with catchy hooks, and most of all skills. I do my best to dance and make other people know it’s ok to move, sometimes it works out to awesome photos like the one above of him pointing at me. They were one of the first bands I saw, and made a lot of the garage rock bands I saw after them seem like a bunch of fakers.

Skaters

Skaters


SKATERS: As you can see, photos of shows at night turn out pretty bland and boring with the same official SXSW banner behind them, so I mainly just shot photos during day shows. When I walked into the SKATERS show and saw some mega-hot rocker babes, I knew they were going to be good, and probably good looking. Right on both counts, this New York punk group had some of the catchiest melodies like an East Coast Rancid, and their cool, confident energy was so addictive that a rowdy mosh pit was going through most of the set, much to the chagrin of the young ladies that pushed their way to the front row then quickly were spit out to the sides.

Temples at Radio Day Stage

Temples at Radio Day Stage


Temples: Temples were one of the bands I was most excited to see, and they didn’t disappoint. Calm and confident on stage, their sound is gorgeous and full live, and people were singing along to every word. In a week filled with throwback 60’s psych acts, they were the most polished and the sweetest. Very composed.

Anna Fox Rochinski from Quilt

Anna Fox Rochinski from Quilt


Quilt: Gorgeous psych-pop out of New England, I walked myself out to East Austin to attend the Austin Psych Fest showcase to see them since they aren’t hitting up Denver this tour. They really got much wilder live than I expected, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the calmly beautiful Anna Fox Rochinski (loving the black/navy/brown combo). Unfortunately, their tour van was just totaled, so if anyone has an extra dollar to help a band finish their tour, it’s more than appreciated by the band and the fans:

http://quiltmusic.org/quiltmusic/HOME.html

Birth of Joy

Birth of Joy


Birth of Joy: Amsterdam’s Birth of Joy played a blistering set that caused me to text a friend I just saw “come back here now!!” When I wrote about their newest single I thought it sounded Doors-esque. Seeing them live did nothing to change that opinion, and that’s a great thing. Entertaining as hell, rowdy, psychedelic fun in nothing but music set without a moment to breathe. Less pomp than the Doors, more down to earth, straight up melt your face rock.

Got just under two minutes?

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Dances

Listen to Dances new single “Rat” today off their debut EP coming out this spring on Black Bell Records. One minute and 41 seconds of reckless, jangly, melodic fury. In their press release it says they are influenced by 60’s psych and 90’s alternative, I didn’t have to read further. Sold. The NY trio will be playing the Sailor Jerry party at SXSW on 3.13, won’t be missing that one.

Natural Child release silky smooth “Out in the Country” single today

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naturalchild

With influences like J.J. Cale, Canned Heat and Waylon Jennings, Nashville’s Natural Child create a sound that is a cross of classic country, southern soul R&B and psych rock. Today they released my favorite track off their new album, “Out in the Country”, a smooth as silk song layered with gorgeous swirling guitar lines and delicately funky keys. They just announced a tour with the Black Lips after their SXSW performances, listen to the new song below and check out their tour dates for a show near you. Their new album Dancin’ With Wolves comes out Feb. 25th on Burger Records:

Mon. April 14 – Richmond, VA @ The National *
Tue. April 15 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
Thu. April 17 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
Fri. April 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
Sat. April 19 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
Mon. April 21 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre *
Tue. April 22 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre *
Thu. April 24 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
Fri. April 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
Sat. April 26 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium *
Sun. April 27 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
Mon. April 28 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room *
Tue. April 29 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird *
Wed. April 30 – Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room *
Sat. May 3 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia *

* w/ Black Lips

Tweens “Be Mean” is a perfect mix of bratty and sweet

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Tweens

Cincinatti’s Tweens got a sweet break when Shake It Records owner Jim Blaze recommended them to Kim Deal of The Breeders as an opening act, and their perfect bratty garage pop sound influenced by Bay Area punks ended up keeping them around for the whole tour. Bridget Battle has a clarity in both her voice and lyrics that makes their music so easy to listen to, and the rough garage production is a nice yin to her Juliana Hatfield-crossed-with-The-Donnas like vocals’ yang. This spring they will be touring with Waxahatchee and Murder City Devils, but I’m most pumped to check them out at SXSW. Listen to “Be Mean” below, love the last little push of awesomeness at the end.

Feb. 03 MOTR Pub – Cincinnati, OH*
Feb. 07 Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA^
Feb. 08 Webster Hall New York, NY^
Feb. 09 The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD^
Mar. 06 The End – Freakin’ Weekend V Nashville, TN
Mar. 07 Savannah Stopover – Savannah, GA
Mar. 10 LogOn Cafe – Beaumont, TX
Mar. 12-15 SXSW – Austin, TX
Mar. 17 Low Key Arts – Hot Springs, AR
Mar. 29-Jun. 1 Nelsonville Music Festival – Nelsonville, OH

* w/ Waxahatchee
^ w/ Murder City Devils

Bands to check out at SXSW p.1

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Since I am a detailed person and a bit of a nut, I enjoy listening to every single band that is being showcased at SXSW before I attend (if you’d like a link to the detailed spreadsheet, follow the blog and I will put up a post when it’s ready close to three weeks prior with calendar). I’ve picked out the best for those that just don’t have the time for this daunting task, and will continue to through the festival, got my flights and vrbo booked, just need new ankle boots. These are my favorite groups out of Group 2 (with Group 1 to come because I accidentally did it backwards).

The Apache Relay- Nashville- Americana folk rock with mano and harp and Edward Sharpeish melodies and singalongs

Black Pistol Fire- Austin- TX rock/garage/blues goodness

Bobby Jealousy- Austin- big, bright happy pop

Brass Bed- Lafayette- reverbed out indie rock

Bully- Nashville- Juliana Hatfield-esque indie rock

Crying Nut- S. Korea- loud, crashing melodic pop punk done right

The Growl- Perth, Australia- sexy garage rock

Hurray for the RiffRaff- New Orleans- gorgeous female vocals, zydeco folk

La Femme- France- plain hot stuff

The Parrots- Spain- garage rock

Quiet Company- Austin- upbeat indie pop

Rey Pila- Mexico City- Scissor Sisters-like disco pop

September Girls- Dublin- grungy but pretty garage pop

So So Glos- Brooklyn- power pop twangy guitar goods

Spires- Brooklyn- jangly psych pop

Streets of Laredo- Brooklyn- fast paced folk rock

Troker- Mexico- funk with some killer organ and horns

Want to see a video of a song about crop circles that should be viral?

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Thanks to a wonderful poster at the witty and always-friendly Phish messageboard Phantasy Tour, this video was brought to our attention when the original poster ran into this guy at a recent Railroad Earth show. The musician, Gregg Brown had a cardboard sign that said “youtube: Crop Circle Song”, and when you do exactly that you get this precious treat from the internet. At first it comes off as something you would see on public access; I didn’t know if it was a joke or someone being completely sincere, this repetitive droning sound under lyrics about the meaning of crop circles (aren’t they hoaxes?). I kept listening because the music is trancey and pleasing, and his voice is actually nice and melodious, pleasantly asking “Are they harbingers of world change? These secrets in the fieeeeeeelds”. Eventually I realized I was on my fifth listen in a row and took a break. You tell me. Is this greatness? Is this horrible? Kinda leaning on the former. Whatever it, this man deserves to be seen, and if anyone has more information of him, I would love to hear it. I don’t know what to call this other than “something else”. Get this man to sxsw, this is exactly what people want there:

He definitely read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Crop-Circles-Harbingers-World-Change/dp/0946551898

And buy the single for a dollar here. I have already listened to this five time today, it’s worth the dollar:

http://www.amazon.com/Crop-Circle-Song/dp/B001NG9Y4S

Habibi- “I Got the Moves”

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habibi

Brooklyn girl group Habibi‘s new single is a little cloudpuff of a song, the smooth 60’s garagepop sound sweet but not too syrupy. Their name means “my love” in Arabic, and their sound is feminine and sexy. Hope they make it out to SXSW again this year. Listen here:

New Small Black single ready for summer mixtapes

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Small Black is another great band I caught at Southby. Ladies seem to love these guys, very catchy songs that you can’t help but dance to. Pretty synths build with pleasing vocals, the new album comes out May 14th. Going to sound great mixed in with other poolside music this summer.

No Stranger by Small Black

They are ending the tour right here in Denver at The UMS

TOUR DATES:
05/10/13 Brooklyn, NY – 7 Dunham Gallery Art Show
05/29/13 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall*
05/30/13 Montreal, QC – Club Lambi*
05/31/13 Toronto, ON – Wrong Bar*
06/01/13 Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch*
06/03/13 Chicago, IL – Schubas*
06/04/13 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center*
06/07/13 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret*
06/08/13 Seattle, WA – Barboza*
06/09/13 Portland, OR – Bunk Bar*
06/11/13 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop*
06/13/13 Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex*
06/14/13 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar*
06/15/13 Phoenix, AZ – Last Exit Live*
06/17/13 Dallas, TX – Club Dada*
06/18/13 Austin, TX – Red 7*
06/19/13 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s*
06/21/13 New Orleans, LA – Hi-ho Lounge*
06/22/13 Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn*
06/23/13 Nashville, TN – Exit In*
06/24/13 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506*
06/25/13 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel*
06/26/13 Philadelphia, PA – Morgan’s Pier*
06/30/13 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg*
07/20/13 Denver, CO – The UMS

Interview with ZZ Ward whose Denver show moved from Bluebird to Gothic 5/29

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20130501-152104.jpg photo by Andi Elloway (those boots!!!)

ZZ Ward is exploding right in front of our eyes. This talented songwriter wowed the crowds at sxsw, with everyone singing every word of Put the Gun Down, her single that is shooting up the charts. Her Denver show at Bluebird sold out overnight, so she got moved to the much larger (and beautiful) Gothic Theater. I got to speak to her today about the upcoming show on May 29th, and she is sweet and grateful and so deserving of the fame she’s gaining. Don’t miss the Gothic show, it’s going to be a high energy soul spilling.

Interview

Leslie Loudspeaker: I caught you at sxsw and the audience totally loved you, what did you think of that whole experience?

ZZ Ward: Oh that’s a great question, I mean sxsw was the second year I had done it, and it was so different from the first year, because people actually knew who I was. It was really fun, I mean the first year we did it it was grueling we played so many shows, like 4 or 5 shows a day. Just crazy.

LL: It’s hard to get your gear around!

ZZ: Oh yeah, sooo hard. But this year we also played a lot of shows and in the middle of it we actually flew to Denver and did the Kegs and Eggs festival, then we flew back to sxsw, so you know, Denver had a little place in my sxsw! It was great, it was following a really long tour for me so it was great, going to Austin and having the hot weather was really cool.

LL: What’s it like having Put the Gun Down being such a big hit? When you were playing it before, was it an audience favorite then?

ZZ: Yeah, people always liked Put the Gun Down and when I wrote the record I didn’t know it was going to be my single, but it’s been really fun, when we play it everyone knows the song and all sing the lyrics, so it’s been really cool, I’ve gotten to play it on TV a lot, like the Tonight Show and Conan O’Brien

LL: So your show here in Denver got moved to the Gothic, how does that feel to just be quickly on the rise right now?

ZZ: I’m not going to lie, it feels REALLY good, Denver has always been a really cool city for me. I always have a lot of support there from the people that live there, just one of my favorite places since the very beginning, and yeah we put tickets for sale for the show and we sold out overnight, and we moved to a bigger venue, I am so excited, it’s very flattering.

LL: When you finish a show how do you decompress?

ZZ: I usually just go and wind down, I mean it is a process, it’s an interesting question, I’ve never had anyone ask that before. A lot of times you play a show, and you have to get the energy going in the room of a thousand people, and I have to start that energy and it’s just contagious, but it’s a great question, how do I turn it off when I go to sleep? You know, you’re up at 7am still watching tv. I have a dog that I will bring on tour with me.

LL: Aw, what kind of dog?

ZZ: She’s a border terrier, her name is Muddy Waters. She hasn’t been on tour yet but she’s been to a couple shows, since I got her after the last big tour. She’s been on about 7 flights already though, and she does really great.

LL: Rockstar dog!

ZZ: I know, when we are home, she’s like “what are we doing, why aren’t we leaving, we need to go somewhere”!

LL: So how is your life different from a year ago, so much has changed!

ZZ: It’s very different, I feel like I’m in a really good place, though. I mean, I put out the record in October, and it feels good to have fans, it feels good to have people love my music, with all the writing and all that time that I put into this album and how passionate I was about making this record, it really feels like it paid off in the sense that it means something to people, you know? I have people come up to me at shows and say my record helped them get through a situation. Things like that are really incredible, it just makes sense for me to keep making music because I know I have people out there that want to hear it now.

LL: What is your process when it comes to writing new songs, do they come to you or do you try to schedule a time?

ZZ: At this point in my life I have to schedule a time, because I’m so busy, but usually I try to write about things I’m going through, and I have a lot to say about it, which is the first thing, because if you sit around going “man, what do I want to talk about right now” no, I’m an overthinker, I think about things WAY too much, which suits me very well as a songwriter, so I usually just try to come up with a good concept first.

LL: Who are your biggest influences music wise and what are you listening to now?

ZZ: My biggest influences are songwriters that write their own music, but also great singers are a big influence to me. Tina Turner is a big influence but also Tom Petty and David Bowie, and then I’m checking out the Emili Sande new record, and it’s really great.

LL: I haven’t heard her, I’ll check her out right now!

ZZ: Yeah, you definitely should! She’s awesome.

LL: Well thank you for your time, ZZ, and I can’t wait for the Gothic show!

ZZ: Well thank you very much and I will see you there!

Official Video for ZZ Ward’s “Put the Gun Down”

Emile Sande cover of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” big band style for the Great Gatsby soundtrack

Shoes for Shows

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I’ve been asked about the best shoes to wear at concerts by a few people, so I thought I’d show the ones I wear. There are quite a few schools of thought. Some go barefoot, flip-flops, sporty offroad style sandals, and then the closed toe shoes and socks people. I’m the third one, as I tend to get my feet stepped on a lot, and my bones get tired so I need some support. I LOVE flip-flops, lived in them year round in Texas, but they just don’t cut it when you need to jump over a barrier, one always falls off. Anyway, I don’t like wearing the same shoes day after day, so I’ve found lots of options. Below is an extremely long catalog of shoes I’ve worn to concerts that worked.

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Nike Air Max Sunrise – these are my VIP’s. They’ve seen 50+ shows, great support, good quality, and cute. In Charlotte this standard dirty hippie guy came up to me and said “excuse me, but are those the Air Max Sunrise? Well done!” and in Ohio a venue worker found them on her phone, she wanted them for work. That’s all the approval I need!

sold out, here are a bunch of other color combos though

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I’ve had a pair of checkered Vans in my arsenal off and on since I was a kid. Once you break in the back, these are the best. Cheap, you can toss them in the washer and dryer, and they match everything. These even stood up to the high tide coming up to our ankles at Jones Beach for Phish. Journey’s. I worked there when I was 16 and they were great to work for, thus I buy vans and tube socks there, they have a quota on socks that is tough to make.

checkered Vans

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The lace-up Vans are just as good. Since these come in men’s sizes, you will often meet a dude in the same shoes. This requires you to put your shoes next to each other, then do the Kid’n Play and high five. You will probably see this guy in two more cities and Kid’n Play each time. Journey’s as well.

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Jordans. This is when you want to make a statement. These are pricey shoes to be wearing in sticky arenas, by wearing white ones you are showing you are stupid and frivolous and do not care. When I wore them at SXSW, I got stopped multiple times to get my picture taken for streetstyle blogs. This did not happen in any other shoe. Sold out, eBay with inflated price

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These are for classier shows, where you will be dancing, but people will be older and in control of themselves, like a Medeski, Martin and Wood show or Spiritualized. These all live in their shoeboxes, and it’s taken years to collect. Whatever you do, take care of your shoes.

gold high tops

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Speaking of Red Rocks, it’s slanted, so I like to have a cowboy heel when I’m there. I’m obsessed with ankle boots that don’t make your legs stumpy. I liked these MIA boots so much, I bought both colors. If you like something, buy all the colors, you never regret those purchases. This style is no longer for sale, but these are similar and even better. That’s also a really good price!

MIA ankle boots

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If only they came in more colors.

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Since they don’t come in black, I wear these Vince Camuto Marcin boots. Softest leather I’ve ever felt, they are like wearing a slipper with spurs. They look really funny in the airport x-ray machine.

starting to get low on sizes

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Oh hey! The same boot in a Chelsea style in cheetah print! I had to wear thick ski socks for awhile breaking them in, they are great for running around on steps in the dark.

these were $60 when I bought them, keep your eyes open

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Speaking of running around in the dark, these are great for sneaking around quietly and quickly. However, they get demoted a point because they stain when someone spills their drink on you.

I like all of their stuff

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Here are their fancier cousins, these are so freaking fun for dancing. I thought they were stupid looking, but after I kicked around in them it was on. I can’t recommend these enough, they come in a ton of colors.

that color is no longer available, but these are pretty

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As we get further into taller boots, these get worn to metal shows and anything that’s going to get crazy. Buy Frye boots on eBay for much less, and you get the added bonus of someone else breaking them in.

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Final concert shoe. These are the best boots I’ve ever owned. Frye leather is awesome, if it already looks like they came from the Gold Rush, then they look good forever. Comfortable, cute, and warm, these are my go to for winter concerts.

I hope this helps at least one person, and keeps them from breaking a pinkie toe (happened in flip-flops), stepping on broken glass and bleeding everywhere (happened barefoot at a small outdoor venue), or getting tetanus (hasn’t happened). At a concert, you want to have fun and dance to great music, not complain that your feet hurt. Have fun out there!!