Final SXSW Recap

A friend warned me that SXSW rewards research and preparation. I did little of either this year. I never made a schedule of bands I wanted to see. I just bounced from show to show, trying to catch up with as many my friends as possible. It worked well but I'll be more organized when the rest of Rock Club is here for SXSW 2010.

I didn't keep a running tally of bands which was another mistake. I cobbled a list together after the fact and I'm sure I forget a few. I watched a total of 41 bands play 47 sets (see below). Looking back it's a blur. Another thing I need to do next year: more pictures. Oh, and some video.

Top 5 Performances:
1. Future of the Left
2. The Decemberists
3. Kurt Vile
4. Thao and The Get Down Stay Down (Kill Rock Stars Party)
5. Harlem

Top 5 Surprises:
1. The Decemberists
2. Kurt Vile
3. Salvador Duran
4. Dignan
5. Efterklang

5 Bands I Wished I Had Seen:
1. Dirty Projectors
2. The Soft Pack
3. The Chesterfield Kings
4. Devo
5. Dan Auerbach

5 Bands I didn't Mind Missing:
1. Metallica
2. Tinted Windows
3. Tori Amos
4. Juliette & the Licks
5. Cold War Kids

Full List:
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down (three times)
Carol Bui (twice)
Horse Feathers (twice)
Deleted Scenes (twice)
The Thermals (twice)
Dans La June
Gomez
The Decemberists
Middle Distance Runner
Dignan
Rotary Downs
Harlem
Felix Obelix
Deleted Scenes
Efterklang
Camera Obscura
Alela Diane
The Homosexuals
Richard Swift
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Bishop Allen
Julie Dioron
Phosphorescent
Silk Flowers
Crystal Stilts
Gun Outfit
The Upsidedown
Salvador Duran y Sergio Mendoza
The Future of the Left
Casiokids
Kurt Vile
Wovenhand
Major Stars
Crystal Stilts
King Khan and the Shrines
Cursive
Japanther
Vivian Girls
Trash Talk
The Thermals
The Bronx

SXSW: Day Three

Jumbo Slice drags his kid out to SXSW

Day Three of SXSW 2009. I skipped the Friday day parties so I was rested and ready for the evening. I started out at my friend Callie's (a.k.a. Show Lush) house. She hosts great backyard shows and for SXSW she was featuring Salvador Duran. It began early so my wife and daughter joined the party. Duran is a Tucson based flamenco guitarist who has toured with bands such as Calexico and Iron and Wine. His music incorporates many styles but much is based on traditional Mexican folk music. He plays guitar while his feet provide percussion via a wooden stomping box. I didn't understand what he was singing about but it didn't matter. It was a mesmerizing performance that amazed all in attendance but perhaps none more than my daughter. She was super squirmy all evening but the moment Salvador started singing with that beautiful voice she was as still as a statue enraptured by his music.

Future of the Left

After a quick dinner at Whole Foods I met a certain Going Out Guru for Future of the Left. As I said in on Twitter, "Future of the Left is fierce, funny, funky, but mostly really pissed off." I saw a lot of good bands at SXSW but Future of the Left was the best. The stage was above the crowd with the bar serving as a moat. The venue normally hosts burlesque shows so it was a odd to see a bunch of angry Scots Welsh guys ripping through songs. By the end of the set I was kicking myself for not seeing them earlier in the day.

Next up was a quick meeting with some friends at another bar. A band called Casiokids was onstage and it was the complete antithesis of the intensity we just experienced. Nonetheless the place was packed with lots of dancing hotties so the band was doing something right. After one beer we were back on 6th Street heading to see Kurt Vile.

Kurt Vile

All I knew about Kurt Vile was that he was a member of The War on Drugs, the Philadelphia band that released the excellent Wagonwheel Blues album last year. At this particular show was the head honcho from Matador Records, one of the labels vying to sign Vile. If having a label executive there bothered him it didn't show. He operated without a set list and his banter to the crowd was pretty bland. However, when he was playing it was clear the kid has something special. Based on what I heard that night, I wouldn't be surprised if five years from now I'm bragging about seeing Kurt Vile perform to a room of less than 20 people, before he hit it big.

Major Stars

Next up was Major Stars from Boston. Wow this is an unattractive band. Good thing they can rock. They played some crazy psychedelic and heavy shit. It was a little jammy, a little sloppy, but overall they put on an entertaining show. Then we skipped over to Emo's for the final bands of the night. I caught a few songs by Crystals Stilts before switching to the other stage to see a band I've wanted to see for some time: King Khan and the Shrines.

"Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me. I'd fuck me hard."

This review is already way too long so I'll keep this brief. King Khan did his best James Brown impression and about halfway through the set one of The Shrines did his best Jame Gum Gumb ("Buffalo Bill") impression. It made me throw up in my mouth a little so I figured I'd share it with all of you. Enjoy.

Tomorrow: Day Four of SXSW and my final recap.