Life as an unconnected Day Partier at SXSW can be fickle – if I can get in to a party, then so can anybody else (it's the quantity of them that bothers me, not the quality) – but the price is right. Wednesday was rainy so I ditched my initial plans and caught Ghostland Observatory at the KEXP broadcast, and while they were more subdued than their truly amazing performance at the Austin City Limits festival last fall, can’t hardly hold that against them. They know how to work a crowd and create a fun atmosphere, and while their dance-pop is often a bit standard, when they fully lock onto a groove they don’t let go.
I then made it down to some Denton TX party featuring Midlake, who had some tech problems with their piano (pet peeve #1 – when a band does a 45 minute sound check for a 20 minute show) but fortunately played long enough to make it worthwhile. And their performance of “Roscoe” further cemented it’s position on my Great Song list. Yes I almost wept.
Thursday I met up with a couple friends and we did some aimless wandering around Red River, catching a mini-set of Sally Timms and Jon Langford, then over to the Scoot Inn for a taste of the Brooklyn Vegan party. The new management has really opened up the back patio for shows, plus the Ice Cream Man was there giving out free treats, so that’s a good start. Hella started playing and I admit that’s not really my thing, so I opted to go inside for Brothers and Sisters instead, then back out for Mew. Considering they’ve apparently been around for a while, boy do they all look like 16-year-olds. That Danish lifestyle must be good for ya. I was also pleased that they could really pull their layered sound off live (effects pedals = layered sound, I guess).
For Friday, I’m going to get lazy and point you to Pitchfork, as I spent most of the afternoon camped at Emo’s with them. Especially once I figured out that if I left I’d have an easier time getting in the governor’s bathroom than back in there. But the Forkers showed their muscle by bringing out a superb lineup – Fujiya & Miyagi, taking imitation to such sincere heights of flattery that it becomes interesting in its own right (at least I dig the whispery vocals); The Ponys, loudest band of the day by far, though with some muddy sound because of/despite that; glimpses of Beach House and Menomena; 30 minutes of aerobics with Girl Talk and his laptop full of music snippets (I’m not cool enough on the latest club tunes to recognize most of his rap samples, though); and a rousing closing set by Peter Bjorn and John. Not a lot of elbow room but still a jolly day.
Saturday found me wandering again, as the added bonus of St. Patrick’s Day on a weekend brought out ever more drunken fun-seekers. I checked out the Mess With Texas party at Red 7 before that line got out of control, and caught Deerhunter and The Black Lips. Also a sign announcing free Dewar’s… at 1 pm. Could get innaresting. Deerhunter had a good sound and some odd performance-arty moments (bass player douses guitar player with water, guitar player tries to kick him and falls down, gets up with blood on face, etc.), and I literally had to come home and Google their singer to see if he was “okay.” He mainly performed wearing a green sundress and is one of the thinnest people I’ve ever seen. Turns out he has something called Marfan’s Syndrome, so at least he’s not just strung out or wasting away and everyone’s too cool to step in.
Then it was over to Club DeVille and Hot Freaks blogger party, though I found a chair and a magazine while the Young Knives played in the background somewhere. The Rosebuds got me up on my feet and dancing to my limited extent, with the most exuberant show of the weekend. Their singer also diced it and cut his cheek – am I a bad luck charm or something?
The afternoon sort of dribbled away there, as the line to get in the other half of the party looked intimidating, and I wasn’t that concerned with seeing the Polyphonic Spree again. So instead I took in a film fest screening of Monterey Pop, and lemme tell you, if Janis Joplin, Otis Redding or Jimi Hendrix had played this weekend, they would have been the most exciting shows in town by a factor of hundreds. 40 years, people. Are we making progress??
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