Saturday was a day to see as many acts as I could. The day started with a morning trip to Austin's great record store, Waterloo Records. I grabbed a basket and started filling it up with CDs. As I'm browsing, I look up and see Rolling Stone's David Fricke facing me in the next aisle. The stalker in me was immediately inspired to play "Record Shopping with David Fricke", so I went over to see what he was buying. Strategically positioned one bin to his left, I watched as he browsed The Hellacopters, then smiled as he picked up a special edition copy of the Jam's All Mod Cons. I got bored by the time he hit King Crimson and it was time to move on.
I came up with an idea I'm calling the "3 song rule"... nothing original, but an act has 3 songs to capture my interest enough to make me want to hear more, otherwise, time's a wastin'. All in all, I got to see 20 bands Saturday, so I guess the rule worked. It's too much to blog these acts in detail, so here they are, quick & dirty and in order...
Cathy Davey: Irish singer-songwriter, kinda poppy, maybe a little Regina Spektor-ish (Grade: B-)
Frankel: Indie folky doing acoustic set. Seemed like he might be ok with a full band, but didn't hold my interest. (Grade: C)
The Whigs: Finally, a band with people under 40 that knows how to rock. One of the better bands I saw this trip. (Grade: B+)
Liam Finn: Clever, witty, talented. Another one of those 2-piece bands, but Liam does some pretty cool things with loops on the fly. Son of Neil is worthy of the Finn bloodline. (Grade: B+)
Health: Loud, pulsing, distorted. Kraftwerk meets Speed Metal. Lots of energy. Not bad, but probably just not my thing. (Grade: C-)
Paul Kelly: Kelly's been called Australia's Elvis Costello. I couldn't miss this relatively rare chance to see him and I wasn't disappointed. (Grade: A)
Nicole Atkins: Columbia's pushing her debut hard, so you may be hearing more of her on the radio. Not the best female act this trip, but she can sing. A bit more pop than I might like. (Grade: B-)
Port O'Brien: Oakland indie folk band really made me smile with their energy, especially on "I Woke Up Today". Seeing about 10 audience members up on stage banging whatever they could get their hands on while the hoarse band screamed out the lyrics to this stomper was one of the trip's highlights. (Grade: B+)
The Dodos: Another 2-piece folk rock band. Not a standout, but not bad. (Grade: C)
Built For The Sea: Dreamy indie pop. A little too earnest and serious for my taste, but it could have just been my mood needed something lighter. (Grade: B-)
Loquat: A bit more dance pop and electronica than I typically listen to but the songs all had a nice groove to them with strong catchy choruses, especially "Sit Sideways". A lot of people would probably dig this. (Grade: B-)
Chuck Prophet: Another solid set from a veteran rocker. This guy's criminally underrated. "Doubter Out Of Jesus" was another of the trip's highlights. (Grade: A-)
Sons & Daughters: The Glasgow band spins out catchy rockers like their Domino labelmates, Arctic Monkeys. Big drums, big guitars. (Grade: B+)
Oppenheimer: The Belfast band opened the evening lineup at Emo's. I sat and watched but didn't hear anything that made me want to get up. (Grade: C)
Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong: Best new band I heard at SXSW. Reminds me of the Kaiser Chiefs, the Hives, Franz Ferdinand. Lead vocalist Joe Lean is a rock star and I expect to see a lot more of these guys. (Grade: A)
The Raveonettes: Don't get me wrong. I love the Raveonettes. Bought their CD earlier in the day. This performance was solid, but their cool energy comes off a tad aloof and boring over the course of a live set. (Grade: B-)
The Donnas: These girls are solid and rockin' pros. Flirtatious and fun. (Grade: B+)
The Slits: Veteran punkers air out their dub reggae fetish. A major disappointment considering I walked away from seeing X again for this. Yawn... (Grade: C-)
Film School: Dreamy pop but with a bit more punch than some of the others working this turf. Atomospheric J+M Chain-influenced landscapes. (Grade: B)
David Garza: Local rocker brings the music to a close with "Discoball World". (Grade: B)
To wrap things up, here's a brief summary of all the 45 acts we saw and their grades:
A+: X
A: Sia, Alejandro Escovedo, Paul Kelly, Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong
A-: The Ting Tings, The Kills, Tim Fite, Chuck Prophet
B+: Kate Walsh, The Von Bondies, Jeffrey Lewis & The Jitters, Jens Lekman, The Whigs, Liam Finn, Port O'Brien, Sons & Daughters, The Donnas
B: Dizzee Rascal, A Place to Bury Strangers, Van Morrison, Be Your Own Pet, Film School, David Garza
B-: Bo Bice, Islands, Black Mountain, Cathy Davey, Nicole Atkins, Built For The Sea, Loquat, The Raveonettes
C+: White Williams
C: Santogold, Deer Tick, Martha Wainwright, Frankel, The Dodos, Oppenheimer
C-: Ryan Cabrera, Bon Iver, Health, The Slits
D: Dizzee Rascal's Friends
F: Kim Hiorthoy
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