The key to surival @ SXSW may just be a hot soaking bath while you read the day's schedule. I'm not a bath guy but well... who knew?
Friday started out with a visit to Flatstock. This event's free to the public and it features original rock posters by over 80 graphic arts from all over the place. This thing is worth the trip by itself for any indie music lover. If you come to SXSW and don't get here, you didn't get your money's worth. A couple of the local KC artists were on display, Tad Carpenter and Hammer Press. Both were among the best at the show...
After that we wanted to see Kate Walsh. But first, it was time for someone named Kim Hiorthoy. Congrats... we have a new worst band of SXSW and this will be hard to beat. Basically the Norwegian electronic artist came out and did one song. A long thudding, droning 15 minute headache titled something like "Music from a Music Convention" or some pretentious crap like that. Uh... thanks.
But as if to demonstrate the range of music you can see at South By, that train wreck was followed by the sweet voice of Kate Walsh. This is not the Grey's Anatomy actrees but rather a Brighton-based singer. We got to hear a radio interview with her and I'm not sure there's a kinder, more upbeat person this side of Sia. This one goes on the shopping list.
Doing another musical 180, we were off to see Dizzie Rascal. Or should I say Dizzie Rascal and friends? See Dizz has his own label and he brought along a couple of acts from the label to warm up the crowd. That's a stock hip-hop move that probably goes back before Dr. Dre did the same with Snoop Dogg & Eminem. But these guys were no Snoop and Marshall. Amateur hour, indeed. Dizzie was solid though, befitting his place as the king of UK grime.
We poked our head in Emo's Annex to check out the Von Bondies. It was a solid hard rockin' set and the band has a new record in the cue. The highpoint, of course, was a ripping early Who-like version of C'mon C'mon. The only downside was the frat boys that were waiting for it so they could act like tools for their buddies...
There was a long line at Stubbs, but unlike with REM, we were in front of most of it to see the Ting Tings. There's been a lot of buzz around these guys and I can see why. After a couple of technical glitches, they ripped through a set filled with insanely catchy, danceable indie pop like "That's Not My Name" and "Great DJ". Another one for the shopping list.
One of the bigger disappointments of SXSW was up next... Philly's Santogold. The bar for female indie hip-hop has been set high by M.I.A. and apart from the catchy single "L.E.S. Artists", this was mostly generic recycled beats. Yawn...
So we head off to catch X at the Convention Center. I sneak away from the line to go see Ryan Bingham, who I think is also doing an earlier live gig for Direct TV on the adjoining soundstage. Bingham's a roots rock artist on Lost Highway who's been getting solid reviews for his CD, Mescalito.
Except it's not Ryan Bingham... it's Ryan Cabrera. I'm standing there thinking that he doesn't really look like the picture I saw of Bingham... and he doesn't sound like a Lost Highway type artist. Two songs later I walk out, scratching my head and look at the posted schedule. Only then do I realize my grave error. Cabrera's part of the whole Jessica/Ashley Simpson scene. Now it all makes sense... Ugh.
But it doesn't take X long to get Cabrera out of my head. Once again, it's the veteran rockers that show everyone how it's done. It was about a 60 minute set, mostly greatest hits (not that these guys were ever allowed to have hits). These guys, simply put, are one of the greatest live bands you'll ever see. The fact that they aren't in the Rock Hall of Fame, yet Madonna just got in tells you all you need to know about the music industry. Exene has more rock'n'roll in a hangnail on her pinkie toe than 100 Madonnas could dream about in 100 years. Best show of the trip so far...
Grades: Kim Hiorthoy F, Walsh B+, Dizzee Rascal B, Dizzee Rascal's Friends D, The Von Bondies B+, The Ting Tings A-, Santogold C, Ryan Cabrera C-, X A+
Today, we're getting an early start and going for volume...
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