SXSW 2024

[Jerry Callo 8699]

So you posted a picture of the garage grunge band and not the eyeful strip club band?

[horn4life 3759]

23 hours ago, stc said:

Bounced around to different places on the east side yesterday. Significantly fewer people than previous years but that's cool with me. Local band Moon Kill was the best new discovery of the day, gave me Kyuss vibes. Fat Dog was pretty fun. Daikaiju is always entertaining. 

I was wondering if it was just my perception?  As while C-Boys was steadily crowded, SXSJ for example was not at capacity, and the sidewalk next to the venue was not packed as usual.  

Best show of the day for us was C.C.Adcock and the Lafayette Marquis, at C-Boys outdoors.  They were supposed to be joined by Tommy McLain, but he was under the weather.  But they put on a great show, and were a LOT more rocking than I thought.  The wife and I danced our asses off near the front of the stage, and we generally had a blast.  Went down to try and see the West Texas Exiles and Tommy Stinson, but the push to see the Exiles led us to realize that getting in for Stinson was gonna be tough so we just went down and grabbed a little snack and Big Larry at Hopdoddy.  Even though Hop has fallen down in quality in general their sweet potato fries are still the best in town.  But as stc said, we were able to easily get seats at the bar there this year each time we dropped in whereas last year, it was a much tougher seat to get. But seeing Adcock made the day.  We drifted back from the front of the stage and let other folks get close who haven't seen Alejandro Excovedo

Seems to me that the crowds are less for likely two reasons.  First is that a lot of the shows that disappeared during covid are making a return as more sponsors are simply creating more venues for folks to choose from.  Second might be the fact that the weather was going to be sketchy and folks that might have just driven in and stayed with friends for the weekend may have been reduced.  Not as much fun trying to dodge rain, than drifting around with lovely weather.

Again ended the day at Eldorado Cafe, which always hits the spot for us.  And quite frankly, much like the Continental Club and C-Boys, I much prefer giving my money to local folks who take care of their people and give me a great product, whether music or food.

I think we may have ended our run last night, but still watching the weather to see if it clears enough to make it worthwhile to take another run at things.  But with it raining pretty hard at our house right now, that may be a weather hill too tall to climb.  But have fun out there, and again tip the folks that take care of you.  And tip them if you are just taking up space!

[jimmyjazz 45891]

We're still waiting on word about the SPIN show at Stubbs.  There's a chance Die Spitz won't play, regardless, as laryngitis has shot through the band.

[stc 1460]

Red river and east side again yesterday. Saw Luther Dickinson do a live on the internet thing for Paste at coral snake, he makes it look so effortless. Strange Lot, local band, was yesterday's discovery. Their rhythm section was exceptional. Wandered into an alley show and a backyard party. Good scene all around. More people than Thursday but still pretty chill. Didn't wait in any lines.

[Hook1997 5351]

Any suggestions for a spot with good free bands today?

[HenryJames 66038]

[jimmyjazz 45891]

3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

We're still waiting on word about the SPIN show at Stubbs.  There's a chance Die Spitz won't play, regardless, as laryngitis has shot through the band.

They pulled it off, but only made it about 25 minutes.  Ellie about collapsed.

Get Up Kids sucked ass.

[MidTexHorn 822]

11 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

So you posted a picture of the garage grunge band and not the eyeful strip club band?

Ha! Yeah, my wife was with me which cut down on the creeper photos. Didn’t want to risk the side eye from her. Google is your friend. 

[stc 1460]

Did the webberville block party yesterday. Exotic Fruitica and Swallow the Rat were pretty good. Saw Alex Maas at coral snake, psychotic reaction at vinyl beauty bar (weird place) and rickshaw billies at king bee. Not sure I have it in me to go out again today.

[texasdago 7568]

We were out of town all week and came back yesterday afternoon buuuuttt... Hit up C-Boys and Guero's today.

 

Caught part of Restos with Graham Weber and then went inside and liked the vibe of Wrong Bird.  Caught a bit of Lost Bayou Ramblers (zydeco) and then walked down to Guero's.  Didn't dig the first band but really liked Dukes of Dune.  Latin infused rock... think Brownout style.  Headed back to C-Boys to catch Ian Moore but it started pouring so we stuck through three songs and then headed out.  Bummer.  Ian's bass player played in a neighborhood party in our hood in October with Willy McGee's Band.

Had RSVPed for Pershing but ended up passing.  At least we got some shows in. 

 

Edited March 18 by texasdago

[stc 1460]

think this band was my favorite discovery of the week...

 

[DixonHur 11295]

On 3/17/2024 at 10:38 AM, stc said:

Did the webberville block party yesterday. Exotic Fruitica and Swallow the Rat were pretty good. Saw Alex Maas at coral snake, psychotic reaction at vinyl beauty bar (weird place) and rickshaw billies at king bee. Not sure I have it in me to go out again today.

I didn't know Ketch played drums.

[stc 1460]

i was pleasantly surprised by the number of bands from austin that i discovered. made me feel pretty good about the scene here...it ain't dead. previous years it felt like every new band was from brooklyn or LA. 

[texasdago 7568]

58 minutes ago, stc said:

i was pleasantly surprised by the number of bands from austin that i discovered. made me feel pretty good about the scene here...it ain't dead. previous years it felt like every new band was from brooklyn or LA. 

There are a ton of great local bands and new ones popping up all the time.  

I saw Being Dead live a few weeks ago... really liked their vibe and show.  They're relatively new.  They played a bunch of shows last week...

[jimmyjazz 45891]

10 minutes ago, texasdago said:

There are a ton of great local bands and new ones popping up all the time.  

I saw Being Dead live a few weeks ago... really liked their vibe and show.  They're relatively new.  They played a bunch of shows last week...

My daughter adores them.  I need to check them out.

[texasdago 7568]

8 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

My daughter adores them.  I need to check them out.

They have a good time... pretty unique sound.  In a weird way, something about them reminds me of 60's surf music combined with the Dead Milkmen.  I may be the only one that hears that. 

Still pissed that Je'Texas is gone... was really really enjoying their sound.

[stc 1460]

they've been around a while. think i first saw them in 2017. 

[stc 1460]

Just now, texasdago said:

Still pissed that Je'Texas is gone... was really really enjoying their sound.

didn't know they were gone. they just released their first album last year, right? weird. 

[texasdago 7568]

3 minutes ago, stc said:

they've been around a while. think i first saw them in 2017. 

Might be... I guess their first album was released last year.  

https://kutx.org/artist-of-the-month/being-dead/

Good KUT clip here... 

[texasdago 7568]

4 minutes ago, stc said:

didn't know they were gone. they just released their first album last year, right? weird. 

Yeah... sucks.  Saw them a couple of times and was really digging their sound and *poof* 

[DToro 90]

I worked SXSW last week as a volunteer for the sessions. It was my first time to volunteer and other than attending some SXSW events, really the first time I got to attend the conference. If you volunteer a certain amount of hours, you basically work for the badge you want (Music, Film, Platinum, and Interactive). I did it partly because I'm in a job search and thought it would help to network a little and also get some professional development. 

Wow. I was impressed with the topics, speakers, and panelists. There's a lot of depth to what they offer, not just music, film and technology. As a marketer, there were several sessions, even healthcare, real estate, entrepreneurship, etc. The happy hours were good and met some really cool people doing some interesting work. We are in the dawn of AI. Will be interesting to see how that unfolds and is managed in the coming years. The XR exhibits were pretty cool, too. The world is moving fast 

Highlights were keynotes with Michael Dell and The Black Keys musical journey. I did listen to the cast of "Civil War." I haven't seen the Black Keys doc or "Civil War," but have it on my list. I actually didn't go to any movies, because I was more interested in the music showcases. 

I worked Ballroom A at the ACC on on Wednesday, it flipped from speaker sessions to Radio Day Stage. Wednesday featured all Latin artists who were all really good. They included:

• Marcelo D2-Brazilian rapper from the 90's Supposedly huge back there. I talked to his manager and he said it was weird to see him perform in from of 250 people. Back in Brazil he performs in from of 50,000 people. 
• Pink Pablo-Good singer from Puerto Rico.
• J Noa-Dominica Republic rapper. She brings it. 
• Marem Ladson- Beautiful singer from Spain. Just her, a guitar and a silk voice. 
• Angelica Garcia-Half Mexican-Half Salvadoran. Great voice and a performance artist on stage. Apparently Obama put her on one of his song lists. 
• Papisa-A Brazilian band. They were good.

Pink Pablo band mates told me to go to the ACL live show they were playing that night. PP and J Noa were on the list that featured Peso Pluma. I went. Good shows again, but didn't stay for Pluma. 

I also saw The Black Keys at Stubbs on Friday. I'd been wanting to see them for a while and they kicked ass. All of the opening bands, I believe, were on Dan Auerbach's Easy Eyes Sounds label. Jon Muq, Britti, Hermanos Guitierrez and Shannon and the Clams. My favorite was Shannon and the Clams (they played SWSJ, too). 

Still recovering, but yeah, it was a good week to be in Austin. 

 

[BurdineBandit 815]

7 hours ago, DToro said:

I worked SXSW last week as a volunteer for the sessions. It was my first time to volunteer and other than attending some SXSW events, really the first time I got to attend the conference. If you volunteer a certain amount of hours, you basically work for the badge you want (Music, Film, Platinum, and Interactive). I did it partly because I'm in a job search and thought it would help to network a little and also get some professional development. 

 

 

I volunteered for the first time myself, and the entire experience was great. Got lucky enough for a friend to match me up with a VR production company out of South Africa directly. They had us work 18 hours total for a platinum badge. The entire XR portion was pretty cool over at the Fairmont. Got to see a few booths and try something new.

I should have been doing this during my 20s, but mustered up enough energy for a couple SX Comedy shows early in the week, and 4 nights of music discovery. Just relying on the app to learn about who was playing when, and rolling the dice on what sounded cool, and I found a few bands to add to the playlists. Really enjoyed it this year and hope I get lucky enough to do it again next year. 

[jimmyjazz 45891]

I'm a dinosaur.  I attended year 1 and volunteered year 2.  I got put on "Security" (which is hilarious).  I had the brilliant idea to suggest we offer van service to attendees who might have been overserved.

I spent the whole weekend driving Michael Corcoran around in a Chevy van.

[Hornius Emeritus 12450]

14 hours ago, texasdago said:

There are a ton of great local bands and new ones popping up all the time.  

I saw Being Dead live a few weeks ago... really liked their vibe and show.  They're relatively new.  They played a bunch of shows last week...

If you haven't seen Los Coast they are badass. Check out the reviews.

 

https://www.loscoast.com/about

[4th&Five 41519]

I got turned onto them a couple years ago when their singer drove me home in a Lyft. 

[jimmyjazz 45891]

4 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

I got turned onto them a couple years ago when their singer drove me home in a Lyft. 

That would be an interesting and very Austin encounter:  "Hey man, wanna hear my band's new single?"

[4th&Five 41519]

Ha. Not quite. He picked me up from a show so we started talking about music. I had to ask him the name of his band. 

[horn4life 3759]

Los Coast is good.  I ran into one of the guys I speak to regularly at Hopdoddy and he said he volunteered to get his platinum badge.  I may go for it next year, simply as I would probably enjoy the work part as much as the badge.  My wife does NOT want to iron man my way though bands, and I would likely us the badge more for the late night shows at places I already go to.  Or old like me, with the flexibility to do this sort of shit.  I ran into some gals at Eldorado a while back that basically organized the Kerrville folk festival.  Not my cup of tea really, but they said they would hire me to bartend and that I could get certified online in a couple hours for like $10.  Haven't bartended for 35 years, but I thought I do have a travel trailer and maybe a week in Kerrville might be fun?

Heck honestly my wife might like a break from going to SXSW, as she gets wiped out in two days.  So school me on this Volunteer thing?  

23 hours ago, DToro said:

I worked SXSW last week as a volunteer for the sessions.

15 hours ago, BurdineBandit said:

I volunteered for the first time myself, and the entire experience was great.

So looks like a lot more hours if you do film than music? 40-56 hours vs 24-32 on the music side?  What badges did you guys get and I assume you do not get the badge until you complete the work hours?  Or they can simply deactivate it if you fail to fulfill your commitment?

Anyhow just wondering how much time and what badges you guys got?  I assume this link is fairly accurate SXSW volunteer rules

[DToro 90]

On 3/19/2024 at 7:16 PM, BurdineBandit said:

I volunteered for the first time myself, and the entire experience was great. Got lucky enough for a friend to match me up with a VR production company out of South Africa directly. They had us work 18 hours total for a platinum badge. The entire XR portion was pretty cool over at the Fairmont. Got to see a few booths and try something new.

I should have been doing this during my 20s, but mustered up enough energy for a couple SX Comedy shows early in the week, and 4 nights of music discovery. Just relying on the app to learn about who was playing when, and rolling the dice on what sounded cool, and I found a few bands to add to the playlists. Really enjoyed it this year and hope I get lucky enough to do it again next year. 

I worked the Fairmont on Sunday. It was all Gaming and XR. Yeah, really cool stuff and I hope to manage my time better next year, now that I got the lay of the land. 18 hours is nothing. I worked 40 hours for an Interactive badge. Platinum required something like 60 hours! Like you, I hope I can do it again next year. 

[DToro 90]

On 3/20/2024 at 10:56 AM, horn4life said:

Los Coast is good.  I ran into one of the guys I speak to regularly at Hopdoddy and he said he volunteered to get his platinum badge.  I may go for it next year, simply as I would probably enjoy the work part as much as the badge.  My wife does NOT want to iron man my way though bands, and I would likely us the badge more for the late night shows at places I already go to.  Or old like me, with the flexibility to do this sort of shit.  I ran into some gals at Eldorado a while back that basically organized the Kerrville folk festival.  Not my cup of tea really, but they said they would hire me to bartend and that I could get certified online in a couple hours for like $10.  Haven't bartended for 35 years, but I thought I do have a travel trailer and maybe a week in Kerrville might be fun?

Heck honestly my wife might like a break from going to SXSW, as she gets wiped out in two days.  So school me on this Volunteer thing?  

So looks like a lot more hours if you do film than music? 40-56 hours vs 24-32 on the music side?  What badges did you guys get and I assume you do not get the badge until you complete the work hours?  Or they can simply deactivate it if you fail to fulfill your commitment?

Anyhow just wondering how much time and what badges you guys got?  I assume this link is fairly accurate SXSW volunteer rules

I got the Interactive Badge which required 40 hours. I believe the Film and Music badges are same or less, but the Platinum is 56. 

I was a late addition to the volunteer sign up, a week before, but it usually opens up mid-January. One thing I learned, is you don't have to work all 40 hours in a row, you can break it up, which I wish I had done, just because by Wednesday, many of the good session I wanted to attend (Marketing and Sports) are done. So you can work 2 day, use it 2 days, and work another 2 days to complete it, just as long as you complete the required time. 

I did try and maximize my badge and on days I worked (10 hours shifts for sessions). I went to happy hours or music showcases afterward. Didn't get any film in. 

If you are scheduled for a day and are a no-show, they will de-activate your badge. Had a girl show up who did that, showed up a day late, but they re-activated it. I think if you don't complete the required time, you also are on the naughty list and you don't get invited back, but didn't ask any of the crew managers about that. 

 

Hope this helps. I enjoyed it and will try and do it again next year. Maybe I see you out there then. 

[jimmyjazz 45891]

Can't remember if posted . . . don't care . . . you can really get the feeling Britt appreciates Westerberg's writing on the second tune here ("Alex Chilton"):

 

[Stringer 1438]

On 3/25/2024 at 11:55 PM, jimmyjazz said:

Can't remember if posted . . . don't care . . . you can really get the feeling Britt appreciates Westerberg's writing on the second tune here ("Alex Chilton"):

 

We didn't do much this year, except for Luck Reunion and bouncing around South Congress on Sat.  We caught English Teeth and were about to leave until they introduced Britt and we stayed for his songs.  I don't know much about The Replacements, but Alex Chilton definitely could have fit right in on Girls Can Tell.  Pretty obvious that Britt was influenced by them early on.  Thanks for posting.

Luck was a great time, once again.  I have been 6 (7?) times now.  Just love it.  My favorite set of the day was Texas Wild with Walker Lukens and The Texas Gentlemen.  It was all covers of Texas artists with special guests throughout.  From what I remember, but I am missing a few:

The Texas Gentlemen - That's Right (You're Not from Texas)

Walker Lukens - "Cheap Sunglasses"

David Ramirez - "All my Exes Live in Texas"

Not sure who they were - "Say My Name"

Steve Earle - DIdn't know the song

Rainbow Girls - "Goodbye Earl"

Sarah Jaffe - "Angel Flying too Close to the Ground"

Vaden Todd Lewis (Toadies) - "Since You've Been Gone"

Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit) - "Pancho and Lefty"

It was just one of those transcendent live music sets that has everyone locked in and having a great time.  So joyful.  "Since You've Been Gone" brought the fucking house down.  

 

 

[jimmyjazz 45891]

48 minutes ago, Stringer said:

We didn't do much this year, except for Luck Reunion and bouncing around South Congress on Sat.  We caught English Teeth and were about to leave until they introduced Britt and we stayed for his songs.  I don't know much about The Replacements, but Alex Chilton definitely could have fit right in on Girls Can Tell.  Pretty obvious that Britt was influenced by them early on.  Thanks for posting.

I've spent a fair amount of time in the studio with Britt and the Spoon crew.  I can confidently assert that Britt's knowledge of rock is "encyclopedic", to an insane degree.  If it was recorded and got any airplay, he knows it.  I think that's why you hear so many diverse influences in Spoon's music, from Prince to the Stones to the Kinks to the Replacements, the Clash, the Isley Brothers, you name it.

[Stringer 1438]

6 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I've spent a fair amount of time in the studio with Britt and the Spoon crew.  I can confidently assert that Britt's knowledge of rock is "encyclopedic", to an insane degree.  If it was recorded and got any airplay, he knows it.  I think that's why you hear so many diverse influences in Spoon's music, from Prince to the Stones to the Kinks to the Replacements, the Clash, the Isley Brothers, you name it.

That makes total sense.  Their 25-30 years is very varied.  That said, they have Britt's voice and the just off-kilter sound dissonance and soundscape maximalism that is always unmistakably Spoon.

[LFS 57]

last time I was at SXSW:

 

 

 

[DixonHur 11295]

Finally finished listening to at least 1 song from every 2024 SXSW artist...below are a few of "discoveries" and the first song I hear from them...in no particular order:

Jon Muq - Local singer-songwriter (originally from Uganda).  Only 3 songs on Spotify, but I like all of them. 

Spoiler

 

Telehealth - Seattle based Devo cover band.  Just kidding, they are an original music band, but it is definitely heavily Devo inspired. (First song heard "Mindtrap")

Spoiler

 

Viji - Vienna-born, London based.  Sexy indie pop with great hooks.  Slight Missing Persons vibes.

Spoiler

 

Vera Ellen - New Zealand band that has a Courtney Barnett feel.

Spoiler

 

Michigander - Shockingly from Michigan.  Catchy pop infused indie rock.  

Spoiler

 

Hembree - Kansas City band that has a slight Portugal. The Man vibe.

Spoiler

 

 

[stc 1460]

On 3/19/2024 at 10:48 AM, texasdago said:

Still pissed that Je'Texas is gone... was really really enjoying their sound

playing tomorrow night at continental club gallery. 

[texasdago 7568]

21 minutes ago, stc said:

playing tomorrow night at continental club gallery. 

W H A T ????

[texasdago 7568]

8 hours ago, stc said:

playing tomorrow night at continental club gallery. 

Thx for the heads-up... Going