Punk Rock Skunk

SXSW Day 4; March 21, 2009, Austin TX

Today I finally got away from 6th Street, home to many of the SXSW venues and a good percentage of its bars, and headed south of the river to see what was going on there. Being a bus rider in Madison I had no problem finding one to take me Jovita’s where a second day of Twangfest activities was going on. The buses in Austin are only $.75, unimaginable next to Madison’s recently hiked $2 fare, but they don’t run very often and take their posted schedules as merely a suggestion.

First up on the inside stage at the Mexican restaurant was Ha Ha Tonka. They have a new record all done (May 1 is their Madison CD release show!), and mixed the new songs in with their more familiar tunes from their first Bloodshot release Buckle in the Bible Belt. One new twist was a verse in German that Brian somewhat inexplicably sang to some of their fans, marking “probably the first time German has been sung in a Mexican restaurant.” Every time I see them I become more and more convinced that they are a band that needs to be seen live to be appreciated. The impeccable harmonies that color the record are even more impressive and engaging on stage, especially the always stunning a capella “Hangman.” And then there is the fact that they are all absurdly charming and ridiculously good looking, I love those boys.

Then it was outside to catch the second half of Romantica’s set. Speaking of ridiculously good looking, lead singer and Belfast native Ben Kyle and guitarist Luke Jacobs certainly have that covered. Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough to have me trying to coerce them into the basement, it’s their solid songwriting and haunting tunes that are responsible for that. On to the Continental Club for my first visit to the legendary venue, and my first time seeing Jon Dee Graham this weekend (don’t tell him). When I arrived the line to get in to Mojo’s party (as in Nixon) was a half block long, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, it is “Jon Dee’s favorite party of the year.” Luckily I made it to the doorway by the time his set with the Fighting Cocks (bassist Andrew DuPlantis and guitarist Michael Hardnick) started, and was inside two songs later. I knew the power that his story telling held over a crowd in my basement, but it was even more impressive to see a packed room of folks (the Continental is much smaller than I had imagined) fall under his spell.

Down the block to Yard Dog, an art gallery that predominantly features Jon Langford’s work but that hosts a variety of day parties during SXSW. I caught the last few songs of Freedy Johnston’s set, after which I told him he should play my house. I was pleased to find that Yard Dog was serving free Rolling Rock all day, tragically free beer was not nearly as abundant at these day parties as I had been led to believe. Next up were the Silos, another band playing a handful of shows and that unfortunately I knew I would only see once. I was pleased to see Konrad Meissner behind the drums. When I teased him about not being in New York to play with Chris Mills the weekend before, he looked at me blankly. Either he didn’t find it funny or he didn’t remember me. After their too short set I hugged Walter and scampered back to Jovita’s to see John Henry and the Engine.

John had tagged along with the Ha Ha Tonka boys last year when they played the house and he left me their CD. Originally they had been slated to play at 4:30 but had switched to an hour earlier to accommodate another band. “Switch back,” I demanded, knowing I would probably miss the set otherwise. He promised to play some solo songs for me when I got back if I missed the whole thing. That was so sweet that I tried even harder to make it back, catching the last three songs of their set. Much like Ha Ha Tonka, seeing the Engine live made me like the CD so much more. Be on the lookout for them at the house sometime this year.

The evening brought even more music from people who have played my basement. Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles were the last act on the Third Coast Music showcase both Saturday and Sunday night. I had run into drummer Rob and bassist Binky (recognizable from blocks away due to the plastic headband he wears to keep his curls out of his face) on my very first day in Austin and had promised to make it out to see them at least once. This was a good place to do it. Opal Devine’s Penn Field was located even further away from downtown that I had been this afternoon. On the very pleasant outdoor patio at this location, the Borgeses (as we like to call them) rolled out many of the songs that make their new release (out Tuesday). As always Sarah’s sassy stage presence, aw shucks charm and positive attitude dominated the show, made even more impressive by the fact that after playing seven shows in five days she had very little voice left. “Glory Be,” which they had played earlier in the week with Will Kimbrough, sounded especially good.

They were nice enough to drop me off at the Saxon Pub on their way back to the hotel. I was momentarily panicked to see Jon Dee’s band sitting outside, looking very tired. I worried that somehow they had already played and I missed it. Turns out, much like the Borgeses, they were just tired from playing a ridiculous amount of shows this week. All the fatigue evaporated as they took the stage for a typical high-energy Fighting Cocks show. Jon Dee embarrassed me just a little by introducing me from the stage, talking about the last time he had played the house, going to our volleyball game the next day and how he had left his hat behind. He was momentarily excited when I told him I knew he had left it. He thought I had brought it with me, but I told him he would have to come back and get it. He hasn’t quite recovered from the car accident that almost killed him last year, so I guess I wasn’t too surprised when they started packing up even though he had said they were just going to take a short break after playing for an hour. I’m just happy he’s playing at all. My world would be a sad place without Jon Dee Graham.

Ha Ha Tonka