SXSW Night 2; March 18, 2010; Austin, TX

These five days in Austin are like no other music event I’ve been to. The official SXSW events are organized, all of them listed in an overwhelming day by day schedule on the website, but the day parties and events are not. You have to scan massive lists to figure out who and what you need to do. In the case of those musicians that I really need to see, I go to their websites to figure out everywhere they are going to be. Ian Moore is one of those musicians. I hadn’t seen him since last year’s craziness when I only caught part of his short set at a day party. He was only playing twice this year, the last band on tonight’s showcase at the venerable Continental Club and a Batter Blaster day party. While I enjoyed the intriguing organic pancake mix in a can that I encountered for the first time last year, that party was another thirteen blocks south of the Continental Club which was already nineteen blocks south of our hotel. Never mind the fact that it was in the middle of the Bloodshot party which I had already committed to.

I didn’t have a back-up plan for tonight, so I probably should have gotten an earlier start getting down there, but Nan from Bloodshot has told me to drop her name at the back door if I couldn’t get the front. It wasn’t a guarantee but I was going to try it if I had to. Luckily they were still letting you pay cash at the door, and continued to do so for another couple hours. It was over four hours till Ian was scheduled to play, but fortunately this was a bill that made sense and everyone that I saw tonight was entertaining. The band on stage when I got there was the Stone Creek Boys. There was something vaguely familiar about their gangly lead singer with impeccable maraca rhythm, but I didn’t figure out till a few days later that he was from the long- gone Hollisters, a band I’d seen several times on a bill with Jack Ingram. Next up was James Intveld, a handsome fellow with a nice voice. This being SXSW, half his band was caught up somewhere else when they were scheduled to start. His set lacked oomph until they got there, but once they did, it turned into a real rock show.

I didn’t have high hopes for the duo of a muscle-bound blond in the black shirt with gold metallic decoration and his intense, undershirt-wearing black drummer as they were setting up. I should have known better. Cedric Burnside and Lightin’ Malcolm hail from Mississippi and are appropriately known as the two man wrecking crew. And well, once I heard that the drummer was the grandson of blues great RL Burnside and that they seldom get north of the Mason Dixon line I realized what a treat it was to see them. They are apparently favorite sons of the Continental Club and on several occasions some of the club’s waitresses would jump on stage with the band for an impromptu dance. They were followed by the always-entertaining Gourds (who someday I have to thank for introducing me the Jon Dee Graham). Their multiple vocalist and fiddle/mandolin/guitar attack make them one of the most dependable bands in Austin.

It was late and I was probably pretty drunk (using my brother Stephen’s birthday as an excuse to party myself) by the time Ian Moore started, but I couldn’t be happier to see him. He was fronting a trio which also included Matt Harris and a drummer I hadn’t seen before. I was a little bummed that the adorable and talented multi-instrumentalist Kullen Fuchs, who has been with Ian every time I’ve seen him, was no where to be seen. With Kullen he tends more toward the material from the quietly gorgeous Luminaria, while with the rock band (like tonight) it’s more about 2008’s To Be Loved and the songs from his yet-untitled with no release date new record. I missed the mellower stuff, but Ian can rock with the best of them and the new songs were absolutely killer. Toward the end, Kullen joined him to play trumpet and lend some backing vocals (yay!). Another long, but ultimately rewarding night in Austin. I wish I would have been able to see Ian again during SXSW, but at least this show will keep me going till the new record comes out. I haven’t been able to convince him to come back to the house yet, but he promised to come somewhere nearby, and I will be there.

James Intveld



Cedric Burnside & Lightin' Malcolm



The Gourds



Ian Moore

SXSW Day 2; March 18, 2010; Austin TX

You know you’re at SXSW when you walk into the lobby of the Hilton and Frightened Rabbit is playing. Since I had missed them the day before, and wasn’t sure I would get to see them again, I made a point to catch their 9:45 set this morning. The local public radio station KUT was sponsoring these morning short sets (also broadcast on the radio), and had an impressive line-up every day. Also on the bill were the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Dawes (who had played at 9). Only the frontman and guitar player of the Scottish phenoms were present for this gig, but since his voice is the defining characteristic of the band, he’s really all you need. I was convinced to stick around for the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and was glad I did. The trio specializes in traditional music, but isn’t afraid to mix it up, like when Rhiannon Giddens took lead vocals on a decidedly modern song. Man, can that girl sing. I was sure I would see them again this week, but in case I didn’t, I was glad I got to see this.

I thought I was free until 1 when Califone was playing a day party, but then I heard that Darren Hanlon was playing at noon just down the street. The Australian Hanlon had opened for the Magnetic Fields when I saw them five years ago in Florida, and had charmed everyone with his catchy songs and sense of humor. He was playing in a dark cantina on 6th Street that I’d walked past a dozen times and never noticed. He started well after noon, but he finished his charming set which included a song about Squash (the game, not the vegetable) and a lullaby for a fussy child in the audience (though his mother said she usually has to play it at least five times lull him to sleep). Then it was over to the other side of the Interstate to see Califone at the French Legation Museum. I arrived right at one to see half the band standing around eating BBQ, “PA’s broken,” percussionist Ben Massarella reported. It wasn’t so much broken as just not ready for them to play, which meant the whole schedule of half hour sets between the large stage and a smaller one was going to be pushed back. Califone took the stage and battled feedback for most of their set, but I still thought it was brilliant, especially Tim Rutili’s rant about how we need to do something about “legation.” I must be in love.

I was just about to make the mile and a half jaunt to see Joe Ely’s one and only SXSW appearance when a friend from Madison spoke up, “you’re staying for Antlers right? They were the highlight of the Forward Fest for me.” Um… I hadn’t been planning on it, but they did have free beer here, and if they are that good I wanted to see them. I spent most of their set in a beer line that led to me getting to the front of the line only to learn they were out. What I heard of Antlers was good, and I will certainly check them out again.

The night before when the Ha Ha Tonka boys had asked me when I was going to come see them, I responded emphatically not till Friday’s Bloodshot party. Someone very wise told me before my first SXSW, “plan, plan, plan and then wing it.” Well, this was a wing it situation. Unfortunately they were playing at 700 West 6th Street and I was at 800 East 8th. I did have three beers and BBQ to walk off after all. I made it by 3:30 only to find an empty stage and no gear other than a bass amp and a minimal drum kit (even by Lennon’s modest standards), but the bartender confirmed that they were the next band up. Eventually, the band took the stage and Brian and Brett plugged into a couple DIs on stage. “We just spent the last half hour relearning some of our songs to play acoustically due to the situation,” Brian explained. Apparently two microphones were the entire PA. They played a twenty minute set, making the most of Brett’s mandolin and their exquisite harmonies. Probably not the best set I’ve ever seen them play, but still totally worth it, maybe even just for the fact that they were so surprised to see me. “I’m powerless,” I explained.

I then retraced my steps, hoping to catch a little of Califone’s set at the Flamingo Cantina. The guy at the door reported that they were about fifteen minutes into their set. Drat, why couldn’t they have been running late like everyone else? Still, I did get to hear “All My Friends Are Funeral Singers,” and tell them all how brilliant they were. Then it was time to head back to the hotel and catch a little nap before heading out to tonight’s showcase.
Frightened Rabbit at the Hilton


Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Hilton


Darren Hanlon


Califone








Ha Ha Tonka






Califone

SXSW Day 1- Califone; March 17, 2010; Austin TX

I’d been looking for plane tickets to SXSW for weeks when finally I thought I had found the best combination of price and times. We didn’t land in Austin until 2:55 on the first official day of the conference, but I figured we couldn’t miss much. Who was I kidding? This is SXSW. For one, Ha Ha Tonka played two of their six shows before I even landed. The first was Tuesday night for the Swollen Circus, an annual event at the Hole in the Wall that signals the beginning of the insanity. Their second show was at 2 PM today. Oh well, I was still sure that I would be able to get downtown in time to see the final two bands at the Paste party. Roky Erikson and Okkervil River were playing four times this week, and Frightened Rabbit something like six, but this was the only time that I knew for sure I would see both of them. Unfortunately the ride I was expecting didn’t show, and the airport buses don’t run very often, so it was five by the time I checked in to the hotel.

With all the free entertainment done for the day, and without a badge or wristband, I needed to pick my showcase of choice and get in line hoping to get in. There were several attractive options, including Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles and Raul Malo on the same bill (though four hours apart) at the Continental. However, I think I was kidding myself if I thought I was going to see anyone other than Califone tonight.

I don’t remember exactly the first time I saw them. A show at the Annex probably eight years ago is the one that comes to mind, but it’s entirely possible I’d seen them even before that. I’ve known them personally for probably four years owing to the fact that Ryan Hembrey is currently their sound guy/tour manager. Still, I’ve found their shows hit and miss, thrilling one time, sleepy the next. Until now. Strangely enough after all these years, they’ve become my new favorite band. I thought maybe their thirty minute set opening for Wilco was an anomaly, their impressively concise set owing to the time limit. But it happened again during the short set they played following a showing of All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, the genuinely good movie that band leader Tim Rutili made for which they provided the live soundtrack. I bought the double album of the same name that night and it hasn’t left my turntable since. I was awed, and I had to see them again.

Initially I had dismissed this showcase due to my utter indifference to the four bands playing before them. There was no way I could be expected to suffer through staggeringly boring indie darlings the Bowerbirds for a third time, let alone the suffocatingly earnest Dawes. Turns out I didn’t have to. Drummer Joe Adamik hustled me in the gate early under the guise of his tech and I was in. Since the band also had hours to kill before they played, we found a back bar away from the stage and drank Lone Stars and chat till show time. Happily enough, three-fourths of Ha Ha Tonka wandered in to see their friends Dawes (hmm, maybe I need to give them another chance). Even if I hadn’t gotten to see them play today, at least I got to see them, and buy them beer.

I was predictably a little drunk by the time Califone took the stage, but it was another amazing performance. The record’s title track is always a highlight, its mumbled chorus getting stuck in my head for days. “Giving Away the Bride” is another, the noisy double percussion somehow finding order. Rutili’s use of two microphones on most songs gives them their distinctive sound. Luckily, there was little disruption from the The Mohawk next door whose outdoor stage backs up to Club DeVille’s. Normally it isn’t a problem, but I was informed that the band slated for midnight over there was the notoriously loud metal band High on Fire. I think maybe you could hear them between songs, but I was too distracted by Califone to know for sure.

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists/Title Tracks; March 14, 2010

I’ve only seen Ted Leo a few times, but every one of them has been memorable. The first time was an unbelievably sweltering afternoon at the Pitchfork Music Fest in Chicago where he bashed himself in the head with the microphone mid-set and spent the rest of his time on stage with blood streaming down his face. The second was a steamy show at Union South nearly three years ago where no such theatrics were necessary to make the show remarkable, just rocking really hard was more than enough. Leo did not let the fact that he hadn’t been to Madison in awhile go unmentioned, repeatedly thanking us all for coming out on a Sunday night, especially since it had been such a long time. The near-capacity crowd roared in approval. There was a pent-up energy in the room that seemed likely to explode any moment. Thankfully however, they put all that vigor into cheering instead of into a mosh pit. I was thankful Marco Pogo wasn’t there to initiate it.

Leo and his Pharmacists, James Canty on guitar, Marty Key on bass and Chris Wilson on drums, played an exhausting 90 minute set, including all (or almost all) of the terrific new record The Brutalist Bricks. The ridiculously catchy “A Bottle and a Cork” came early in the set. Leo never backs off on a lyric and in the hands of another, one less frenzied, the repeated line “Tell the bartender, I think I’m falling in love” might have grown old after the twentieth time, but every time Leo spit it out it sounded just as urgent as the time before, till I was wondering why no one had told the bartender yet, don’t they know how important this is? Leo has been know to pull out some interesting covers in his live sets, everything from Kelly Clarkson to Curtis Mayfield, but even knowing that I was not prepared for the first song of he encore. He took the stage solo with his guitar, looked straight into the crowd and sang “I wish I was a fisherman..” If I had guessed all day I don’t think I ever would have come up with the Waterboys’ “Fisherman’s Blues” as a viable cover for Leo, especially solo with just an electric guitar.

In addition to rocking ridiculously hard, Leo was also pretty funny the whole time, though sometimes he just didn’t know when to stop talking. Within a few songs, he was drenched in sweat (I told you he rocked hard). As it ran into his eyes he grimaced in pain. “Sorry, I’ve got this toxic sweat,” he explained as he dabbed at his eyes. At which point he and Canty began a discussion of how great a band name that would be, if it wasn’t already. At one point I am pretty sure he decided it could be a duo, and he would be Johnny Toxic, “and you,” he paused and pointed at Canty, “would be Keith Sweat.” Groan. Just past the halfway point his second amp stopped working, Key did a brief analysis, “it’s smoking.” “Well at least you guys got two thirds of a set with two amps, Minneapolis, tough shit,” which caused the crowd to roar in approval. “All I need is this amp,” Leo proclaimed, and I could have predicted his next line, “and my dog.” “What, you guys haven’t seen The Jerk?” he asked in amazement.

Opening band the Title Tracks took their job of warming the crowd up seriously. Their opening set which started a half hour after the posted start time of 8 PM was full of the big choruses and catchy tunes that make you feel like you know all the songs even though you are hearing them for the first time. Their debut CD was written and recorded by lead singer John Davis, and it was impossible not to get caught up in his charisma and enthusiasm. They ended their set with an Otis Redding tune, but instead of “Dock of the Bay” like everyone expected they pulled out one of his more obscure tunes. “They should play your basement,” Bill enthused after the set. I agreed, and then the August Teens could open.

Title Tracks






Ted Leo & the Pharmacists