First off, the official launch of the music festival was laced with sadness. It was reported yesterday that Alex Chilton of Big Star and The Box Tops died of a heart attack in New Orleans. That Big Star was going to be playing this Saturday is not to be overlooked. And on a personal note, we just got my partner’s dad to start listening to Big Star last week, as he missed them the first time around.
Alex Chilton playing with Yo La Tengo in 2007; image courtesy of brooklynvegan.com
While Big Star is still somewhat obscure, their influence can’t be denied. While some may have never heard of the band, their music has seeped into the pop lexicon. Cheap Trick’s cover of “In the Street” was the theme to That 70s Show. “Thirteen” has been covered by just about everyone, Elliott Smith’s version a highlight in what I found to be an otherwise disappointing Thumbsucker.
My personal favorite is a brief moment in Adventureland when James and Em have an exchange about her copy of Radio City (dig that iconic cover, then recognize that photographer William Eggleston is responsible for awesome album art).
But the impact they had on other artists is astounding. Smith, R.E.M., Yo La Tengo, Garbage, Wilco — basically what became alternative rock was directly influenced by this Memphis outfit. I found out about Big Star via Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Kanga Roo,” which was often his set closer. As a result, I knew who The Replacements were singing about in “Alex Chilton” and where The Bangles got “September Gurls” from.
In short Chilton will be missed, but at least we have his beautiful music.
Now, onto the festivities.
So I got to the TerrorBird showcase a little after 4:30, in time to see a student I work with at GRCA walk out of Red 7. Pretty sure when I got there, Toro Y Moi pack up. Apparently, according to my friends, Chaz Bundick was pretty boring. I was afraid of this. As much of this chillwave is “just” some dude plinking on instruments and playing samples in his bedroom, I’d imagine that it’s hard to make this music presentational. I might try to check him out again at the festival or later. I really like Causers of This.
Real Estate – Last show I saw of the TerrorBird showcase. I’ll be candid – I thought this band was really boring on record. I was like “yeah, so the slow, dreamy parts of Daydream Nation. I kinda like member Matt Mondanile’s solo project Ducktails okay . . . next.” So I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked their set. I really got a sense of how the band interacted and an appreciation for their sound. I will point out, though, that if the musical contributions of the ‘teens will be something of a 90s revival, Real Estate indicate how influential jam bands were to indie touchstones like Pavement.
I wasn’t really into seeing A Sunny Day in Glasgow and The Rural Alberta Advantage. You know, I’m a working lady who walked down to the Red River scene from work and had an empty belly. Went to Frank and packed away the Smoked Andouille. Goin’ in for a repeat on Friday.
Denitia Odigie – Trekked over to the Garden Inn Hilton to some dining area. Eh, her set was aight. I heard a song of her’s and was interested. My partner’s assessment of the music was that it was perfect for a contemplative moment on Friends and I think that’s accurate (I’m specifically thinking of one of the many scenes where Ross or Rachel are looking out of a rainy window). She’d be an ideal candidate for the VH1 artist to watch series. It’s not that it’s bad, so much as pleasant but forgettable. There was one song she did about waiting for a lover to show on Saturday night that I thought was good and had an interesting guitar line. Maybe she just needs more snarl in her sound.
The Strange Boys – Couldn’t get in to Emo’s because for some reason there was a crazy long line, possibly for Basia Bulat. There wasn’t anyone we were dying to see, so we decided to idle over at Palm Door before Wanda Jackson’s set.
The Low Lows – Remember how I recommended earlier that festival goers welcome surprises? Here’s an example. Didn’t know about this group at all. Didn’t even know they were local. But dude, so good. This band would make a hell of an opening act for Castanets or Calexico. Spare melodies on guitar, keys, and I believe I saw a mellotron, with the volume and reverb ramped to eleven. Haunting high harmonies. A brass quartet. Sold.
Wanda Jackson and the Green Corn Revival – Kind of a no-brainer, especially since I’ve lived in Austin for so long but never made it out for any of her birthday concerts. Unfortunately the show will also be remembered as the moment where some dude behind me at The Village Voice confirmed for my friends that Alex Chilton had died, which he discovered via his iPhone. Fortunately the show will also be remembered as the time we met back up with our friend Allison, who we previously saw at the TerrorBird showcase. Jackson’s band, a ringer from Jackson’s home state of Oklahoma, had some issues. I also think Jackson’s Daisy Rock guitar gave her some sound and tuning problems. But she’s a legend and her hellcat voice is still in fine form. Plus I like Southern women who wear red fringe pantsuits. I hope we carry these traditions on to future generations of grand dames, especially ones who cover Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good.” While I always feel a little like heritage artists are at the risk of pandering when they cover contemporary music (i.e., Johnny Cash’s version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer”), they also remind you of their artistry and originality in these moments. Without Jackson’s legacy, Winehouse couldn’t be a rock n’ roll bad girl. And for those of you who wanted to hear “Fujiyama Mama,” last night, here you go.
Afterward, we went to Best Wurst. Ya’ll, I’m sad to say that I’ve never eaten a dog from the downtown staple. Had a few bites from Allison, and will thus impart how you should order yours: beef dog with grilled onions, sauerkraut, and curry ketchup. You won’t be disappointed.
Dâm-Funk – I’m gonna try checking him out again. The showcase at Speakeasy was promising, as is any bill that features him, Peanut Butter Wolf, Egon, and Madlib. And the set-up was actually pretty interesting, as all of the artists were deejaying round robin-style. The song selection also suggested to me that the 90s revival is going to involve revisiting and reclaiming cheesy, quiet storm R&B, which I’m fine with (RJD2 anticipated this in 2003 with his overlooked Lobster and Scrimp mix, as well as certain cuts on 2007′s The Third Hand). Good set, and saw a mutual friend on the KOOP softball team. My only problem was the venue. The Speakeasy is a bit labyrinthine. There’s actually three different stages within the club that I know of. Went to the roof, then downstairs before stumbling upon the showcase in the mezzanine. And the space was cramped and had poor air ventilation. No good.
We tried to catch the end of Sharon Jones’ set for NPR at Stubb’s with the intent of sticking around for Broken Bells. Impossible. Line around the block. Who knew this supergroup had such a hold on people? Perhaps people have heard of this band Spoon who were next on the bill as well? Kept walking over to Club Deville, where we ran into a friend from KVRX and my partner’s high school bestie and his girlfriend.
Bowerbirds – Okay, these kids harshed my mellow. Granted, I was already tired at this point and am currently in denial about a cold I hope I don’t catch. This band is great on record. And I hope they get to open for The Swell Season or maybe even lead singer Phil Moore’s idol Joanna Newsom. But the band committed a cardinal sin at SXSW: worrying too much about set-up. The band incorporates instruments like the accordion, mandolin, and violin with acoustic guitar and drums, and they wasted far too much time futzing with their mics. If you can’t get the mandolin miked just right, leave it aside for now. This is SXSW and some loud rock band is drowning you out. And complaining about the sound and your performance detracts what was otherwise a lovely selection of songs that beautifully highlighted Moore’s clear tenor and Beth Tacular’s airy harmonies. Save it for a proper concert. They were so behind that they ate into a half hour of Califone’s set. We were tired, so we went home. Didn’t even try and sneak into Warpaint’s set at Emo’s Jr. or venture to The Phoenix to see if Flying Lotus translates in a live setting. What did I miss?
I anticipate today being a bigger event. Explode Into Colors, Phantogram, and Jean Grae are to be seen, along with Drawlings, The Besnard Lakes, Mountain Man, Wye Oak, and many others. May also try to sneak in and see a bit of Golden Triangle’s set and the Liars’ day show. And of course, as Kristen at Act Your Age also mentioned, the GRCA day show is on Friday at Cafe Mundi. I’ll be there and I see no reason why you shouldn’t be too.
