SXSW: Day Four, Saturday Day
March 21st, Austin, Texas

Wow, last day. Better make it good. Back at the Hot Freaks Saturday party this day, where the billing was a bit more varied from the day before… it did, in fact, have Peelander-Z in the line-up… I caught only a little of Jason Lytle’s relaxed set, before saddling up to a good spot for the Vivian Girls. As you may know, they reached a lot of people’s Top Ten lists of 2008 with their self-titled debut record. I liked the record quite a bit, but felt a little uneasy about it too, as it all went down like a bad egg salad sandwich of sorts. Just didn’t sit right. Obviously, I want to champion female rockers as they are few and far between, but I’d actually seen the Vivian Girls perform at last year’s SXSW in some parking lot, and while their aesthetic was definitely cool, all the right tattoos and clothes and bangs, they weren’t very good. So, I was a little surprised that their record climbed the lists of even Jim DeRogatis. Or was I? Seems those watching them at the front of the stage consisted mostly of our male counterpart staring up at them with total adoration. They actually started their set quite late since frontwoman Cassie Ramone took off to find coffee while no other girl in the band could restring a bass guitar. Really? It’s not at all complicated; definitely something the bassist should’ve figured out by this point. Some random dude working the show had to do it for them. Ramone came back, and they all took to the stage, only to complain about how hungover she was. She forgot words to multiple songs, as the rest of them stumbled their way through the songs made somehow even more terrible by their off-key harmonizing worse than on their recording, the drummer the only one seemingly ready to play, while Ramone confessed to the audience to never play 18 shows like they were attempting to at SXSW. Really? These Pitchfork darlings of varying musical talent are going to complain about having too many shows? It’s hard not to get the feeling that they are simply not built to last, getting by on their good looks and cool references to the Wipers and Henry Darger, laughing all the way to the bank. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Cassie Ramone broke a string. Since she didn’t have a backup guitar and wasn’t prepared to change a string (do their songs really require all the strings anyway? I bet they don’t…), the set was done after about 20 minutes, about 10 of which was actual music. A part of me wanted to yell out “You suck!” but refrained. Their idiocy speaks for itself quite clearly. And it seems that everyone I talked to about them who had seen them play elsewhere in Austin had the same impression. One guy said it best: “Marnie Stern must be fucking pissed.” Everyone’s allowed a bad show from time to time, but Vivian Girls are just not ready for all the real hard band stuff, like changing strings or simply playing through it. Live it up, ladies.

Viva Voce was up next and in stark juxtaposition to what we just witnessed, thanked the audience several times for coming out to see them with so much else going on out there. Their sound is extremely organic and cohesive, and enjoyable from start to finish. After that the crowd really spilled in for Peelander-Z, the Japanese punk band based out of NYC. They’re very comical and animated, if not a bit shtick-y, as they dangled upside down playing guitar from the rafters for instance. I jumped from my good view to let others have at it to go downstairs to catch the majority of Mason Proper’s set; a hard-workin’ Americana band that told the audience they were playing this show, driving to Waco to play a show, and then driving back to Austin to play another show. Pretty impressive, especially as they put their all into it (the lead singer almost passed out from rockin’ so hard) and never once complained about that fact. He just asked for a minute to get his shit back together, and we were obviously glad to let him. Camera Obscura finished up the party and they sounded great… so, so sweet. — Jocelyn Hoppa

Listen: Vivian Girls, Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

By this late stage of the game, festival patrons were sluggish out and about Sixth Street, everyone looking bleary-eyed and bedraggled after so many consecutive days of sun, music, and alcohol, but there was also an urgency in the air, as we collectively realized that SXSW 2009 was indeed coming to an end in mere hours. My first stop of the day was once again the Hot Freaks day party, and standing there doing my best to hydrate under a much more curtailed sun, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy fame (he pretty much singlehandedly wrote that ridiculously awesome album, Just Like the Fambly Cat), played a lovely set of pop-rock tunes to be found on his new solo record, due out this May on Anti-, a perfectly lulling way to enter what was sure to be an epic day ahead. I scooted over to Club De Ville at this point to catch San Francisco’s own Girls, a four-piece who write strong, upstanding songs built around wry melodies and sometimes jangly, sometimes sorta shoegaze-y instrumentation. I stuck around there basking in the sun, which had by this time peeked out from behind somber grey skies, for another half hour to wait for the Grates, a power-poppy Australian band fronted by a super cute, super spunky blond chick in a skimpy outfit and flailing dance moves, making eye contact with people in the crowd, which made me kinda nervous, lest she publicly ask me to rally my energy level for their performance. Before too long, she was successful, getting people to really bounce along with the music. After admiring the fact that the venue had a cigarette machine (these things still exist?), I headed back to Mohawk to recline on the VIP deck for some food and a beer, which, by this time I was ready for, and enjoyed a band called Viva Voce, who thanked the audience several times (and profusely) for simply being there and sticking around, instilling in many of us a warm feeling after getting shunned by the Vivian Girls just before (according to those who saw their set). Anyway, Viva Voce is a husband and wife-fronted band that’s been around for a decade, and play good-natured, atmospheric indie rock. They’re from Alabama, and likely it was that Southern hospitality that lent them such a gracious demeanor.

Lemonade were on next in the room downstairs, which had been booking solid shows all week thus far, and though I’d heard them some time ago, I forgot what they sounded like… soon enough, I was soaking in the sounds of their indie electronica, comprised by a trio (once SF-based but now residing in Brooklyn) of thumping bass, drums, and a vocalist who loops sounds and then sings over them in this melodically tribal vocal line. They’re something else: Innovative, experimental, and altogether another one of my more favorite discoveries of the week. By the time I was done chatting with them for a bit after their set and headed upstairs, the place was packed to the gills with an insanely long line out the door to watch the colorful, crazy antics of Peelander-Z, which I, unfortunately, could barely see over the dense, tippy-toed crowd craning to watch. The place didn’t really clear out much for the headliner, Camera Obscura, who I’d seen a few years back but in recent years hadn’t
listened to much, so I was more than pleasantly surprised that I still found their Glasgowian indie pop, accented by trumpet and driven by female fronting keyboardist Michelle Maskovich, lovely as ever before. – Angela Zimmerman

Listen: Lemonade, Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

SXSW: Day Four, Saturday Night

Again, I got back on the bike and headed over to the Daytrotter recording studio to say so long to those folks, as they were taking off that night, but happened to get there for the Daniel Johnston session, which ran about 40 minutes late. A nice girl named Barbie that we met there a few days ago just got back from doing a Wendy’s run for Johnston and he sat there and ate the whole thing at a picnic table as I caught up with Sean Moeller. After his snack, Johnston was ready to play, and we all made our way inside the studio to check it out. It was hard to hear his vocals, but it was interesting to watch how the band and other affiliates worked with and guided Johnston to lay down a few finished songs. After playing a rockin’ version of “Rock ‘n’ Roll/EGA”, Johnston called it quits and walked outside to smoke a cigarette. I pulled out a lighter and lit it for him. I sat down at the picnic bench alone and he sat down next to me, so I tried to strike up some conversation about the show he was playing later that night at Emo’s. We ended up talking about food (he likes Chinese, Mexican, and Wendy’s the best), about his documentary (he said it made him famous but is also very embarrassed by it), what his own favorite song of his is (“Grievances”), and also talked about food some more. I told him I ate tacos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day before and that no one should do that because it’s really harsh on the stomach. He cracked up at that one. I figured that was a good time to make an exit, so I shook his hand and he placed a kiss on top of mine. Uh, thanks, legend! In a word: Magical.

I managed to stay completely sober that day, so I went to Emo’s Jr. where I listened to Voxtrot and drank three whiskeys. They sounded really good, poppy and solid. I was almost about to go home and just write for the rest of the night, but as I was walking past Mohawk, I realized the badge line was non-existent and that HEALTH and Monotonix were finishing up the night/conference there. HEALTH were certainly one of the most talked about bands this SXSW and their brand of noise rock was very infectious, unhinged, scatter-brained, and yet making sense too with moments of repose and subtle surprises. Definitely some of the most unique stuff I saw all week. And while I don’t know how sustainable a band like HEALTH is, they’re definitely pushing boundaries that need to be pushed. As for Monotonix, the Tel Aviv garage-rock band, well, they were the perfect band to end SXSW. Obviously, after seeing them once, it’s not so much about the music, but the show. And they do put on one hell of a performance. At one point, they had the drum kit held up by audience members as lead singer Ami Shalev and drummer Haggai Fershtman floated atop the audience, banging on the drums and otherwise pulling off stunts most of these people have likely never seen at a show before, including me. Shalev even got us all to sit down on the ground one point, seriously waiting until everyone did, only to get back up and make us do it all over again. It was hilarious, and most people around were just kind of looking at each other like, “WTF?” They all ran out into the street to finish up their set, but I stayed back and finished my Lone Star tallboy. After that I met up with a group of friends to finish off a wonderful week of existing solely on the wave of music. I’ve been to SXSW four times now, and this was most certainly the best experience of them all. – Jocelyn Hoppa

Listen: HEALTH, Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

After breaking for a much-needed meal at the famous Austin barbeque hotspot Ironworks, I decided to camp out at one of Sixth Street’s many, many bars, this one called Agave, for a few margaritas and to enjoy the sounds of whoever happened to be playing in the front window. The chosen was a group called Dented, who claim on their MySpace page that their influences are “Gin, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Texas beers, and in Mike’s case, Chardonnay,” which I personally find pretty funny, and their drunken brand of Austin-bred hard rock was a perfect complement to the tequila to get me fueled up for the long night ahead, which I planned to attack with force. I found a showcase that sounded like a great one to camp at for the night, as it was stacked solid, particularly with supporting band Ponytail and headliner Titus Andronicus that had been recommended to me all week by various individuals with whom I found to share similar musical interests. This was all set to go down at Club De Ville, and for such a balmy, beautiful night, I think I would have only felt at ease under the outdoor sky, so it worked just all right with me to stay put. Also, Saturday night of SXSW is notorious for really long lines and impossible waits to get into venues. So I parked myself on a comfy, oversized outdoor chair, on which I could stand to see over the heads of all the tall people in front of me, to first watch a set by Violens, a New York-based psych-rock band with disparate throwback influences like the Zombies and Wire, who churn it all out into fuzzy, original rock songs. Next up was colourmusic, an enigmatic group from Oklahoma who literally cite colors (as in red, purple, orange), as their influences, and whose innovative, whimsical songs and fetching stage appeal has garnered them accolades across indie rock land over the past few years.

By this time, the place was getting packed for the Baltimore-based sonic onslaught of Ponytail, a band that I had yet to enjoy in a live capacity and who’ve continued to retain their credibility and post-rock magnetism through genre-defying music and an art-pop aesthetic. So I was super excited to check them out, and had a perch (my chair) on which to stand to watch them unfold on stage. The screeching vocals of Molly Siegel drive eclectic and arty compositions to their ultimate end, which is directly into your brain. Awesome stuff, definitely a band worth seeing live, which most of you have probably already enjoyed the pleasantries of. Ponytail stacked up to Titus Andronicus, the New Jersey rock band that I’d been anticipating seeing all week, was a perfect, perfect way for me to end my SXSW ’09 journey, as they epitomized a lot of what seems to be resurfacing in rock ‘n’ roll these days, meaning a classic rock revivalist a la Bruce Springsteen sound led by a singer who veers into wheedling vocals that recall Conor Oberst. Otherwise, right up my alley, and by then I had relinquished my chair and moved up to the front to share in the energy, side-by-side my SXSW compatriots, to celebrate, to our drunken and bittersweet end, the culmination of the year’s biggest, best, and brightest music festival. – Angela Zimmerman

Listen: Titus Andronicus, Various Tracks [at myspace.com]