SXSW2001 - Cold weather, traffic jams and 1001 bands

The days after...

I had decided to stay in Austin for a few more days, which gave me a chance to see some of the Austin bands I had missed during SXSW.

Sunday, 18-March-2001

Gwen Mars @ Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre

"This L.A. trio returned to the racks just last week with Driving a Million, a collection described in their bio as "shoegazer drone, fuzz-drenched grunge, mod power-pop, punk rock, and synth-pop gurgle." Equally promising is word that this hard-touring outfit travels with their own array of strobe lights, fog, and bubble machines." (Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle)

It was not a good day to see a show at an outdoor venue. Until early afternoon it had poured with rain and it was a very cold night. In the evening the temperature was around 40F (5C), but at least there was no rain. Gwen Mars did little to warm up the crowd with their TV-ready Modern Rock sound. Playing completely unoriginal songs, they only gained attention by excessive use of their bubble machines.
 

The Cult @ Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre

"The Cult have evolved through many sounds, from their beginnings as Southern Death Cult, one of the most important Goth bands of the early '80s. As they slowly mixed in rock 'n' roll to their fiendish sound, they progressed from their debut, Dreamtime, under the abbreviated "The Cult" moniker, to mascara'd mystic Goth rock of Love. From there, they shed more of the muslin and gauze for the Glam and psychedelia of Electric and donned leather pants and babbled desert imagery for Sonic Temple's anthemic Hard Rock. Ian Astbury's uniquely high, hard and resonant voice is forever haunting, yet carries the power and force of early album rock heroes like Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. Guitarist Billy Duffy's riffage pierces like a horror film stinger, echoes with gothic melancholy, and pounds with Classic Rock aggression." (Marc K., listen.com)

The Cult had played the "Revolver Magazine" party here the night before and gave another show for the (paying) public. After another long, cold wait they made their appearance and delivered exactly what was to be expected - nothing more, nothing less. All the hits (c’mon, you remember "Sanctuary", "Wildflower", "Edie (Ciao Baby)" or "Sweet Soul Sister", don't you?), plus a few new songs that stood up quite well against the older stuff. After 70 minutes it was time for the traditional set-closer "Love Removal Machine", and the crowd hurried to their cars or warmer bars.

Monday, 19-March-2001

The Monday show was not advertised (actually, it was advertised, but for the next day!), so only a few hard-core fans came to Momo’s on this post SXSW Monday night.

Brent Palmer @ Austin, TX - Momo’s

The fat man came in halfway through Brent Palmer's set. He sat down at the bar, ordered a drink, and proceeded to talk to everyone around. Unfortunately he had a very loud voice, and with increased intoxication it seemed to become louder and louder. It was quite distracting, as Brent + band actually didn't sound bad at all: clean-cut Guitar-Pop similar to Jackopierce or Evan & Jaron.
 

Jeff Klein @ Austin, TX - Momo’s

"One of Austin's rising stars, Jeff Klein is a young singer-songwriter with a serious, cynical soul. His new sophomore effort You'll Never Get to Heaven If You Break My Heart on local indie label India is dark and moody, bristling with tension, yet possesses a melodic edge that draws the listener in and won't let go." (Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle)

Jeff and his quartet tonight previewed a few new songs and focused mainly on the slower, darker material. The stripped down versions allowed the haunting cello sounds of Brian Standefer to became much more prominent. The fat man seemed to like it and he filled the tip jar for the band with a wad of one-dollar bills.

Jess Klein @ Austin, TX - Momo’s

"Not to be confused with local Jeff Klein, although they're both singer-songwriters and even once roomed together in Boston, this Klein is female and still lives in Beantown. Last year's Rykodisc bow Draw Them Near earned both critical acclaim and solid AAA radio play for its deft mixture of rock, folk, and pop." (Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle)

A few days earlier I had seen a very different Jess Klein. During SXSW I had the Jess-with-a-full-band experience, now it was just Jess and her acoustic guitar. It was very interesting to listen to her songs in the stripped-down form, most likely the way they were originally written. The fat guy wasn't too happy when Jess said she wouldn't do any requests, but he left a few more dollar-bills in the tip jar before he staggered out of the club.

Tuesday, 20-March-2001

No pictures from this show - I had left the camera at the hotel...

Tom Freund @ Austin, TX - Momo’s

"Tom Freund is indeed one of the great singer-songwriters of the 1990's. He emerged in 1998 with an excellent debut album on Red Ant Records, North American Lost Weekend. That album presented his awesome talent to the world with clarity and a subtle vision. Freund's songs are loaded with a pragmatic vision and are sung in a distinct Tom Waits-influenced growl. Imitation, however, is not what Freund is about. This, his follow-up E.P. on his own label gives us a further and even more mature example of his vision. "Seat On A Train" and "Bombshell" are fantastic tracks, but Freund saves the best for last with "Simpatico", where he constructs a unique world, defines it, and then burns it to the ground. Truly unique and absolutely brilliant." (Matthew Greenwald, allmusic.com)

This was Tom’s CD-Release event for Sympatico, and he had assembled an impressive cast of players: Gurf Morlix (pedal steel), Abra Moore (keyboards, tambourine and harmony vocals), Chris Searles (drums), JP Allen (harmonica), Michael Jerome (drums) and Rob Halverson (bass) were all up on stage with Tom (guitar, bass) at various points throughout the evening. It was fun to see Tom play a full set - great song selection, with tunes both from the new, self-released CD (which is available through Tom's website and through Miles Of Music), and from his debut.

Jeff Klein @ Austin, TX - Momo’s

"Jeff Klein began playing clubs at the age of 15. A native New Yorker, he attended Berklee College of music in Boston, picking up acclaim as a songwriter throughout New England. In 1998 his self-released first album ‘Put Your Weight on it’ earned him an endorsement from ASCAP as one of the top unsigned new artists today. He has shared the stage with performers such as Jewel, Patti Griffin, David Gray, Marshall Crenshaw and Freedy Johnston. Klein’s music has elements of folk, punk and indie rock and his songs are brooding, emotional and at times, darkly sarcastic. His passion shapes his show. It’s never the same twice." (India Records artist info)

Jeff’s band was getting smaller by the day: a quintet on Friday, a quartet on Monday, and a trio on Tuesday. Jeff on vocals + acoustic guitar, Mike Hartwick on electric guitar and Brian Standefer on cello. Again, it was amazing to see how well the songs worked in this semi-acoustic configuration. I had seen this guy 3 times in 5 days: each time with a different band and a changed setlist. Guess the folks at India Records are right - it's never the same twice...

Dewato @ Austin, TX - Momo’s

"For lack of a more succinct comparison, this Austin alt.rock act is best described by imagining Sixteen Deluxe fronted by Greg Dulli. In truth, they're manned by the eminently watchable Ryan Carter, nephew of local songwriter Bill Carter. Last year's India Records debut may have been titled Demonstration, but it ultimately sounds like easy money for a smart major-label A&R rep." (Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle)

Gave Dewato another shot, but couldn't get into it. Maybe I was just too tired by the time they hit the stage...

Wednesday, 21-March-2001

Jon Dee Graham @ Austin, TX – Continental Club

"Since his 1997 solo debut Escape From Monster Island, Jon Dee Graham has often been referred to as "perhaps Austin's best singer-songwriter." Last year's Austin Music Awards voters stripped away the "perhaps" part, a due reward for his equally compelling sophomore set, 1999's Summerland. Listen for material from the New West album he's expected to begin recording next month." (Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle)

Jon Dee is one of the most consistent performers in Austin; I have seen many of his shows and I can't recall a single bad one. This show was no exception, a solid mix of old and new songs.

Will Sexton @ Austin, TX – Continental Club

"It's been six years since we last heard from Will Sexton. We may not be sure what musical roads he's traveled in that time, but Scenes From Nowhere finds the local songwriter in a pensive mood that fits him well. This collection could be seen as a kind of song cycle with emotional desolation as its focal point, not exactly uplifting stuff, but a striking listen nevertheless. With the help of labelmates Kitty Gordon (Mark Addison and Nina Singh, who also run this Austin indie label), Sexton carves out landscapes that alternate between pure pop and seemingly unfinished tone poems. The use of electronic beats, weepy steel guitar, and somber guitar riffs form skeletons for his lyrics that explore his vision of love or the lack of it. (...) This disc needs to be listened to from start to finish to fully appreciate Sexton's artistry." (Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle)

I thought I should give Will another chance tonight, but the experience was pretty much the same as the week before - a few good songs, but nothing to get excited about.

Thursday, 22-March-2001

Laura Scarborough @ Austin, TX – Saxon Pub

"Somewhere between soul and jazz, in the space between sultry pop, R&B, and serene torch songs, Austin pianist/chanteuse Laura Scarborough explores the emotional peaks and pits of sexual desire on her debut CD. A classically trained pianist, Scarborough sounds it, her notes singular and clear, her blues tempered by technique, her every phrase steady and deliberate. On her Chapter One: Desire EP, she puts many performance formats on display, from solo keyboards to the electric combo of her Project. Where the first song, "Desire," is soul and sex, slithering the scales in a dance that well explains its title, the second, "Moment v/s Tomorrow," is silk and jazz, a steady groove built of sharp, even time and the smoother-than-Yoo-Hoo trumpet contribution of Ephraim Owens. And he’s not the only distinguished visitor on this affair: Drummer Earl Harvin makes his presence felt, as do locals John Siebenthaler on bass, and Spencer Gibb on guitar. Brannen Temple, Rob Kidd, and Scarborough herself also take turns at the drum kit, in a rotation that maintains the steady, steady tone of the whole EP. Steady as desire. And chapter two?" (Christopher Hess, Austin Chronicle)

Laura played solo. Her set was far from being bad or even boring, it just wasn't my kind of sound...
 

Patrice Pike and the Black Box Rebellion @ Austin, TX – Saxon Pub

"Even those who don't dig [Sister Seven] often report being impressed at the depth of her solo fare." (Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle)

Sister Seven are calling it quits. Three more shows and a Live-CD will set an end to ten years on the road. Don't expect singer/songwriter Patrice Pike to sound exactly like S7, especially not like S7 in their early (Little Sister) phase. The last regular S7 CD Wrestling Over Tiny Matters already indicated a major departure from their original sound, putting much more emphasis on Pop, and this is where Patrice's solo material fits in. Not only the sound has changed, but the audience has as well: The front rows at S7 shows were usually filled with drooling guys, the front rows at the Patrice Pike show were filled with drooling girls... What hasn't changed is the fact that Patrice is a magnificent performer. She started the show playing solo, debuting a brand new song that was written the day before. After a few songs, she was joined by Black Box Rebellion, which includes Sister 7's guitar man Wayne Sutton. All in all a very promising performance, including very powerful new material. Expect an advance EP from her this summer, with a full album following later in the year.

Show count: 77 ... The End.

Return home.

All pictures by Steffen Paulus except where noted.
Special thanks to Kate Ryans and Cathy Fischer.