SXSW2001 - Cold weather, traffic jams and 1001 bands
Saturday, 17-March-2001
It was still early in the day when I arrived at South Congress.
Actually,
it was already 1:30pm, but it felt like early morning... The place was
buzzing with action, as it always does on that Saturday afternoon
during
SXSW. The first stop was Mojo Nixon's Mayhem Hot Rod Bash at the
Continental...
"The music of Blue Mountain, as the band's name suggests, is the
beautiful,
kick-ass, half-breed child of North Mississippi country blues and old
mountain
songs carried to Appalachia from the British Isles." (SXSW Band info)
Inside the Continental Club it was as dark as always, and Blue Mountain
were already on stage. I was tired when I got here, but Blue Mountain
just
blew me away. They were loud and they rocked, which was not necessarily
to be expected after Roots. I had always liked them, but had
not
seen them live for a few years. This truly amazing set proved that SXSW
is not only about discovering new bands, but that it is also about
re-discovering
old bands.
"After years of false starts, this scruffy and resilient Austin
singer-songwriter
is on a roll. Last year's Little Brother swiftly followed 1998's
critically
acclaimed Last Hurrah, both albums full of swagger, torment, and
cautious
optimism, not to mention plenty of smart hooks. Better yet, even when
not
recording, Nelson never ceases playing live, making him the rare
singer-songwriter
who's also an undeniable showman." (Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle)
Beaver was in a good mood, especially after that shot of Wild Turkey:
"No sappy songs today" he told the packed club, and continued to rock
with
his band, which included "Scrappy" Jud Newcomb on guitar and Cornbread
on bass. "Another Drink Before Happy Hour", the first line of his
signature
tune "Forget Thinkin'" made perfect sense on this afternoon.
"As the host of the best country radio show in the New York area,
the
weekly Radio Thrift Shop on WFMU, Laura Cantrell plays the kind of
records
- honest and simple, dirty and sweet -- that Nashville used to make.
Now
she's made one of her own. Cantrell's debut album, Not the Tremblin'
Kind,
is an austere beauty, a record of such graceful hill-country minimalism
-- sturdy acoustic picking, whispered rhythm, tart electric and pedal
steel
guitar -- that you can hear every ounce of sorrow and steel in
Cantrell's
strong, direct voice." (David Fricke, Rolling Stone)
There were three good reasons to head over to the Yard Dog: Free beer,
free tacos, and most importantly Laura Cantrell. The songs I had heard
on Tuesday had left me ready to hear more. Again, it was a very
enjoyable,
but slightly longer set. After I finished my tacos, I added The
Trembin'
Kind to my shopping list.
"Columbus, Ohioian Tim Easton is one of the most promising of the
new
breed of songwriters. The man paid his alt.country dues as a member of
the Haynes Boys, but it’s his emerging solo career that’s leaving
listeners
breathless. Easton’s latest effort is a smorgasbord of tightly
constructed
narratives, fractured tales of heartbreak, and poignant observational
pieces,
held together by Joe Chiccarelli’s vividly glistening production."
(Luke
Torn, Pop Culture Press)
Tim didn't play with the boys from Wilco for this afternoon's
performance;
he was backed by the guys of Rosavelt.
Kicking off with "Special 20", the title track of his first post Haynes
Boys release, he played primarily older material. The set was not bad,
but I didn't get the feeling that I was witnessing an exceptional
songwriter
or performance.
"In case you somehow missed him last SXSW (how?), Schneider
successfully
made the transition from soft-core porn white-funk bandleader to
sensitive
singer-songwriter, and more deftly than almost anyone could have
anticipated.
After sneaking Lonelyland out at the very end of 1999, the record spent
much of 2000 atop Waterloo Records' list of Top 10 Texas sellers, and
will
see re-release via Universal this month." (Michael Bertin, Austin
Chronicle)
Here is one Austin musician who's stuff I just don't get. I never got
into the Ugly Americans, one of his previous bands, and I can't see the
appeal of Lonelyland, his latest project. He just won a load of awards
at the Austin Music Awards, but the most intriguing fact about him may
be the fact that he is Sandra Bullock's boyfriend. Anyway, he appeared
as the special surprise act of the afternoon, giving a short solo
performance
which was flat, unoriginal, and too long...
"Expect to have your heart melted... as remarkable a debut as
anyone's
made in a very long time. One of the best debut recordings of the
year."
(Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle)
Not everyone who had been at her Waterloo Park performance the night
before made it to the Yard Dog, but by the time Kasey and band set up
on
the tiny stage, the place was fully packed. It turned out to be a very
intimate and interactive one-hour set, with plenty of time to introduce
songs and tell stories. Kasey did play quite a few songs from her
current
album, but threw in a few more covers (Fred Eaglesmith's "Water In The
Fuel" and Woody Guthrie's "Do-Re-Mi"), and even pre-viewed some songs
from
her upcoming CD. Very enjoyable.
Picture: Dad + Daughter
Picture: Sister + Brother
Picture: "Austin has the scariest crowd in the
world..."
Picture: "... and you are all so close!!!"
The
Dragons @ Taco Xpress
"Like most alcohol-fueled punk rock bar bands, the Dragons are at
their
anarchic best onstage, as their tighter-than-you-think live album Live
At The Casbah proves. And yes, they are fronted by Alejandro Escovedo’s
little brother Mario, but don’t let that tell you anything." (Michael
Toland,
Pop Culture Press)
Things were way behind schedule when I arrived at Taco Xpress to see
Chuck Prophet, and I ended up seeing The Dragons instead. All dressed
in
black, the Dragons played straight ahead PunkRock. Alejandro Escovedo
joined
them for one song. Not bad, but not what I came to see. I decided to
make
the best of it and had a very nice diner...
Sexfresh
@ Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar
"The strength of this San Francisco-based quintet is its dry and
darkly
nuanced arrangements. By turning some modern tricks on conventional
blues
and jazz, they get good mileage out of the minimalist input. Bonus
points
for their inventive version of Baby, Please Don't Go." (Michael Bertin,
Austin Chronicle)
A few days earlier, 3/5th of Sexfresh had played one song at the
"Swollen
Circus" that sounded interesting enough to bring me back for their
official
showcase, but I was not overly impressed by this San Francisco band.
They
managed to bury their songs in opulent arrangements and turned a few
modern
tricks too many. Guess I prefer the minimalist input in its original
form.
The show had its moments when it worked, but they were far and few
between.
I had to wait until the end of the set to hear that one song again.
It's
a good song, but that's one in eight...
Amazing Crowns
@ Red Eyed Fly
"The Amazing Crowns are still royal to the loyal. They will do
everything
short of lighting themselves on fire to make sure you were glad you
came.
Formed in 1994, this Punkabilly quartet is constantly on tour and their
shows prove that they’ve gotten playing live and impressing the hell
out
of audiences down to an exact science." (Amy Kincheloe, Pop Culture
Press)
A highly energetic performance from the Crowns from the moment they
appeared on stage. Imagine the Stray Cats crossed with Social
Distortion
and you get the picture. Nothing new, but quite entertaining.
Pat MacDonald @ Cactus Café
"The glorious exile of Barcelona inspired Austinite Pat MacDonald
to
create [Degrees Of Gone], his second solo album [produced by John
Parish].
Full of the artistry that made his debut such a wonderful surprise and
his former outfit Timbuk 3 the fan favorite and commercial resistor it
was, MacDonald's new material should earn him a place among the top
ranks
of Austin songwriters once and for all." (Christopher Hess, Austin
Chronicle)
Because I couldn't see Chuck earlier at Taco Xpress, I had to change
my plans for the evening a bit, which now involved leaving the 6th
Street
area and driving up to the Cactus Cafe. Not necessarily the thing to do
on a Saturday during SXSW (and St. Patrick's day), because of traffic
and
the shitty parking situation in downtown Austin. Since I hadn't seen
Chuck
in a while, it was worth taking the risk. When I arrived at the Cactus,
Pat MacDonald was still playing. I’d seen him solo before and wasn't
overly
impressed. However, for this show he was backed by Nina Singh and Mark
Addison (ex Borrowers, now Kitty Gordon), which made things a bit more
entertaining. Most notable was his take on Depeche Mode's "Personal
Jesus".
Chuck
Prophet
& The Mission Express @ Cactus Café
"Chuck Prophet's 2000 release, The Hurting Business, was a
stunning
collection of songs veering from joyous pop to haunting ballads to
sultry
soul. His live performances have always been where he's excelled,
however,
as his electro-folk takes on new dimensions and his dynamic melodies
really
shine." (Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle)
Chuck was in fine form. A very coherent 8-song set, 5 from his latest
CD The Hurting Business plus some older songs ("You Been Gone",
"Queen Bee", "New Years' Day"). Good band, good songs, good show.
"Ten years after they parted ways, founding members Juliana
Hatfield,
Freda Love Smith, and John Strohm have reunited for a brand new album,
'God Bless The Blake Babies,' and their first national tour in a
decade.
'Band reunions often prove to be horrible notions, but a reunited Blake
Babies has a sort of lo-fi appeal. Getting to hear the original version
of the band that sent Juliana Hatfield on to greater fame could be
educational,
and who knows? Maybe ex-Baby Evan Dando will show.' --Lynne Margolis"
(SXSW
Band Info)
During SXSW, fire marshals are constantly checking clubs and fining
club owners who allow too many people in. Sometimes they shut down the
show, call the police, and clear everyone out of the place (this
happened
last year, when Mike Ness played the Continental Club). On this
occasion,
they found a new twist: there weren't too many people in club, but too
many in front of the stage (where IMHO it wasn't even that packed).
They
wouldn't allow the Blake Babies to start their set before 40 people had
moved to the porch. Of course everyone in the club was there to SEE the
band and was not to inclined to listen from the porch. The game
continued
for a while, before some volunteers moved out. The fire marshals left,
everyone came back in, and it ended up being a fun night. Nine years
ago
to the day was the first and only time I had seen the Blake Babies
before,
and I'm always a bit suspicious about reunions: Why are they doing it?
Do they need money? If this is the case, the band usually puts out a
new
CD that tries to emulate the sound of yesteryear + goes on tour playing
the old crowd-pleasers. The nice thing about the Blake Babies reunion
is
how much they have grown individually, each member contributing the
experiences
he/she has collected with their solo projects. "Nothing Ever Happens"
is
the first song that Freda Love wrote for the Blake Babies. It could
very
well be a Mysteries Of Life song (her other band), but the Blake Babies
make it one of their own tunes.
Freda was literally beaming on drums, like she had been waiting for
this moment for years. Juliana had moved from Bass to Guitar, which
added
nicely to the sound. She's still as self-conscious as ever: Juliana to
guy in front row with videocam: "Are you gonna have this camera in my
face
all night?" - Guy with videocam: "Yes." - Juliana: "Dude, you are
freaking
me out." John Strohm put on a typical solid performance. The set was
great,
a mix of old and new, plus covers of Dinosaur Jr.'s "Severed Lips" and
"I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones.
Missed:
Mike Peters, Mark Eitzel, Soft Boys, Stephen Malkmus, Virgil Shaw,
M. Ward, Sonny Landreth, The Gourds, Jimmy LaFave, Nebula, Jeb Loy
Nichols,
Sarah Harmer, Dirk Hamilton, Melissa Ferrick, Amy Ray, The Bellrays,
Friends
Of Dean Martinez, Damnations TX, Toadies, Supersuckers, Matthew Sweet,
Alejandro Escovedo, Waco Brothers
Show count: 65 ...