SXSW2005 -
the days before...
Friday, 11-March 2005
I arrived in Austin just in time to witness Slobberbone’s farewell
tour. The people lining up in front of the Parish had traveled from all
over the world to see Slobberbone's last show in Austin (there were two
more in
their hometown of Denton, Texas).
Grand Champeen @ The Parish
“Grand Champeen shows
nearly always climax in a glorious chaos that stems from the quartet's
abundant rock energy spilling over into the audience.” – Christopher
Gray, Austin Chronicle
Slobberbone had invited their two favorite local bands
for their “last
waltz” in Austin, and Grand Champeen kicked off the event with a
raucous, yet somewhat uninspired set. The crowd only got into the show
when Brent Best jumped onstage to join them for a song.
The Damnations @ The Parish
“After inspiring a
regional fan base
with stellar harmonies and gritty roots rock, the Damnations – sisters
Deborah Kelly and Amy Boone with Ron Bernard – grabbed the major label
brass ring, Sire, only to see it spawn headaches. Indie in spirit,
country in acoustics, the Damnations released Where It Lands in 2002 on their own Joy-Ride Records.” –
David Lynch, Austin Chronicle
The Damnations set was marred by technical
difficulties, and the newer,
more piano-based material didn’t go over too well with the audience.
Many in the crowd used the chance to light up outside of the now
smoke-free Parish.
Slobberbone @ The Parish
"Rock and roll the
way it was meant
to be: loose, loud and boozy, with equal amounts of swagger and
honesty..." – Miles Of Music
Slobberbone at a non-smoking venue? Hard to imagine, but the guys
managed to get through the set without lighting up, despite being
tempted by some fans, who threw cigarettes on stage.
They started off
with “Days That Used To Be”, followed by “Placemat Blues”, in a set
which contained many crowd-pleasers such as “Gimme Back My Dog”,
“Engine Joe”, “Billy Prichard”, “Lazy Guy”, and “Pinball Song”.
Pausing between songs, Brent told the crowd about how
the various
members had joined the band, and the key role that Austin and local
bands had played when they started out. They played another Neil Young
cover towards the end, “Big Time” from Broken Arrow, before launching into
a post-2am version of “Whiskey-Glass-Eye”, which ended in an extended
feedback orgy.
Saturday, 12-March 2005
Patrice Pike @ Momo’s
“Patrice Pike can
count herself among
the most dedicated local musicians, an effort she's devoted herself to
since her teens. Her soulful vocals and rocker-girl persona made Sister
7 (née Little Sister) one of the seminal jam bands of the
Nineties, landing the acclaimed band on Arista. In the past few years,
Pike has concentrated her efforts on songwriting, paying off with
critical praise for her Black Box Rebellion solo album, Fencing
Under Fire.” – Margaret Moser, Austin
Chronicle
Patrice Pike started her show with two terrific songs,
a strong new
number (possibly titled “Ridiculous Mess”), and one of the best
Sister 7 songs, “Under The Radar”.
A nice surprise was to see that Steve
Wedemeyer now plays guitar in her band. All in all, another good,
long show by Patrice and her band, clocking in at over two hours. Check
out one of her songs on her SXSW page.
Tuesday, 15-March 2005
10th annual Swollen Circus -
hosted by Walter Salas-Humara and Michael Hall
Jon Nolan @ Hole In The Wall
“Smart
and introspective americana/pop anchored by Jon's stirring and
brilliantly emotive vocals, earnest songwriting, […]” – Jon Nolan Press
info
Say ZuZu had been regulars at SXSW, and it was good to see former
member Jon Nolan carrying on the tradition, introducing some strong
material from his upcoming album. One song titled “Hope, Arkansas”
dealt
with some road stories from the SayZuZu days. Marlee MacLeod joined him
on the third and final song.
Hitchhike @ Hole In The Wall
“[Night Light] presents a band that plays from the
heart. The tunes are extremely unpretentious...using only the bare
essentials to get the point across. Neat guitars combine with driving
rhythms to create hummable pop tunes that are smart and unique.” –
BabySue review
There was nothing wrong with the music made by
Hitchhike, except that it was not very memorable...
Michelle Anthony @ Hole In The Wall
“A
protégé of Jay
Bennett, Michelle Anthony's 2004 debut, Stand Fall Repeat, evoked Chrissie Hynde on an alt.country
bender.” – Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle
Michelle Anthony and her band managed to grab the
attention of the
crowd - they cranked up the amps and delivered an energetic, rootsy set
with twangy undertones. Check out one of the songs from her debut here.
Spottiswoode and His Enemies @ Hole In The Wall
“Has Tom
Petty gone cabaret?
According to Englishman-cum-New Yorker Jonathan Spottiswoode and the
rockin' soul of his heady debut, Building a Road, you can guess the answer.” – Raoul
Hernandez, Austin Chronicle
More Cabaret than Petty, the set by Spottiswoode and his six
“arseholes”, as he referred to his band, provided a change of pace and
instrumentation (accordion, saxophone, trumpet), and was met with
polite applause.
Michael Hall & The Woodpeckers @ Hole In The Wall
“After
completing three albums as the
leader of Austin's crafty and intelligent Wild Seeds, North
Carolina-born singer/guitarist/keyboardist (and former music
journalist) Michael Hall moved into a similarly wise and winning solo
career, also distinguished by exemplary, incisive songwriting and
easygoing musical charisma.” – Ira Robbins, Trouser Press
Co-host Michael Hall and his Woodpeckers steered proceedings back into
more familiar territory with their only performance of the week.
Unfortunately they did not play any brand new songs, but it was great
to hear older material as well: they performed “America”, “My Girl
Bill” and “Angel”.
The Silos @ Hole In The Wall
“Still
going strong after all these
years, the Silos find themselves a trio fronted by Walter Salas-Humara.
As always, they shape roots rock with massive amounts of guts and heart
into an utterly attractive whole. When the Telephone Rings (Dualtone) was hailed worldwide as one of
the band's finest.” – Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle
Fresh off their European tour, which had ended just
three days before,
the Silos were in fine form and started their set with a new song,
“Tell Me You Love Me”. For “Take A Hit” they were joined by Tom Freund
(who co-wrote this song) and Steve McCormick playing piano. They closed
with “The Only Love” from their latest album (listen to the song here).
Marlee MacLeod @ Hole In The Wall
“Marlee MacLeod plays
rich, full-sounding alt-country with a heavy pop/rock bent and earnest,
driving numbers such as "Wish I Could" and "Flying Time" make [Like
Hollywood] an appealing album for
fans across genres.” - Erik Hage,
allmusic.com
Another Swollen Circus “exclusive” for the SXSW week:
It was good to
see Marlee MacLeod back in Austin after a few years. However, even with
the
addition of Jon Nolan on guitar and backing vocals, her set was a bit
too
quiet for the partying crowd.
Steve Wynn & The Miracle Three @ Hole In The Wall
“Those who haven't
seen Steve Wynn
lately and only remember him from his days in the Dream Syndicate or
Gutterball owe it to themselves to witness the new groove he's captured
with the Miracle 3.” – Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle
After taking a year off from the road, Steve Wynn was
all over Austin
this week. Coming straight out of recording sessions for a new album,
Steve and the Miracle 3 sounded as fresh and tight as ever. And,
sandwiched between “Death Valley Rain” and “The Days Of Wine Of Roses”
the enthusiastic crowd got to hear a new song titled “I Really, Really
Hope That The Bruises Don't Show”.
Paul The Girl @ Hole In The Wall
“Paul's
voice, which could be
described as kittenish only if the kitten had very big teeth, soars,
screeches and gargles, capable of lulling sweetness and alarming
swoops, hiccups and shrieks. That's not to say that this is difficult
music: enormously sophisticated, yes, but the propulsive clatter of
“Don't You Know Yet Who I Am” and the gorgeous drawl of
“Electro-Magnetic Blues” (the title track of her new album) prove she
can write addictive choruses, too.” - David Peschek, The Guardian
With wild guitar shredding and semi-hysterical vocals, Paul The Girl
seems to be an acquired taste.
Stan Ridgway & His Acoustic Trio @ Hole In The Wall
“One of
the most unique singer/songwriters in American indie music,
with an unforgettable adenoidal vocal delivery that makes him sound
like a low-level wise guy in one of those old Warner Bros. gangster
films of the '30s and a lyrical obsession with the themes of pulp crime
novels and film noir, Stan Ridgway is a true original. From his early
days with quirky Los Angeles new wavers Wall of Voodoo to his even more
intriguing solo career, Ridgway has created an impressive, if at times
somewhat inscrutable and increasingly bleak, body of work.” - Stewart
Mason, allmusic.com
Continuing on from Spottiswoode’s set earlier,
“Assholes”, seemed to be
Stan Ridgeway’s favorite word this evening. He started with a spoken
word piece about Austin and the Hole in The Wall as soundcheck, and
finished with “Ring Of Fire”.
Last Train Home @ Hole In The Wall
“Last
Train Home's True North
is chock-full of melodic country-rock. And while many of the group's
roots rock and alt-country peers play at sadness for its whiskey- and
beer-soaked platitudes, Last Train Home exudes pensive, gorgeous
melancholy, punctuated by occasionally clever wordplay.” - John Duffy,
allmusic.com
Last Train Home were joined by Steve
Wedemeyer on guitar and Drew Glackin on bass. I had never been able
to see this band live before, so it was good to be finally rewarded
with a solid, yet short set, which they ended with a fabulous version
of Dylan’s “Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You”.
The High Strung @ Hole In The Wall
“The High Strung don't do garage rock per
se. Instead of going for
bluesy guitar chops like some of their Motor City counterparts, these
Detroit natives-turned-Brooklyn ruffians sugarcoat rock & roll for
a '60s psychedelic/indie rock blend. Call it garage pop if you like.
[…] The aptly titled These Are Good Times finds a band with
incredible chemistry that's not too far from the nervy, candied sounds
of Superdrag and Fountains of Wayne.” - MacKenzie Wilson, allmusic.com
Dressed
in matching outfits, The High Strung had just finished another
show across town and brought quite a few of their fans with them to the
Hole. They
played until the houselights came on at 2am to end another fun Circus.
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All pictures (c) Steffen Paulus 2005
