Pieta Brown @ Momo’s
“Daughter of Grammy nominated folk singer Greg Brown, Pieta Brown has carved out an ethereal sound that's drawn comparisons to Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies. The Iowa City native released In The Cool late in 2005, a gritty collection of down bound roots rock produced by Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Joan Baez) that also featured her stepmother, Iris DeMent.” – Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle
Due to some unforeseen circumstances I wasn’t able to attend any of the events during the day. My first stop that evening was at Momo’s to see Pieta Brown perform with Bo Ramsey on bass and Jason Mercer on bass. Not bad at all, although a full band might have been helpful in adding some extra punch.
Juliette & The Licks @ Austin Music Hall
“Rock bands led by actors have long been considered a joke by most pop culture fanatics, movie geeks, and record collectors, and usually for good reason: many are quite terrible. But that knee-jerk dismissal of all celebrity rock bands isn't really fair, since it assumes that all these acts are merely vanity acts, and never manages to look beyond the celebrity to actually hear the music. This is a problem that will plague Juliette Lewis and her band, the Licks, just as it plagued [...] any number of actors who have fronted rock bands or released their own albums. If Juliette & the Licks' first album, You're Speaking My Language, is judged on its own merits, it's not a bad record. It's a little bit too derivative, drawing heavily from PJ Harvey, Iggy Pop, and '90s alterna-rock, with traces of '80s new wave, but the band is propulsive and Lewis has some genuine power as vocalist, giving the group direction and a charismatic focal point.” - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com
The last time Juliette & The Licks came through town I couldn’t bring myself to spend the $’s to see the band. SXSW gave me the chance to check them out and move on if they turned out to be crap. But I did stay for the entire show, which ended with a cover of “Search & Destroy”, and Juliette surfing the crowd at the Music Hall. Nothing new here, but some good old plain rock’n’roll and a fun show. Maybe I will buy a ticket next time they come around.
Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders @ Austin Music Hall
"If Hawkins' name sounds familiar it might be because you've seen it somewhere on a Foo Fighters album, as Hawkins terrorizes the kit for Dave Grohl & Co. Well, he's stepped out from behind the kit for a solo go. Actually, he's still behind the skins. Same rhythms, different guitars." – Michael Bertin, Austin Chronicle
There was no shortage of interesting showcases at 10pm, but I decided to stick around for a little bit and check out Taylor Hawkins and his Coattail Riders with Chris Chaney (ex-Jane's Addiction) on bass. Pretty good songs, some of the ‘made-for-arena-rock” kind, but with a strong pop twist.
The Walls @ SoHo Lounge
“Super-charged with the idea of starting afresh, at its best New Dawn Breaking has an urgency about it which proves infectious. The wait was worth it.” - RTE.IE
It was time to see The Walls one more time, this time with a full band. They delivered a terrific set full of highly memorable songs – especially “To The Bright And Shining Sun” and “Highwire”, which were stand-out tunes which I found myself humming for the rest of the week… Check them out on MySpace.
Hayley Hutchinson @ Hilton 406
“Live, this singer-songwriter is one part Hoxton hipster in her neckerchief and brown vest to two parts folk traditionalist thanks to her lilting voice which exudes a composite of sorrow and desire, like a love starved Joni Mitchell” - Uncut Magazine
Friday, St. Patrick’s Day and SXSW – Sixth Street was just crazy with long lines in front of some of the clubs and loud music blaring out of every door. Just a couple of blocks away, about 20 people relaxed on comfy leather couches in Suite 406 at the Hilton. Hayley Hutchinson’s songs could be best described as pure, and those who were there listened and stayed until the end of her set. Expect to see and hear more from this young lady, check her songs out at MySpace.
Over at the Dirty Dog zZz were still doing their hypnotic drums + keyboards thing when I arrived. Quite entertaining to watch and they got the crowd going pretty well.
Witch @ Dirty Dog
“J Mascis returns to the drumkit with this heavy new crone, featuring Asa Irons and Kyle Thomas of Feathers, and co-hort Dave Sweetapple. Hearkening back to his days in the pre-Dino Jr. band Deep Wound, Mascis and friends get monolithic on their self-titled Tee Pee Records debut, marrying the Massachusetts punk style of the Eighties with your acid casualty uncle's record collection from the Seventies.” – Audra Schroeder, Austin Chronicle
It was bit odd to see J Mascis setting up the drumkit, and but with the dual-guitar attack of Witch, his guitar-playing wasn’t missed very much. Loud, heavy and good.
L.P. @ Coyote Ugly
“There’s no getting around it. Suburban Sprawl & Alcohol with its hook-laden songs, mind penetrating melodies and the strongest lead singer in rock today – indie or otherwise – is a must for anyone CD rank.” - Sandra T. Molina, indietude.com
Witch’s set was quite short, so I had the chance to see the last few songs of L.P.’s show at Coyote Ugly. The venue hadn’t improved much since I was last there a few years back, but L.P. managed to rock the place anyway, ending with an extended version of “Perfect”
Mary Lou Lord @ Corner of Sixth Street and Congress
“Starting from the 'busk anywhere anytime for anyone' ethic, Lord's managed to carve out a career almost by sheer force of will. Sounding like a cross between Juliana Hatfield and Shawn Colvin, the Salem, Mass., native took folk to the fringe of alternative. She's also got a knack for curveball covers like Pink Floyd's "Fearless" from her last full studio release, Baby Blue.” – Michael Bertin, Austin Chronicle
When I arrived at Mary-Lou’s usual spot just after 2am, someone else was playing her guitar and she was singing harmony. “Someone” turned out to be Joel Thibodeau (Death Vessel). After a few songs, Mary-Lou took over again with “The Wind Blew All Around Me". As always her set also included some interesting cover versions, including "Sin City" (Gram Parsons), “By The Time My Head Gets To Phoenix” (Peter Bruntnell) and “I Figured You Out” (Elliott Smith). The cops left her alone that night, and with the constant stream of drunks leaving Sixth Street bars passing by, she continued to play until 3:30am.
All photos (c) Steffen Paulus 2006
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