[ Photo gallery available in blog post. ]

We drop the car off and head over to Cedar Street Courtyard to catch the final day of the Filter day show series.  We get there just in time to catch a good chunk of DeVotchKa’s set.  DeVotchKa plays of blend of rock and old world music (gypsy-esque) that is incredibly catchy.  They have been around for a long time but public awareness of the band has grown since they were heavily featured in Little Miss Sunshine. They played a killer set and the crowd was thick to see them.  As soon as they wrapped up the venue cleared out so that we could head to the front of the stage.

Grand Archives were up next and brought a rocking set for us to enjoy.  Grand Archives was founded by Mat Brooke after leaving Band of Horses once their first album was released.  Grand Archives has a similar sound to Band of Horses, but you would expect that from one of the founding members.  I would hardly call it a BoH clone but its a good way to give you a starting point on their sound.  The drummer handled a lot of the banter and you could tell they really enjoyed playing together and to the crowd.

Sea Wolf took the stage after Grand Archives and brought a more mellow sound to the stage but they also brought the rock when called for.  Sea Wolf is a large six piece band with keys, cello, lead guitar, bass, drums and singer/rhythm guitar.  They constantly revolved positions adding to the mix different percussion instruments when called for.  Another great live band to add to the must see list.

The final act of the night was Kate Nash with guest Billy Bragg.  I first heard of Kate through Entertainment Weekly.  Yeah, I read EW… wanna fight about it?! Anyway she got a nice writeup in EW and on the drive down Niki was playing her music because he is a big fan.  Kate is a singer/songwriter from the UK and her album reminds me of Lily Allen, although they are pretty different stylistically.  I think its the girl with an accent thing that makes me link the two.

Kate played her guitar and sang to the audience.  Her banter was spot on, her voice was great and her performance is going on my highlight reel for sure.  She was not in town for a showcase, she just wanted to see SXSW.  Since she was here Filter and Q magazine convinced her to play some gigs.

For the last three songs Kate was backed by Billy Bragg on guitar while she played piano.  They did a great duet piece and he backed her on two of her tracks.  If you are familiar with both Kate and Billy then you probably are wondering how they can work together since they have very different sounds.  Well, they work beautifully and it was awesome to be front row center and catch it all.

After the Filter party we had some down time.  Xina and I watched the bats leave from under the Congress bridge, it was an awesome experience.  Niki headed off with some friends in town and we decided to meet up later for the final round of showcases.

Xina and I first headed off to catch No Kids at the Anitcon showcase.  I heard of No Kids online and really liked their sound.  They are extremely quirky and their sound is catchy. The show was a little… well, a lot rough.  They appear to be a rather new band with limited gigging experience.  I may be wrong but that was the impression I got.  The last song they played was awesome and I want to see how they evolve over the coming year to see how they shape up.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat between shows and then caught Lord T and Eloise.  Xina knew of them from a friend of hers and had seen their videos online.  Xina mentioned that they dressed the part but I had no idea what they did musically.  I assumed it was some kind of folk or rock thing but they ended up being a three MC hip-hop team out of Memphis.  They brought the “Aristocrunk” (as they called it).  Its very tongue and cheek but the beats were bouncing and they know how to flow.  It was a hysterical show and the crowd ate it up.  Very much a unique act and if you can see it I recommend it just for the experience alone.

We then trucked it up to the Daytrotter/Park The Van showcase to catch the Spinto Band and Dr. Dog.  The badge line was 30 deep to get in and they were doing one out one in.  The Spinto Band took the stage as we were in line but we were able to see and hear them since they were set up at the outdoor Eno’s Annex.  I was the last to get in and we headed to the front to catch the highly energetic show.  I first heard of them Spinto Band via Seth over at wHYMe.  Ah Seth… how I miss your show.

After the Spinto Band brought it, and boy did they, Dr. Dog took the stage.  Blending classic power pop rock, psychedelia and a splash of Reggae they rocked the stage and the crowd really hard.  It was a fantastic way to go out on my 3rd annual SXSW.  All and all this has to be the best SXSW I have been to.  The music was non-stop stellar for four days.  So much new music to dig into when I finally decompress.

We got to the venue to catch the last few minutes of Nicole Atkins.  The sun was starting to beat down and we settled in on the mid-deck at Mohawk overlooking the outdoor stage.  After cracking a cold one we listened to the Hood Internet play a tag team set of Hip-Hop / Indie Rock mashups.  The Hood Internet would provide the between set beats for the rest of the day.

The sun started to really blaze (high of 95 degrees today) and we wandered down from the deck and into the welcome shade of the tent.  The Dodos, from hometown SF, took the stage and rocked with a drums/guitar duo configuration interspersed by a third member on xylophone and gong.

Once their set was finished we decided to brave the sun once more as Cadence Weapon set up. By this point the humidity had dropped to 11% and the sun went from grueling to a very pleasant heat.  Cadence Weapon dropped a tight but remarkably short set due to their Numark CD turntable failing in the heat.

Since the set was maybe 15 minutes long we headed inside to catch the start of Cameron McGill’s set.  A country meets folk sound was filled in by a large 6 piece band packed into a little stage.  They had a great sound with multiple part harmonies and blues lead guitar tones.  We then headed back out to catch the next outdoor set.

In the comfort of the shade tent and a Shiner in hand, White Denim, from Austin, tore up the stage.  High energy in the strides as the Who this three piece laid it down.  The nice thing about this kind of show is that if you don’t recognize the names on the bill you place your faith in the fact that the people putting it on have good and esoteric tastes.

We missed the last few minutes of White Denim’s set to get a good spot inside for the Bowerbirds.  Recent reviews of their showcase claimed they put on a fantastic show and from what I heard online I was looking forward to it.  The first two songs by the Bowerbirds were a little loose and didn’t really hook us, but the third song grabbed us and we were sold on the act.  This is a fantastic band to see when they swing through your area.

After catching the whole set we headed back up to the deck, now covered mostly in shade. With a Tecate and lime to keep us cool, Blitzen Trapper rocked the stage.  The next act was both the closer and headliner of the Hot Freaks show.  They had managed to get British Sea Power to close the joint down.  And close it they did.

British Sea Power took the stage and dominated the crowd with driving riffs and intense energy.  They kept building it up and up until finally the stage manager had to frantically wave them down to stop playing because the time was up. The venue had to close to get ready for the official showcase.  Bravo to the Hot Freaks team for putting on an amazing lineup and allowing us to catch nine acts in such a short period of time.

We hiked back to the hotel to drop off the camera and to relax for 30 seconds.  We then headed back into the heat and attempted to find a place to eat. Once feed we headed to the Parish to catch the Merge Records show.

We walked in just as Wye Oak started their set.  This kind of perfect timing is exactly what happened with Jens Lekman last time we walked into the Parish.   I first heard about Wye Oak on Done Waiting.  I viewed a few of their live videos and listened to a few tracks.  That is all it took and I was excited to see them.  They did not disappoint.  The drummer plays his kit, the bassline on a keyboard (with his left hand) and on most tracks he also sings harmony.  It was a beautiful show and I recommend them highly.

The Radar Brothers were up next, another band that both Niki and I have heard via the internet and was intrigued by their sound.  They played a very mellow set but we fully enjoyed their presentation.  I will be adding their album to my collection, another SXSW find.

The Shout Out Louds (who we missed at the NPR day party) were up next.  When we came into the venue Xina saw two of the guys we stood inline with for the NPR day show.  They were both really looking forward to the Shout Out Louds and were glad to see us again.  As we shot the shit the topic of Subterranean and Niki’s knowledge of a specific video came up.  Work with me here…  it will all tie in in a second.

Rewind back to when Xina and I arrived at Niki’s place on Tuesday.  We watched MTV2’s Subterranean show that happened to be the one episode where they never displayed any of the video’s information.  Kind of sucks when the point of the show is to BREAK NEW ARTISTS!!  How the hell do you break them if you don’t tell anyone who they are?  One of the video’s we saw had a carnival scene and it was really catchy, it stood out yet we didn’t know who made it.

Now, jump to waiting in line for the NPR dayshow on Thursday.  The two guys we met (who we saw again tonight) brought up the subject of the stupid episode of Subterranean that had no labels.  One of the guys specifically wanted to know who the carnival video was buy.  Niki at that point told them he knew but couldn’t recall the name.

Back now at the Parish, just before Shout Out Louds take the stage.  The guys ask Niki if he has recalled since yesterday the name of the band which he could not recall at the time.  As they were talking about it the Shout Out Louds took the stage.  A few songs into the set they play their song “Impossible” which at that point it hits everyone that the band in video is in fact the Shout Out Louds.  Way too serendipitous.  They put on a hell of a show and I was glad to be there.

By this point the venue is packed and She and Him take the stage.  She and Him is the recently buzzed about band fronted by M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel (the actress).  They have been getting good press and we all wanted to see how they did.  Honestly, they sound amazing but (and this is a big but) Zooey really needs to learn how to entertain while on stage.  She just stood there and sang.  She belted it out and it was great to hear but the energy of the room was just enough to keep it from emptying out. Anything would help, even a simple smile.  She just stood their like a statue and sang.  Maybe she just needs more practice as a frontwoman….

The last act of the night was Destroyer.  Destroyer is Dan Bejar’s (New Pornographers) project.  Psychedelic Indie Rock with stream of conscious lyrics fits the bill.  It was an okay set that was riddled with technical difficulties.  From an improperly configured digital piano to a guitar that wouldn’t hold its tune; the set just stumbled along with long pauses between the songs.  On top of that it was poorly mixed by the soundboard operator which just added to the lackluster feel of the final act. Destroyer’s music is interesting and if they played again I would probably catch them to give them another shot because it was clear that the deck was stacked against them this round.

Tomorrow is the last day of music for us… and also at trip to Saltlick BBQ.  Oh baby yeah.  Also, I am too wiped out to deal with processing all the pics from the Hot Freaks Party.  I will try to get them up later today (its 3:30am right now). ‘night.

We were up and ready to go in a record time this morning at 11:20am.  This is the first time I think we have gotten out of the hotel before 1pm in the last 2 years.  The fact that we all were excited to see the show we wanted to make sure we got there at a decent time.  Knowing the lineup, this was going to be a popular event.  After grabbing a quick bite for breakfast/lunch we headed over to the Parish were we were greeted by a 200+ person line waiting to get in.  At first we thought they had not opened the doors yet, but we were wrong. Over the next hour the line slowly crawled forward as they let 5 here, 10 there into the venue.

[ Photo gallery available in blog post. ]

We got in just as Jens Lekman was starting his set and missed out on The Shout Out Louds.  Jens was a beautiful set that had a narrative story provided by Jens between songs.  He talked about leaving his hometown and how exiting and new it was to finally explore the world.  He had a backing violinist and cellist as well as a percussionist playing hand drums.  It was a short set (as all were) but what we did get was amazing and I wanted to see more.

After Jens left the stage AA Bondy began to set up.  The NPR hosts never mentioned the act order which was a little frustrating. There were postings online but they were different from the printed version (which did not have AA Bondy) so there was a lot of discussion between sets on who was up next.  AA brought a classic blues/folk sound with harmonic and acoustic guitar.  His lyrics were tight, rich and told a story that was interesting to follow.  My favorite was his tale of a vampire, which was fitting with Vampire Weekend wrapping up the show. I also really liked “Vice Rag” which you can hear on his MySpace page I linked above.

Next up was Yeasayer from Brooklyn.  They had an elaborate rig with synths, samplers, guitars, bass and drums.  Its hard to describe their sound but they had complex harmonies and an almost dance oriented rhythm that kept you moving the whole time.  This is the kind of band that you want to see and experience.  By the time their set ended they were just starting to really dig into the crowd and its a shame that the set length was so short.  I would gladly catch them again this round at SXSW (which may or may not happen).

Once Yeasayer broke down their complex rig, Bon Iver set up and kicked off a fantastic set.  At first the sound was mellow and beautiful with complex three part harmonies.  The set built up the energy and ended with a finale that just left you begging for more.  I very very happy to catch them and you should take a listen to their music online.

The last act of the NPR day show was the buzzed about Vampire Weekend.  As I mentioned in my earlier post I was disappointed with their SNL appearance.  After watching them live I am a little more impressed but I have to admit I am no longer swept up in the buzz.  They are very musically skilled and the execute their style to a T.  The issue for me is that their style is a very distilled bubble gum pop but not done in a tongue and cheek way or a overly (yet yummy) sweet twee way, ala the Cardigans.  If you are into their sound, then you should see them because they are a solid stage show, it just didn’t float my boat.

After a bite to eat at the legendary Hut’s Burgers and a quick nap we trekked over to Austin Music Hall to catch the NPR showcase.  One of the cooler things about coming back to Austin every year is seeing the changes that happen to any major metropolitan area. In this case the massive amount of construction and additions going on around the music hall.  In fact, the music hall itself was completely overhauled and this rebuilding explains why it was not a venue last year.

The NPR showcase featured The Whigs, Yo La Tengo and My Morning Jacket.  I was looking forward to Yo La since my ex-coworker introduced me to them two years ago. We rolled into the venue about 15 minutes after the Whigs set kicked off.  Niki and I were both impressed by their sound and their energy.  The topic of energy probably appears to be a theme in this and the last post, but for live shows how they present themselves can drastically change a viewers opinion.

Once the Whigs whipped the audience up, a 20 minute changeover occurred and then Yo La Tengo took the stage. For the first few minutes you could have replaced Yo La with Sonic Youth due to their frenetic and noise ridden intro.  It was not what I was expecting, in a good way.  From their they switched sonic styles for what seemed to be each song.  The finale started quiet and was masterfully built upon until a sonic wall was ripping through the sound system.  With gear feedbacking they wished us well and left the stage. At that point the energy level was so high it was going to be interesting to see what My Morning Jacket would bring.

Niki had heard for years that My Morning Jacket put on an amazing show and they did not disappoint.  They have obviously been playing the festival circuit because not only was the band note for note in perfect sync, but the light show was dead on too.  It was a full blown two hour (yes 2 hours) rock show extravaganza.  They weaved through stadium rock songs, to souther country, to psychedelic, to rock ballads. This band was meant to be seen on a large stage.

On the way home Niki and I talked about what it must have been like to see My Morning Jacket coming up the ranks.  In fact, any large stadium band that puts on such a tight show would be fascinating to see where they came from to get to there.

Well, we are beat, sore to the bone and therefore it is time to call it a night.  Nothing like standing on concrete for 14 hours. woot!

We headed out to check into our hotel that is a few blocks farther off of downtown then ideal, but then again <<start sarcasm>> I waited until October to book the hotel <<end sarcasm>>.  After once again not getting the room we wanted, they were out of King rooms (this is becoming a habit with SXSW hotels), we settled in and started the ever evolving music consumption strategy. For those of you that have not been to SXSW, you receive a booklet that breaks down the day’s lineup by venue and then shows you the time for each act.  The first time you see the booklet you truly get a sense of how many acts are playing all at the same time (1700 this year).

The way we run it is we scan the list for the day and pick out all the bands that we want to see then try to find a venue that has the most acts that are on the list or are close to each other.  In the past it was possible to wander from show to show but nowadays the lines are crazy even for badge holders.

[ Photo gallery available in blog post. ]

Note: As you will see some of the photos are high quality and some where taken on my shitty phone.  It appears that SXSW has a photo badge policy for all “pro” level cameras, i.e. removable lens.  This means that we are not supposed to take pics with Xina’s camera at official showcases.  We will try to get as many quality pics as possible but expect some crappy ones to fill the set.  I blame myself since I told Xina not to worry about dragging along her smaller camera… d’oh!

We figured out that the best bet for today was to head over to the Levi’s/Fader party to warm up, then go catch Earlimart and then head to Antone’s to catch Lightspeed Champion, Sons and Daughters and The Kills.  We packed up our gear and headed out to the Fort to catch the day show.  After a quick jaunt across Town Lake we made it to the Fort where a large line of people where waiting to confirm their RSVPs.  The line was processed quickly and we got in to catch Ruby Suns setting up for the set.

The Fader/Levi’s day parties have been legendary for the last few years, mainly because they are one of the few day parties that has free alcohol that lasts more then the first hour.  This proved to be true for they had a massive supply of Bass Ale and SoCo.  We grabbed a fist full of Bass and headed over to the bleachers to pop-a-squat.

The Ruby Suns, from New Zealand, set up just completed as we sat down and they played a fun and energetic set.  They tagged off on instruments each one playing different ones as the set continued.  Sampled drums, bass, flute, guitar, keys, kazoo, it was all used at one point or another during the set.  After Ruby Suns, Chikita Violenta from Mexico played a very energetic pop driven noise set that was enjoyed by the crowd.  This was their first time in the States and they were very excited to play here.

After their set we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed out to catch Earlimart at the convention center.  They were playing a set for DirectTV and SXSW which was broadcasted live in HD.  Earlimart played a fantastic set and we were front row center to catch the entire action.  After they played the show we headed out to meet my friend Alexandra for a late dinner.

From dinner, we walked over to Antone’s where we found a long line of badge holders waiting to get in.  After about 15 minutes of waiting we got in the door just as Lightspeed Champion hit the stage.  They were an amazing act and the interplay between guitar and violin really created a wonderful sound.  If you get a chance to catch him live do so, it is very, very worth it.

Next up was the Glasgow based Sons and Daughters.  This four piece is full of energy and each member has a very distinct persona.  The drummer had thin suspenders over a plaid shirt and super straight jeans.  The bassists had a black dress and a nearly stone like expression.  The guitarist had the perfect quaffed hair and the open shirt with the large chain.  Finally the front woman had on a gold frock like dress with fake green and gold eyelash extensions.  It was a good set but from where we were set up (front row again) it was hard to take in their sound.  Niki, who was farther back, was a little disappointed in the set. He was he was familiar with their sound and had higher expectations for the show.

The final act of the night for us was The Kills.  I had heard a bit about them and was interested in hearing what they were like live.  The crowd was packed by this time and many where very excited to catch a highly anticipated act.  It was an intense set put on by just two people.  The energy was palatable from both the crowd and the band. Niki was very impressed by them, as both Xina and I were, but his point of not expecting the energy really hits home.  This is a band you have to see to fully get what they are about.  You don’t expect two people with a sampler, two guitars and mics to put on such an intense act.  They both understand how to work a crowd and put on a good performance.

After The Kills we tried to get into the Black Keys but were denied by a huge badge line. By then it was 1:30 and we decided to call it a night.  This was an excellent way to kick of SXSW ‘08 and we are looking forward to the NPR day show and showcase tomorrow.  Until then…

This being our third time around, Niki and I are approaching it with more of a laid back attitude about what acts, day parties, and showcases we need to hit.  There are only a few must sees for us this year and luckily they are most are playing the NPR day show (Jens Lenkman, Radar Brothers and Adele).  I would have thrown Vampire Weekend in there but after their lackluster SNL appearance I am not as excited as I once was.  I know they are the hot topic of the week but I was really, really disappointed with how they presented themselves on the show.  I am still looking forward to catching them and giving them a second chance, but they are going to have to put on a brilliant show to convince me they are worth the hype.

This is our first year where all of us have badges.  The last two years, Niki decided to go the cheaper route and bought wristbands.  One of the benefits to living in Dallas and having friends in Austin is that it made getting a wristband an easy task.  That and it is ~$300 cheaper.  The issue with having a wristband is that some day parties (the official ones) require a badge to get in or the queue to get in without a badge can be pretty intense come Friday/Saturday nights.

Niki broke down this year and got the badge, which is a good thing because SXSW drastically changed how they handle wristbands.  To help curb scalping and out of town purchasing cough SXSW implemented a lottery system. A few weeks back people submitted their name into the lottery with a max of two tickets.  If you won the lottery, which everyone who submitted this year did, you have to show up at a location with ID and have the wristband put on there.  This prevents scalpers from buying a shit-ton of bands and then selling them to people like me or coughNikicough.

We are about to hear some rough cuts off if Fate Lions next studio album so I will call it a post for now…

To support our photo aspect of our trip I have been developing a custom photo gallery Wordpress plug-in using Flex 3. I have completed version 0.1 which I am using for SXSW. The goal is to start alpha-testing version 0.2 very shortly, so if you are using Wordpress and Flickr and want to experiment with a new gallery plug-in let me know. Also, if you have any issues (which I would not be surprised since it is a 0.1 release) please report them to me: james [ at ] vivisectingmedia.com. This is my first Wordpress plug-in so that has been an adventure in itself. I will be doing a lot more talking on the plug-in process in the feature and what I see the feature set being for future releases.

Sooo… back to SXSW. I will be posting a recap of every day early in the morning before we head to bed. If you want to check out the last two years, here are the links.

SXSW 2006 Tales from SXSW (pre-flight check) Tales From SXSW – Day 1 Tales From SXSW – Day 2 Tales From SXSW – Day 3 Tales From SXSW – Day 4 (finale)

SXSW 2007 Tales from SXSW 2007: Pre-flight check SXSW 2007: Day One Recap SXSW 2007: Day Two Recap SXSW 2007: Day Three Recap SXSW 2007: Day Four Recap SXSW 2007: Top Ten Countdown… Starting Monday SXSW 2007: Top Ten Countdown #10 & #9 SXSW 2007: Top Ten Countdown #8 & #7 SXSW 2007: Top Ten Countdown #6 & #5 SXSW 2007: Top Ten Countdown #4 & #3 SXSW 2007: Top Ten Countdown #2 & #1

And finally, I was digging around and found my memory card I used for SXSW 2006. These pics have never been seen before until now! I created a new set on Flickr and of course I am using it to demo my new Photoslider gallery. Enjoy!

[ Photo gallery available in blog post. ]

update: Looks like express install is a little wonky with the new version of the Flash Player. You will need the newest player to view this (9.0.115) so if the auto installer acts odd, go to Adobe.com’s Flash Player install page to update.