South By Southwest - SXSW 08 Review
March 21, 2008
I was in the thick of it…over 1,500 bands in more than 65 venues…a veritable plethora of great music, plenty of free swag and more networking opportunities than a person could hope for. But it’s the music that drives this bus called South By Southwest (SXSW), a weeklong music festival and industry convention with seminars that cover almost every facet of the music business. It’s different from other industry events though because the focus is always on the art and the artist revolving around all those live performances. There are naysayers that complain about the corporate sponsorships, saying it’s gotten too commercial, but it’s really the bands and the attendees who are benefiting and the focus is still on the live performance. Getting free drinks and BBQ is just a perk, not a hindrance. Another great thing about SXSW vs. most other festivals and conferences, there really doesn’t seem to be a genre bias. From folk and blues to power pop, rock, metal, and everything in between it’s all here.
On to the heart of the matter, the highlights of this years SXSW…
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Best Performances:
Was (Not Was) – This was by far the best thing I saw all week. Don and David Was have assembled the greatest R&B, soul and funk rock players that Detroit has ever seen and these guys were amazing. I can’t even begin to describe it…like the Talking Heads meets James Brown. A wild mix of soulful horns, Steely Dan jazz-rock and David Was alternating between playing the flute and weird spoken word raps. The 3 lead vocalists were straight out of the Funk, Gospel and Soul of Detroit with excellent voices. You may be more familiar with Don as a producer (The B-52’s, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and many more) but Was (Not Was) started it all, with he and David doing their best Detroit version of Zappa. After all these years they have a new album coming out (Boo!) on Ryko in April. I can’t wait!
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The Presidents of the U.S.A. – How much fun should one band be allowed to have? And they’re tight! The huge crowd at this show was having a blast and they knew every lyric to all the old songs, however, the new tracks were some of the best they played. Yes, they have a new album! It’s called These Are The Good Times People and it just came out last week. Get it now, the songs are fantastic, quirky, alternative rock and pop, perfect for fans of They Might Be Giants.
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Sixpence None The Richer – A great band that I’ve always enjoyed, but I have never been blown away by their live show, until now. They broke up and just recently got back together, and I’m telling you, Matt and Leigh have never sounded better. The new songs were by far the strongest and I hear they’re working on a new EP. Matt’s surreal guitar sounds with Leigh’s beautiful voice blend and work so well together it’s mesmerizing.
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Van Morrison – This was everything I expected from Van the man…great band, great songs and his voice sounds just like it did when he was in his 20’s. Wow.
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Moby – Even though his new material is more club and techno influenced, he put on an amazing show and I even got to chat with him for a moments. He is a super nice and humble guy. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger picture of Moby and I hanging at SXSW.
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Here are some of the other great shows that I attended:
Colour Revolt
Liam Finn
Nada Surf
REM
Hanson
Hot Springs
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Best Showcases & Parties:
Paste Magazine & Stereogum – Dell Lounge – By far the best line-up and the most blogger friendly. They had workstations for bloggers set up where they could view the show and blog live. Did it. Loved it. Amazing line-up with everyone from Liam Finn to Nada Surf. Amazing music.
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Levis/Fader Fort – Longest line, biggest pain to get into, but once you are in…wow! The free swag, free drinks (including Smart Water and Vitamin Water!) and lots of music.
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Merge Records Showcase – It’s all about the music. The Merge crew is great and they have one of the best line-ups of any alternative label. Get the She & Him record now!
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Saddle Creek Showcase – Another great indie label with more than just Bright Eyes…lots of great bands including Two Gallants and The Good Life.
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Best SXSW Buddies
Doug Van Pelt (HM Magazine) and Doug The Canuck (The Great White North radio show) - Doug and Doug…these guys are great friends who know Austin and they’re SXSW pros. I love hanging with them every year. It’s my favorite part of the week.
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