SXSW 2009 - Wednesday
feat: The Shaky Hands, Max Tundra, Crocodiles, Wavves, Explode Into Colors, Pocahaunted, Pete And The Pirates, and Telepathe
Sorry (again) for tardiness, it took me longer than expected to process all of the music (on a crappy computer) and whatnot and other real-life things. I can't be bothered to lookup song titles, so if somebody wants to post any setlists or titles in the comments section (or any other comments) it will be appreciated. Eventually I'll get around to posting the two other days of SXSW I recorded, but until then - these recordings from the Wednesday SXSW kickoff are the result of a newly purchased Zoom H2 digital recorder. The results are varied, some sets you may want to keep on your computer, others not, and it was a good learning experience for me concerning microphone placement and other variables I will bore you with throughout this post. I do hope you keep the Pete and the Pirates set, it may be the best one I recorded the whole SXSW and is one I can't stop playing. And pretty much everything here is a highlight in it's own right - Max Tundra's SXSW debut, Wavves second SXSW show, some great songs from Shaky Hands, and a jaw-dropping set from Pocahaunted. I did record a few things over this SXSW I won't be posting, true to this blog's creed I'll only post things I really liked, and even though sets are usually only 20-30 minutes (some are partial sets I arrived to late or something) they add up and my server space is now precious.
Sorry (again) for tardiness, it took me longer than expected to process all of the music (on a crappy computer) and whatnot and other real-life things. I can't be bothered to lookup song titles, so if somebody wants to post any setlists or titles in the comments section (or any other comments) it will be appreciated. Eventually I'll get around to posting the two other days of SXSW I recorded, but until then - these recordings from the Wednesday SXSW kickoff are the result of a newly purchased Zoom H2 digital recorder. The results are varied, some sets you may want to keep on your computer, others not, and it was a good learning experience for me concerning microphone placement and other variables I will bore you with throughout this post. I do hope you keep the Pete and the Pirates set, it may be the best one I recorded the whole SXSW and is one I can't stop playing. And pretty much everything here is a highlight in it's own right - Max Tundra's SXSW debut, Wavves second SXSW show, some great songs from Shaky Hands, and a jaw-dropping set from Pocahaunted. I did record a few things over this SXSW I won't be posting, true to this blog's creed I'll only post things I really liked, and even though sets are usually only 20-30 minutes (some are partial sets I arrived to late or something) they add up and my server space is now precious.
SXSW - AUSTIN, TX
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009
Click pictures for a larger version. You can also download all of the Wednesday mp3s in one zip file (275MB) HERE (click "Download for free with FileFactory Basic")
I had to work and miss at least one day of SXSW, and since The Shaky Hands weren't playing too many shows I went Wednesday (to see them) and Friday & Saturday and had to work Thursday. I'm too big of a Joggers fanatic to miss drummer Jake Morris playing with the established Portland band which he recently joined last year (since the Joggers take years to release an single 7"), just in time for their tour opening for the Meat Puppets. I talked to Jake before the show and he was apprehensive, and said they hadn't played in a while, had just driven in early that morning, and before that founding member/singer Nicholas Delffs had an even longer journey, having just arrived from India. But the worries were unfounded and The Shaky Hands made me a big fan, and disappointed in myself that I'd been missing out and hadn't gotten any of their stuff yet. It may not be as angular as the Joggers, but it's its own kind of rich textured rock. They just kicked off a nationwide tour, check them out fer sure if they're in your area. After a stint on the great UK indie label Memphis Industries, The Shaky Hands signed last year to Kill Rock Stars and opened the Kill Rock Stars Day party at Club Deville. Track 7 is especially nice and mellow and shows off Delffs' immediately likeable voice.
2009-03-18 SXSW, early afternoon
Club Deville
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And from there we headed a block away to Red 7 to catch the SXSW premiere of British electronic-kitsch maestro Max Tundra at the Terrorbird/Force Field Day Party. It was probably the first time I've seen a book used as a prop during a music gig. Tundra's voice explores pitches like some modern avant-garde opera (or camp theater), playfully bouncing vocal melodies over the top of by his unique style of breakbeat techno with electronic flourishes and toys. I was back by the soundboard like I was for The Shaky Hands show, but Red 7 also had a concert going on outside just behind us, and during quieter passages you can hear it - I would imagine this is not something you really have to worry about normally when recording, but as can be heard here has to be a concern in the cramped downtown spaces of Austin during SXSW. But all in all not a bad recording and definitely a nice moment to capture (thanks to smileybone for the pic above/left)
Max Tundra
2009-03-18 SXSW, early afternoon
Red 7
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2009-03-18 SXSW, early afternoon
Red 7
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From there it was around the block again to Emo's and the Pat Possum party to see Wavves, and before that was two dudes called Crocodiles who most definitely know all of the Jesus and Mary Chain records by heart. With a drum machine and a guy singing over one noisy guitar, it was a bit more than the sum of its parts and rocked hard enough to justify the sunglasses. I recorded from the very back next to the soundboard, and added a touch of EQ to all the recordings, but realized I had to add more the further back I recorded. Crocodiles are currently on tour in support of Ladytron.
And next was one the the most hyped acts of the year, Wavves from San Diego. Like Crocodiles it's just two dudes, but having somebody live drums helps fill out the live sound for Wavves, although the music is still much less expansive and the drumbeats for the most part just match the same pounding rhythm of the guitar and much of the noise and nuance of the albums is missing. Nathan from Wavves does play his straight-ahead rock chords live with a catchy urgency and has a way with vocal melodies, especially the switching to ooo-ing sweet beach melodies like on "To The Dregs", although by that song in this set (only their second of SXSW I believe) his voice is already showing signs of strain. By the end of the week things didn't get much better for him, almost losing his voice due to the huge number of shows they played over four days.
Wavves2009-03-18 SXSW, afternoon
Emo's outside
2009-03-18 SXSW 01 - Intro
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2009-03-18 SXSW 09 - To The Dregs
2009-03-18 SXSW 10 - Wavves
After that we headed to what's becoming a not-so-great secret about SXSW and my default place to go: the free day shows all week long put on by NYC promoter Todd P (teaming up with various labels and party-throwers) at Ms. Bea's. Ms. Bea's is on Sixth Street, on the east side of highway 35. The downtown club scene (and downtown itself) is generally west of I35, but the east-of-35 area, not too long ago mostly all lower-middle class, is slowly being gentrified. But Ms. Bea's is an old-timey Mexican ice-house, like others in the area, and it has a great patio and open area out back, and for SXSW it's configured with two stages that bands alternate between. The first stage is just a section of patio in front of a chain-link fence and the second is underneath a covered arbor. Thomas from Pete and The Pirates said it best on their blog, "This is how all gigs should be; played outside in people's yards on warm summer evenings."
For Wednesday day the party was "Todd P presents Music Made by Women"curated by Veronica of Finally Punk. We caught the end of the set from Portland's Explode Into Colors, and it was what SXSW is all about: discovering new bands. I hadn't heard them before, but was wholly impressed by the thick and swampy musical atmosphere created by this female three-piece, with expansive grooves and vocals that alternate from sweetness to seance - perfect I'd imagine for summer highway cruising. The slight crackling heard a bit here and even more during Telepathe is actually a result of the PA for the under the arbor stage and not the recorder
And then one of my most anticipated shows: Pocahaunted. If Explode Into Colors sounds at times like a seance, Pocahaunted sounds like channeling Native American spirits from the underworld. Bethany from Pocahaunted didn't come with them and is on hiatus, but Amanda had more than able backup, including new arrival Diva Dompe from LA band Blackblack on bass and 
members of Robedoor (husband and Not Not Fun cofounder Britt Brown on guitar and trumpet) , Sun Araw, and Magic Lantern. I asked Amanda afterward about the set and she said it was all brand new material that they had just written together, with no real titles for the songs. The bass in this newest incarnation of Pocahaunted has a definite nod to dub reggae and Amanda has said that ahead is an even funkier sound, one that perhaps you can even dance to. In an interview with LA CityBeat she says "Right around the time we started recording Island Diamonds, I started listening to a lot of spacey dub and buying Soul Jazz box sets, trying to sink my teeth into that aspect of electronic music." Previous to this set I knew Pocahaunted's vocals mostly of course for their primal chanting, but didn't realize until I read that LA CityBeat interview that this was the first time they've used actual real words in the vocals. But that definitely doesn't take away from the other-worldliness. As the pictures show, I was right up front for this recording and it sounds great.
Pocahaunted
2009-03-18 SXSW, late afternoon
Ms. Bea's
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It's hard to pigeonhole Pete And The Pirates (or Thomas Sanders' other project Tap Tap). They are imaginative but not necessarily ground-breaking. It's hard to nail down references but you know they sound like somebody. Their greatness lies in the details - Sanders' quintessentially British vocal phrasings, the tightness of the band, and most of all the extremely catchy pop hooks. The songs here at Wednesday evening's NY Noise party are sung and played with contagious enthusiasm, and by track 4 "Come On Feet" things really start clicking. The next track, old favorite (recorded by both Tap Tap and Pete And The Pirates) "She Doesn't Belong To Me" brings some calmness for a bit but even it can barely be restrained despite the fact that this is their fifth set this day, and then three fantastic new songs after that. Pure indie pop goodness. Like Pocahaunted I was right up front for this one with nobody in front of me, and though I might have assumed this could be too close, the sound came out well-balanced and full, probably the best of all the recordings I got for the whole week., despite the fact that the kick drum sounds like it was "made of ceramics". Big thanks to Melissa Soltis (flickr) for sending me these pics (and the one above of Ms. Bea's).
Pete And The Pirates2009-03-18 SXSW, evening
Ms. Bea's
2009-03-18 SXSW 01 - intro
2009-03-18 SXSW 02 - Jennifer
2009-03-18 SXSW 03 - Things That Go Bump
2009-03-18 SXSW 04 - Come On Feet
2009-03-18 SXSW 05 - She Doesn't Belong To Me
2009-03-18 SXSW 06 - Motorbike
2009-03-18 SXSW 07 - Selina
2009-03-18 SXSW 08 - Lost In The Woods
2009-03-18 SXSW 09 - Mr. Understanding
I actually enjoyed Telepathe's closing set enough to include it here, and that's kind of surprising. On the surface it's just electronic club music (which I'd normally probably hate), the vocal melodies seem kind of Top-40 inspired, and there's a futuristic New York hip-hop vibe, some desert tribalism, and a little Miami booty bass. But they pull it all together and "wing it" with a snare drum, keyboard and samplers (pretty much Animal Collective's live setup) and make it work, sounding original and modern. Thanks to lap0la for the pic!
Telepathe
2009-03-18 SXSW, evening
Ms. Bea's
2009-03-18 SXSW, evening
Ms. Bea's
coming next (eventually): Friday, including Casper And The Cookies (who seriously have an album of the year contender hitting stores soon), Bearsuit, Fishboy, and the Not Not Fun label showcase.
