Jandek was absolutely amazing. If you don't know anything about him, I highly suggest watching the documentary "Jandek on Corwood". He was a complete mystery for decades and only started playing shows a couple years ago. He went on stage and never acknowledged the crowd, had his back half turned to the audience, but the music was amazing. Very experimental, but the performance, including his back-up band was mesmerizing.
The other bands that stood out were These New Puritans (very much like a polished up and catchier Fall; very intense performers), YACHT(such a fun show; they got the whole crowd dancing), The Blow(she always puts on a great performance, but I didn't realize just how popular she's gotten), Raveonettes(but I'm biased because I absolutely adore that band; I saw them twice), Mika Miko(they're from L.A. and played at the Austin Children Museum; they got the whole room dancing as well), The Mae Shi(another L.A. band who played 19 shows at SXSW; they have the energy of small children), The Happy Hollows(my favorite L.A. band and even though they were only playing to a very small audience, managed to be great; if you haven't seen them yet, I not only suggest seeing them, I demand it!), Shout Out Louds(not only did the songs sound perfect, they were played by such a great looking bunch), and Old Time Relijun(the band looked like they were possessed).
The thing that made SXSW so much fun, and unlike any other festival I've been to, is that you don't feel like you're stuck having to watch crappy bands in order to get to the bands you want to see. The whole town is literally taken over with music, everywhere you go. If you don't like a band, you can leave and catch another great band at another venue which is probably within walking distance. The really popular bands (R.E.M., Vampire Weekend) might be more of a chore to see, since you have to wait in long lines to maybe get in. I didn't even bother since there were so many great shows happening all the time. There rarely is a time when you don't have a good option. At just about any point in the day, there's a band you like or have heard of that you want to see playing. Between 7pm and 11pm, you can have dinner and relax. After 11pm, there's even more afterparties that are really fun. I saw a ton of bands on the UT campus, each playing 2 songs acoustic, and that started at midnight. I don't know if you know who Gunther is, but he's this ridiculous german disco/dance singer, and he showed up and did a sing along which was absolutely hysterical. Dan Deacon even played acoustic, but I left before he showed up. The Austin Children Museum had an afterparty thrown by the local college station and that was incredibly fun. There was even a show I attended on a bridge that goes over the river and No Age played a show there at 2am. There were over 1,000 kids going nuts on this bridge, and the police didn't even try stopping it.
It is tiresome, and by Saturday night, you'll be worn out, but I do definitely suggest it. I'm definitely looking forward to next year.
The other bands that stood out were These New Puritans (very much like a polished up and catchier Fall; very intense performers), YACHT(such a fun show; they got the whole crowd dancing), The Blow(she always puts on a great performance, but I didn't realize just how popular she's gotten), Raveonettes(but I'm biased because I absolutely adore that band; I saw them twice), Mika Miko(they're from L.A. and played at the Austin Children Museum; they got the whole room dancing as well), The Mae Shi(another L.A. band who played 19 shows at SXSW; they have the energy of small children), The Happy Hollows(my favorite L.A. band and even though they were only playing to a very small audience, managed to be great; if you haven't seen them yet, I not only suggest seeing them, I demand it!), Shout Out Louds(not only did the songs sound perfect, they were played by such a great looking bunch), and Old Time Relijun(the band looked like they were possessed).
The thing that made SXSW so much fun, and unlike any other festival I've been to, is that you don't feel like you're stuck having to watch crappy bands in order to get to the bands you want to see. The whole town is literally taken over with music, everywhere you go. If you don't like a band, you can leave and catch another great band at another venue which is probably within walking distance. The really popular bands (R.E.M., Vampire Weekend) might be more of a chore to see, since you have to wait in long lines to maybe get in. I didn't even bother since there were so many great shows happening all the time. There rarely is a time when you don't have a good option. At just about any point in the day, there's a band you like or have heard of that you want to see playing. Between 7pm and 11pm, you can have dinner and relax. After 11pm, there's even more afterparties that are really fun. I saw a ton of bands on the UT campus, each playing 2 songs acoustic, and that started at midnight. I don't know if you know who Gunther is, but he's this ridiculous german disco/dance singer, and he showed up and did a sing along which was absolutely hysterical. Dan Deacon even played acoustic, but I left before he showed up. The Austin Children Museum had an afterparty thrown by the local college station and that was incredibly fun. There was even a show I attended on a bridge that goes over the river and No Age played a show there at 2am. There were over 1,000 kids going nuts on this bridge, and the police didn't even try stopping it.
It is tiresome, and by Saturday night, you'll be worn out, but I do definitely suggest it. I'm definitely looking forward to next year.
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