(no subject)
SXSW was all sorts of baller. I got to see all sorts of neat bands in all sorts of neat places. here are my top three performances:
Bowerbirds at Urban Outfitters
steeped in the traditional instruments and screen-door charm of classic americana, yet fueled by the uprock yelp and chops of newer freak-folkers, bowerbirds are as ethereal and unique as their namesakes. after an eternally long soundcheck, they plied their campfire meditations on nature and humanity to a group of about 10 people, in a parking lot behind the urban outfitters. the less-than-ideal crowd and setting did nothing to diminish their tight rhythm and saccharine harmonies, and while they might be a one-note act, boy oh boy what a note it is.
Mahjongg at Chain Drive, the secret gay bar
mahjongg were a whirlwind of roto-toms and tweaked moogs, a percussive blast of afro-pop mixed with the junkyard post-punk of their midwest hometown, Chicago. Grizzly hipsters swaying, shrieking, and bounding around with cords in hand and drumsticks in teeth, they managed to upstage the formidable view, lush patio and cheap drinks offered up by the incognito establishment (no signage, at the dead end of a street, and the inside looked like it could play host to an "anything goes pan-sexual bazaar" at least once a night). I got yelled at for standing in the landscaping to snap this shot.
Lucky Dragons at Ms. Beas
after a spirited (and impressive) set of lo-fi junkfunk by the icy demons, lucky dragons did their thing. No one knew quite what to expect as a lanky, intense man loped out of the modest cantina and began collecting rocks before switching on a laptop and a strange, wire-laden device. This was lucky dragons, the one-man noise savant from Los Angeles. This guy is fascinated with new ways of creating sounds and especially with the communicative/communal properties of music and sound. He utilized the size, position, and mineral make-up of said rocks to coax a rainbow of tones out of his small device, before letting the audience control the manipulation and eventually dancing around the contraption like a dervish entranced. he then gave one member of the audience a modified mic jack and proceeded to turn 10-15 people into a giant group theremin. An artist who allows the audience to influence the music communally, inspiring back-slapping, arm-flailing and joyful laughter, all while creating utterly unique sounds? sounds like my kind of show. this kind of comradary, this kind of experimentation, on the back patio of a friendly cantina: this is why i love this city.
more pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/killerjuicebox, including sets from Anathello, the Acorn, Islands, Yo La Tengo, Atlas Sound, The Weakerthans and more.
Bowerbirds at Urban Outfitters
steeped in the traditional instruments and screen-door charm of classic americana, yet fueled by the uprock yelp and chops of newer freak-folkers, bowerbirds are as ethereal and unique as their namesakes. after an eternally long soundcheck, they plied their campfire meditations on nature and humanity to a group of about 10 people, in a parking lot behind the urban outfitters. the less-than-ideal crowd and setting did nothing to diminish their tight rhythm and saccharine harmonies, and while they might be a one-note act, boy oh boy what a note it is.
Mahjongg at Chain Drive, the secret gay bar
mahjongg were a whirlwind of roto-toms and tweaked moogs, a percussive blast of afro-pop mixed with the junkyard post-punk of their midwest hometown, Chicago. Grizzly hipsters swaying, shrieking, and bounding around with cords in hand and drumsticks in teeth, they managed to upstage the formidable view, lush patio and cheap drinks offered up by the incognito establishment (no signage, at the dead end of a street, and the inside looked like it could play host to an "anything goes pan-sexual bazaar" at least once a night). I got yelled at for standing in the landscaping to snap this shot.
Lucky Dragons at Ms. Beas
after a spirited (and impressive) set of lo-fi junkfunk by the icy demons, lucky dragons did their thing. No one knew quite what to expect as a lanky, intense man loped out of the modest cantina and began collecting rocks before switching on a laptop and a strange, wire-laden device. This was lucky dragons, the one-man noise savant from Los Angeles. This guy is fascinated with new ways of creating sounds and especially with the communicative/communal properties of music and sound. He utilized the size, position, and mineral make-up of said rocks to coax a rainbow of tones out of his small device, before letting the audience control the manipulation and eventually dancing around the contraption like a dervish entranced. he then gave one member of the audience a modified mic jack and proceeded to turn 10-15 people into a giant group theremin. An artist who allows the audience to influence the music communally, inspiring back-slapping, arm-flailing and joyful laughter, all while creating utterly unique sounds? sounds like my kind of show. this kind of comradary, this kind of experimentation, on the back patio of a friendly cantina: this is why i love this city.
more pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/killerjuicebox, including sets from Anathello, the Acorn, Islands, Yo La Tengo, Atlas Sound, The Weakerthans and more.