Porcupine Tree with Coheed and Cambria at Sunset Station in San Antonio, TX

For the third time this year, I was able to see my favorite band, Porcupine Tree. This time, they were co-headlining with Coheed and Cambria. Since the gig was in San Antonio, there's no way I could miss it.

I was a bit concerned however, because the sound at this venue has been atrocious, for some other shows I have seen there. Basically, Sunset Station is a concrete slab with a roofed pavilion over it. In addition, shows end early here because San Antonio's noise ordinance calls for a hard stop at 11PM.

Deerhunter

Because of the horrendous traffic on IH 35 heading towards San Antonio, the opening act, Deerhunter, was already on stage when my friends and I arrived. We were able to hear the last 2 songs of their set, but I really didn't get a good feel for this band. The were closer in sound to Tree than Coheed (which is a good thing).

It appears I will get to hear this band again at Fun Fun Fun Fest, later this fall in Austin. So, I'll be able to comment further, after that event.

Porcupine Tree

Unlike their normal shows, this one was compressed. One long set, with no time for encores. No matter, this was a nice appetizer for the main course, next month in NYC. My friends and I are traveling to see their special tour close-out show, at Radio City Music Hall, one of the best concert venues on the planet.

Here is the set list that I posted over at setlist.fm. A quick perusal of the previous shows will reveal their set has been the same every night. Basically, they played the first four songs from the Incident, and then finished with their older stuff (although I Drive the Hearse is also on the Incident).

Surprisingly, the wizards that Tree hires to do sound, worked their magic again. Although not stellar, the sound was acceptable, and better than normal. Steven was in a good form, and did a little informal straw poll, to see who had more fans. It appeared to be slanted about 65% PT fans, 35% Coheed. There was a visible age gap between these two groups, too.

There were no postings requesting no photos, so I took some shots:

Coheed and Cambria

My friends and I stayed for the first 4 songs in Coheed's set before leaving. I had already seen them at ACL two years ago, and while I found them listenable, I wasn't knocked-out by them.

During the 30 - 40 minutes of setup between the two set, it had looked as though the average age had dropped by about 15 years. Interestingly, it appears that the different fans timed their arrival for the set they wanted to see, and then left.

Fortunately, the arranged the sets, so that the old fogeys (the PT fans) could go home and get to bed. I had a great time, but am now looking forward to RCMH that much more.

Robert Plant - Band of Joy at Stubbs

Line to get in

Although none of my friends seemed interested, I couldn't pass up seeing Robert Plant, after the great show he put on at ACL, two years ago.

As expected, people were lined up around the corner to get into Stubbs. The line went all of the way to the 35 frontage road.

Bettye Lavette

I situated myself in the pit, over towards the left side of the stage, about 10 rows back. The opener was Soul and R&B singer extraordinaire, Bettye Lavette. She was touring in support of her latest album, Interpretations: British Rock Songbook, where she performs covers of Classic, British Rock songs by Elton John, the Who, and Pink Floyd, just to name a few.

I was a little tentative about this act, after the lukewarm review she had gotten from the boys over at Sound Opinions. Any reservations I might have had, because of the shortcomings identified in their review were put to rest, as soon as she began singing. She is a very powerful performer, and is difficult to ignore.

I estimate that she started playing around 7:15 and played about 45 minutes. I will probably keep an eye for her in the future, since I would enjoy seeing Bettye headline.

Robert Plant and Band of Joy

The main event started sometime around 8:30, and I estimate it lasted about 2 hours. Since the Band of Joy album has not been released, I was a little unsure what to expect. I did anticipate that T Bone Burnett might be involved with this project, since he was involved with Robert's project with Alison Krauss.

Those suspicions were further raised when I noticed that Austin's very own, Patty Griffin, was touring and singing with Robert. Not very surprising actually, after seeing her also join Elvis Costello in a similar capacity, in another T Bone project. She is one of the usual suspects, as they say.

Although I was unable to find a setlist, this one from a Houston show two nights prior is a close enough approximation. This show went by way too fast, and it most definitely appealed to my tastes.

I am particularly fond of music that sits at the nexus of Country, Blues, and Rockabilly, and is sometimes tagged with the moniker, Roots Rock. Whoever put this band together, did an excellent job. They were fucking excellent, and I could easily go see this show on two consecutive nights, and not get bored.

The band members were:

• Buddy Miller - Acoustic and Electric Guitars
• Darrell Scott - Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Pedal Steel, Banjo
• Byron House - Electric and Upright Bass
• Marco Giovino - Drums
• Patty Griffin - Vocals

In closing, here's a few shots from the show:

The Protomen at Game Over Video Games

About a month ago, I was listening to the Wired Audio Playlist Podcast (one source I use for new music) and immediately noticed a cut called the Hounds. The production on this cut was exceptional, and had a very familiar vibe. I remember having to rewind the podcast later in order to find out that the band was the Protomen.

Finding their website and myspace pages, I listened to some more of their tracks and enjoyed them as well. I found out that Hounds was a track from their recently released, second studio album, Act II: The Father of Death. The songs all had a Meatloaf feel to them, mashed-up with some Peter Gabriel.

A little further research on the Internet and Wikipedia revealed that they had 3 albums total (1 live), the band was from Nashville, and the second album had in fact been produced by famed Meatloaf producer, Alan Shacklock. I noticed that I had missed them performing at this year's SxSW, chalking that up to bad luck.

The most interesting thing about this band the fact that they have conceptually based all of their music, on the Capcom Video Game for the NES, Mega Man. (Which I had played with my little brother about 20 years ago). Obviously, they have a small cult amongst the gamer crowd. Although not a gamer, I had already decided they were creative and great musicians, after listening to their material.

Fast Forward to Friday

Friday evening I noticed a tweet go by about the Protomen being on tour, and their Battle Wagon having broken down, in Texarkana. I went over to their website and discovered that they were scheduled to play in Austin, Sunday night, with two opening bands, at Game Over Video Games. I really don't get into video games, and am not that into All Ages shows, but decided to go anyway.

When I arrived at the venue it was obviously a congregation point for those on the nerdier side of the tracks. The store was in a strip mall near the corner of Anderson and Lamar, and is like a museum for video games and game consoles, going all the way back to the Atari days. The actual show was in an empty stall next door. About 30 people were already milling around waiting for the show.

An announcement went out that the band had arrived late, without the 2 opening acts, but that the show would be going on. When they finally let us into the empty stall, it was hot and loud. None the less, this 9 piece band (7 guys and 2 gals) delivered the goods. They have multiple vocalists, and every person was a first rate musician. In addition to synths, guitar, bass and drums, 2 of people also doubled on trumpet and violin. Their set consisted mainly of the Act II material, followed by a smattering of the songs from their first album, and a cover of Styx's, Mr. Roboto complete with Vocoder.

The lighting was insufficient to get a good picture, but these guys were fantastic. I would recommend you check out the samples on their website, and would go on to say that I would gladly see them again (hopefully in a better venue).

Austin City Limits Taping - Spoon

Beginning its 36th season, Austin City Limits is now the longest running music series in American television history. The KLRU studio on the UT Campus, has hosted numerous musical legends. It's prominence is such that the venue was inducted into the Roll and Rock Hall of Fame.

The beauty of this show is that unlike the tripe you find on network TV, it is taped live. There's no lip-syncing, overdubs or auto-tune. If there's a problem they may do an extra take, but you're never going to witness a debacle like Ashlee Simpson. This show has the intimacy of a small night club, and really succeeds in capturing what I call the Austin vibe.

You would think that after moving to Austin in 1993, that I would have already attended multiple tapings. I am ashamed to admit however, that this show was my first. It turns out, that the process for securing tickets to a show is a closely held secret, by those in the know. Donors to KLRU get preferential treatment, but everyone has to wait in line. With a capacity of 350, the seats are at a premium.

This season is particularly significant, because it will be the last one filmed at the present location. ACL will be occupying the new hall downtown in December. I can't wait to see the finished space, since it will have a much larger capacity. Since ACL only uses 47-50 dates per year, Live Nation will be booking it as a venue the remaining days. (I guess this means the Austin Music Hall is done now). Rumor has it that the very first ACL performer, Willie Nelson, will also christen the new stage.

Due to my involvement with the Austin Music Foundation, I have gotten to know several people that work for the show. To date however, this had not helped me secure tickets. So, when I saw the ACL tickets in silent auction at an AMF fundraiser, I didn't even think twice. Begging my friends hadn't worked, so I bought my way in ;)

Even though I had VIP passes, I was still required to wait in the same line as everyone else. I was about 20th in line, and although it was a little warm outside, the hour and half wait went quickly. Kudos to the KLRU staff for having bottled water outside, and the professional way everything was handled. Chit chatting in line, most of those around me were veterans, having been to multiple shows. All claimed, that I was in for a treat, and that it might be the best listening space in town for live music. (Honestly, I don't think it's any better or worse than Bass or the One World).

Right before 7PM when the doors opened, I could see that the line had grown, and it would be a full house. A later tweet confirmed this, with one of the ACL staff indicating that approximately 30 people were turned away.

Upon entering the studio with the first wave of people, I made sure to grab one of the vaunted front row, seats, just off the stage left corner. I took a couple quick cell phone pictures while the studio was still relatively empty.

Spoon took the stage at around 8:05PM and played for at least 90 minutes. There were several special guests, including Charlie Sexton. I am not intimately familiar with their material, but they seemed tight and well rehearsed. I did manage to find this picture of their setlist for those keeping score at home.

Although I didn't get a chance to corner him later, my friend Wayne Myers (who often plays with Graham Reynolds) was playing trombone in the horn section, which Spoon had hired for the night. The entire horn section seemed to all be local guys from Austin.

I included this last picture so that you can contrast it with the shot of the same space above.

I really enjoyed this evening, change my opinion on Spoon a bit (meaning I may actually buy a CD), and have promised myself to try and capture another ACL taping. Band of Horses perhaps?

One last note: This show is presently set to be aired on October 9 of this year, coincident with the ACL Festival.

Neil Young Solo at the Bass Concert Hall

SxSW 2006

Ever since my junior high school days, I have been a Neil Young fan. Unfortunately, I had never seen him play live, having to satisfy myself with seeing him deliver the keynote speech, at SxSW 2006. I was disappointed at that time, because Neil didn't perform during the festival.

Afterward, I purchased a copy of the Jonathan Demme documentary, Neil Young: Heart of Gold on DVD. While watching the film, I made a mental note to myself, to try and catch Neil soon.

Fast forward to 2010

When they announced that Neil was playing a solo show at the Bass Concert Hall, I made plans. However, I anticipated problems getting tickets, since UT's ticketing system sucks, when there's high demand.

Initially, it appeared my prediction was correct, and my friends and I failed to get into the website. Miraculously, I was able to secure a single ticket in the Orchestra section several hours later. Sometimes it pays to be lucky.

Preshow

Several days before the show, a email was sent out by the TX Performing Art Center. The note advised ticket holders that they would only be allowed to be seated during song breaks (a policy I actually liked). In addition, the note said that cameras and recording devices would be prohibited, and the artist had asked that people not use cell phone cameras either.

This seems to be a growing trend now by some artists, beyond just Robert Fripp and Van Morrison, now. I honor these requests when they're made, but looking around, not everyone complied.

As I entered Bass, I discovered that my 10th row seat was right in the middle, which was absolutely perfect for both the visual and auditory experience.

Opening Act

The opening act was Bert Jansch. Bert is a relatively unknown, but highly influential Singer/Songwriter from Scotland. Neil lists him as an influence, and after hearing Bert perform, it's easy to see why. The packed house gave him a well deserved, standing ovation at the completion of his set.

Stage

The stage set for Neil's show had four stations:

• Front and center there were two microphone stands, one for seated performance, the other for standing performance. There were 3 or 4 Fender or Mesa Boogie Amps, I was just far enough away, I couldn't tell what they were.
• In the rear and in the center on a riser, there was a small Reed Organ, the type you pump with your feet.
• Stage right, there was a console/tack piano.
• And finally, stage left, there was a weathered Baby Grand.

As for the guitars themselves, Neil used 4 different guitars. Playing whatever was appropriate for the particular song.

• Neil used two acoustic guitars. The first appeared to be a Martin, and was used to open the set with My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue). The second guitar had a dark finish, and an absolutely incredible deep resonant tone, on the lower strings.
• A Black Les Paul was brought out, as he played Down By the River.
• Last but not least, a Gibson Hollow-body, was used to introduce the very recognizable intro to Ohio.

Along with the guitars, he also had the requisite harmonicas, as well, with appropriate neck straps. The tack piano was used starting with Leia, and the organ made its appearance with After the Gold Rush

Songs

Surprisingly, the setlist for the Bass Show was already posted at the Sugar Mountain site, by the time I had arrived home. While slightly disappointed that I didn't get to hear Heart of Gold, Sugar Mountain, or the The Needle and the Damage Done, there was enough material to keep any Neil Young fan happy.

I would also like to add, that I was awed by Neil's stage presence. Even performing solo, his performance almost demanded your attention. I'm anxiously looking forward to seeing Neil again.

Robert Cray at Antones

I estimate that it has been over 20 years since I last saw Robert Cray, at the Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY, in support of the Strong Persuader album (I only have that album on vinyl, BTW!) Although he's played Austin multiple times, in the 17 years that I've lived here, I've always managed to miss him.

I got to Antones a little after 9PM, and Alan Haynes the opener was already on stage. The house was almost, but not quite packed (which is a good thing). Robert and his band took the stage around 10PM.

This time around Robert's band included:

• Tony Braunagel - drums
• Jim Pugh - keyboards
• Richard Cousins - bass

I recognized Richard Cousins from the previous time I had seen Robert. I assumed that he had been playing with Robert the whole time, but discovered via Wikipedia that he had left the band in 1995, and just recently rejoined Robert's band. I estimate that the band played a bit shy of 90 minutes, which was a little disappointing because it seemed a bit short.

I recognized several numbers from Strong Persuader, including Smoking Gun, but was somewhat unfamiliar with some of his more recent material. The band was tight, and Robert as always, turned in a fantastic performance on vocals and guitar.

Update

Just for shits and giggles, I looked in an old shoebox and found this. Apparently, it has been 23 years.

Chick Corea at the One World Theater

Last night, I ended my week of fantastic music with Chick Corea, playing solo piano at the One World Theater. My friend Dan and I went to the later of the two shows, and it was an extremely enjoyable experience.

As we entered the theater, a technician was busy tuning a magnificent, Yamaha, Grand Piano. Shortly after that Chick walked out on stage, and began casually conversing with the audience, saying that everything would be completely improvised, and we'd would all see where that led.

The whole show lasted about an hour, and was magnificent, consisting of 4 pieces:

Improvisation

The first piece lasted approximately 20 minutes, and as it progressed, I was strangely remembering several stride players, before settling in on thinking about Bud Powell, one of my favorite Be-Bop era players, and Polka-dots and Moonbeams.

Surprisingly, after finishing the number Chick asked the audience if anyone recognized the melody he had quoted, and it was Bud's Beautiful. I chuckled a little about that. I had caught the vibe, but had the wrong song.

Monk

The next selection was inspired by Thelonius Sphere Monk, another giant. Chick was fantastic drawing upon all of the techniques throughout Monk's repertoire. The number ended with some tasteful quoting of Blue Monk.

Senor Mouse

For the last two numbers, Chick took requests from the audience. Senor Mouse was mentioned by several people, and Chick mentioned that it would be fun because he had never played it alone. Once again, Chick killed on it.

Ginastera

For the last number, a young gentleman of about 13 years of age shouted out Crazy Train for his request, much to the embarrassment of his parents. Chick however, chuckled, took it in stride, and then produced an iPhone, saying listen to this crazy train. Chick then proceeded to play some John Coltrane.

He then asked the youngster what he liked about Crazy Train, and after receiving the answer, Chick said that perhaps he should also check out the late, Argentinian Composer, Alberto Ginastera. Apparently, Chick had only discovered him recently, as well.

His last improvisation was inspired by Ginastera, and was stunning.

Meet and Greet

After the show, Chick was available for a meet and greet, and I was able to talk with him for a couple minutes, and get a CD signed. I spoke to him a few minutes about Ginastera (a love of mine) and Bartok, he suggested I check out the French Composer, Henri Dutilleux (which I promptly did, once I got home).

Update

So, I noticed that Chick published his set lists for both shows. There were 4 noticeable breaks, so I took that as 4 pieces, although you can see there were obviously more songs listed.

Also, I was incorrect about the Bud Powell. It was a quote from But Beautiful, a standard.

Art City Austin 2010

Well, I didn't volunteer this year, but managed to stop downtown for a couple of hours. This year, there were less booths, less stages, and nothing was done with the 1st Street Bridge.

Here's a few shots:

Jeff Beck at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Houston

In an act of sheer craziness, I drove to Houston for the 2nd time in 3 days to see Jeff Beck.

My Past with Jeff Beck

Prior to this I had seen Jeff on double bills with Stevie Ray Vaughan around 1990, at Madison Square Garden, and with Carlos Santana at the UT Erwin Center, around 1995. For both of these shows, Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas were the backing band.

The last time that I had seen him perform was at least a decade ago, at La Zona Rosa during SxSW. At that time, Jennifer Batten, was in his band, along with two other supporting players that I no longer remember. I remember that I didn't enjoy this show as much as the previous shows, because I felt that Jennifer's two handed tapping style didn't leave enough space for Jeff. After that, it seemed that he had faded into retirement.

Fast forward to 2009

I was supposed to see Vinnie Colaiuta perform with Chick Corea's and John McLaughlin's Five Peace Band. Vinnie however was AWOL, having been replaced by Brian Blades. I found out at the merch table that night, that Vinnie had left to join Jeff Beck's tour. Having been totally unaware that Jeff was touring, I quickly found the Live at Ronnie Scott's DVD. Jeff Back was back and I knew that I wanted to see him. Unfortunately, this tour came nowhere near TX, and had already headed across the Atlantic.

Early this year, when I saw the announcement for the date in Dallas, I was again disappointed, since I already had tickets to see Chick Corea, on that same night in Austin. Fortunately, fate intervened, and a Houston show was announced a few days later. There was much rejoicing, and later, much traveling.

The Opener - Gary Hoey

When I arrived at the Verizon, it was similar to the House of Blues, with maybe a few hundred more seats. Although it has the word Amphitheatre in the name, it is an indoor venue.

Shortly after taking our seats, instrumental guitarist Gary Hoey, took the stage. For some reason however, he chose to play acoustic steel string guitar, rather than electric. He was accompanied by an acoustic bass player. Unfortunately, Gary's set was generally uninteresting to me.

The Main Event - Jeff Beck

There was about 20 minute break after Gary left the stage, and then things got down to business. As Jeff and the band took the stage, I was a little surprised to discover that there was a female bass player, but it was not Tal Wilkenfeld, and that Vinnie Colaiuta was not playing drums.

As the night progressed, I found out that the backing band was:

• Jason Rebello - Keyboards, who I did recognize from the Ronnie Scott DVD
• Narada Michael Walden - the drummer from Blow by Blow himself
• Rhonda Smith - Bass and Vocals, who also plays with Prince.

I estimate the band played for approximately 90 minutes, and that this set list is a fairly close approximation of what he played in Houston. Noticeably missing was material from the Jeff Beck Group era, Wired, Blow by Blow (other than Led Boots), and There and Back. It didn't matter, the show still kicked ass.

Jeff was at his finest on this night, and seemed to command the attention of everyone present. I also noticed that the volume from the PA was not deafening and was in fact comfortable, allowing Jeff to make very effective use of dynamics. His solo version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow was particularly powerful. In closing let me say that although I still want to see him play with Tal, Rhonda Smith was outstanding.

Two Helpings of Porcupine Tree (and Big Elf)

For the past two days, my friends and I spent a considerable amount of time driving to Dallas, and then Houston, in order to see two stops on the current Porcupine Tree tour. This is the second leg of their North American tour supporting their latest album, the Incident.

I had already attended two dates on the first leg this tour in September. Once again, Tree chose to play the first disc of the Incident in it's entirety, and took a 10 minute intermission, before returning to stage for a 2nd set of material from their older albums. They randomly select different songs each night to keep things interesting.

The venue for both shows was the House of Blues, and both franchises had the same basic layout, each holding approximately 2,500 patrons. I had no complaints about the sound or sight lines with either club.

Big Elf

The opening band this time around was Big Elf. They're a 4 piece Prog outfit, with a guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboard player/lead vocalist. The lead singer had a stack of vintage keyboards including a Mellotron, MiniMoog, and Hammond B3, with a Leslie 147. They sounded like they had stepped right out of the 70's.

Although they sound a little bit like the Beatles on their website samples, live, they reminded me more of old Deep Purple. I didn't enjoy these guys as much as Kings X (I'm still in awe of Brother Doug), but Big Elf is a great band. I will watch for them in the future, and I will most likely also buy a CD.

Kudos to Tree's management for picking good and complementary openers, once again. So far, I have discovered three very interesting new bands during the 6 PT Shows I have seen to date.

Big Elf in Dallas

Big Elf in Houston

Porcupine Tree

Like the first leg of tour, there was an announcement before PT came on stage asking the audience to refrain from recording or taking pictures during the show. Perhaps Steven is spending too much time with Robert Fripp? (LOL) Still, I do agree that it can be distracting, and I had no problem complying with their request.

Dallas

In general, this show had a good vibe, although the sound was a little harsh at times. The crowd was very well behaved, unlike Philly.

The set list for the night can be found here. Having listened to Nil Recurring quite a bit lately, the person beside me was surprised that I knew they were about to play Normal (one of my favorites), I also enjoyed hearing Anesthetize, the Start of Something Beautiful, and Way Out of Here.

Lower Balcony Seating in Dallas

The one bummer of the night was the fan club seating. Like other members, I had bought tickets through the Fan Club site to be seated in the Lower Balcony. When we got upstairs, all of the Fan Club people were shocked to see where our seats were.

There were lots of reserved seats, but they had all been sold later through the box office. I would have been willing to live with this, had I not found out that these seats were the same price as ours.

The fan club seats were all the way up at the top or last row, on stools. I suspect that there was some chicanery by the HOB to be honest, and I know that some complaints were registered. It was bad enough that my friend Dan and I chose to go down stairs and stand in the GA section. I'm still a little pissed about this. Live and Learn.

Houston

For this show, my friend Dan and I parked right next to the rail at the sound board. As a result, it was much better aurally, although Tree always sounds good live. In general, I would say that this was the stronger of the two shows.

The set list was a bit different. Strip the Soul and Buying a New Soul made an appearance during the 2nd set, and Normal was gone.

Other Stuff

During the fall leg of the Incident Tour, they were selectively playing Trains. However, it really has taken on a life of its own, and it is now their defacto hit. They're almost forced to play it every night as the encore now.

The O's escape Tampa with their first win

Last night, the Orioles avoided a sweep by the Devil Rays. For the third straight night, they were involved in a one run ball game. Unlike game 1, the closer Gonzalez came away with the save, in the bottom of the ninth. He did make it a little too interesting, however.

Surprisingly, there were several calls by the Umps that went our way, and I must say that I very much like the MLB app on my new toy. (Great work Steve Jobs!)

In other news

NFL draft day is almost upon us. I'm very excited by the Raven's signing of Boldin. With WR shored up, I'm hoping that we go after a shutdown corner in the draft.

The O's vs the Rays - 1st game 2010

For me, the Orioles have been a Baltimore sports constant (unlike NFL or NBA franchises).

Growing up in Baltimore, my first memories of watching professional sports were the Orioles. I know I went to my first game in '68 (as a Jr. Oriole) to watch them play the Detroit Tigers. I'm not sure that I actually remember the '66 World Series, but I definitely remember their other WS appearances,'69 - '71, '79, and '83. I also remember some absolutely awesome pennant races against the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, Tigers, and Blue Jays.

During my college days, I was particularly prolific in game attendance, and estimate that I went to at least 30 games a season. GA tickets were cheap in those days, and they let you bring in your own beer. You just couldn't bring in bottles or cans, so we would pour a case into a Coleman jug or cooler.

Fast forward to 2010. Unfortunately, my interest in the team has waned over the past decade primarily because of the present owner, Peter Angelos. So much so, that after 6 or 7 straight years of having MLB.tv, I finally dropped my subscription in disgust and frustration in 2007.

This year, I decided to come back home and get the subscription again. Last night we played the Rays for our season opener. Things went well for 8 and half innings, and we were ahead 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. The O's brought in the closer, Gonzalez. At first, he reminded me a little of the great Tippy Martinez (our closer from the 80's, who was a great Yankee killer). Any reminders of Tippy were quickly eradicated when Gonzalez proceeded to load the bases with 1 out, and then gave up a walk-off hit.

They didn't look too bad, I just hope I am able to still stomach watching games after the All-Star break.

SxSW 2010 BBQ

Postscript

For the first time in 6 years, I decided to attend the BBQ and Softball Tournament to wrap up SxSW. All badge holders and volunteers are invited. It tends to mostly be an Austin crowd, since the people from out of town use this Sunday as a travel day.

Attending was a no-brainer, since my fridge was completely empty, and I figured I had already payed for the food, so I might as well go eat. Fortunately, the weather turned for the better once again, and the rise in temperature to the low 60's made for a nice, leisurely Sunday afternoon.

As my friend Frank said, the BBQ serves as an anchor to let you know that SxSW is finally over. After eating and talking with various friends, I ruminated on the previous 9 day odyssey. I didn't have any major regrets, but decided that I need to remember to bring a real camera, since my iPhone camera is only effective in good lighting.

Barring an unexpected change in the economy, I fully intend to make SxSW 2011 my 7th straight year with a badge. In addition, I want to set the goal of forming a band, have it start playing out again, and then hopefully obtaining a showcase.

SxSW 2010 - Day 9

It's Almost Over

Even though I was exhausted, I felt a bit of sadness realizing that this was the last day of the festival.

I should also comment that the weather turned for the worse on this day, with the arrival of cold front, on the heels of some thunderstorms. I really couldn't complain about the weather in general, since it had been excellent for the previous 8 days.

Panels

Creating a Music Town

This was an interesting panel detailing how groups from Portland, Maine, Athens, Georgia, and San Francisco are attempting to recreate an Austin-like scene, in their own downtown. I was particularly pleased to discover that Portland has a Music Foundation modeled after the AMF. (I was also surprised to hear that Memphis has a similar effort too).

In general, it was encouraging to see so many municipalities grasping the importance of music and the arts. Perhaps others will get to enjoy something similar to what we have here.

I Never Travel Far without Big Star

This talk was intended as a prelude to the Big Star showcase at Antones. Unfortunately, Alex Chilton's passing on Wednesday had changed the nature and tone of both events.

Members of both the original lineup, as well as the new lineup (the guys from the Posies) were sitting on the panel. In addition, there was a remote skype connection with the engineer for Big Star's first album. I believe he was part of Stax Records, and he had lots of history about the Memphis sound. I did not get his name, but he had worked extensively with Alex Chilton, throughout his career.

Although I was a fan of Big Star thanks to the guys from Sound Opinions, I basically listened and soaked this panel in, since I do not have a deep knowledge of this history or lore. The panel remedied that, allowing me to better enjoy the showcase later that night.

Bill Hicks - An American Icon Remembered

This session was a nice complement to the premier of the Hicks film. All of the panelists had participated in the QnA after the premier screening. The group included one of the movie's directors, Bill's brother Steve, and two fellow Houston comics. The final touch was Bill's mother, who was sitting in the audience.

I think I enjoyed the panel more than the QnA after the premier, mostly because it afforded the audience more time to ask questions. Let me just close in saying that I ordered several Bill Hicks CDs, from Amazon, after seeing the premier. Seeing the film reminded me how much I enjoyed and missed Bill's comedy.

Artists: Getting a Digital Ass-Kicking?

The was the last panel I attended for SxSWm. It was a general discussion about how artists can best utilize their web presence, to promote their music. For the star gazers in attendance, the designated celebrity on the panel was NY singer, Suzanne Vega.

The advice given was practical, and useful. I found some humor in some of Suzanne's comments. It appears that very few people actually know what she looks like, so she is not typically recognized. She complained that on more than one occasion, when she used her credit card while on tour, clerks or waiters would say Oh wow, you have the same name as that singer from NY.

Honestly, it wasn't until this panel that I knew what she looked like either. I would have liked to have caught her set, but it just wasn't in the cards.

Chop Shop - Atlantic Records Party

After leaving the last panel, I went outside and caught a couple of bands at the Chop Shop Records party. They were Scars on 45, and Marina and the Diamonds. I was impressed with Marina, a very British pop act. On Sunday looking through the Statesman write up about the Perez Hilton party, I had noticed that she also performed there, as well.

Although the music was enjoyable, the air temp was in the low 40's and dropping, and space under the tent was at a premium. I left before the next band went on, and headed to 6th street in an attempt to catch dinner.

Film

After seeing big lines at Mekong River, and having grown tired of Pizza and the Bratwurst carts, I decided to watch one last movie, at Ritz. I had noticed that the film at 7PM was short, and this would allow me to eat dinner, and more importantly warm up.

The screening was actually two films about dance. Members of the Austin Ballet Company were in attendance, apparently because several alumni were in the Opus Jazz feature.

Keep Dancing

This was a short 15 minute film about an elderly couple, who were Broadway and TV dancers during the 1950's. Now retired, they still dance several days a week. It was quite inspiring.

NY Export: Opus Jazz

The feature had a group of about 20 young men and women performing Jazz dance routines in abandoned buildings and parks, in downtown NYC. It was entertaining, and had a great soundtrack, but if there was some sort of meaning and message to it all, it evaded me. Then again, I was there for the BTUs and the Green Chilli Mac and Cheese, so who am I to complain? By those measures, this side trip was a success.

Music

I started off this night of music by venturing back to my favorite listening venue, St. Davids.

Ora Cogan

Was the first act I went to go see. She is a singer songwriter, and was accompanied by another guitarist who also sang backing vocals. Honestly, I found her singing to be flat and slightly annoying. Enough that I bailed early, and headed over to the other room, the Sanctuary.

Hey Marseilles

On the way to the other room, I ran into some friends and fellow Baltimorons who are part of the Ravens Nest, that I hang with at the Tavern, during Football season. They introduced me to two other people that had flown in from Baltimore, to visit for SxSW.

We talked for several minutes, before we all proceeded into the Sanctuary to see the last part of a set by a band from Seattle, Hey Marseilles. It was very well done, I should have just skipped Ora and gone straight to this show.

Shine

My Baltimore friends then mentioned that they were staying for the next band, Shine, who were from France. My friends had been putting them up for the week, at their house.

I was glad they had convinced me to stay, and found that I enjoy a lot of the recent French alternative bands, after first being made aware of this sub-genre by the boys from Sound Opinions (Thanks Jim and Greg).

Arborea

For the final act at St. Davids, I watched Arobrea. It was a husband and wife duo, with the husband playing a Strat, and the wife playing several instruments including violin, banjo, acoustic guitar, and/or pump organ.

The music reminded me of Steve Tibbetts. I was impressed enough with them that I bought one of their CDs.

Walking by the Big Event

On my way from St. Davids to Club 115, I passed a nondescript, block sized building with a huge crowd outside, as well as several touring buses. I had never seen this building used for anything, but on this night, the lines were 4 and 5 people deep, all of the way around the structure.

I discovered the following day that this was the Perez Hilton party. From the accounts in the Statesman, it appears that both Snoop Dog and Courtney Love performed there. Honestly, I don't think that I missed much. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed myself even if I had managed to finagle one of private invitation, wrist bands.

Anime Winds

My main purpose in leaving St. Davids and heading to Club 115 was to catch at least one band for the Classical Crossover showcase. This night was hosted Michael Drapkin of the Anime Winds ensemble, who I had met at an AMF function in February.

I had decided to check out his band's set, since it sounded intriguing. I had not realized however, that my friend Graham Reynolds had composed some pieces for their group. He and several other members of the Golden Hornet Project were participating in this showcase, in various roles, and had composed music for some of the groups.

Unfortunately, Club 115 shares a wall with a lesbian dance club. The dance music emanating from the club next door, easily penetrated the wall, making it almost impossible for anyone to hear the acoustic music. Anime Winds played valiantly, but the listening conditions really detracted from the experience.

A similar problem had occurred last year at SxSW, when Graham hosted a similar show at the Tap Room. Having spoken to several of these artists in the past, I understand why they do not want to perform in traditional chamber music venues. They were hoping to make their music more accessible with a different style of presentation. Unfortunately, the venues chosen by SxSW for the past two years have been totally inadequate. Here's hoping a better solution can be found in the future.

Tommy Keene

Leaving the cacophony of Club 115, I headed over to the Tap Room is see some Power Pop. Tommy Keene provided a good warm up for the Big Stars show to follow.

Big Star - A Tribute to Alex Chilton

For my last showcase of SxSW 2010, I went to Antones to catch the Alex Chilton tribute. I had obtained a Sxxpress pass in anticipation of a large crowd, and I was right. While waiting before the show, I noticed multiple celebs in the audience, such as John Doe, and Exene Cervenko from X and the Knitters.

The show lasted for approximately 2 hours, and the two frontmen from the Posies were joined on stage by a rotation of Big Star alumni, and mid-tier, Indie artists who have all listed Big Star as influences. John Doe did join the band on stage, Exene did not. The set ended with Susan Cowsill on stage, singing. Several people I spoke to were disappointed that neither Paul Westerberg, nor any of the members of Cheap Trick made an appearance. There were obviously rumors floating around that this might occur.

SxSW 2010 - Day 8

Panels

DIY or Sign with a Label

This was a great panel featuring among others Richard Bengloff, from A2IM, and Cameron Strang, president of New West Records. There were no profound revelations at this panel, but it was encouraging to hear that Indie Labels are still doing well and not whining like the Majors.

CBGB Stories

Although I lived right across the river from NYC, in Hoboken, from 1979 to 1983, I was only able to visit CBGB once, while it was open. However, I do remember my own Punk Rock days, fondly.

I was very anxious to see this talk. The panel included Clem Burke, the drummer for Blondie, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, of the Talking Heads fame, along with Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer from Sire Records. Several other CBGB alumni were in the audience including Jerry Harrison, and Bill Popp. The session went by way too fast, and covered every aspect of the late Hilly Kristal's club, the undisputed birthplace of Punk.

Some time was spent discussing the antics of the resident club bullies, the Dictators. A good friend, Joe Schaedler, formerly of the Sic F*cks had told me all about their hi-jinks. Their favorite targets were the Talking Heads. So, it was humorous to hear Tina Weymouth's account of Dick Manitoba's constant heckling.

The club stories were plentiful, and the time flew by quickly. All and all, this session was too short. I hope to find a new documentary or new book about this unique landmark and this era of music history.

Day Stages

Court Yard Hounds in the Hilton Lobby

On the way up from the parking garage I was surprised to find yet another day stage in the lobby of the Hilton. In this case, it was a side project of the Dixie Chicks called the Court Yards Hounds. As you can see in the picture, the lobby was packed.

I listened to two songs before proceeding into the Convention Center.

Ashanka - Malaysian Band

At lunch, I just happened to hear this excellent 8 piece band on the smaller day stage. They played a fusion of Jazz, Rock and Eastern Asian Music. Although they had a showcase at the Copa the following evening, I was unable to go. As a result, I was thankful that I was able to catch the remainder of their set here.

The band included keyboards, electric bass, guitar, western drums, and a Cajone player. In addition, there was also Sitar player and two people playing Indian percussion. On the right, the Tabla player's drums are unfortunately obstructed by someone's head in this picture.

Amarala - Zaragoza, Spain

This Spanish singer was being interviewed in the Sx Booth in the Convention Center. I had missed the opportunity to see her the previous day at the Spanish Music party. Her voice and the music were fantastic, and I made a promise to myself to check out more of her music going forward.

Citizen Cope

Today I was able to see a full set of music from this Philadelphia born, singer/songwriter. In both cases, it seemed to me that he had a huge amount of charisma, totally captivating his audience. I found this phenomena interesting because although I personally found his set enjoyable, I did not find it anywhere near as moving, as those around me.

That said, I am certainly aware that I listen to music differently than the average Joe.

Court Yard Hounds

I remained at the day stage for a second helping of the Court Yard Hounds. Not much to say other than the performance and the band were all top notch.

Jakob Dylan and the Three Legs (Featuring Neko Case and Kelly Hogan)

The last act of the afternoon on the large day stage was Jakob Dylan, with Neko Case. This new band still brings back reminders of the Wallflowers, who performed at SxSW several years ago.

Another great set of music, in a great listening space.

Auditorium Shores

At the beginning of the night I decided to head to Auditorium Shores, because I had never actually seen Cheap Trick live, despite being a huge fan.

The BoDeans

After working my way through the conflicting and confusing directions to the correct shuttle, I arrived at Auditorium Shores in time to hear the end of the BoDeans. As in previous years, they had a special tent and bleachers for badge holders. The sound was great.

Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick sans Bun E. Carlos took the stage promptly at 8PM and played about an hour set, which included all of their hits. This show was a guilty pleasure for me. The band is probably past their prime and are teetering dangerously close to becoming a State Fair show or Six Flags act. Several other industry people in my section were loudly joking that this was most likely the largest crowd they had played in front of for a long while.

None the less, they sounded good and they can still play.

Showcases

Raphael Saadiq

I listened to the end of the Cheap Trick set while crossing the 1st Street Bridge on the way to the Austin Music Hall. My goal was to go see Raphael Saadiq and his retro-Motown act.

I was first exposed to Raphael through a free video on the iTunes store. I was impressed enough at that time, that I immediately went out and bought his latest album. It was great, and brought back memories of the Funk Brothers.

The packed house at AMH was visibly into the music, and I think there was agreement across the board that this act killed. I can think of no better opening act for Smokey Robinson.

Smokey Robinson

There's not much to say other than the King of Motown held court in the Austin Music Hall. He played for almost 2 hours, and covered all of his hits, as well as several others that he had written for other people.

Throughout the show, Smokey had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, converting them into a loud and enthusiastic backing choir. I don't think I have ever witnessed an artist manage a crowd to the degree that he did. It was amazing.

Bottom line: It was great to see this living legend.

The Low Anthem

I ended the night at St. Davids, and ended up hitting pay-dirt with this band from Rhode Island. This 4 piece band was highly creative, with each member performing as a multi-instrumentalist. In addition to acoustic and electric guitars and basses, there was a trap kit, violin, musical saw, a reed/pump organ, and crotales.

Arguably you could pin the Americana label on this band, but it wouldn't adequately describe what they do. I was totally engaged in their music, and duly impressed by the cell phone resonance/feedback trick at the end of the set, requiring audience participation.

In closing let me just say that this is only one of two bands this year at SxSW where I chose to buy a copy of their CD, after their showcase.

6th Street

On the way to St. Davids, I attempted to capture a picture of 6th Street so that others could appreciate how crowded it was on this night.

SxSW 2010 - Day 7

Panels

Kat Edmondson

I arrived early for the Smokey Robinson interview, and was treated to the last 2 songs of a set by Kat Edmondson. Surprisingly, I have never seen this Austin artist in person, perhaps that will change in the future. It was a great way to kick off the day.

Smokey Robinson Interview

My main goal on this morning was to catch this interview. The list of people that have had a greater impact on popular music than the King of Motown, is very short indeed.

Fortunately, the interviewer, Dave Marsh, did a fantastic job of facilitating this session. Smokey spoke at length about every aspect of his career, starting with meeting Barry Gordy in 1958, while Smokey was waiting to enter college.

It is clear that Smokey was a formidable songwriter even at a young age, and Gordy recognized it, when they immediately cowrote a hit song. From that point on, the rest is history.

It is absolutely staggering to think about how many hit songs Smokey has written for both himself and others, and how many other artists and songwriters he has influenced. Not only is he an inductee of the Hall of Fame, but I'm sure almost every other inductee lists him as one of their major influences.

Does Rock and Roll belong in a Museum

I sat in on the first 5 minutes of this panel. It seemed like nothing more than a PR session for Cleveland, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I didn't find much of interest here, the talk was mainly hosted by one of the curators.

Welcome to the Music Business You're Fucked - Martin Atkins

Although I have seen Martin present variations of this talk five times now, he keeps it fresh with new insight, and by constantly updating his material. This aging punker uses one of the most humorous PowerPoint decks around to evangelize his DIY gospel. If you have aspirations to be in a touring band, then you must try to see him talk.

Once again, he didn't disappoint.

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Tribute

Around lunch on the previous day, I had passed Lenny White of RTF fame on the escalators in the Convention Center. Looking at the schedule, I then noticed this panel.

Lenny and several members of Miles' family including a son and a nephew were speaking. In addition, longtime, Grammy winning, producer Steve Berkowitz was also present, since he was responsible for the 40th anniversary reissue box set.

This talk was outstanding, and there were lots of great stories about the making of the first true Fusion album, and how Miles operated. It is staggering to realize that the great fusion projects, Return to Forever, the Headhunters, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Weather Report were all spawned from this project.

The best part of this talk however was that members of Miles' family and trust were present with merchandise. They gave every attendee a t-shirt and a copy of the remastered Bitches Brew album, on CD. In addition, two prizes were given out, to people that were able to properly answer a trivia question, about Bitches Brew.

Unfortunately, I was beaten to the microphone by a drummer several rows in front of me to answer the question to name five musicians on Bitches Brew other than Miles, and Wayne Shorter. The prize was a 71 disk box set containing all of Miles' Sony Recordings. That will learn me to stand in the back of the room!

In closing, let me say that now I regret missing the Kind of Blue panel at last year's SxSW even more now. I'm also kicking myself for not bringing my Canon SD camera. After this talk I was able to speak to Lenny for a minute and took a very up close picture with my iPhone. It turned out horribly without a flash. Doh!

The NMPA Late Fee Settlement

AMF board member Chris Castle and several others, discussed the latest rulings of the Copyright Royalty board. While some might find this boring, understanding this is key to people with hopes of pursuing a career in music.

Making Money as a Songwriter in a World of Change

Like Martin Atkins, I have seen and gotten to know the Brabec twins from their previous SxSW and AMF talks. I can't say enough nice things about them.

The tips and information the freely give out about music publishing are invaluable. If you've never heard them speak, go. If you can't arrange that, buy their book. It's the music publishing bible.

Showcases

Codeine Velvet Club

I'm not sure whether it was because of an expected increase in attendance, but a second larger day stage was setup this year, in the space used in previous years, for the SxSW trade-shows. The room was setup like a night club, and had sufficient acoustic treatments to afford a decent listening experience.

I was happy to see this, because I was somewhat distraught at the absence of the two DirecTV sound-stages on the ground floor, the Bat Cave and the Lone Star Lounge. In previous years, I had seen some exception performances there, and I was not overjoyed to discover that they had pulled out of the Conference. After 5 years, I had gotten used to this.

The new day stage however, was adequate, and the first band I saw there was Codeine Velvet Club. They were fronted by a male/female duo and had some very powerful and well performed songs. The band were all first rate musicians. The music reminded me of Joe Jackson's Night and Day phase.

I really enjoyed their set, and regretted not being able to catch them again during the festival.

Sounds from Spain

I attended a party outside in Brushy Creek Park hosted by some Spanish based music businesses. The tent was too packed to even get a look at the band, however there was plenty of good food (paella and gazpacho) and sangria available provided you could tolerate waiting in line.

Although the music emanating from beneath the tent sounded great, I was unable to get a good view of the stage. Fortunately, I would get to hear one of the artists, Amaral, the next day inside the convention center.

Sharon Van Etten

I started the night at St. Davids, one of my favorite venues during SxSW because of the listening experience. Sharon was a young singer/songwriter from Brooklyn. She accompanied herself on electric guitar, but her real strength was her vocals. Her voice was amazing, and it was a treat to hear it presented in this room.

I must confess to developing a music crush during her performance. This is saying a lot for a Jazz head like me, if you know how I usually feel about singers.

Citizen Cope

On the way to the Elephant Room, I stopped in at the Driscoll to see what was going on there. I was surprised to see a packed room, intently listening to singer/songwriter, Citizen Cope, from Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I got there just in time to hear the last 2 verses, of the last song in the set.

As fate would have it, I got to hear more of him the following day.

Wouter Kellerman

The next stop was the Elephant Room, with South African fluitist, Wouter Kellerman. He fronted are really nice ensemble playing a style of Jazz with a heavy world music flavor added in.

The band and the sound were great, and I was able to take it all in while sipping on a nicely chilled pint of Ace Perry.

1001 Nights Orchestra

Following the Elephant Room, I continued down Congress to the Copa to catch this quartet playing Middle Eastern music. Given the genre, I allowed myself an exception to my no Austin band rule ;)

The 4 piece band consisted of a percussionist, an accordionist, a clarinet player (who also played other reed woodwinds), and the leader of the band, who was Persian, and played a variety of Middle Eastern string instruments. For their set, this ensemble played their first a song in a time signature, of 2 beats per measure. With each successive song, they incremented the time signature by one (to 3, and so on), finishing up 45 minutes later with something in 11.

The songs were a mix of Persian, Turkish, Armenian and Russian folk songs. They were performed admirably, but I felt the percussionist was a bit off at times, and surprisingly had the most trouble playing in 4.

I would have liked to have heard more, since they announced a Persian New Years day celebration at Central Market the next day. I guess I'll have to wait, because I was not about to leave SxSW (and more importantly lose my parking).

John Grant

I swung by Buffalo Billiards to catch this singer/pianist do his thing. He was a great singer, and seemed to have attracted a large crowd. I enjoyed the two songs that I listened to, but was trying to make my way back towards Red River for some later shows, so I left.

Le Loup

I penciled this band in because they were from my home state of Maryland. Let me just say, I left halfway through their second song. I'll leave it at that.

Bobby Long

On my way to the 18th Floor of the Hilton Garden, I stopped first at the Creekside Lounge on the Ground Floor. Unlike previous years, there was a full stage and much improved sound system.

Bobby Long, a London based singer/songwriter was performing. He definitely had the right stuff, and a very powerful voice to deliver it with. I enjoyed his set and considered staying put for the other acts, but decided to stick with my original plan.

Julie Feeney

I heard the tail end of the last song for this Irish singer. I didn't really hear enough to make a judgement one way or the other.

The Chapin Sisters

This Los Angeles based act normally consists of 2 of Harry Chapin's daughter, plus a third member who is a half sister (and daughter of Wes Craven). Jessica Craven however, is presently on maternity leave, leaving Abigail and Lily Chapin to perform as a duet.

Vocal harmonies were on display in a big way, and it is apparent that the apple did not fall too far from the tree in this case. The time went by way too fast, and I really enjoyed the set.

Towards the end of their set, they were joined on stage by the next performer, Harmon Simon.

Harmon Simon

Harmon is an LA based singer/songwriter who plays lap steel. Like the previous act, he has a famous musical father, Paul Simon. I enjoyed his set immensely, as well.

Austin Skyline from the 18th Floor

One of the reasons I love this venue is the view. This picture captured with my iPhone does not do it proper justice, but you get the idea.

SxSW 2010 - Day 6

Panels

Today was the first official day of SxSWm. With this being my second year with a platinum badge, I am amazed that I managed to find my second wind. Of course, there will be plenty of time to sleep when I'm dead, as one t-shirt I own says.

The Cloud vs. the Paradise of Infinite Storage

This was an excellent panel, mainly because of Sandy Pearlman. Sandy is a former producer of some renown in punk circles, and is now a professor at McGill University. He typically is placed on panels discussing IP and copyright issues. In this capacity, he plays a role analogous to what Bruce Schneier does in the world of computer security.

In the long run, I think Pearlman has it right. Large mobile storage will be ubiquitous. Once that happens everything will be turned upside down. The cloud will serve a utilitarian purpose, but it will not be a point of control.

Cheap Trick Interview

I am a regular listener of American Public Media's (APM) Sound Opinions podcast. The show is hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, two Chicago newspaper critics who provide the Indie Music equivalent of Siskel and Ebert. In a previous year at SxSW, I had the good fortune to meet and speak with Jim, and was pleased that he remembered me this year.

Upon entering the room for the Cheap Trick Interview, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Jim and Greg were the hosts. As a result, I knew that it would be a good session.

The actual interview session lasted approximately an hour, and included 3 of the 4 original members, Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, and Tom Petersson. For some reason, Bun E. Carlos was absent, and when questioned, Robin laughed and said he was under the weather, and sleeping back at the hotel. (Strangely, he was not present at their show the next night, and their website indicates that he is not touring. but is still a member of the band.)

The interview covered their entire careers, and was a great amount of fun. Kudos to SxSW for having Jim and Greg as the hosts, and here's hoping they are tapped for more interviews in the future. My only regret however, is not knowing that they were doing an ACL taping this same day. (Thanks Ed ;( )

Update or RIP: Alex Chilton

I forgot to mention that the subject of Big Star obviously came up at this interview, since Cheap Trick had covered Big Star's In the Street as the theme for That 70's Show. Unfortunately, this is where I first heard the news that Alex Chilton had passed away, on the previous day. This was a bummer since Alex had been scheduled to appear with Big Star at Antones on Saturday night.

Lemmy Kilmister

This was the second interview I attended for the day. This time, the host was awkward and uncomfortable. Lemmy was quite gracious, and kept the whole thing on the rails. Although the session was interesting, I didn't learn anything new that hadn't already been covered in the documentary.

In contrast to the Cheap Trick interview, this one was a FAIL.

Showcases

Zoe Keating

The first showcase of the night was San Francisco based Cellist, Zoe Keating. She does a single woman show with herself on Cello, and bunch of digital effects and delays. Her act is basically Frippertronics for the Cello.

The venue, the Central Presbyterian Church, had fantastic acoustics. Sitting in the balcony, I found the music filled the entire space wonderfully, and could easily have sat through 3 more sets without getting bored.

L.Stadt

This year, I attempted to focus on acts that were not from Austin or Texas, so I hightailed it down 7th Street to the Elysium, to catch the Polish band, L.Stadt. They had an interesting setup, with guitar/lead singer, bass, and two drummers playing traps, one of whom chose to stand.

I enjoyed the set which had elements of Oingo Boingo, as well as a roots rock feel.

Doll and the Kicks

I stumbled across this act while walking past the Emo's Annex on my way to the Hilton Garden. They were obviously British, and from the write-up are playing their fourth straight SxSW, and have toured with Morrissey. They were compelling enough to convince me to enter the tent, I just wish I had an opportunity to catch them again, so that I could hear more than one song.

Benjamin Rose Band

My next stop of the night was the Hilton Garden's 18th floor. The night time view of Austin from here, can't be beat, and every year it seems I consistently discover great bands playing here.

I had specifically penciled in the Benjamin Rose band from Cologne, Germany, after hearing their demo on the SxSW website. They played a 90's alt-rock set reminiscent of the Wallflowers. Very well done.

Motörhead

After seeing the documentary and the interview, I had to go see Lemmy the icon. Having seen this band one other time opening for Emerson, Lake and Powell in 1987, I knew what to expect.

Metal is not normally my cup of tea, but I must say in hindsight, that Mikkey Dee is quite the drummer.

Maldita Vecindad y Los Hijos del Quinto Patio

Antones was my last stop of the night. I was surprised to see a huge line of non-badge holders lined up outside the club. The band in question was from Mexico City, and played a unique mixture of ska and Mexican folk music.