SXSW Recap

The pictures are on facebook, so I'll save you all the nonsense of posting them here. Instead, I'll recommend bands that I saw and enjoyed (with small teasers next to them in case you're the type to be interested in finding new music):

Lucero
Emily gave me and Zach the heads up on this band years ago. If you like alt country with a bluesy quality you'll like this band from Tennessee.

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down
I walked in late on this set, but this chick and her band are so wonderfully poppy. It's a little like Cibo Matto I think.

My Jerusalem
This New Orleans band put on an impressive show (which according to some googling was their first live performance), but I'm not sure their music would be as good without the live element. They were very rock and roll (plus effects pedals, a trumpet, a violinist (formerly from The Polyphonic Spree), and a man who only plays the tambourine). I found the lead singer describing the music online as varied "from acoustic to trashrock" but I'd say a close fit is The Arcade Fire. Their album was just released; I think they might become big.

The Bird And The Bee
This band is becoming pretty well known. I suggest just watching this video and this one. You'll fall in love. They remind me of Air and Nellie McKay if they combined. Also, they put on a beautifully choreographed and costumed live show (again, see my facebook pictures linked above).

The Thermals
Now, I'll admit that I saw them twice without really seeing them (once I caught halfway through and the second time I was pretty focused on drinking) but they're good, solid indie rock and according to wikipedia they've been working hard together since 2002. They're a Sub Pop artist and they stay true to the good old fashioned grunge quality you'd expect.

The Warlocks
I thought this was a very fascinating band. First off, they're the only band I saw that added a video element to their show. They projected carefully-selected old, bizarre film footage during each song on the tent above them. Wikipedia tells me they're defined as neo-psychedelia, but I see them as having enough rock to put them in the same arena with what I enjoy about Sonic Youth. You can see a video here (they're a little older now).

Heartless Bastards
Garage rock. I remember liking them when I saw them on the first day, but now, 5 days later, I can't remember anything stand out about it. It's possible that's because I was behind about 100 people and couldn't see them.

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers
There was a Brooklyn Vegan show my first day at my volunteer spot (Club De Ville) and this was one of the most exciting bands that night. The lead singer has a lot of energy and I tend to rally behind any lady that can control an audience. I found this description at rcdlbl.com: grinding
blues, sleazy jazz, and disturbing rock tied together with pop and punk sensibilities; the result sounding something like a vulgar Ella Fitzgerald crooning in front of a wall of distortion and thunderous, pounding rhythms. I don't imagine I could say it better than that.

Blind Pilot
A Portland indie folky band that I may be looking into after seeing them at Club De Ville. They gave an NPR interview where they said, while working on their debut album they were, "listening to a whole lot of Neutral Milk Hotel and Joanna Newsom." Yes.

Ponytail
A Baltimore art rock band that won me over completely when they busted a pinata mid-show and threw out the candy. The lead singer tends to emit strange noises from her throat (think Bjork-y) throughout the fierce experimental music. Their first couple songs didn't get me, but after they played for a while I was kind of getting into it. They were very energetic; Pitchfork calls their performances like a "sugar rush." The crowd went nuts for it and it seemed like the pavement became a trampoline. I'm usually only into music with lyrics, but I couldn't deny the frenzy that was Ponytail.

So there you go, get to youtubing/googling. I've always wanted my friends to hip me to new music and I've been lucky to have a lot of friends with amazing taste. Hopefully, one of these bands will return the favor to one of you.