SXSW 2009 Recap!
“Welcome to the festival of broken dreams….”
(Jeff Honky, aka J.D. Pinkus of Butthole Surfers.)
As always, SXSW is a huge party and getting bigger every year. I always
think maybe the crowds and logos will be too much, but then again I
have too much fun and am glad that I came down to Austin. Here are
some lists of my picks & pans for music, venues, food and Austin in general,
compiled with the help of Jim "Jagcurity" Goronson. Much of this music was featured on Psychoacoustics -- listen to the archives at www.wort-fm.org [posted until April 9th.]
Music - Faves and raves
HONKY [Austin cowpunk w/Jeff from Butthole Surfers on bass]
UGLY BEATS [Austin garage rock]
HACIENDA [supposed to be garagey, but sounded more like a great noise band]
THE GEEKS [Korean punk]
EASY STAR ALL STARS [Psychedelic rock reggae]
LOS FANCY FREE [Latin rock]
KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES [??? Indescribable]
BEAUMONTS [Texas rockabilly]
CIRCLE JERKS FEAT. GREG GINN OF BLACK FLAG [played both Circle Jerks & Black Flag songs]
LOS PIRATA [Brazilian rock]
WAYNE KRAMER [MC5--acoustic — playing a Guild guitar in the Gibson Room]
ZERO SKILLS [Texas psychobilly]
THE URGES [Psychedelic garage rock from Dublin]
THE CYNICS [Pittsburgh garage]
DJ SUE [Fuzz Club is back! Spinning amazing garage rock classics and moderns]
Honorable Mentions
EXENE [With acoustic group]
THIS BIKE IS A PIPE BOMB [Avant noise punk]
LARKIN GRIMM [Weirdo acoustic songstress]
HYPERPOTAMUS [Solo experimental a cappella from Spain]
ROY HEAD AND THE TRAITS ALL STARS [Texas rockabilly/R & B]
And LITTLE STEVEN with all of his Underground Garage Showcase bands
TURBOWOLF [Punk/metal from London]
THEE EVAPORATORS [Vancouver Surf punk with Nardwuar!]
MOTOR PRIMITIVES [Madison represented on the Blind Pig’s rooftop]
DANIEL JOHNSTON [Austin outsider poet/songwriter]
RUSTED SHUT ["Worst Shit Ever"] [Noise, metal, fighting on stage, instrument bashing]
Other highlights:
Events
FLATSTOCK [Concert poster art show]
TEXAS SOUTHWEST GUITAR AND RECORD CONVENTION
FUCK BY FUCK OFF [aka Fuck By Fuck West, Fuck By Fuck You]
MESS WITH TEXAS [free outdoor concert in Waterloo Park, 2 stages of various musics, spoken word]
SIXTH ST. MADNESS [waves of freaks of all kinds in the streets, jamming, tap dancing, free hugs etc.]
Eats
BOILING POT [Crawfish and shrimp boil]
SUSHI GEISHA [yummy fresh scallop roll]
MAGNOLIA CAFÉ [“Love” Migas with garlic butter, fish tacos]
CASINO EL CAMINO [Blackjack eggplant sammie, great burgers, hipster hangout, groovy music mix]
HOEK’S DEATH METAL PIZZA [not the greatest ‘za, but awesome graphics & marketing techniques]
Bars/clubs/venues
YARD DOG GALLERY [Music themed folk/outsider art & performance space-Tim Easton art included a painting entitled This Guitar Totally Kills Hipsters]
LOVEJOY’S [Anarchistic smoking bar/brewpub, punk/metal/noise with never a cover]
SCOOT INN [Indoor/outdoor venue out past the highway]
RED EYED FLY [Darkly beautiful indoor/outdoor venue with great sound]
ANTONE’S [Huge space with VIP box seats and classic R & B, garage, blues acts]
THE COPA [outdoor garden stage, free drinks with bagels & lox, Jewish gypsy pop, rock and soul]
THE INDEPENDENT [art space with bar and projection wall, studios and galleries]
Shitlist [greatest disappointments]
BLACK LIPS WITH GZA [WTF?]
DOKTOR KRAPULA [boring mainstream poppy Latin rock, lives up to their name]
THE MOOG [much less retro-exciting than their name implies, mainstream indie pop]
BISHOP ALLEN [great on record, but live they came off as whiny emo-indie clones]
--They were there, we were not [couldn't get there or get in]
DEVO
TRICKY
ERYKAH BADU & THE CANNIBANOIDS
THE SONICS
STRANGE BOYS
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
PETER MURPHY
Everything over at the Typewriter Museum [“Nocases” rather than “Showcases”]
Misc:
Pluses
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES [nonstop Chicago to Austin, free beers on St Patrick’s Day]
[BELOIT] LA QUINTA HOTEL [affordable central location, location, location -- great for siesta, nice swimming pool that was actually OPEN]
DRISKILL HOTEL [beautiful rest stop, casual dress in swanky surroundings, no questions asked]
JAPANESE PUNK, LATIN ROCK AND OTHERS [international band factor]
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY [in general]
Minuses
JAM BAND AFTER MOMO PREEMIES [we supported local Madison music, then fled]
SUPER SHUTTLE COST [$13] VS. AIRPORT FLYER BUS #100 [$0.75 + 6 block walk]
TRIPWIRE PICKS [disappointing, yupscale and all twentysomething whatevs]
CREEKSIDE LOUNGE [see Tripwire—they recommended this club as an Austin must-see highlight]
FUZE [icky overpriced yuppie dance club, $6 for a can of Dos Equis, but we saw Los Pirata there]
I did two reports from the scene live on the radio - Weds. March 18th on In Our Backyard news, and Friday March 20 on music program Who Cooks For You?
“Welcome to the festival of broken dreams….”
(Jeff Honky, aka J.D. Pinkus of Butthole Surfers.)
As always, SXSW is a huge party and getting bigger every year. I always
think maybe the crowds and logos will be too much, but then again I
have too much fun and am glad that I came down to Austin. Here are
some lists of my picks & pans for music, venues, food and Austin in general,
compiled with the help of Jim "Jagcurity" Goronson. Much of this music was featured on Psychoacoustics -- listen to the archives at www.wort-fm.org [posted until April 9th.]
Music - Faves and raves
HONKY [Austin cowpunk w/Jeff from Butthole Surfers on bass]
UGLY BEATS [Austin garage rock]
HACIENDA [supposed to be garagey, but sounded more like a great noise band]
THE GEEKS [Korean punk]
EASY STAR ALL STARS [Psychedelic rock reggae]
LOS FANCY FREE [Latin rock]
KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES [??? Indescribable]
BEAUMONTS [Texas rockabilly]
CIRCLE JERKS FEAT. GREG GINN OF BLACK FLAG [played both Circle Jerks & Black Flag songs]
LOS PIRATA [Brazilian rock]
WAYNE KRAMER [MC5--acoustic — playing a Guild guitar in the Gibson Room]
ZERO SKILLS [Texas psychobilly]
THE URGES [Psychedelic garage rock from Dublin]
THE CYNICS [Pittsburgh garage]
DJ SUE [Fuzz Club is back! Spinning amazing garage rock classics and moderns]
Honorable Mentions
EXENE [With acoustic group]
THIS BIKE IS A PIPE BOMB [Avant noise punk]
LARKIN GRIMM [Weirdo acoustic songstress]
HYPERPOTAMUS [Solo experimental a cappella from Spain]
ROY HEAD AND THE TRAITS ALL STARS [Texas rockabilly/R & B]
And LITTLE STEVEN with all of his Underground Garage Showcase bands
TURBOWOLF [Punk/metal from London]
THEE EVAPORATORS [Vancouver Surf punk with Nardwuar!]
MOTOR PRIMITIVES [Madison represented on the Blind Pig’s rooftop]
DANIEL JOHNSTON [Austin outsider poet/songwriter]
RUSTED SHUT ["Worst Shit Ever"] [Noise, metal, fighting on stage, instrument bashing]
Other highlights:
Events
FLATSTOCK [Concert poster art show]
TEXAS SOUTHWEST GUITAR AND RECORD CONVENTION
FUCK BY FUCK OFF [aka Fuck By Fuck West, Fuck By Fuck You]
MESS WITH TEXAS [free outdoor concert in Waterloo Park, 2 stages of various musics, spoken word]
SIXTH ST. MADNESS [waves of freaks of all kinds in the streets, jamming, tap dancing, free hugs etc.]
Eats
BOILING POT [Crawfish and shrimp boil]
SUSHI GEISHA [yummy fresh scallop roll]
MAGNOLIA CAFÉ [“Love” Migas with garlic butter, fish tacos]
CASINO EL CAMINO [Blackjack eggplant sammie, great burgers, hipster hangout, groovy music mix]
HOEK’S DEATH METAL PIZZA [not the greatest ‘za, but awesome graphics & marketing techniques]
Bars/clubs/venues
YARD DOG GALLERY [Music themed folk/outsider art & performance space-Tim Easton art included a painting entitled This Guitar Totally Kills Hipsters]
LOVEJOY’S [Anarchistic smoking bar/brewpub, punk/metal/noise with never a cover]
SCOOT INN [Indoor/outdoor venue out past the highway]
RED EYED FLY [Darkly beautiful indoor/outdoor venue with great sound]
ANTONE’S [Huge space with VIP box seats and classic R & B, garage, blues acts]
THE COPA [outdoor garden stage, free drinks with bagels & lox, Jewish gypsy pop, rock and soul]
THE INDEPENDENT [art space with bar and projection wall, studios and galleries]
Shitlist [greatest disappointments]
BLACK LIPS WITH GZA [WTF?]
DOKTOR KRAPULA [boring mainstream poppy Latin rock, lives up to their name]
THE MOOG [much less retro-exciting than their name implies, mainstream indie pop]
BISHOP ALLEN [great on record, but live they came off as whiny emo-indie clones]
--They were there, we were not [couldn't get there or get in]
DEVO
TRICKY
ERYKAH BADU & THE CANNIBANOIDS
THE SONICS
STRANGE BOYS
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
PETER MURPHY
Everything over at the Typewriter Museum [“Nocases” rather than “Showcases”]
Misc:
Pluses
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES [nonstop Chicago to Austin, free beers on St Patrick’s Day]
[BELOIT] LA QUINTA HOTEL [affordable central location, location, location -- great for siesta, nice swimming pool that was actually OPEN]
DRISKILL HOTEL [beautiful rest stop, casual dress in swanky surroundings, no questions asked]
JAPANESE PUNK, LATIN ROCK AND OTHERS [international band factor]
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY [in general]
Minuses
JAM BAND AFTER MOMO PREEMIES [we supported local Madison music, then fled]
SUPER SHUTTLE COST [$13] VS. AIRPORT FLYER BUS #100 [$0.75 + 6 block walk]
TRIPWIRE PICKS [disappointing, yupscale and all twentysomething whatevs]
CREEKSIDE LOUNGE [see Tripwire—they recommended this club as an Austin must-see highlight]
FUZE [icky overpriced yuppie dance club, $6 for a can of Dos Equis, but we saw Los Pirata there]
I did two reports from the scene live on the radio - Weds. March 18th on In Our Backyard news, and Friday March 20 on music program Who Cooks For You?
This is me interviewing Exene Cervenka [X, Original Sinners, Auntie Christ] in the alley behind the Yard Dog Gallery in south Austin. Many people say we look very much alike, you know.
No comments:
Post a Comment