"I dunno man, that show was weird. I was really tired. We had to play at like 1 a.m., after everyone else had already played." That's all Mind Spiders bassist Daniel Fried would tell me about the Denton, Texas outfit's recent performance at Austin's SXSW Festival.
For the week of 3/19-3/25/12: 1. The Shins, Port of Morrow (Columbia) 2. Gentleman Jesse, Leaving Atlanta (Douchemaster) 3.
We Were Promised Jetpacks w/ Bad Veins, New Cassettes @ The Bluebird Tuesday, March 27 9:00 p.m. $10 adv/ $12 dos 21+ Prepare for a Scottish invasion, Bloomington.
Mind Spiders @ Landlocked Music Monday, March 26 7:00 p.m. Free All Ages The medium-sized burg of Denton, Texas has somewhat bizarrely become a minor Mecca for dirty indie rock in the past decade or so.
A beaming blue lighthouse welcomed everyone in the Bluebird from wherever you may call home. A Chocolate Orange prize was given to whoever traveled the farthest, even though this band is from North Wales. The Joy Formidable traveled from all the way across the pond to greet Bloomington with this inviting beacon.
It has really only occurred to me now, having just returned from a three outfit punk/screamo mash-up, drenched in sweat (product of an unseasonably summery night and a defective air conditioner) and sipping a Guinness, that I know next to nothing about the music I have dwelt with the past two hours.
A decade after his debut LP and two and a half years after the launch of his "WTF" podcast, Marc Maron finds himself in some rarified company as one of the most important people in comedy. In an era marked by the radicalization of the distribution model, the 48-year-old comic has emerged as a master, pairing pathos with hilarity on "WTF" and selling out comedy clubs across the country with his neurotic stand-up act. Live Buzz interviewed Maron by phone while the comedian drove around before a string of dates in Minnesota and a live taping of "WTF" in Austin, Texas.
The Joy Formidable w/A Place to Bury Strangers, Exitmusic @ The Bluebird Thursday, March 22 9:00 p.m. $13 adv/$15 dos 21+ It's about to get loud in the Bluebird. The explosive hard rock sound of The Joy Formidable is sizeable enough to fill a stadium, but their epic riffs booming behind guitarist Ritzy Bryan's glitzy vocals were made to echo down Walnut Street. The band's shoegazing guitar noise and shredding power chords on songs like their hit single "Whirring" derives from the craggy coastline in Wales.
CityCop w/ Pessoa, Deadghost @ Rachael's Cafe Wednesday, March 21 8:30 p.m. $5 All Ages For the authentic garage punk, indie screamo experience, CityCop's gang of shaggy haired rock stars will be indulging these sounds and a variety more at Rachael's Cafe.
For the week of 3/12-3/18/12: 1. Wes Montgomery, Echoes of Indiana Avenue (Resonance) 2. Earth, Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (Southern Lord) 3.
Borgore @ The Bluebird Monday, March 19 9:00 p.m. $18 21+ Underground dub-stepper Borgore has been able to bring the dubstep underground into clear view for a wide audience.
I saw some unforgettable live music during my final day in Austin, but Saturday almost seemed to be more about what didn't happen to me: I decided to stay away from Stubb's and I picked the much safer of two A$AP Rocky performances at 1100 E 5th Street to attend yesterday.
Of course my busiest day so far would be followed by the first one where I actually spent a significant amount of time looking around for a good show.
In high school, I had an admittedly irrational and somewhat Chuck Klosterman-based opposition to any and all tribute bands.
My busiest day at SXSW so far began at the Pitchfork Day Party at Mohawk on Red River Street and ended with what I'm pretty sure was the best set I've seen here yet.
The Fauxgues @ The Bishop Thursday, March 15 9:30 p.m. $5 18+ St. Patty's is still a couple of days away, but members of locals The Sump Pumps and Panic Strikes a Chord will ring in the festivities early with a set of Pogues covers at the Bishop on Thursday night.
It's not every day that the first performer on a five-act bill is the only one on it who fills the venue to capacity.
And so my week at the music portion of SXSW in Austin commences. The first event: "Space Ducks," a launch party for Daniel Johnston's new (first!) comic book and app (yes, app) of the same name, which occurred last night at the Belmont on 6th Street.
For the week of 3/5-3/11/12: 1. Andrew Bird, Break It Yourself (Mom & Pop) 2. Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball (Columbia) 3.
It was nice and cozy in The Bishop on Thursday at the sold out Maps & Atlases show. The crowd packed in during opening local bands Qur'an Qur'an and The Broderick.
