Okay, I promised myself I would post these before SXSW has been over a month…

SIMON MILLER OF THE BBC NORTHERN IRELAND

I finally got to break my South by Southwest virginity this year, when I got to visit the week of madness as part of a BBC television crew filming bands from Northern Ireland for our music show Across the Line as they played showcases and parties during the week. Unfortunately I was stuck in the hotel room editing most of the time (Grrr!) but I did manage to sneak out at night and soak up some of the music and the atmosphere.

Bands I loved? I saw Sons and Daughters at the Domino Records showcase, and got to say I really enjoyed them, but the best band I saw all week were FM Belfast from Iceland. A three-part electro-pop outfit, their performance at the Soho Lounge was absolutely brilliant - it was one of the few showcases I was at where a band really, really got the crowd going - everyone dancing to their high-energy madness. And they were ace at performing, as well - at one point dashing into the crowd and handing out medals with “Winner” written on them. We’re hoping to get them over to Belfast for a gig soon - weirdly enough given their name, they’ve never been here!

A lot of our bands from Northern Ireland seemed to be doing very well at SXSW - Oppenheimer got to play the Time Out NY / Virgin Megastore showcase at Emo’s Main Room on the Saturday night - and then had to head off on a 21 hour road-trip straight afterwards for a gig in LA. The Answer also rocked a couple of showcases and parties, and already big in Australia and Japan, this could prove to be their break in the US, as apparently they garnered the attention of a certain US music publication. I can say no more!

So, back in Belfast, our program’s already transmitted, and I feel already like SXSW happened months ago. Stuck in a hotel room way out of Austin (late booking!) editing all the time meant I missed most of the acts I really wanted to see - MGMT (although I did get as far as queuing for that), Robyn and Annie (the Swedish contingent!) and N*E*R*D, but who knows - I’ve completed my SXSW survey, so maybe I’ll get a free pass to next year, and I’ll be able to go around and get drunk, see more bands, and get to talk to more good-looking women! Oh and I want to check out more of those taco hole-in-the-wall places!

DAVID NEWGARDEN OF MANAGE THIS

Fleet Foxes (pictured): went to see Blitzen Trapper, but they were blown away that night by their tour opening act, Fleet Foxes, a sweet six-piece with CSNY-style harmonies, terrific playing and wonderful songs.

Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet: I first heard this Uncle Earl member in 2007 eMusic SXSW freebie (really!), and put her CD on my list to buy, but never got around to it…My mistake. Banjos, violin, cello and the voice of an angel. Extra points for occasional Chinese singing. Find her CD and a new one coming in May.

The Enchanted Forest (with art installations by outsideart.org): part junkyard, part museum, part hippy commune, 3 wooded acres with two stages, organic vegetarian food, good vibes, and creekside rocks to sit on, made this the best daytime party venue.

Best Mexican breakfast for SXSW gringos: Curra’s Grill beats out Polvos, El Sol y La Luna, Gueros, Las Manitas… I tried em all… (burp).

JESSIE CARTER OF THE INDEPENDENT FILM CHANNEL

Bon Iver: Gorgeous album and it was fantastic live. Seeing Justin Vernon and crew pretty much made my night on Thursday.

The Dodos (pictured): Very catchy stuff. I’ve been obsessively listening to it since I’ve been back. So glad I was able to see them.

Peelander-Z (pictured): This was one of those shows where you can’t fully wrap your mind around what happened until it’s over. Power rangers-esque costumes + climbing over every available surface, person, balcony, etc = serious fun!

Well, it sure sounds like people had a grand old time at SXSW. It seemed like a good year (I definitely had a better time this year than the last three or four but I think that’s mostly because of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream). I have two more Pick-Three Wrap-Ups coming and that’s all she wrote on that end. However, we’ll be coming at you regular-like with music news, reviews and aggravation.

Email us and be our new BFF at musicblog@sxsw.com. Subscribe to our feedie here.

It’s Monday and it feels like it! lp

Original post by LP

Posted: April 14th, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none

(I featured Margaret Moser - and Susan Cowsill - pre-fest here.)

For me, it’s always about how many living legends I can rub shoulders with and chat up. I know I’m not supposed to say that but it’s true.

Catching up with Kim Fowley on 4th Street. Hosting Danny Fields for four days. Booking Lyle Lovett, Roky Erickson, Roy Head, the Judy’s etc at the Music Awards then having Billy Gibbons show up. Getting hugged by the Cowsills (yes, that was a real “16″ Magazine wet teen dream when Susan Cowsill introduced me to her brothers at the softball game). Schmoozing with my hero journalists like Jaan Uhelzski, Dave Marsh, David Fricke, and Jon Pareles. Narrowly missing Lou Reed at several turns (”Damn, Margaret! He was just here!”). Interviewing Chip Taylor for Studio SX. And - most embarrassingly - having my cellphone go off during Andrew Loog Oldham’s introduction on the Rock Memoirs panel. My ringtone is “Satisfaction.”

Also, it’s very difficult to explain the feelings that the unholy beauty of Taylor Hanson elicits : )

Most Nostalgic Show: The Cowsills at Central Presbyterian Church. Those sibling harmonies just shimmered during “Hair” and “The Rain, The Park and Other Things.”

Most Hilarious Moment: Watching the front row get doused during the Judy’s “Guyana Punch” at the Music Awards.

Other Most Nostalgic Show: X at Emo’s. I’ve lived in interesting times to be able to claim X and the Cowsills in my lifetime.

Thanks for joining us for this Pick Three Wrap-Up.

Email blog related musings to musicblog@sxsw.com.

Biß Später! lp

Original post by LP

Posted: April 10th, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival.
Comments: 2

Here’s a roundup of what some of our fave industry pals had to say about their three favorite acts at the festival. I’m listening to Marigold as I put this together. Anyone remember them?

LOUIE BANDAK OF CAPITOL RECORDS
Louie B, the nicest A&R guy who ever lived, had a great time playing Jerry Springer at the Perez Hilton party. In addition to those good times, he also had these at the fest.

“Although I lost my voice on the first night of the festival, it didn’t stop me from enjoying some fine rock n’ roll. The bands I originally chose for my Pick Three all played great shows (two hours of MMJ!), but here are some others that made my SXSW experience unforgettable:

Best band to watch in the 85-degree hot sun while drinking free Pabst Blue Ribbon: Airbourne.
Best band to watch through a fence because it was too crowded to get in, yet still rocked my socks off: Tight Phantomz
Best band to watch at 3:30 am while getting hit on by two married sisters: N.E.R.D.

Looking forward to next year… let’s hope HALLS becomes a sponsor.”

CONOR MCANALLY OF BLAZE TV
Conor is the producer of SXSW Live, our DirecTV sponsored three day broadcast from the ACC. It’s really cool and I encourage you to check it out next year if you missed it somehow this.

“OK – so it was a festival impression only because we were 8 hours a day for three days on three hours sleep a night. Full of sunglass mornings, glimpses of tanked tanktops in midafternoon being dragged from one gig to another by friends, rumours of a dance on the fourth floor of a garage, strange tales of a free party in room 386, and the sheer unadulterated cacophony of music up and down 6th street.

Blown away by the ease and facility with which Carbon/Silicon rocked our Lone Star Lounge. True music pros for whom nothing was a problem. Nicole Atkins won me over with a live performance which breathed feeling into every word that had sailed over my head on the album. And Sia….I just can’t get the songs out of my head.”

TONY DOBSON OF METROPOLIS MUSIC
Mr. Dobson, one of the finest concert promoters in the UK, had this to say…

“The three acts I saw and really enjoyed at SXSW were My Morning Jacket, especially Jim at the Church … it’s something magical when a guy can hold an audience the way he did. The Kerrang showcase at Latitude, where People in Planes played… I saw the band a few years ago at the Barfly in London, but wow, what a transformation. Those guys blew me away, and their new album will surely see them have great success.
Finally I saw the Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, I forgot the venue. It was refreshing to see a band really enthusiastic and giving it their all… trying to get the crowd going.”

Thanks for reading this edition of Pick Three. I have a few more to run, which I’ll do in short order so you’re not reading wrap-ups for 2008 in April of 2009. We’ll be here every day, though, through the summer and into the fall when things get going for next year, bringing you the latest and greatest in semi-entertaining music news, reviews and aggravation.

Email submarines to musicblog@sxsw.com. Subscribe to the feed that burnshere.

I have Martha Stewart’s dressing room sign, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: April 8th, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none

The Coast was one of the few bands I was really excited to see at SXSW, and they managed to rock out on a stage no bigger than a postage stamp. It was lovely to hear the songs I’d been listening to over and over leading up to the fest live, and hopefully I’ll get to catch them again sometime soon.

It sounds like they had a grand old time at the fest (and I love how they, too, pointed out the plethora of skinny jeans on their MySpace blog).

Bassist Luke Melchiorre (pictured, left) had this to say about their experience:

I think without a doubt we would all agree that SXSW was the most exciting music festival we have ever been a part of. I have never seen so many great acts in one place in my entire life. I think if we had to narrow down our favorite three shows of the festival it would be (in no order): Born Ruffians At 90 Proof, Handsome Furs at Bourbon Rocks and The Constantines at Antone’s. I know our guitarist loved Man Man and our drummer raved about Noah and the Whale.

Coast singer/guitarist Ben Spurr did an LP Questionnaire that you can read here.

I’m bummed to report that the band’s van was broken into upon their return to Canada but they continue to make their way across their (apparently not so) fair country. You can keep up with the band (and hear some juicy tracks) on MySpace.

Speaking of Canada, I’ll be heading up to Whistler in July for the Pemberton Festival. It looks mighty groovy so I look forward to doing some posting from there, but I’ll warn you now that it will probably just consist of pictures of this guy and perhaps some blurry photos of rock star backs like this one of Daryl Hall.

I hope you’re all having a happy Friday. Email emails to musicblog@sxsw.com.

Tell me what you found out, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: April 4th, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none

Watch The Whigs’ video for “Right Hand On My Heart” while you read the fabulous Parker Gispert’s take on his time at SXSW.

“The overall experience of SXSW ‘08 was super BUSY!!! I always have extravagant plans for the festival and usually never get the chance to see them through. This year was no exception. Despite not being able to see Elf Power or Centro-matic, I got my face thrown on my sneakers by My Morning Jacket’s Austin Music Hall set. That was definitely the most frighteningly good show I saw preceded by a scary sick/nasty Yo La Tengo set. Yes, it was the same show and it was simply on fire. ROCK!”

Apologies for the sporadic posting, boys and girls, but I am back. I hope you’re still with me. Some of you? Anyone? Helloo?

If you’re new here, check out what people wanted to see via Pick Threes here. LP Questionnaires here. More coming on what people saw headed your way soon along with other features we’re brewing up here at SXSW Headquarters (and by SXSW headquarters I mean my couch in Crestwood, KY, the coolest place on earth).

Email hot messes to musicblog@sxsw.com. I just love publishing my email address because it ensures I will get more and more spam from people telling me I’ve either a) won a million dollars or b) that my sex life is in the toilet and they have the answer.

Subscribe to the RSS thing with your RSS Reader thingy. It’s super fun!

Buy one, get one free, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: March 31st, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none

Damian Vaca, my favorite MTV producer, managed to catch a few acts in the midst of running around madly getting coverage for John Norris et al.

Here’s his Pick Three Wrap-up…

Digitalism: Ended up seeing them on Saturday night at Pangea and they definitely were better than I expected. The mood of the crowd was mixed with the yuppies drinking their $28 martinis to the hard core dancing rebels who definitely got the crowd moving. They have embarked on their US tour so if you get a chance this is definitely an act to see and experience

Robyn: Last year my favorite moment of SXSW was being in a room and watching Mika and Amy Winehouse perform, but that memory is now rivaled with being two feet away from Robyn as she performed at the Perez Hilton event also on the last Saturday night of SXSW. Her eclectic outfit and electronic pop inspired sound mixed in with her ultra hip and shake dancing was great to experience firsthand.

No Age: I had no idea who they were, what they did, and what they sounded like, but on Friday night there was word spreading that they were performing at the Lamar Street bridge at 3AM so I had to go check this out. To be part of 600 SXSW revelers and somewhat entangled in the at a moment’s notice mosh pit – well it was exciting and freaky. I just don’t do most pits but it was impressive that this band was able to bring out so many people so late in the night (or early in the morning if you will).

Thanks for joining us for this edition of Pick Three, your guide to SXSW and beyond.

Today’s SXSW Fun Fact… The number of bands who submitted that have the word “black” in their name: 109. I wonder about “Blacksmithz.” Are they MCs who also forge metal? Do they do this onstage - like maybe do some raps and give you a horseshoe or a sword at the end? That’d be pretty neato.

I’m driving home to Kentucky tomorrow and Saturday so you will be sans my presence for the next few days. I know you’re sad. I am, too. Not really. I’ve never wanted to go to Kentucky so badly in my life. It’s almost disturbing.

Email your SXSW faves to musicblog@sxsw.com.

‘Til Tuesday, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: March 20th, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none

I’m sitting here furiously trying to finish a review of the new She & Him record for another publication that I write for because it’s already a week late (sorry LEO!) Did anyone see that show? That’s one of about 1700 that I did not, unfortunately.

While I’m doing that, you enjoy this Pick Three Wrap-up from the dashing and elegant Rob Huebel (of Human Giant)…

I became a hero to many onlookers at the fest this year due to my heroic actions. I was enjoying some BBQ at Iron Works on Friday when a large, fat man began to choke to death on a beef rib. I sprang into action. Just like Vin Diesel in that…Vin Diesel movie. I applied the Heimlich to his face and neck area and heroically dislodged the rib. People clapped. Some cried. I went back to my brisket.

Other than that. Fuck, there were some great shows. I would say Clipse, Spank Rock, and Does it Offend You, Yeah?….were my favorites. However the best-name award goes to a band called “Jah-Coozi“, apparently a reggae band that enjoys hot-tubbing quite frequently.

I’m sad I missed Does it Offend You, Yeah? as my friend Louie saw them, too, and also said they were great. I’m trying to see how many posts I can work Louie into in an attempt to really annoy him (because I’m nice like that).

Who else did I miss? You tell me at musicblog@sxsw.com!

To “.peter” who emailed me about Western Civ and Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, let me just say I did NOT miss the 100% greatness that was GMPD and will have more on them coming soon.

Back to She and Him, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: March 19th, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none

Camilla Grey and Leisha Hailey make up the pop duo Uh Huh Her. Grey has worked with Hans Zimmer, Kelly Osbourne, Busta Rhymes and Dr. Dre. I used to book Leisha Hailey’s old band The Murmurs at The Viper Room (a million years ago), and I always looked forward to seeing her and Heather. We all had crushes on both of them. Hailey can now be seen as Alice on The L Word.

I am in the maddest of mad dashes to bring this post to you so you can all amend your plans to include Uh Huh Her. They’re playing at Creekside EMC at 11.

The LP Questionnaire

Name: Camila Grey
Pro Wrestling Name: Curvaceous Justice would be my wrestling name. I would swing my hips and knock people down in one fell swoop.

1. Pretend you’re 15. Name three songs you’d put on a mix tape for your girlfriend/boyfriend.

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
The Cure - Pictures of You
Oasis - Live Forever

2. Which evil villain would make the best president? I think Hannibal Lector would make a great President. He’s just so smart and well dressed.

3. What was your favorite cartoon as a child? Favorite cartoon is a toss-up between Smurfs and Scooby Doo.

4. What superpower do you wish you had? I’d want to have the ability to time travel.

5. What would the title of your autobiography be? RUSH, because we’ve literally been rushed to do everything with this band. Perhaps its a good thing, though, because we don’t have time to overthink anything!\

Pick Three

As far as bands I’d like to see: would love to see The Kills and R.E.M. Those are two bands whose records I’ve enjoyed immensely over the years but have never had the chance to see live. Also the band opening for R.E.M. called the Papercranes are really amazing. Should be a great show!

I hope those were great shows. Things seem to be going well, so far. Right? I’m in my ivory tower (okay, I’m in my Press Booth Labbit-infused Office) trying to make sense of it all. I tried to go see/shoot Jet Lag today (and I missed them last night! Curses!) so maybe someday our paths will not really cross again.

I got an email today about interviewing Fab 5 Freddy. I’m dying to do this, but don’t know what to ask. Any ideas? Send them to musicblog@sxsw.com.

Okay, back to the grind, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: March 13th, 2008 under LP Questionnaire, Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none

Bienvenue, Bonjour, Guten Tag, Ahn Nyeong, Heisann… Hello and welcome to SXSW XXII. The Superbowl of Music. I just made that up.

We here at SXSW work hard to bring you all the latest and greatest in musical talents. Somehow every year the magic manages to happen and you see a band that restores your faith in music (if you’ve lost it, like I had until I saw My Morning Jacket at Buffalo Billiards six years ago) or simply reinforces the fact that music is the language we all understand (see any of the Japan nights or even this year’s Norwegian Black Metal show).

So, who is the man on top of this mountain of craziness, this unruly spring break for the music industry? Well, he’s called Roland Swenson and he’s our very own Mr. Burns (or Tony Soprano, if you prefer).

It’s always interesting to me when I see Roland vilified in the press or on a blog somewhere. I guess when you have detractors it means you’ve achieved some level of success (which also must mean we are über successful!) Anyway, I’ve seen him called Karl Rove and all kinds of other ‘evil white dude’ variations. Well, sure, no one’s perfect, but I see Roland as the guy who loves music and has been active in the Austin music scene since way before SXSW even started. I see the guy I talk TV with, the guy who loans me books. The guy who loves his kid and tries to balance the oncoming onslaught of SXSW with the fact that his wife Roseana has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and is going through chemo.

We all come here for the same reasons, right? We want to see something great, we want to be moved, we want to have a good time.

Hopefully Roland will get a chance to have his good time at any of these Pick Three choices (he also did The LP Questionnaire way back when).

Was (Not Was): I never got to see them live back in the early 80s while was I wearing out my 12″ copy of “Wheel Me Out.” I saw Don Was play bass and lead an all-star band for Willie Nelson’s 60th Birthday Bash, and still can’t believe the sounds he got out of a bass guitar while barely moving his fingers.

Spoon: If there were seminaries devoted to the religion of “Rock and Roll,” then writer Britt Daniel would be the Reinhold Niebuhr of his generation. Err, the Soren Kierkegaard of his generation? Have I stretched this analogy past the breaking point yet? Still, don’t miss them.

Aberfeldy: Once you take a stand over the controversy that Aberfeldy is rightly categorized as a Midlands single malt and not an Eastern Highlands whiskey, (or does it owe more to the Speyside region than to the Midlands?), then you can begin to savor the complexities of the band that uses the same name. This Scottish pop act with folk sensibilities is overdue to break-out in the States. Two albums of witty, hook-laden charm have lead to a hotly anticipated third outing, due soon . Great live show, too.

(Unfortunately Aberfeldy dropped out - Roland wrote this a while ago - but I’ll leave them in because it’s still a cool plug and if I only run two that sort of screws up the whole “Pick Three” thing.)

I hope you all have the best time ever this week. Sure, there might be shows you may not get to see but there are so many options, you’re surely not lacking in choice. I’ve still got miles to write before I sleep so be back real soon with more posts than you can shake a stick at.

What have you seen that you liked? Shoot me an email at musicblog@sxsw.com. Hulk is still watching over me, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: March 12th, 2008 under Linda Park, LP Questionnaire, Pick 3, Music Festival, Conference, Latest News.
Comments: none

Season two of Human Giant started tonight at 11. I meant to post this at 11 am this morning. Instead it’s 2.39 am… the next day. I am lame, but you know who isn’t lame?

Rob Huebel, my friend Elizabeth’s other comedy crush. Rob Huebel, who is afraid of being buried alive and puts bbq sauce on everything he eats (even pancakes, I wonder?).

Rob likes the word “moist,” but hates the word “moisture” and doesn’t have any racist tattoos.

He is being stalked by Tina Turner.

He answered The LP Questionnaire…

Name: Rob Huebel
Pro Wrestling Name: Major Alchemist

1. Pretend you’re 15 (and tell us what year it is, if you don’t mind).Name three songs you’d put on a mix tape for your girlfriend/boyfriend.

In 1985, I didn’t have a girlfriend. Or a drivers license. If I were smart, I would have made a mixtape with some cool traxx on it. Then I’d throw it into my boom box and ask if we could fingerbang each other to such hits as: “Party All the Time” by Eddie Murphy, “We built this City” by Starship and “Can’t Fight this Feeling Anymore” by REO Speedwagon.

2. Which evil villain would make the best president? I think the T-1000 from Terminator 2 would be a great President. He seems like a young, dedicated machine that would never give up. And you couldn’t assassinate him. So we’d save a lot of money on Secret Service.

3. What was your favorite cartoon as a child? I watched He-man when I was probably too old to watch it. It really changed my life. I ride a tiger around now.

4. What superpower do you wish you had? I would like to be able to vomit money. That would be great.

5. What would the title of your autobiography be? Rob Huebel thinks you should buy this book, you pussy

Pick Three

There are way, way too many bands that I want to see. I actually think SXSW should cut it back to like, 4 or 5 bands total just to make it easier and eliminate the options.

The English Beat: I’m pretty psyched to see The English Beat because of high school.

Ice Cube: I want to see Ice Cube because he’s the shit. And I really liked him in XXX State of the Union.

Matt & Kim: I want to see Matt & Kim because they’re super fun to watch and they seem like they have a great time together.

Paul Scheer once crashed his mother’s Mercury Bobcat when he shifted the car in reverse while it was parked on a hill and he crashed into a tree.

This Halloween he dressed up as Jared from Kid Nation.

He know how to ride a horse. He knows how to not be a jerk. He knows how to answer The LP Questionnaire.

Name: Paul Scheer
Pro Wrestling Name: Agent Nova

1. Pretend you’re 15 (and tell us what year it is, if you don’t mind). Name three songs you’d put on a mix tape for your
girlfriend/boyfriend.

The year is 1991 and here is my Mixtape

“Gonna Make You Sweat”, C+C Music Factory - BEST SONG EVER!
“Touch Myself”, Divinyls - I don’t quite Understand it fully, but I know it’s dirty.
“Losing My Religion”, R.E.M. - I don’t get it but the video is cool.
“Unbelievable”, EMF - Andrew Dice Clay mixed with Music, Does life get any better?

2. Which evil villain would make the best president? GENERAL ZOD from Superman 2. He’s got the outfit, the sweet goatee and the ponytail. Hell yes, I’d kneel before Zod.

3. What was your favorite cartoon as a child? Hong Kong Fuey…But looking back on it now, it seems oddly racist.

4. What superpower do you wish you had? The power

5. What would the title of your autobiography be? This Isn’t Just about Making Sausage, It’s About Good Ideas: The Paul Scheer Story. Basically I’d just take Jimmy Dean’s autobiography and every time it says “Jimmy,” I’d replace that with “Paul.”

Pick Three

Abe Vigoda: I really hope this is the actor from Barney Miller and not some band with an ironic name. Because I hear Abe’s jazz Acoustic sets are not to be missed.

(Abe Vigoda, real or otherwise appears to no longer be playing, unfortunately.)

Peelander Z: I guarantee you they are the only band at SXSW that uses their lead singer as a bowing ball, don’t believe me? See it for yourself. I 100% guarantee you won’t be dissapointed with their performance.

SECRET SHOW: Rammstein and Matisyau - performing together in something called “The Apology Tour.”

That was so awesome… so awesome that I can’t write any more. I will just seem sheepish and unfunny in comparison. If you want to email me about other things that are awesome (like nutella), you may do so at musicblog@sxsw.com.

Welcome to the jungle, we got fun ‘n games, lp

Original post by LP

Posted: March 12th, 2008 under LP Questionnaire, Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none