SXSW Day 4: In which Smarmy Hipster is Tired and Perplexed

From Jason:

My name is Jason, and I am a Birdmonster supporter.

I didn’t think this was a significant statement until recently. I pretty much chalked up the tiny audience (in number, not stature) to a sub-par venue location for the Wednesday night showcase — namely in Austin’s very own “Crack Alley.” There is no excuse for Saturday’s day show at the Hot Freaks! Blog Party at Mohawk, however. They played their first song to a fairly crowded room. Then, everyone just left. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s not as if their music isn’t fun (it is), or they weren’t playing with a lot of energy (they were). The audience just gave a collective YAWN and walked out. There weren’t any scheduling conflicts with other music options, either. Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s did not start their set at the outside stage until well after Birdmonster had finished. People basically said, “If it’s between this and nothing, we’ll take nothing.” I felt so bad I stayed to give some sympathy applause with their parents and girlfriends.

Other shows we saw at the party were The Ponys (who were good), Menomena (who played surprisingly well live), Asobi Seksu, and Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. Allow me to take a moment to heap some praises on Asobi Seksu. They are a fantastic band! If you are not familiar with them, they can be described (from their website) as “guitar-swirling, sweet-and-sour, bilingual dream pop.” The bilingual part comes from the influence of Yuki, their lead singer / keyboardist (who, btw, could fit in my pocket). Her singing transitions beautifully and effortlessly from Japanese to English, and her keyboard meshes well with the other members of the band. As an added bonus, and as a stated response to the beautiful day, they passed some drumsticks to the audience and invited them onstage during the conclusion of the last song to bang on shit and cause a general ruckus.

Later that evening we attended a shockingly good show by The Lovely Sparrows. I say “shocking” due to the fact that when I saw them at the Parish about 2 months ago, the sound was off and they sounded, well, shitty. Not this time! This sound guy seemed to know more about what he was doing, and they were fantastic. A big and pleasant surprise!

Next on the agenda was Zykos (sorry for the Austin theme, but it just kinda worked out that way). Zykos was extremely medium. I’m not sure how a band can manage to be both extreme and medium, but they seem to pull it off nicely. Go and see their show and let me know if you disagree. About half their stuff is really good.

We finished the night at Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. This band is a Melissa Etheridge clone, and not at all what we expected. It sounded good, but was not really our bag, and kinda ended our SXSW on a down note. I was much too pooped from many days and nights of hard rockin’ to drag myself to see GitoGito Hustler as was my original plan. Oh, well — there’s always next year.

SXSW Day 3: Chuck the Fucking Chucks, Already

From Jason:

We started off the day EXTREMELY strong at the SPIN Party, thanks to Hannah (***Official Advertising Goddess of Smarmy Hipster***). The first band of the day was The Fratellis. They opened surprisingly weak considering how fun their music is. The music that they played was great (sounded just like their CD), but you could tell that they were mailing it in. At one point, the bassist turned around to hide a yawn. Then magic happened; out of nowhere, Pete “Freaking” Townsend steps onto the stage and fucking brought the house down. As stated earlier, we saw Pete the previous night at La Zona Rosa, but this was different. He had an electric guitar this time and simply kicked the show into another gear. It was around this time that I realized that the tequila at the bar was FREE. Free margaritas, kick ass rock ‘n’ roll, vacation from work, and some of the strongest people watching of the festival added up to a pretty special day.

At this time I would like to make a Public Service Announcement. GO HOME AND THROW AWAY YOUR FUCKING CHUCKS. I know David mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating. It is officially ridiculous. Easily two-thirds of the audience had them. I felt like middle school when everyone HAD to have Z-Cavariccis.

OK — back to our regularly scheduled blog…

How do you follow Pete Townsend? How do you overcome being from Denmark and having woman hands? PLAY AS LOUD AS YOU CAN. Holy shit, Mew is loud. I think they were pretty good, but it was hard to tell with the blood dripping from my ears. Oh well, who needs hearing? All kidding aside, they are a cool band with great music. There is something about Noise Rock with sweet lilting vocals seamlessly interwoven that always gets me.

The next band was Galactic. Allow me to preface this by stating that I am not that big a fan of this band. I don’t like jam bands — sorry. Dave and I were stopped in our tracks on the way to the back of the crowd, however, when we saw Gift of Gab from Blackalicious take the stage. Dude was awesome. The other guest rappers were pretty good as well. I was pleasantly surprised.

Something stupid happened on the way to the Kings of Leon set. SPIN brought Jamie Kennedy to the stage with his “I’m getting paid for this, right?” face. Why SPIN magazine felt we would care if a C List celeb introduced a band he had obviously never listened to is beyond me. It was beyond the audience as well, as his ARE YOU READY TO ROCK shout was met with silence… Strange moment…

Kings of Leon was up next and did what they do best — which is, of course, play face-splitting classic rock. Not a lot to say here as all of their sets are solid, no-frills rock shows. This one was no different.

After a brief interlude to watch Texas beat New Mexico State in basketball (hook ‘em!), we got in line for the Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s at Antone’s. This is a great band and they played a great set (Editors Note: and the keyboardist is smoking hot!). The surprise for me was their percussionist. He made these strange, flowing movements prior to hitting the drum/symbol which were at once both entertaining and a little gay. Dave and I couldn’t decide if he was autistic. If so, my bad. My only complaint about Antone’s was the fucking heat. Seriously, if you are packed to the brim (which they were), you HAVE to turn on the A/C (which they did not).

Due to this inconvenience, we decided to press on to Red Eyed Fly to get there early to see dios (not that we needed to, it was pretty empty).

When did the lead singer for dios turn into John Popper pre-bariatric surgery? Damn. It’s been two years since I’ve seen them live, and he has EASILY added 80 pounds. At this rate, we will all be forced to watch dios shows from his bedroom, as he is almost too big to fit through a door. No matter… The show was great, and when the singer wasn’t taking pot hits on stage, or pulling up his enormous pants, he played some beautiful music. Music that contrasted, I might add, with the strange drummer that did everything he could to divert our attention away from the singers falling pants. One of his antics that was worth noting is that he would spit on the drums, then hit them to make the spit bounce like some low-rent Blue Man Group show. Strange.

We finished off a long day at the Tullycraft show. As expected they were upbeat (duh — they’re a TWEE band for goodness’ sake) and fun. As a nice little surprise, the dude from The Mountain Goats was there in the front row. Homeboy LOVES him some Tullycraft, as he danced and sang like the rest of us. Good times.

SXSW Day 2: Unbefuckinglievable

From David:

Unbefuckinglievable was the watchword of Day 2 of SXSW 2007.

As in, it was unbefuckinglievable that there wasn’t a bigger line outside La Zona Rosa for the evening showcase. And it was unbefuckinglievable that I got to see Pete Townsend. And really the entire bill at La Zona Rosa was unbefuckinglievable. Thursday was by far the best day of the festival for Smarmy Hipster.

But first things first: Jason and I, having excellent forethought, had RSVPed months ago to the Quack! Media (publishers of Found magazine, which I actually find to be an awesome, unique concept) day show at Bourbon Rocks on 6^th. The two bands we were going to see were Okkervil River and The Walkmen. But who to our wondering eyes should appear, but Tally Hall, forcing us to drink lots of beer. Seriously, though, we sat outside when those guys went on. I’ve ragged on them enough, though. Okkervil River (***Official Favorite Austin Band of Smarmy Hipster***) started off the party with a great set. I can’t brag on these guys enough. They have excellent lyrics, a really unique sound, and just kick massive amounts of musical ass. They played some of my favorites, including Westfall, The Latest Toughs, For Real, and Red. They also played three songs from the new album they just finished recording, which were all top notch. Can’t wait for that to come out. We hung around and drank through the next couple of bands, waiting for The Walkmen to go on. But I had found out earlier that morning that the “special guest” for Rachel Fuller’s early show at La Zona Rosa was Pete Townsend, so we were a little worried that we wouldn’t be able to get in if we didn’t go snag a place in line.

Consequently, we hauled ass over to LZR, where we were among the first people in the wristband line. While the badge line (big-timing bastards!) ended up getting fairly long, we got in with no problem. Special thanks to Carina (***Official Wife of Jason and All Around Lovely Person***) for bringing us tasty food from Galaxy Café while we held her a place in line. Pete Townsend actually started off the set with a few acoustic numbers. It was fairly amazing to see him live, but I wish he would have done an acoustic version of Baba O’Riley. Had he done that, I would have had a rockgasm and been in need of a new pair of pants, but it would have been worth it. After Pete finished up, various other singer/songwriters got on stage, including Alexi Murdoch, Martha Wainwright, and Rachel Fuller (who has a gorgeous voice, and did an excellent cover of It’s a Motherfucker by Eels). The level of talent on stage at any given moment was pretty damn impressive. Pete came out and played with the different artists sporadically, and it was great to see the level of awe the other musicians had for him. The best part about it was that we weren’t even expecting to be able to get in that early and see it. We were really there for the bands playing later that night.

Elvis Perkins started off the stellar bill. I am a huge fan of his album Ash Wednesday, which came out in late February. If you don’t like the song While You Were Sleeping, I have no desire to know you. The album is pretty mellow, but he picked up the tempo and the volume of a lot of the songs for the live show. I thoroughly enjoyed his set, and I could tell he made more than a few converts in the audience.

Cold War Kids came up next, with what was probably my favorite show of SXSW 07. They have a great stage presence, with lots of energy. They played Hang Me Up To Dry, Hospital Beds, We Used To Vacation, and a ton of other great songs. They brought up Elvis Perkins and the trumpet player from Okkervil River to play with them on a few songs, as well. They ended with a raucous version of Saint John, bringing up Elvis Perkins’ entire band, the Okkervil guy, and some other random musicians to play. There were around 15 people on stage, playing everything from a clarinet, to an empty beer keg (played with a drum mallet), to a Heineken bottle that was “played” with the handle of a maraca. The performance brought the house down.

Next up was Architecture in Helsinki. This bad might as well change their name to Not For Everyone. They cause divisiveness wherever they go, including in our very own Smarmy Hipster ranks. While I am a fan of the band, Jason can’t stand them. So while he went to rest his feet a bit in the corner with a Lonestar tallboy, I enjoyed a set that was much louder and funkier than I imagined it would be. Half the crowd seemed to love it, and the other half seem to be baffled. Good stuff.

The crowd at LZR had been steadily growing the whole time, and it became obvious that they were there to see Ghostland Observatory from the ebullient roar that rose from the floor when the duo took the stage. Ghostland Observatory did what they do best — deliver thudding, ass-shake-inducing rock that’s heavy on sweet, sweet synth. They got the enormous crowd moving from the first processed beat. I would hazard a guess and say it’s the largest crowd they’ve ever played to, and nobody went away disappointed. Tired, sweaty, and with a song or two stuck in their head, yes. Disappointed, no.

However happy I am that Ghostland is so popular now, as they are two very talented dudes ad completely deserve it, I am even more astounded at the lack of support for What Made Milwaukee Famous. After Ghostland finished up, people fled the venue in droves. The mass Exodus left a paltry crowd for WMMF, one that was obviously exhausted and lacking faces to be further rocked off. The band looked tired; the audience looked on the verge of collapse. As a result, the whole show was kind of flat, but WMMF still sounded great. I really thought this was the year they’d hit it big at SXSW, what with being on Barsuk now and headlining that great bill, but maybe next year. Unbefuckinglievable.

This Blog Written While Listening To
Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint, by Austin’s own The Lovely Sparrows

SXSW Day 1: Take Out Those Lame Earplugs; You're at a Rock Show, for Christ's Sake!

From David:

What a fantastic start to SXSW 2007! We were supposed to have pics, but Carina (**The Official Wife of Jason/The Official Photographer of Smarmy Hipster**) dropped the ball and forgot the camera last night. But it's SXSW, a time for forgiveness, so I can't stay mad at her. We will definitely have the camera tonight, and I promise rocktastic snapshots of today's festivities.

Let me just say that the beards so far have been pretty good, but I'm expecting a lot more. We did see one guy at the first show sporting a fairly stupendous molestache, so that's something. I have high hopes that by the time SXSW is over, I'll have seen at least one Rollie Fingers-style mustachio. Also, did I miss the memo about Chucks being the preferred footwear of hipsters the world over this year? Nothing marks you as a unique individual like having the same shoe as every other hipster in the club. Maybe next year, we can all decide to kick it on the haberdashery tip and wear fezzes.

Anyway, on to the show reviews:

We started off the night watching Tacks, The Boy Disaster at The Tap Room. I first heard this band a couple of months ago after seeing a recommendation on a blog somewhere (maybe Austinist?). I'm a big fan of their oft-mellow, keyboard/synth-driven brand of rock. I was a little worried about how it might translate live, but they were great. A really tight set, with plenty of volume and energy. I suggest picking up their album, posthaste. Frozen Feet is a tremendous song.

Next we went to Lambert's to see Dionysus. For those of you not familiar with Lambert's (and I wasn't until yesterday), it's an upscale barbecue joint in the new 2nd Street District. Yeah, you read that correctly — it's a restaurant serving "upscale" barbecue. If you ever find yourself eating barbecue at a place that has cloth napkins, it's seriously time to re-evaluate your life. Maybe you should start by pinpointing the exact moment you became such a mega-yuppie douche. But misgivings about the venue aside, Dionysus put on a show that's going to be hard to top in terms of sheer energy. I was first introduced to them 5 years ago, when one of my roommates who spent the summer in France came back with tales (and a CD) of an insane band made up of Gallic misfits and gypsies. Their songs of Jedis and John McEnroe instantly intrigued me, as I am an unabashed nerd. But even knowing how "out there" their music is did not prepare me for the badassitude of the live show. The band is fronted by a tiny little man (he looks like Seth Green's older, more haggard brother) with giant enthusiasm. That little guy loves to rock, and it shows. He started off the set by informing us that it was the band's first time in "the Texas," and exhorting everyone to crowd in closer to the stage, saying he wanted to "fuck" us, and that we all must be much closer so that we could all "fuck." He then made a French spectacle of himself, as the band played their unique brand of hard rock that seamlessly incorporates violin, ukelele, and banjo. He capered about the stage, dancing much as I imagine Ed Grimley would, were he on a massive meth bender. He twisted and turned every which way, interacting directly with the audience as much as possible by talking directly to people and taking glasses, hats, etc. and wearing them onstage. He made a chicken noise, motioning for a guy in the audience to mimic him, and then informed the guy that he was "the best chicken in all the USA," and that he now wanted to "fuck" him. He began crowd surfing in the middle of the second song. He brought an infectious French energy (or Frenchergy) to the small venue that ran through the crowd like a case of gonorrhea through the French Foreign Legion. There are certainly better bands out there, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one that was more fun to experience. If they ever come through the Texas again, they're not to be missed.

Next up, we checked out Birdmonster at the Habana Calle 6 Annex (which is an awfully long, involved name for what turns out to be a tent across the street from the Habana on 6th). The venue left a lot to be desired, mainly because it's at the sketchy, filled-with-opportunities-to-purchase-crack edge of 6th. It attracts the bare minimum of window shoppers. Which is a shame, because I thought Birdmonster had built up a decent amount of buzz before this SXSW, and I was hoping that more people would come out to see them. I'm a big fan of their album, No Midnight. Before I talk about the Birdmonster show, though, let me tell you a little story about a band named Tally Hall (note that they get no linky — that's no accident). Jason and I hadn't really heard too much about this band, but they were on while we were waiting for Birdmonster. I regret getting there early. This 5-piece band from Ann Arbor, who came out in matching uniforms (which few bands can pull off, and certainly not some lame college rock outfit from Michigan) of white shirts and skinny ties, totally underwhelmed me. Trite lyrics and a complete lack of depth are the band's calling card. They also have this barbershop quartety-way of harmonizing that drove me nuts, and made me think they were about to break into a chorus of Goodbye My Coney Island Baby at any moment. At one point, they played a Caribbean-style song about a banana, in which — surprise, surprise — the banana was a double-entendre for the dude's wang. How droll. But enough about them. Birdmonster took the stage, giving no break or warning from the end of the warmup to the start of the first song. They rocked me ever-so-rightly. The San Francisco quartet has great, original lyrics, driving rhythm, and solid guitar work (so they're pretty much the opposite of Tally Hall — ok, last shot, I promise). More than half the songs they played were new, and they were all great, which makes me really look forward to the possibility of a new album. The best part is that they play with a fire and passion that wasn’t tempered at all by the fact that the crowd was small and slow to warm up. They're back on tour after the SX break, so check them out if you get a chance. If you're looking for a song to get you into them, I suggest Balcony.

Well, that's it for now. We took it kind of easy last night, because we're saving ourselves for the Quack! Media day party (with The Walkmen and Okkervil River, **The Official Favorite Austin Band of Smarmy Hipster**) and the completely sick lineup of shows tonight at La Zona Rosa (Elvis Perkins, Cold War Kids, Architecture in Helsinki, Ghostland Observatory, and What Made Milwaukee Famous).

This Blog Written While Listening To
Alligator, by The National (the new album comes out 5/22!)

SXSW Eve

From David:

Tonight is SXSW Eve, when Colin Meloy — that jolly old elf — sneaks down your chimney, filling your stockings with import EPs, bootleg mixes, and rare B-sides, and leaving vintage vinyl around the SXSW Rock. Please be sure to leave out a plate of breakfast tacos and a glass of absinthe for him, or all you'll get is a fucked-up Ashley Simpson CD.

What SX bands is Smarmy Hipster most excited about? Well, gather round, my ones of fans, and I'll tell you:

Apostle of Hustle
The Apples in Stereo
Aqualung
Architecture in Helsinki
Asobi Seksu
Beirut
Andrew Bird
The Bird and the Bee
Birdmonster
The Bravery
Tom Brosseau
Buffalo Tom
Catfish Haven
The Changes
Clem Snide
Cloud Cult
Cold War Kids
Colourmusic
David & The Citizens
Dionysos
dios
Dirty on Purpose
Steve Earle
The Electric Soft Parade
Evangelicals
Field Music
The Fratellis
Fujiya & Miyagi
Ghostland Observatory
Girl Talk
Gitogito Hustler
Golden Bear
Grand Buffet
Robyn Hitchcock
IV Thieves
Kings of Leon
Les Savy Fav
The Little Ones
The Lovely Sparrows
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
Walter Meego
Menomena
Midlake
The Mooney Suzuki
Moonlight Towers
The Mountain Goats
Alexi Murdoch
Okkervil River
The Pigeon Detectives
Public Enemy
Razorlight
Spoon
Stars Of Track And Field
Tacks, the Boy Disaster
Tilly and The Wall
Tokyo Police Club
Tullycraft
The Village Green
What Made Milwaukee Famous

I know that’s a huge list, but that’s just how excited we are. I left bands off, including the fairly large list of groups I want to see based solely on the awesomeness of their names, such as I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

Anyway, we will be updating the blog daily from the SXSW trenches for those of you who can't make it. For those of you who can, make sure you double bag it: nobody wants to get a case of the rock clap. It burns when you throw metal.

This Blog Written While Listening To
The new mix I recently made for my special lady. How can you get your hands on this excellent mix? You can't, but there’s your shoutout, Kim.

Concert Review: Emo's 3/3/07

From Jason:

Damn, I’m lazy. It’s been six days since the What Made Milwaukee Famous and Dr. Dog show at Emo’s, and I’m just NOW sitting down to write about it (editor’s note: I’m even lazier, and it’s been three days since Jason gave me his review). Let me preface my opinion by mentioning that Dave and I were all hopped up and surly on Sparks (**The Official Malt Energy Beverage of Smarmy Hipster**), and we had to babysit a thirty-year-old who was more than a little hammered (he got cut off by the benevolent bartender and spent the rest of the show plotting violence against said bartender).

What does this have to do with the show? Shut up. WOW – Sparks DOES make me surly.

The reason this is relevant is that I was dealing with silly drunken aggression bullshit (not my own) while The Teeth were playing. Consequently, I felt as if they were stupid and sloppy. They came across as another post punk band without all that talent baggage. I’m sorry if you dig them, but I just could not get into their style.

Moving on…

Thankfully, Dr. Dog made their way to the stage and my inebriated friend made his way to find pizza (thus leaving us to enjoy the show). Prior to this show I was a Dr. Dog virgin. NO LONGER! They popped my music cherry with face-melting indie rock in the Cold War Kids vein, only more classic rock-y. Their set was energetic and well put together, and I was made a believer. Do your self a favor and get their album!

I have a confession to make. I love the fact that Michael Kincaid from What Made Milwaukee Famous has adopted the hobo look. The reason is threefold. The first (and perhaps most important) is the fact that prior to the beard/long hair/no shower thing my wife had a HUGE crush on him. Now — not so much. Advantage me. The next is that I have an unhealthy love of beards. This stems from the fact that I am unable to grow a decent one (it comes in patchy). The third reason is, let’s face it: the hobo look is never uncool. So there you have it… I support it, Michael — FUCK SCISSORS/SHOWERS!!!!!!!!!

As for their set… This was simply the best WMMF show that I have seen in two years. They played five new songs, most of their old ones (except for Next to Him, which I did not miss, even a little), and rocked the faces off the Emo’s crowd. Their show was energetic, and seemed to flow perfectly from one song to the next. I’m not sure if this was the Barsuk influence or simply the fact that they were playing in front of a hometown crowd, but they really seemed to connect with the audience (unlike their performance at ACL Fest, where they seemed like they were sleepwalking through the set). If you are in the Midwest, there is no reason why you should miss seeing this band. They are at the top of their game.