--Confucius
SXSW is here, and one of the highlights of the week is the massive amount of day parties featuring two of our favorite things: free music and free booze. Here are a few of the parties you might find us at this week.
What: The A.V. Canvas Saddle Crafts Club
When: Thursday, from noon-ish to 6-ish
Where: Emo’s
Who: Outdoor stage: The Most Serene Republic (12:20pm), The Constantines (1:20pm), The Shout Out Louds (2:20pm), Tokyo Police Club (4:20pm), The Stills (3:20pm), Tapes N Tapes (5:20pm)
Indoor stage: Ladyfinger (12:05pm), Son Ambulance (1pm), Ra Ra Riot (1:55pm), Neva Denova (2:40pm), A Bunch of Comedians (3:20pm), Los Campesinos! (4:10pm), Georgie James (5:10pm)
How Awesome: This is going to be a badass party with a lot of good bands. In fact, I’m a fan of every band that plays on the outside stage.
What: Waterloo Records Presents
When: Thursday, from 2 to 7
Where: See What
Who: Sara Bareilles (2pm), The Ruby Suns (3pm), Ingrid Michaelson (4pm), Cadence Weapon (5pm), Die! Die! Die! (6pm)
How Awesome: Well, Waterloo is awesome, free music is awesome, and free beer is awesome. So I’d say this one’s going to be pretty damn awesome.
What: Urban Outfitters Party
When: From noon to 6
Where: See What
Who: Bowerbirds (noon), Emmy the Great (1pm), Lightspeed Champion (2pm), Ola Podrida (4pm), Evangelicals (5pm)
How Awesome: Yes, Urban Outfitters is lame and corporate while trying to maintain an image of being cool and indie. Yes, the owner of the franchise is some sort of massive Republican tool. But the music is good. I particularly like the Evangelicals, and I’ve been wanting to check out Lightspeed Champion.
What: The Bay Area Takeover
When: Thursday, from noon to 6
Where: Beauty Bar
Who: Outdoor stage: Aim Low Kid (noon), D.W. Holiday (12:45pm), Birds and Batteries (1:30pm), Scrabbel (2:15pm), Loquat (3:30pm), Film School (4:15pm), Scissors for Lefty (5pm)
Indoor stage: Form and Fate (12:15pm), Social Studies (1pm), The Union Trade (1:45pm), Music for Animals (2:30pm), 60 Watt Kid (3:15pm), The Black (4pm), Von Iva (4:45pm), Two Gallants (5:30pm)
How Awesome: I like a lot of Bay Area bands — especially Two Gallants, Scissors For Lefty, and Film School — so I know this one’s going to rock.
What: Schubas' 12th Annual SXSW Round-Up
When: Thursday, from noon to 7
Where: Yard Dog Gallery (15th and Congress)
Who: Okkervil River, The Cool Kids, Peter Moren, Blitzen Trapper, The Spinto Band, The Builders & the Butchers, Black Joe Lewis, Ben Jelen, Aleks & the Drummer, DJ sets by The Hood Internet and Ohmega Watts
How Awesome: Well, it’s got Okkervil River, so you know it’s good. This is an all ages show, so probably no booze, but you can curse up a storm in front of little kids (apparently this is a bit I have). They have to learn some time.
What: Hot Freaks III (presented by An Aquarium Drunkard, Daytrotter, Gorilla Vs Bear, Largehearted Boy, My Old Kentucky Blog and You Ain't No Picasso)
When: Friday, from noon to 6
Where: Mohawk and Club Deville
Who: Mohawk outside: Nicole Atkins & The Sea (noon), The Dodos (1pm), Cadence Weapon (2pm), White Denim (3pm), Blitzen Trapper (4pm), British Sea Power (5pm)
Mohawk inside: Blair (12:30pm), Ola Podrida (1:30pm), Cameron McGill (2:30pm), Bowerbirds (3:30pm), Jason Collett (4:30pm)
Club Deville: Evangelicals (12:30pm), Blood on the Wall (1:30pm), Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears (2:30pm), Peter Moren (3:30pm), Jens Lekman (4:30pm)
How Awesome: This party is presented by a shitpile of great music blogs, and, thusly, features a shitpile of great bands. Also, I love both these clubs.
What: The Dell Lounge, presented by Paste and Stereogum
When: Friday, from noon to 6
Where: Volume Night Club (on 6th)
Who: Lightspeed Champion (noon), The Weakerthans (1pm), Kaki King (2pm), Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (3pm), Liam Finn (4pm), The Whigs (5pm)
How Awesome: Excellently awesome, because I like all these bands. What the fuck is Volume Night Club? I have no idea, because the bars come and go weekly on 6th. Note the early time for The Weakerthans, who rock hardly but sweetly.
What: Pitchfork/Windish Agency Party
When: Friday, from noon to 6:30
Where: Emo’s
Who: Outdoor stage: Lykke Li (12:30pm), Jay Reatard (1:30pm), Bon Iver (2:30pm), Fleet Foxes (3:30pm), Yeasayer (4:30pm), No Age (5:30pm)
Indoor stage: High Places (12pm), White Williams (1pm), Fuck Buttons (2pm), Atlas Sound (3pm), Times New Viking (4pm), A Place to Bury Strangers (5pm)
How Awesome: I'm excited to see Fleet Foxes. I’m also excited that a band is named Fuck Buttons. Incidentally, I believe that makes four bands at SXSW this year with “fuck” in their names.
What: Catfish Haven's Bro Down Hoedown
When: Friday, from noon to 5:30
Where: Molotov Lounge (W. 6th)
Who: Lucero, Catfish Haven, Blueblood, Citay, Port O'brien, Drug Rug, Wax Fang, Black Diamond Heavies, Tom Schraeder, Tall Dark Stranger
How Awesome: I don’t know most of these bands, but I like Catfish Haven and Lucero. I also like the idea of a Bro Down Hoedown, although I couldn't tell you exactly what that entails. I also ALSO like that Catfish Haven and Blueblood are going to be making quesadillas for everybody.
What: Music by the Slice 2008
When: Friday, noon to 7
Where: Homeslice Pizza
Who: Pattern is Movement (noon), Plants and Animals (12:45pm), Hollerado (1:30pm), AA Bondy (2:15pm), Tacks, the Boy Disaster (3pm), Via Audio (3:45pm), The Ruby Suns (4:30pm), Tally Hall (5:15pm), Dead Confederate (6pm)
How Awesome: There is a lot of good about this show, but also a little bad. The good: I like AA Bondy, really like Tacks, the Boy Disaster, and have been wanting to hear The Ruby Suns and Dead Confederate. And Homeslice makes a mean pizza pie. The bad: Tally Hall is playing. Fuck them.
What: Scene Magazine Party
When: Friday, noon to 5
Where: La Zona Rosa
Who: And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Black Keys, Health, The Cribs, Soundtrack of our Lives
How Awesome: Wow, this is kind of a random party to have such sweet bands. I mean, Scene Magazine? I hope Trail of Dead manages to take out a few scenesters when they break the shit out of their instruments at the end of the show.
What: Spin Magazine Party
When: 12:30 to 6
Where: Stubb’s
Who: X, The Whigs, The Scarlet, Vampire Weekend, Switches, The Raveonettes, Ben Jelen
How Awesome: I love this party. I love the free booze. I love all the extreme out-of-town hipsters. I love hanging out with B team celebrities. I love Vampire Weekend. But, most of all, I love big-timing people by getting into an invite-only party. So we are yet again relying on the smart, talented, and all-around good-lookin’ Hannah to score us passes. If she comes through, I’ll be easy to pick out, because I’ll have the same expression on my face that I do when a woman lets me sleep with her: that joyful, dumbfounded look that proclaims to the world, “I’m just happy to be here.”
What: Mess with Texas 2
When: Saturday, Noon to 10
Where: Waterloo Park
Who: Stage 1: Mellowdrone (12:45pm), Aloha (1:15pm), Shearwater (1:45pm), White Denim (2:25pm), Grand Ol Party (3:35pm), Darker My Love (4:10pm), Two Gallants (4:45pm), Atlas Sound (5:25pm), Neon Neon (6:10pm), Black Mountain (6:50pm), Islands (7:45pm), The Breeders (8:40pm)
Stage 2: The Selmanaries (1pm), Moonrats (1:30pm), Annihilation Time (2:05pm), Wooden Shjips (2:40pm), Howlin Rain (3:20pm), The Night Marchers (3:55pm), Pissed Jeans (4:40pm), Jay Reatard (5:15pm), Fucked Up + special guest (5:50pm), Municipal Waste (6:45pm), Dead to Me (7:25pm), Lucero (8:05pm), NOFX (8:50pm)
Stage 3: The Coathangers (12:15pm), Monotonix (1pm), Panther (1:30pm), Matt Braunger (2pm), Todd Barry (2:10pm), Earles & Jensen (2:25pm), Jonah Ray (2:35pm), Janeane Garofalo (2:45pm), Kimya Dawson (3pm), The Fun Bunch (3:30pm), Reggie Watts (3:45pm), Jon Benjamin & Jon Glaser (3:55pm), Eugene Mirman (4:05pm), Hard N Phirm (4:20pm), Paul F Tompkins (4:35pm), Leo Allen (4:50pm), Human Giant (5pm), Brian Posehn (5:15pm), Gil Mantera's Party Dream (5:40pm), Yeasayer (6:25pm), No Age (7:10pm), Matt & Kim (7:55pm), Simian Mobile Disco (8:45pm)
How Awesome: This is a fairly epic free vent they have going down in Waterloo Park. Most of the really good bands (The Breeders!!! Islands!!) don’t play until late, so we probably won’t see them. But there are plenty of good bands early, too. And you can see some good comics; including Brian Posehn and the comedy troupe Human Giant (they are ridiculously funny, as shown here).
What: Hot Freaks III (presented by An Aquarium Drunkard, Daytrotter, Gorilla Vs Bear, Largehearted Boy, My Old Kentucky Blog and You Ain't No Picasso)
When: Saturday, noon to 6
Where: Mohawk and Club Deville
Who: Mohawk outside: Bad Veins (noon), The Whigs (1pm), Film School (2pm), A Place to Bury Strangers (3pm), Peelander-Z (4pm), Islands (5pm)
Mohawk inside: Frankel (12:30pm), Le Switch (1:30pm), The Acorn (2:30pm), David Bazan (3:30pm), White Hinterland (4:30pm)
Club Deville: Lyrics Born (12:30pm), The Jealous Girlfriends (1:30pm), Bodies of Water (2:30pm), List Christee (Kevin Barnes DJ set, 3pm), White Rabbits (3:30pm), Lykke Li (4:30pm)
How awesome: Again with the sweet blogs and sweet bands. I like me some White Rabbits.
What: The Dell Lounge, presented by Paste and Stereogum
When: Saturday, from noon to 6
Where: Volume Night Club (on 6th)
Who: Fuck Buttons (noon), High Places (1pm), Blitzen Trapper (2pm), No Age (3pm), HEALTH (4pm), Kevin Barnes DJ set (5pm)
How Awesome: I think Kevin Barnes is DJing every day show. I know that violates the laws of physics, but take it up with him.
What: SxSeattle
When: Saturday, from noon to 5:30
Where: Palm Door (4th and Sabine)
Who: Throw Me the Statue (noon), Sirens and Sailors (12:45pm), The Cops (1:30pm), Holy Ghost Revival (2:15pm), Feral Children (3pm), The Shackletons (3:45pm), Fleet Foxes (4:30pm)
How Awesome: If there's anything that Pearl Jam and KEXP have taught us, it's that Seattle is awesome. Is it as awesome as Portland? Probably not, on account of the lack of Bigfoot and The Decemberists. But this show is still worth checking out, even sans yeti.
What: The Current Live at SXSW
When: Saturday, from 11am to 6:30
Where: The Free Yr Radio Broadcast Corner at 7th and Red River
Who: Lightspeed Champion (11am), Wye Oak (11:45am), The Heavy (1pm), Tokyo Police Club (2:15pm), Nicole Atkins (3:30pm), John Doe (4:15pm), Blitzen Trapper (5:30pm)
How Awesome: A lot of good bands here. Plus, it's being broadcast live on Free Yr Radio, so your voice can be hella famous on the interwebs.
What: Music by the Slice 2008
When: Saturday, from noon to 7:30
Where: Homeslice Pizza
Who: Laura Gibson (noon), Ola Podrida (12:45pm), Le Loup (1:30pm), The Morning Benders (2:15pm), The Watson Twins (3pm), The Spinto Band (3:45pm), Castledoor (4:30pm), The Submarines (5:15pm), Earlimart (6pm), Joseph Arthur (6:45pm)
How Awesome: The music is even more delicious than the pizza, but I'm only going if Jenny Lewis is going to play with The Watson Twins. It's partially because I really like Rilo Kiley, but mostly because she's really hot.
What: Blackland Records presents
When: 1 to 6
Where: Red Fez
Who: Pleasant Grove (1pm), The A-Sides (2pm), Joseph Arthur (3pm), Hymns (4pm), The Soundtrack Of Our Lives (5pm)
How Awesome: Sure, Red Fez is shitty. But The Soundtrack Of Our Lives puts on an amazing live show. I hope the lead singer still rocks the Druid robes.
