SXSW

Hanson’s 12 hour SXSW4Japan Benefit: Album now Available!

Posted on by Kristen

So many things were going on in Austin the week of SXSW that it’s impossible to do/see/even know about it all. One thing I was tangentially aware of was Hanson’s efforts to raise money for those in Japan suffering from the tsunami fallout. Apparently the brothers put together a fundraiser in less than 24 hours that brought in over $100,000 worth of donations for the Red Cross.  The fundraiser was in the form of a telethon that took place on the last Saturday of SXSW and featured so many wonderful artists coming in and giving exclusive performances that were then streamed live.

Sxsw4japan.org is re-streaming the performances RIGHT NOW!: http://sxsw4japan.org/

Even more exciting, ITunes and Amazon.com are now selling a digital album called SXSW4Japan featuring nearly 50 tracks from the artists that participated. All proceeds are going to the Red Cross.

So, what are you waiting for? GO and get it!

http://www.amazon.com/Sxsw4japan/dp/B004UY1TSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302031272&sr=8-1

Some of my favorite artists featured include: Hanson, The Lonely Forest, Cary Brothers, The Boxer Rebellion, Laura Jansen, Alpha Rev, Jenny O, Keaton Simons, Anna Nalick, The Parlotones, Kina Grannis, Michelle Branch, and Rooney…but there are SOOOOOO many more!

Charlie Mars at the SXSW4Japan benefit:

Hanson covers “Lean on Me”

~ Kristen

Watch live streaming video from sxsw4japan at livestream.com

SXSW Day 5: The Aftermath

Posted on by Amanda

The thing you have to know about SXSW, like any other event, is that it has an official start and an official end. By the time we reached Sunday, SXSW had officially ended and it was time to pack up and go home. Which is exactly what we did. After some jumbling of arrangements, Kristen and I ended up driving back with our new friend and room mate Giulian.

We started our day getting provisions at what was the largest (and coolest) Whole Foods I have ever seen. Apparently, we were at the company headquarters! Next was a “must do” trip to Waterloo Records. Think of Amoeba but on a smaller scale with marginally cheaper prices. Kristen managed to walk out with 3 or 4 cds while I, on the other hand, walked out with necklaces. Apparently, I was all musiced out. And yes, I made up that awesome word.

Next, we had breakfast right next door at 24 Diner. Can I just say that I have never had such amazing food from a “diner”? Everything was fresh made with local produce. They even make their own sausage (even veggie) with all sorts of tasty good for you stuff. They even had frittatas. When was the last time you saw a frittata on a menu? Hmmm? Anyway, this place was magic. There is no other word for it.

Now with our stomachs full and provisions in hand, we began our trek back to LA. The drive started out easy enough. We decided that 3 hour shifts would be the best use of our time/energy for our journey. It also gave us a chance to sample some of the new music we acquired at SXSW. Next thing I knew we were playing a game of, “better or worse?” As in, is this track better or worse than the last one we listened to? It was quite entertaining and sparked a bit of chatter about the musical landscape. Needless to say, there were a few duds but there were far more gems.

After going though 3 cds and a shift change was still looming, the ipod came out. Now, if you know anything at all about Kristen, you know she has a vast music library. I mean, anyone who goes through it would be surprised to see some of these artists on the same device. But I digress…

Our new traveling partner and co-pilot, had taken command of the ipod and the next thing we knew the sounds of ABBA filled our ears and we were singing along to Waterloo (among others).

 

Perhaps the most disturbing thing was after the second shift change (my turn!). We came upon a guy from Oklahoma with a F-250 pulling a trailer, no tailgate on his truck, and his unchained cattle dog riding on the toolbox in his truck bed. This guy went speeds of 75-90 mph with his scared dog out in the open. It bothered us so much that each of us called 911 hoping to watch this guy get pulled over. Alas, we had to pull off for gas and we lost him. I’ve been hoping that he was pulled off somewhere and we just missed it.

Now it was dark and with the thoughts of the scared dog ebbing from our minds, we started the dance party yet again. Our trip continued on in a similar manner and I was very sad I was unable to video the dance party going on in the car…

We made it to New Mexico and Arizona in what seemed like no time at all. Perhaps that’s because I was the only one (trying) to get some sleep in the car. I remember dozing off in New Mexico and waking up in Arizona. Funny how that works.

We had been hearing reports from friends in LA of some major rain and wind that was back there and we found that we were not exempt from that terrible weather. While rolling though Arizona, the winds had picked up and were blowing the car around. A little while later, it started to rain. I’m not talking the “rain” everyone gets worked up about which is a basic drizzle. I’m talking about a solid downpour. I’m not going to lie, I was a little scared. But we made it through the storm just fine and somehow made our way back to California. None of us really got much sleep during the drive. I think I got the most of the three of us. Giulian would doze off then wake up with a jump. Kristen pseudo fell asleep when she was in the backseat but didn’t really sleep. We drove straight through from Austin to Los Angeles in 21 hours, where we hit another storm. I was asleep for this but apparently there was thunder and lightening in LA from the storm. Crazy weather. Even crazier for us considering we just came from a hot dry desert.

Finally, we arrived at our destination in LA, weather clear, smelly, running on fumes (us, not the car) at a glorious 7 something in the morning. And that my dear friends, was the aftermath of SXSW.

SXSW Highlight: Queen Caveat

Posted on by Kristen

One of my favorite aspects of my SXSW ’11 experience was getting to share it with some of my very favorite bands. Queen Caveat also drove out from LA to spend the week in Texas. I saw them play four times in as many days and they never failed to impress.  I watched them fight lost voices, broken bass guitars, and stages like saunas. They overcame it all with their amazing energy and general enthusiasm for their craft, garnering plenty of new fans who flocked to the stage for each performance eager to get a hold of one of the EPs the band was tossing into the crowd.

Having watched this band grow from an early stage, I couldn’t help but feel immensely proud of them and their accomplishments…and that was definitely a highlight of my own SXSW experience.

While in Austin they stopped by 5th Street Studios to record a version of “Bullet” which happens to be one of my favorite Queen Caveat tunes.

Check it out:

 

~ Kristen

p.s. if you’re in LA, Queen Caveat is playing a FREE show this Friday at Bardot (11:30). Don’t miss it!

SXSW Day 4: The Last Recap

Posted on by Amanda

Even though this brief recap is coming to you a few days late, I thought it best you still know of our adventures for our final day of the craziness known as SXSW. It was probably one of the best (and most bittersweet) days of SXSW. Here are a few things that happened to us that day…

~ Went to Rachel Ray’s party for free food including sliders, chili, and carnitas. We also watched a bit of Bob Schneider before…

~ The British Music Embassy where we had breakfast (at noon) featuring toad in a hole, pasties, and toffee cake. Our time there wouldn’t have been complete without a little dance party from Viva City.

~ The Antiquiet show where we saw The Silent Comedy’s last show at SXSW.

 

~ Not only that, they played a completely different set including a Wine, Company Town, Carnival, and a nameless new song which they’ve only played acoustically.

 

~ If that weren’t enough, they dedicated their set to Trina, Steve, Kristen, and myself. I’m not sure it got much better than that….

~ We had a mini photo shoot with The Silent Comedy. How rockstar is that?

~ Free shirts that fit a girl!

~ Back to the Antiquiet show for Sabrosa Purr and the Greenhornes

~ Getting to see Atomic Tom and The Gallery at the Smoke and Sand Showcase at Rusty Spurs.

~ Also, discovering Ivan & Alyosha at said showcase

~ Seeing Queen Caveat twice that day!

~ Me getting some rest while Kristen experienced the Hotel Cafe Showcase. If you haven’t read about it, you should.

~ Closing our night with Little Red Radio’s last show at the ATN Showcase.

~ Also, there might have been some photos taken of our wrists that showcase the number of showcases we went to. I’ve since lost count…

 

And that was how our time at SXSW ended. Stay tuned for some more posts from us about SXSW.

SXSW Day 4: A Story

Posted on by Kristen

So if you have ever been to SXSW you know that by the 4th day, you have pushed your body beyond every possible limit you thought you had. Day 4 was not quite as crazy as the previous days…a lot less running around (band choices were highly determined by proximity), not quite as much dancing (early morning Viva City and late night Little Red Radio aside), and more attention paid to things like eating and hydrating. At a certain time of the day we kind of hit a wall. There was a lull in the schedule. Resting in some way was a popular option. I, however, couldn’t bring myself to NOT be around music for any prolonged period of time.

I noticed a conveniently timed tweet from Joey Ryan saying that him and Kenneth Pattengale (AKA The Milk Carton Kids) were playing a set in about an hour at The Hotel Cafe showcase and it was open to the public. Previously I was under the assumption that these showcases were badges and wristbands only so none of them were on my schedule. But I located Saint David’s Sanctuary and made my way in.

Seeing that The Hotel Cafe feels like my home away from home in LA, I wasn’t surprised to find that the Hotel Cafe Showcase produced a similar vibe. It took place inside a church so seating was plentiful and MUCH needed at the time. The rows of pews extended quite a ways back, but each and every artist was somehow able to reach out and connect to every person in the room. Plus, the venue provided for plenty of humorous “church” references throughout the evening.

When I first walked in, two women were on the stage playing keys and cello. I was unfamiliar with them, but the peaceful and soothing sounds they were producing were exactly what I needed at the time. Turned out, the keyboardist was German artist, Agnes Obel.

After Agnes was The Milk Carton Kids. Of course I’ve seen Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale numerous times, but this was my first official Milk Carton Kids experience.  As they played several of my favorite tunes, I glanced around the church. The Audience seemed so moved and so intent on the music it was almost as if they were stunned into silence. A silence only broken by bouts of clapping or laughter brought about by Joey and Kenneth’s unique sense of humor and general stage banter.

I only intended to stay for this one set, but then I saw Brian Wright setting up and I just couldn’t leave. I’ve also seen Brian Wright many times, but this might have been my favorite of his performances. I don’t know if it was the venue, the fact that it was at SXSW, or my general mood, but his first song literally gave me the chills. By the end of the set, he had the audience standing (not a trivial accomplishment) as he led them in a chorus of “Halleluiahs” made even more poignant by the church setting. It was one of those magical moments…a song sung a particular way at a particular time with a particular audience that will never be captured in that exact way ever again. Magic!

At that point, I knew I wasn’t leaving until I absolutely had to. It continued to be a night of magical moments. Jim Bianco also took advantage of the setting to sing this song about sinning, but I feel that his bringing his band into the aisle for “Sing” was the transcendent moment of his set.  Holly Conlan sang my favorite of her tunes (“OK”) and then brought Joey Ryan unto the stage for a duet that was so beautiful it nearly brought me to tears. Then Laura Jansen took the stage and mesmerized the audience with her gorgeous voice.

After Laura, I forced myself out the door (I had other places to be). On the way out I ran into Cary Brothers and Brooke Fraser (both to perform later). It was hard to leave, but I am just so grateful for that tweet that led me to at least attend the event for a little while. Seeing a showcase of singer-songwriters amidst a sea of mostly rock bands and dance parties made me appreciate my Hotel Cafe experience even more.  These artists’ ability to captivate simply with the power of their voice and beauty of their songs is a true testament to their talent. Even though my goal of SXSW was to discover new artists, I don’t think the experience would have been complete without my little oasis of The Hotel Cafe showcase.

 

~ Kristen

 

SXSW Day 3: Recap

Posted on by Kristen

Sorry for the delay in posting…it’s been crazy. I wrote this as a recap of Friday’s events:

I’m sitting down at the end of the day thinking about all that I just accomplished in the previous 24 hours and I’m simply floored. I refuse to believe that it was this morning that I ventured into the British Music Embassay for some breakfast (egg buttys and chips) and tunes, yet I don’t recall a breakfast I’ve had since, so it must have been! Today was particularly special because it was my birthday (YAY!) and honestly I can’t think of a better way to have spent it. Here are some highlights

* the aforementioned breakfast (seriously the food here in Austin has been amazing)

* the aforementioned British bands (ie The Good Natured)

* meeting Bob Geldof on a random park bench

* Dancing for every single band on the amazing lineup at The Force launch party at Red Eye Fly (included Little Red Radio, My Cousin The Emperor, Purple Melon, The Silent Comedy, Taylor Locke & The Roughs, Viva City, Hugo, and Deluka among others…I mean seriously I have never danced that hard for that long)

* dancing on stage with The Silent Comedy

* FINALLY seeing SINAI (jaw on the ground)

* discovering another band from Philly that blew my mind (Meriwether)

* Keaton Simons (who just makes any day a much better one)

* finally getting to see Liam Finn

* again, all the really cool and interesting people met out on the street or at the venues

* fried pickles

 

Amanda’s typing up the Day 4 recap as I post this…coming soon!

 

~ Kristen

SXSW Day 2: Another brief recap

Posted on by Amanda

Once again we find ourselves with little time for a true post but we figure it’s best to keep you cool cats in the loop (even if it’s not an extensive one). Also, you can expect us to write a more detailed post at the end of all this madness…

Our day started off in search of Twin Atlantic who somehow did not end up playing the previous day when they were supposed to. But we got an even better surprise, Doll and the Kicks! Check out this rather cool set list….

 

* Also, finally being able to see Twin Atlantic was a huge highlight!

* Dancing along to Purple Melon was pretty awesome. I always forget how good they are because they don’t have any music out 🙁

* Going to the Beaver Party and seeing Jodi Foster talk about the movie and Anton Yelchin in the crowd coupled with good food made this a really memorable party. We were sad to leave but had to move on.

* Finally getting to see Mother Mother and Empires play!

* Also, Augustana, while not what was expected, was a lovely treat.

* Seeing The Silent Comedy play (yes, again).

* Also, getting to sample tons of music and see favs Queen Caveat play twice in one day was pretty cool.

* The new discovery of Tailor Made Fable was great especially since an event like this is all about finding new band loves.

* Our day ended with a bang when we saw Lenka, Fitz and the Tantrums, Neon Trees, Taylor Locke, and Fierce Creatures play. Whew, what a day 🙂