Local Music Nation

Although Kristen is still running full steam ahead (however exhausted she might be) I’m beginning to tap out mentally and physically in a way that is not very enjoyable for me. That being said, today was another wonderful day of music even though there were some slight detours and changes along the way.

My day started a little later than I would have liked because I was up until 5 am doing a write up for High Volatage and getting up before 10am was not in the cards for me. After I finally got myself moving, I went on a quest for some breakfast but apparently a girl can’t find any breakfast at 12:30 in the afternoon. I wandered aimlessly around and down 6th St looking for something to occupy myself while I waited to meet up at 1pm for a thing. I heard this wonderful sound but could never figure out where it came from and who was playing.

SXSW: 1 Amanda: 0

Not to be deterred, I did stop for a minute to listen to a band called The Miseries, according to the signage out front of the venue. I thought I would stop for a carnitas bowl at the Wahoo’s stand which I have visited twice already. it’s been a handy thing to have but for some reason, they were not set up despite it being lunch time and the line for Chi’lantro was 10 people deep. No way was I going to make the meet up time with that happening. I blamed it on the impending rain.

SXSW: 1 Amanda: 0 Rain: 1

I decided to hang at the meeting spot and grab a caffeine fix while I waited to meet up with everyone. There was a coffee shop inside the Hilton that served Starbucks coffee. I ordered a black tea lemonade and after realizing they also had almond milk (yay!) I ordered a chai latte. However, the cashier forgot to ring up my lemonade tea and ended up giving me a pass so score for a free drink and serving almond milk!

SXSW: 1 Amanda: 2 Rain 1

We went to our event but sadly did not make it back in time to catch the very last set from one of my new loves, Walking On Cars or older favorite Dear Boy. Things were not looking good as it was already past 2pm and I had not managed to see a single band yet. It’s also worth noting that at this point, there is a really steady drizzle coming down and I have no form of rain protection on me.

SXSW: 2 Amanda: 2 Rain: 2

This is where the theme of persevering kicks in. Hang with me here. Kristen and I decide to head to the Palm Door to catch something interesting on our list and even though the venue was running late, we got to sit down and access the situation and devise a new plan of attack. The rain was a game changer in the sense that there would be no long walks and we would be hanging around 6th or at least finding a venue we could hole up in for awhile. Charlotte OC took the stage at Palm Door and completely blew me away with her vocal prowess. Such an emotive voice with an obvious passion for her music made her a joy to watch. I hope to catch her again this week if I can!

After Charlotte, I decided to head to the Empire Garage for the Baeble Day Party to check out Night Terrors of 1927. The rain had picked up by then and despite having an umbrella, I was fairly wet and unamused. After catching a few songs, I had to run back to the hotel to change into something dry and bring out the reinforcements in the form of a poncho, rain boots, and a pleather jacket and hoodie.

SXSW: 2 Amanda: 2 Rain 3

After having changed into something dry, it was time to set out again for more music. The show at Empire had a few more acts I wanted to catch so I walked back that way but not before stopping along the way to listen to Lenka who was playing at the Aussie BBQ. It was hard to not walk in but with the rain coming down and the pull of other artists, I had to more on. I made it back to Empire for the tail end of The Mowgli’s set and I caught a song of Cody Simpson’s before deciding to head over to Swan Dive for a few artists there.

I got in during the tail end of the Royal Teeth’s set (it also took some maneuvering to get my ID out of my bag which was under my poncho) but I got in just in time to finish up the dance party. I really enjoyed seeing them play and thankfully they did because their show was originally out on the patio but they moved it inside due to the weather. I’m just glad they didn’t cancel. See? Persevere!

That being said, there was a rather large lull between 6pm and 8pm in terms of music. A lot of the options were a good long walk away and that just wasn’t happening so I took the defeat and stopped for dinner and some power up time in the hotel.

SXSW: 3 Amanda: 2 Rain: 4

After the much needed chill time (thanks weather), it was time to head back out. Kristen came with me back to the Swan Dive and we watched a very entertaining guy by the name of Zeke Duhon. Not only did I love his voice, he did a really great mashup of Shake It Off and Can’t Tell Me Nothing by Taylor Swift and Kayne West, respectively. On top of that, we got a recommendation from a friend at the show that we should check out the guy out back, Luke Wade. He was another exciting find! However, they were late to get started and we had other plans in the form of an evening at church with Jay Nash and Josh Day- We Are The Contenders, James Bay, and Jack Garrat. It was a short walk with no rain so score for us!

SXSW: 3 Amanda: 3 Rain: 4

The evening was not without it’s issues for me though. After a lovely set from The Contenders (+1 Amanda) my attempts to get in to the big hall to wait it out for James Bay were thwarted by the venue changing to “badges only” (after Kristen got in) because they were so far over capacity that no wristband was going to get in and some badges wouldn’t make it in either. It was a tough blow (+1 SXSW) but I decided to head back to the smaller room and hang with Chelsea, just in case some miracle happened. I walked in during the last bit of The Bros. Landreth who would harmonize like no other. I wish I had decided to come back earlier to catch more of their set but that’s the way things happen. Next was Hamish Anderson who had a very different feel from the first time I saw him. He played some amazing tunes, great covers, and had some guitar solos that were beautiful on the ears.

It was time to try my luck again for James Bay, especially after Kristen told me half the church emptied out when the act before him finished. I walked up and they were still calling for badges only. Not to be deterred (must persevere!) they suddenly called for badges AND wristbands so I hustled butt and made my way in just before James Bay started. If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is…

SXSW: 4 Amanda: 5 Rain: 4

The feeling in the room was electric and palpable. There’s something about being in a church and seeing artists play. It was amazing. I wish I had better words to describe it but it was just an experience. After a set that was much too short, it was time to see what this Jack Garrat guy was all about. He was an interesting juxtaposition at the start because here’s a guy that looks hip hop but when he opened his mouth, it was like the voice of an angel came out. He was such an interesting mix of vocal prowess, sick beats, and obvious musical chops. I’m sad that this was the only time I got to see him play, but he’s someone I will be keeping an eye out for.

All in all, despite the rain and a few setbacks, the day was a win. As illustrated by the scores below.

SXSW: 4 Amanda: 6 Rain:4

A few options for your SXSW Saturday:

1:45pm- Taymir @ Container Bar
3pm- Colony Hose @ Blackheart Outdoor Stage
4pm- Civil Twilight @ Little Woodrow’s
6pm- K. Flay @ The Brew Exchange
10pm- Mallory Know @ Red 7 Patio
1am- Not In The Face @ Holy Mountain Backyard

In true SXSW fashion, Wednesday was chock full of maddening conflicts and as usual, everything magically worked out in the best way possible for a wonderful day.

Consequently, today is also Kristen’s birthday (Happy Birthday!) which is why I’m bringing this post to you. It was full of LMN favorites as well as some new discoveries. The day started at Holy Mountain with Walking on Cars and I immediately fell in love. No joke. They were my favorite band of the day and I’m really looking forward to seeing them play again.

After that lovely set, we caught a little bit of Until the Ribbon Brakes before jetting over to catch Dear Boy’s set at 96 Rainey as part of the Buzzbands Showcase. We stayed for the full Dear Boy set, which was very enjoyable. After making some new friends there, we had a lovely time catching up with Ben Grey, finding out the best place for BBQ and acquiring hugs before stopping down the road to catch some Hamish Anderson at Clive Bar. That beautiful bluesy guitar was hard to walk away from but the pull of the impending Fatherson show at Latitude 30 was just too strong to ignore. A small bonus for the day was the free food inside! Mac and cheese and salad for all! Score, right? Actually, the score was getting to see Fatherson after missing their set yesterday. They had such a strong and killer live energy which made them a really enjoyable band to watch. Also, a band with a smiley drummer. What’s not to love?

There was a strong pull to stick around for Mallory Knox, but we had a friend in line at Maggie Mae’s for Dead Sara and when word came that the line was short and moving reasonably well, we booked it over there and hopped in line. Totally worth it. It’s been awhile since I, Amanda, had seen Dead Sara and holy cow…. They’ve only gotten better. They played some new material as well as some old classics like “Lemon Scent.”

Next there was some bouncing around which included checking out The Black and The White at Buffalo Billiards, Matthew Mayfield at Chuggin Monkey, and Marlon Roudette back at Maggie Mae’s At this point in time, my feet are not at all happy with me so I made Maggie Mae’s my hangout spot for a few acts like Young Rising Sons and  a song or three of Halsey.

Feet somewhat rested, I wandered over across the way to catch a few songs of The Highly Suspect before making my way up to the church in the hopes of getting into the Brandi Carlile show at the church. This is when the magic happens… Things aren’t looking good for you in terms of getting in but you decide to stick it out, just in case and just like magic, you are whisked into the venue with a few other hopefuls behind you. I only stayed for a few songs of what can only be described as a magical set but I’m so very glad I went. Everything was completely stripped down and acoustic, which combined with the acoustics of a church makes for a very memorable and moving performance. I only stayed for a few songs even though I wish I could have stayed longer because I was really looking forward to Jared & The Mill at Esther’s Follies. I’m so glad I went! The venue was great because there was tons of elevated seating all over as well as a pit area for people to dance in. Taking another load off my feet, because you need to take advantage of that opportunity when you can, I settled in for a wonderful set. Unfortunately, I had some rather chatty neighbors that joined me part way though the set and thought it was a good idea to interrupt and chat with the girl who was seriously enjoying the music. Guess that means, I’ll have to see them again for an uninterrupted set. Oh darn. Not really.

The night finished off with a double whammy in the form of Plain White T’s and Irontom at Red Eyed Fly. Plain White T’s were playing outside before the Irontom set, so I caught a few songs including some old goodies (pre- “Hey Delilah”) as well as some new tunes from an upcoming record. I bounced back inside to catch some Irontom and just because I could, went back outside to catch some more Plain White T’s because I haven’t seen them in at least 5 years. Probably way more. There was some more Irontom dancing to send me on my way. All in all, a great night and the craziness is only just beginning….

Picks for Tomorrow:
1pm- James Bay @ Spotify House
2pm- Misterwives @ Des Moins Embassy
4:20pm- Night Riots @ The Blind Pig
5:40pm- Colony House @ IFC Fairgrounds
6:55pm- Cody Simpson @ W Hotel
11:30pm- Traink Turner @ Red 7 Patio

Today being the official start of music means we would normally spend our day picking up wristbands and credentials and then sampling some bands later in the day. That did not hold true for SXSW this year as today was Convergence Day, a brand thing here where people from film, interactive, and music get to co-mingle, talk, and share ideas.

The day started at a podcast mixer full of the best kinds of nerds. We met someone who works for a company with a watch-like device where it records audio on a continual one minute loop and if you tap it, it will save the audio. I guess for parents who want to save precious moments it’s a cool thing but I can only imagine people saving some of the dumb things that come out of my mouth. That’s what Twitter is for, right? Anyway, after chatting with some interesting people at the mixer, we wandered over to pick up our Hype Hotel wristbands and the sky decided that it was going to not really rain or mist but it was going to just spit on us. Interesting. After picking up the wristband, we wandered over to Spotify House and picked up some snacks while we waited for the first act, Vérité, to start playing. Next up, we had BØRNS rocking the stage.

After catching a few songs from BØRNS, we ambled over to Cheer Up Charlies to catch a few songs of LMN favorite Dear Boy at their first set of SXSW. Despite having just arrived in Austin, they played an awesome set. Although we didn’t stay for the entirety of it, some dancing happened. And it was good.

From Cheer Up Charlies, it’s was a mad dash down to the Rainey Street area to the StubHub/Culture Collide event at Clive Bar. We made it inside 3 songs in to the Irontom set and danced the rest of the set away. We even got to hear a new song from them called, “My Body.” Pretty rad.

Hellos, hugs, and love ensued followed by schedule chats, events to see and the like. After that, it was time to check out a panel on music and the brain, “Music As Personalized Medicine.” It was a very intriguing discussion of how music is medicine for each of us in a unique and individual way and the steps being taken to study just how that works in the brain. Something that I personally loved that was said during the panel was that music can cross bridges and do different things for different people. So true.

Pre-dinner was grabbed from my personal favorite food truck, Chi’lantro, which consisted of pork bulgogi kimchi fries. Best. Thing. Ever. It was just as amazing and I remembered it. And yes, I had to share a photo of it.

Next up was Red Eyed Fly for a taste of Holy Esque before jumping down to Yahoo’s Brazos Hall for James Hersey. That was by far the best venue of the day. Large space, power outlets for charging, free ice cold canned water (weird, right?!), and ample space to sit on the floor. We also really enjoyed the set from Buffalo Sunn there as well. Can’t wait to catch another set from them this week!

The evening was rounded out with Catfish and The Bottlemen at Latitude 30 for an all around stellar day.

It only gets crazier from here and there are so many amazing bands to see tomorrow! Some of our top picks for the day are…

12:30pm and 1pm- Walking on Cars and Until the Ribbon Breaks @ Holy Mountain
2pm- James Bay @Radio Day Stage ACC
3:50pm and 4:40pm- Fatherson and Mallory Knox @ Latitude 30
7pm and 8pm- Jamestown Revival and Misterwives @ Republic SX Compound
9:45pm- Dead Sara @ The Des Moines Embassy
10pm- Highly Suspect @ The Trophy Club
12am- Jared & The Mill @ Esther Follies