SXSW Music 2007: Thursday RecapSXSW Music 2007: Thursday Recap
Dark Meat @ Flamingo Cantinas
After a late night at the Purevolume party, Mark and I dragged ourselves out of bed just before noon to make it down to Flamingo Cantina's for Team Clermont's party with much anticipated free shoes. As we were waiting in line, a rag-tag marching band stomped by before we could get a good photo (hey I said it was a late night). When we got inside, they had already ran out of shoes but we ended up catching the entire performance of that rag-tag marching band we found out to be the Athens super-group Dark Meat. Half rock, half party (in the good way, not the Andrew WK way) this group of 15(!) members knew how to get and keep the attention of a room full of schwag-hunters with dueling drummers, violin, sax, trumpet, guitars and dancer/back-up singers. So good, we went to see them again on Saturday night. It wasn't as good as the first time (probably because it was so unexpectedly awesome) but still excellent.
Photo by Alexadan
Kaki King @ Convention Center
I have seen her before, so this was expectedly awesome. Unexpectedly after only 20 minutes of playing, a string broke and she improvised an amazing bit before leaving the stage (most musicians would've just walked off I think).
Photo by Sarah Monroe
Les Savy Fav @ CMJ Party
The last time I saw LSF was at the MoMA in NYC and was one of the craziest shows I've ever seen. I can't help but feel that it is God's ultimate desire for Tim Harrington to be a leader of a rock band. It would be a crime against humanity if he got stuck with any other profession. Back to SXSW, this show was the best yet. Antics included spitting water back and forth in fans mouths, giving birth to a pillow, and hanging, backwards, over the 2nd floor of the venue while singing upside down as I held one of his legs for dear life of killing one of my idols. There's not much more to say.
Youth Group @ Filter Party
Hard rocking fun for 6 quick songs. the last two, "Daisy Chain" and "Shadow" totally won me over. Oasis-like but more epic.
Badly Drawn Boy @ Filter Party
There's something that has started bothering me about bands. When you are such a hotshot that you don't set up your own equipment anymore. I've never been in a band, so I don't know if it's a rite of passage or something, but comon. Set up your own shit, or atleast help out. But for the whole 'not show my face till it's time to play' deal; save it for the boy bands. So yeah, BDB did this. Other than that, his songs were spot-on. He precluded "A Minor Incident" (the only song he played from About A Boy) as what would a mother would or could say to her son after she committed suicide; it gave me goosebumps.
The Section Quartet @ Filter Party
Like the String Quartet, this 4 piece played all (and awesome) cover songs.
Dodobird @ Calle 6
I LOVE this band. I also LOVE being the biggest fan in the room (it happened with Silversun Pickups @ CMJ 2005). One guy on drums and one guy playing guitar. The energy of Annuals with the folk-pop of Plus/Minus. They are recording a new album in a few months and I can't wait. If you haven't heard 2006's "Beware Of The Maniacs" you should. I didn't discover it untill 2007 (thanks Cory!) but it would've easily made my top 5 of the year. Read more about The Dodos
The Gossip @ Emo's
As the night went on, my notes got sparser (more sparse?) as I got tireder (ha). I loved this show. She has an ah-mazing voice and her cover of "What's Love Got To Do With It" gave me goosebumps.
Photo by AustinTX
Iditarod @ Emo's
Red track suits. Funk rock. Fa fa fa fa fa. Crowd jumping.
Shitdisco @ Beauty Bar Patio
Besides the ambiguity of where the hell the BB Patio was (no signs or anything) this show was great. Dancy as fuck and I even got splashed with water!
