Austin Living Guide

culture

SXSW Coverage II

by Max Appling
May 20, 2008 | 0 Comments

Thursday, March 13

Whew!  What a Day 1 that was.  Could Day 2 even come CLOSE to topping that?  Well, by Noon on Thursday, it was clear that it was going to give it its best shot.  Another perk of working with KGSR are the special performances that take place when musicians go out of their way to come perform at the studio for us, and with SXSW in town, there was no shortage of that.  On Thursday , after a nice lunch provided by perhaps the best BBQ joint in Central Texas, the Salt Lick, London band Carbon/Silicon graced KGSR’s airwaves with its presence.  For those of you not familiar with this band, it is made up of two of the members of the revolutionary London group, The Clash…THE CLASH!!  Folks, this is Rock and Roll at its finest…no rules, no respect, no boundaries.  This was a performance that really can’t do words (at least any appropriate ones) justice.  They absolutely blew the roof off of the studios, and couldn’t have cared less about doing so.  OK, so my work day was officially done.  It was almost time to make my way down to SXSW, and the first big performance of the night, which was an all-star tribute to a fallen soldier who had returned from Iraq without the use of his legs.  We joined the mass that had gathered outside another of Austin’s finest BBQ restaurants, Stubb’s (which also happens to include a 2100 person outdoor amphitheater that hosts some of the finest acts around), and traded off holding our spots in line with quick trips across Red River to Jaime’s Mexican Restaurant for frozen ‘ritas and Dos Equis.  After a quick wait, we were ushered inside and were treated to a performance that included the likes of Brett Dennen, Mason Jennings, the RX Bandits, Billy Bragg, Ben Harper, and Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine fame), among others.  The evening culminated in a “This Land is Your Land” sing-along led by Morello, which had the crowd literally jumping for joy.  From there we headed right across the street to Club De Ville, which was transformed (as are most Austin bars during SXSW) from a nice place to go grab a drink after a night at Stubb’s into a full-blown performance venue.  A man named Eli Reed that goes by the name of “Paperboy” put on a show reminiscent of a young James Brown with the natural Limestone wall that encloses the Club De Ville patio as a backdrop.  Only in Austin.  Speaking of “Only in Austin,” the next show of the night was located at the entertainment “Mecca” known as St. David’s Church, located at 7th and San Jacinto.  Before I forget, a quick way to learn your way around Austin is to become familiar with the major rivers that run through Texas (See the Rio Grande, Brazos, Red, Colorado, etc.), as those make up the streets that run North/South through town, and then learn to count up from One, as that is how the East/West streets are numbered when heading North from LadyBird (I know she was a great lady, but I still like “Town”) Lake.  So, when you find yourself at the intersection of 7th and “San Jac,” St. David’s is the beautiful Church at the top of the hill that for every other week except for that of SXSW, actually functions as, well, a Church.  I guess it was appropriate, then, that on this night, Bela Fleck was performing there with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet.  Bela is generally considered to be one of the most accomplished musicians ON THE PLANET, and for anyone that has seen him perform, particularly with his own quartet, the Flecktones, you know why.  And while Washburn’s own Quartet left something to be desired, there is no doubt that Bela was preaching to all of us on this night.  From the divine confines of St. David’s, I made my way back to the debauchery of the Red River District, where on any given night you have no idea who, or what, you will see.  And this night was no different.  A Canadian band by the name of Black Mountain was closing the evening’s festivities on the patio at the Mohawk, a club with so much promise, but, unfortunately, so many different owners and names that it has yet to establish a consistent identity.  This was some pretty “Out there” stuff, but, with this being SXSW, I took it for what it was and had a great time.  End of seminar…at least for Thursday.

Friday, March 14

Well, it had been a great couple of days, I thought.  I had seen TONS of music, been to a bunch of great venues; I guess I could have just been happy with that and started the long perilous road back to reality.  Then I realized…IT WAS ONLY FRIDAY!!  So, after a nice lunch again provided by the Salt Lick and the soothing Americana sounds of the BoDeans, I officially called it a week at the office and went back to my apartment to prepare myself for the arrival of one of my college buddies, who was driving in for the rest of the weekend from his home in Norman, Oklahoma.  Before I go any further, let me just reiterate that I am by no means from Norman (Although, if you’ve ever really been there and been shown around by a true local, it’s not as bad as all of you Longhorn fans make it out to be) and I did not attend OU (I am a proud alum of Colorado State University).  Anyway, I had told my friend Reid that this was one of those “Special” weekends in Austin, and he just had to come down and see what it was all about.  Unfortunately, he and his girlfriend didn’t have access to any wristbands of badges, so we had to focus on finding a couple of venues that we could just hang out at for a while (Even without a wristband or badge, you can still just buy a ticket for a venue and hang out if there are a couple of bands playing in a row that you want to catch).  With everything that was going on in Austin that week, I didn’t think that was going to be a problem.  Reid and Meredith made it into town just before dark, and we quickly headed down to an Austin staple, the Mean-Eyed Cat on West 5th, to get our fix of Johnny Cash heritage and local flavor.  The guys from Austin Homegrown (You SERIOUSLY need to go see these guys) were playing to a packed house, and we soaked in all the good vibes we could before we headed down to Opal Divine’s Freehouse on West 6th for the main course.  Despite the INCREDIBLY bad service, Opal’s on 6th is still a great place to go (especially if you aren’t in a hurry) to grab some quality food, chill in a relaxed patio environment, and, most importantly, for a WIDE selection of beers and bourbons.  In addition, during SXSW, Opal’s usually books some great “Jam” acts (See last year’s lineup of Les Claypool, MOFRO, and Jason Isbell of the Drive-By-Truckers), and this year was no different.  On this Friday night, Opal’s had set up a stage and tent in the main parking lot adjacent to the restaurant and was hosting a “Memphis Music Revue,” with the main attraction being the North Mississippi All-Stars.  Led by brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson, the All-Stars have long been mainstays of the Jam circuit, earning “Widespread” critical acclaim all over the globe.  Their raucous blend of barroom Southern Rock was in full force on this night, and they left us screaming for more by the time their set ended just after 2 a.m. on Saturday.  This was followed shortly by $20 (I think) cab ride home just up North Lamar and Friday night was officially in the books.

Last update tomorrow!

Discussion

No Comments At This Time

Leave A Comment

* Fields marked are required. * Username: I don't have a username. * Password: I've forgotten my password.Comment Title: * Comment Body: