Hopefully by now you have seen our Austin Pets Alive! event posted up on our Twitter and Facebook, but if you for some reason do not do the social media thing, we’re here to tell you that we’re hosting a benefit on Saturday, May 12 at Swan Dive. Our killer lineup includes the soothing psych-rock of Kinky Machine, our pop-rock buddies in Little Radar, the howling, growling goodness of the White White Lights, and our newfound stripped-rock loves, the Couch.

Plus, while you’re rocking out for a good cause, if you’re one of the first 100 people in the door you’ll be drinking a complimentary beverage courtesy of Tito’s Vodka! My boyfriend Zack and I adopted our beloved Scooby (below) from APA! so we hope you’ll come out and play with us. After all, it’s Austin Writes Music presenting Austin bands for Austin Pets Alive! on Austin Day (5/12) — let’s keep it weird.

]]> http://www.austinwritesmusic.com/2012/05/dive-austin-dive-a-benefit-for-austin-pets-alive/feed/ 0 http://www.austinwritesmusic.com/2012/04/little-radar-release-the-rock-at-the-mohawk/ http://www.austinwritesmusic.com/2012/04/little-radar-release-the-rock-at-the-mohawk/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 01:35:24 +0000 Caitlin http://www.austinwritesmusic.com/?p=931

Little Radar released their debut album, Up In Arms, last night at the Mohawk, and it’s about time — the band has been a local favorite for many, performing their upbeat, raucous pop-rock tunes seemingly non-stop around town. Up In Arms captures this energy perfectly, and barrels through a crisp six-song set giving you a taste of how great a Little Radar live show is.

“Cup O’Tea” is one of my favorite tracks on the record. It starts out slow and almost sea-faring, with waves of guitars playing on one another and wistfully sung lyrics by Sean Hale. Then, a little over halfway through, everything kicks into spunky high-gear, encouraging the kind of head-banging and hip-shaking the Empire Records staff were involved in.

Hale’s voice is particularly stellar on “Nature of the Beast,” which has an almost jazz-like rhythmic breakdown in it after each verse. It’s a high-powered ending that bookends Up In Arms‘ rocking opener, “Spitfire,” very well.

It builds on a beautiful Band of Horses-like EP the band had already put out (seriously, if you haven’t listened to the band’s Kill a Buffalo, do it now. I recommend “Wake Up” as your starter,) and solidifies Little Radar as an up-and-coming Austin band to watch.

The quartet were on point at their record release, proving why they are always worth a trip out to a local venue to see them perform live. Their live show puts even more muscle and bite behind their sound, and watching these four talented musicians do their thing is just a treat.

They also brought an incredibly talented group of bands along with them to celebrate. The Baker Family started the night off roaring out of the gate — it was somewhat reminiscent of Cursive’s emotional rock, but with its own flavor. The band is full of incredible instrumentalists; bassist Nathan Ribner is one of the best I’ve seen, wailing and flying up and down his instrument and acting as as much of a driving percussion force as drummer Darryl Schomberg II, who himself appears to disappear as his arms fly around his kit. “Mr. and Mrs. Baker” are the personality of the band, as Stu Baker bellows from his guts and Liz dances, sings, plays and is inviting and sweet, even in a Panda bear mask. They bowled me over and I immediately purchased their $5 cassette tape (with digital download inside!)

The Couch were up next, and kept dropping references (both verbally and musically) to the White Stripes and Jack White. Mostly, they were just a totally solid rock group with amazing energy and raw power behind their songs. In the same pure-rock vein as fellow Austinites Not in the Face! they add some attitude to our music scene, and they adore their friends in Little Radar. You can’t ask for much more than that.

The musicianship on display at Little Radar’s release show speaks to the quality they aspire to. Plug in and stay tuned to Little Radar.

There is something magically empowering about a woman who can shred on guitar. After all these years, the instrument is still dominantly wielded by men, so when artists like Feist step in to rock, it’s like a quick, cool breeze on a warm, sticky Texas night.

Leslie Feist was a bit preoccupied by our hot spring weather, making quips about how much she was sweating, but luckily her backup singers (Mountain Men) were ready with a blanket to fan her. If it wasn’t hot enough, Feist made it scorching with emotional pop-rock punches. Her set was all over the map, featuring beautifully executed songs from her latest album, Metals, and imaginatively reinvented older hits, like a stripped-down, tribal “Mushaboom.”

As any incredible bandleader would, Feist involves the crowd in her shows. Her performances are as much her fans’ as her own, as she commands sing-alongs, arm waving and clapping — sometimes all 3. During “Comfort Me,” there was a moment where she almost got the crowd to gently wave their arms from left to right, but participation was spotty at best. However, she was able to get attendees to “eeh” and “nah” along, so near the end of the song, she called, “Am I asking too much to do the arm thing, too?” That brought the laughter and eased the self-consciousness, and all arms were raised in the air to wave to the tune.

I tried to keep eyes on all band members during the performance, but it is nearly impossible to take your eyes off of Feist. For her stage setup, she had projectors spitting her and her bandmates’ images on a screen behind her and upside-down on the canopy above her in a trippy, ’70s-retro style reminiscent of things I’ve seen the band Chairlift do. When she’d rock back and forth, toward and away from the camera, with her long brown hair falling in front of her face, she looked like the most badass rock guitarist you could imagine from that era. Her gender was almost obscured and she transformed into a Deity of Rock, just there to rip it up.

You remember that Feist is a rocking woman, however, when she eggs on the ladies in lady-power sing-alongs. Her smile was probably not bigger than it was during “The Circle Married the Line,” and female voices raised up like Disney-cartoon singing birds for the line, “First light was, last light was alright when the circle married the line.”

She seemed empowered by that sing-along, and after the song ended, she declared, “Austin, you have sealed your fate! Because…you just sang along.” She then instructed us in groups to sing different notes for a harmony of “Ah”s. To break up the group, she said, “Can all the people who came here to meet someone sing ‘ah.’” Then, ‘Can all the people who came here with someone very specific and special sing, ‘ah.’” Finally, “I don’t know what other group there is…can people who came here to break someone up to be with that someone sing ‘ah!’ That’s a terrible thing to admit, you should be ashamed. Unless you’re singing ‘ah’ really loudly TO that person, like in their face!’” She ended the harmony by saying, “Are there any Canadians here tonight? I always like to ask that to show how fun Canadians are!” With everyone set, she broke into “So Sorry.”

“Undiscovered First” was one of the most striking songs, with a huge build, dramatic climax and intense flashes of white light from the stage to emphasize beats at the end of the song. It’s one of the coolest things about Feist live shows:  they enhance her recorded music, as her voice is allowed to unleash in a bigger space.

The biggest reaction of the night came with the one-two punch of “My Moon My Man” into “I Feel It All.” The latter elicited the biggest dance party, with shimmying, shaking and smiles all over the place.

The only hitch in the entire evening had nothing to do with Feist, and everything to do with the crowd. There were a lot of talkers, and apparently a fight broke out, as Feist edited the words of “Secret Heart” during her encore to reflect. (“Some violence goin’ on/Wish Austin would let me in on this secret…”) A fight? At a Feist concert? It was a diverse, hodgepodge crowd, but it’s awfully sad to have things devolve that way.

No matter the crowd, nobody could really take away from Feist’s performance. She was totally on, balancing big rockers with gentler, almost-folk songs. She was in charge, and we couldn’t have asked for a better leader.

I first fell in love with Deer Tick after hearing their kinder, folkier tunes, like “Ashamed,” “Diamond Rings 2007,” and even harder ones like “These Old Shoes” and “Christ Jesus.” They’ve, for the most part, abandoned these ballads in favor of something grittier, spit-ier and altogether rougher around the edges on their latest release, Divine Providence. So it makes sense they’d be touring with a rough-and-tumble gang like Turbo Fruits, who sound like they stepped directly out of someone’s garage and onto the stage (a good thing).

Each time I’ve seen John McCauley III and co. live, there have been antics. I’ve seen him play with Middle Brother and stage dive near his grandmother, I’ve seen him shoot a snot rocket into the unfortunate front row, and I’ve seen (photos of) him donning a dress and rocking a mustache. He’s also proposed to a Darlin’ (Nikki, of Those Darlin’s) which has, through thick, thin, grime and gunk, endeared me to him and Deer Tick for life.

If you want to see what might go down in Antone’s this sacred Sunday, leave a comment on this thread with your name and e-mail address. One lucky reader will win a pair of tickets to the show. I’ll announce the winner on Friday – best of luck!

I felt somewhat guilty about attending Arcade Fire’s talk about Haiti. I had always felt happy that a group of artists I admired so much were so passionate about what seemed to be a worthy cause, but I’d never really researched into Partners in Health, or read about why Haiti needed so much assistance, or tried to understand on a deeper level what Win Butler, Regine Chassagne and their cohorts were up to. It was merely a feel-good fuzzy moment at each concert, and kinda ended there for me.

So when I found out that my amazing friend Lisa had managed to score tickets to a lecture on Haiti by the band, I knew I wasn’t going because I was jazzed to hear about this little country. I was going because I am so in love with the music of the group, and how Win and Regine come across as people in interviews, that I wanted to do anything I could to learn more about them and get closer to them. It made me feel embarrassed, almost — knowing that these people I admired so much were hoping to talk about something they cared about, and I’d just have to nod along, not really savvy on the issues.

Luckily for me, Win, Regine, Will and Marika knew what they were up against, and they were OK with it. During their lecture, Win explained, “I don’t know if you’re here because you’re interested in Haiti and want to learn more, or because you’re a fan of the band, but either way that makes us connected and that makes us grateful, and we’re glad you’re here.”

Lisa and I walked into the LBJ auditorium, and were able to sit about 10 rows back on the right of the venue, surprised at how close we were able to get. I was lucky to be in the room at all:  it was really meant for current students and staff at UT, not alumni, but because I did not realize that, the president of the Student Events Center honored my alum status and let me go this once. The volunteers working the event were nothing but courteous, and the president later took the stage to introduce the band, shaking just a bit (and who wouldn’t? For fans, Arcade Fire can take on that god-like status enjoyed by artists seemingly on another level from the rest of us). After the band were introduced, the whole event kicked off with a video of the band hanging out in the country of Haiti, and a clip of Win announcing their support of Partners in Health at a concert.

There were four red cushy chairs set up on the right side of the stage, with large plants on either end, so I envisioned 3 band members, and then a moderator to join them. So when Win, Regine, Will Butler and Marika Anthony-Shaw all came onstage, I was surprised. Each one of them had a mic stand by their seat, so it looked like this would be a self-directed exercise. Of course the audience exploded in applause when the band appeared, and they waved to us, holding little scripts of how things were supposed to run — a lecture, then a Q&A period, with “a standing ovation” in between, Win laughed as he read it off of the page.

It was comical to see Win crouching down in this too-low, too-small red sofa chair, but all things considered, he looked comfortable being on the edge of his seat, explaining to us all excitedly what he’d wanted to say so badly at each and every concert prior to this lecture. “This is the first time we’ve ever done a lecture like this, and really we could talk about Haiti forever,” he said.

Win started out giving us some background on Haiti. He explained that it was the poorest country in its hemisphere, and that a book entitled Mountains Beyond Mountains was really what helped him begin to think about and understand both the trials of Haiti, and Partners in Health as an organization. Of course, the lightbulb went on for me when I heard the name “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” which is a song off of the band’s album, The Suburbs. It all came full-circle. But to really understand, “Why Haiti?” Win passed the microphone off to Regine.

When I was studying abroad in Germany, the single most frustrating part was feeling like I wanted to have high-brow, intelligent conversations with the vastly interesting people I was meeting, but being burdened by the limitations of not speaking my first language. I was limited to the vocabulary of a kindergartner (at best), and people would give up on me fairly quickly. Thus, I knew exactly the frustration that Regine had when she was trying to explain her path to passion about Haiti, and being limited by a strong, but somewhat simple English vocabulary. I have always found Regine to be a precious, sweet-hearted person, but this endeared her to me more and allowed me to feel connected to her.

Photo by Trent Lesikar

Regine explained that growing up, she always felt that there was music and art in her, but that her family wanted her to do something “useful” with her life and college education, so she did not study music in college — she studied communication. She said that her family had moved from Haiti to Canada before she was born, so her parents had roots in Haiti, and that as a child, they instilled in her a feeling of, “Eat all of the food on your plate — you could have it much, much worse.” She said she carried this with her, and never forgot Haiti. She said that when she finally did end up magically in music, in a band, that she knew she wanted to do something more with it, and this is what lead her to pick a cause to fight for. She said it came very naturally to go with Haiti, because it had always been in her heart.

Marika jumped in here, explaining that the band really felt like they were doing the lowest level by just donating a dollar of every ticket sale to Partners in Health — they felt it was the least they could do. And because they had been privileged to actually go and see the benefits of Partners in Health in Haiti, they felt overwhelmingly that they had to continue the cause.

Win explained, too, that for him, it was also a matter of personalizing something that was had to grasp.

“We started this out just making music as art for our friends and family, so suddenly when people we didn’t know started coming to our shows, it was like — ‘Who are these people? We don’t know these people!’ And it felt very alienating,” he said. “So when we started donating, it was a way for me to feel connected again. My favorite part of every show is when I get to talk about Partners in Health for the two minutes I talk about it, because in those minutes, I feel like we’re all rooting for the same cause, by donating all together.”

Win’s younger brother Will added here that it was a way for the band to see their progression in fans over time. “We can just go look at the money we’ve donated, and how it’s increased over the years, and go, ‘Hey, we’ve got a bigger fan base!’”

Will was also very adamant that with any cause someone is fighting for, they need to do their research first. He explained that they looked into lots of organizations that were supposed to be helping Haiti, but Partners in Health was the one organization that seemed to be doing the most thorough job. He used that word a lot — thorough — explaining that just throwing money at anything doesn’t necessarily help, but that doing a job well and all the way was the only way to make real change.

Marika said that it wasn’t all about money, either — we could pick a cause and educate ourselves and get passionate, and try to find someone else with money. She said, “Because, you know, if you don’t have money, you probably have a lot of time…” The audience, her fellow bandmates and even Marika laughed at this, and Win quipped, “Yes, because people without money are clearly lazy. We won a Grammy, what have you been doing?” This elicited hysterical laughter, and a mass of applause and cheering.

Photo by Chase Cantrell for the Horn

Win wrapped up the lecture session by explaining that now that he’d seen what was going on in Haiti, he was dedicated to the cause. “Once you see something, it’s very hard to un-see it.” He said this is what drove him to donate, and visit, and do whatever he could to help. “Once we got more popular, we’d start to get all of these emails about commercials and people wanting to use our music, and we’d never open those emails, we’d just say, ‘No way, we don’t want that at all.’ But especially right after the earthquake hit Haiti, we knew we needed to do more than just donate $1 per ticket, so we finally said, OK, time to open one of these emails. NFL wants to use ‘Wake Up,’ whatever, sure. That’s $10,000 for Haiti.”

During the Q&A session, a lot of way-too-self-aware/yes-I’m-asking-the-obvious-question kids took to the mics. One girl prefaced her question by sticking her nose as high as she could in the air and saying, “This is a graduate level question,” since Marika had remarked earlier that she figured we were all undergraduates. Another guy said, “I don’t want to be that jerk, but, this question has nothing to do with high-tea…err…hay-tea? Anyway it’s about your music…” Cringe. “How does Haiti affect the music you write? And when do you know a song is finished?” asked the entry-level journalism student. Win remarked, “It’s like…you’re a dude waiting for a bus…waiting for the bus of inspiration. When it’s done, you know.”

Regine responded to the question by saying, “The artistic process is really hard to explain in a scientific way.” Will said, “We really approach it as, music as art trying to serve the world. So it all has the same end.” Will was the one playing the band’s videos of their trip to Haiti off of his computer, and right at this moment, his screensaver came on. Students started giggling, and Will looked back on the screen, woke up his computer, and said, “Happy Halloween!”

Finally, one very well-informed young woman with braces who reminded me of myself a bit started her question out by giving even more of a backstory on Haiti, and then stating, “You see people like Bono and Kim Kardashian going to Haiti, and all they’re doing really is just painting houses halfway and leaving after they get their press. So, why should people listen to you about this, and why do you speak out for Haiti?” Win started out by saying, “Well, for example, we actually asked that there be no press here but the UT paper — it’d be mean to make them stay out. Plus, who ready the UT paper anyway?” I guffawed a little at that, but it put a smile on everyone’s face.

Will then jumped in, saying, “In all honesty, I like that we get to come do this, and if 10 people out of the hundreds here walk away with an interest and desire to do the research themselves and learn more, that’s great. But I truly believe that word-of-mouth among friends and family serves a much better purpose for changing the world like this. If you’re passionate about something, do your homework, do your research on the organizations trying to make positive change, and together we can all make things better.”

Marika said, “It’s almost better if people listen to us and question what we’re saying — it still leads to the same end, which is people researching these issues on their own, finding out more and starting to spread the word.”

Perhaps it was Regine who put it best, though. “I like to think of Haiti as my best friend,” she said. “Who doesn’t want to help make their best friend just the best person they can be?”

At this point, Win said, “And we do want you to look into all of this if you’re interested and it’s sparked something in you, so we have copies of Mountains Beyond Mountains for sale in the back, like 30 copies I think, and if you buy one you can come have a special meet-and-greet with us up here when we’re done.” My heart jumped in my chest — not only would I get to meet my idols, but I really had been moved by everything they said, more than I thought I would, and wanted to bond with these wonderful, nerdy, funny, sweet people who I felt were such kindred spirits. However, as soon as the words had left Win’s lips, a small crowd raced to the back of the auditorium to pick up copies of the book, and I felt it was a hopeless cause.

Win smiled at the crowd of kids leaving and turned to the rest of us, saying, “So let’s show all those suckers who just left early and play a couple songs, huh?” My eyes slowly widened as instruments appeared from behind the red chairs, and the band moved to the center. Without using a mic, Win shouted to us, “Why don’t you all come down here, come crowd around the stage and join us!”

We all leapt up and walked briskly to the stage, crowding in like a big party, some sitting on the stairs at the bands’ feet, some of us standing near the steps looking up into their faces. Appropriately, they started off with an acoustic version of “Haiti,” with Regine dancing fluidly and singing out to us in her sweet, bird-like voice. Midway through, the song began to morph, and before I knew it, we were singing “Wake Up” together in this auditorium, acoustically, like from a dream. It reminded me of a video I’d seen of the band playing a house party in Haiti, at ease with everyone, all attendees connected in love and music. It was so moving that, despite “Wake Up”‘s insistence that “someone told me not to cry,” big tears welled up in my eyes and began to stream down my face. I felt that magical sense that I always chase at concerts but only sometimes capture, that sense of belonging, and of home. With Arcade Fire, uniting for Haiti, we were all home.

Photo by Amanda

Maybe it was the smell of BBQ emanating from the soil inside of Stubb’s on Saturday night, but I swear Young the Giant single-handedly ushered in summertime in Austin, Texas. Between their catchy melodies, soaring, sparkly waves of guitars and Sameer Gadhia’s lion’s roar of a voice, Young the Giant sounds as if they can command nature. From a raucous but smaller-scale performance at Buffalo Billiard’s during South by Southwest last year to now, the band has garnered so much onstage confidence that it seems they were destined for sold-out-show status as quickly as they have achieved it, and musically, they have certainly earned it. Their first full-length release is solid from start to finish, with softer, breezy songs and wild, heart-pumping rock jams that weave together seamlessly.

One of my favorite things about Young the Giant is that lead singer Sameer seems just as much of a fan of the band as anyone. He’s not a fan in that cocky, self-loving, “we only listen to ourselves” way. He’s a legitimate lover of the music, and gets as jazzed as a superfan when he’s feeling the power and movement in his band’s songs. He’ll let out an excited “woo!” or growl or yelp in the middle of songs, just like anyone would if they were being swept away in a song. He dances with his whole body, using his tambourine as a weapon against himself, beating his torso like a madman and occasionally turning around to smash it into the cymbal on the drumset behind him.

Photo by Amanda

He might be having more fun than anyone else at a Young the Giant show, except that his excitement is contagious and his voice is mesmerizing and irreplaceable. It rolls out of him fiercely like thunder, or gently like an ocean breeze, but he is always in control as it reaches its ethereal heights. I knew from the start of the show, he was going to dive into the crowd — he just had that energy, and the crowd was ready for him. Between his enticing hip-shaking that the ladies love and his pump-you-up showmanship that is undeniable, there was nary a member in the crowd that didn’t have their hands up, ready to catch him when he dove. Of course, he timed this dive perfectly, in the middle of the band’s final encore song and their biggest hit to date, “My Body.” He growled the lyrics into his mic as he surfed near the stage, eating up every last second of that moment.

It must have been wild to be in his shoes. He announced to the crowd at the start of the show, “We watched the Walkmen play here after performing at Emo’s not that long ago, and wondered if we’d ever be able to play this venue. Thanks to you, we can!” Thanks to the fans, sure, but also to the talent of the band. Bassist Payam Doostzadeh is about as wild onstage as Sameer, dancing wildly as his long hair flings about his face. Rhythm guitarist Eric Cannata stands up to Sameer when singing backup vocals, and lead guitarist Jacob Tilley wails, and could often be seen standing on a speaker to pump up fans in front of him.

Photo by Amanda

Young the Giant are still a newer band, so most of their set comprised of the best of their self-titled full-length debut. However, they also gifted the audience with three new songs that may be included on a to-be-announced album the guys hope to get out by Spring 2013. All were well-received, with the first two being more upbeat and dancey, and the last slowing things down with a soft accordion-like lullaby running through the background. Two of the most magnificent moments came during the bands’ slower songs — “Guns Out” elicited wild applause as Sameer’s voice soared almost inhumanly, and “Islands” similarly allowed for a gorgeous buildup to finale “My Body.” This was the barn-burner, of course, although the band seem to have such a devoted following that they will likely be selling out venues like Stubb’s for the foreseeable future. As long as the band members continue to love and believe in what they’re doing, there’s no stopping them.

Set list:

I Got
Guns Out
Shake My Hand
New Song (What You Get)
12 Fingers
Cough Syrup
New Song
Strings
New Song
St. Walker
——————-
Encore:

My Apartment
Islands
My Body

You’re walking briskly through the dark, a slight wind whispering through your hair, as tree roots present themselves like a Disney cartoon, seemingly meant for you to hop from one to the other as crunchy, fallen leaves collect and form a path leading you downtown. You no longer remember what day it is, and time is only meaningful as a marker for where you need to be, and what band you’re about to see. You’re so exhausted that other people and structure are flying past you in big blocks of color, but you just keep walking, determined not to miss that next band that you just really, truly have to see.

This is South by Southwest. It is constantly flitting from one show to the next on an almost-empty stomach, grabbing free breakfast tacos here and there when time permits. It is a creature with such a short lifespan, that you devote yourself, mind, body and spirit to it so that you can get the most enjoyment out of it as is humanly possible. This is what the festival brought me this year, and despite seeing fewer bands than I normally am able to, I feel that it was one of my most successful fests to date.

It’s really, really difficult sometimes to balance being a fan, and being a music journalist. South by Southwest is a music conference initially spawned so industry types could discover great new music, but it has morphed into one huge, week-long party where bands wear themselves out playing every back alley and radio set they can possibly fit into their day, and college students no longer leave town for Cancun, but stay put for the free drinks. Personally, I strive to see up-and-comers perform during South by, while making sure that I spend some time with my established favorites as a music-lovers’ birthday treat to myself. So, this was my mindset entering the conference, and it all kicked off when I left work Tuesday, March 13 at 5PM.

Step 1 in any South by Southwest I’ve ever attended has been hitting up the convention center to pick up my music badge. For the first four years, I purchased my own badge as a humongous birthday gift to myself, since my birthday is always in the middle of SXSWeek. The past 3 years, however, I have had the great fortune of attending the fest on behalf of M Music Magazine, so they’ve hooked me up with a badge to do coverage and be their eyes and ears on the scene.

I grabbed my badge just in the nick of time (we arrived at the convention center at 8:56PM, and badge pick-up ended at 9) and were even able to get Zack’s wristband he was purchasing from me, despite initially being told wristband pick-up was closed. We then marched straight downtown to the Hype Hotel to get our wristbands for that, and to check out some musical acts there for the night.

The line for wristband pick-up at the Hype Hotel was seemingly endless, but I refused to cut it (to Zack’s frustration), and so we waited in line until we were finally able to check in. As a happy surprise, I was given an Industry wristband and “hotel key,” which allowed me to cut the line after all, and I brought Zack with me. We wandered around the venue, grabbed a couple of free drinks with the drink tickets supplied to us, and then chowed down on free Taco Bell tacos (a soft bean-and-cheese for me, and a Dorito-shelled Taco Loco for Zack, which he fell in love with). They were tasty and just what the night ordered, and gave us energy to settle into the crowd for Miniature Tigers.

I first saw Miniature Tigers when they opened for Freelance Whales, and was blown away. I actually thought they stole the show, with sweet, upbeat and dancey pop-rock that immediately stuck in my head. This particular night, they seemed a bit tired — or maybe that was just us. I don’t love their new album, Mia Pharaoh, and most of their setlist was made up of those new songs. They did throw us a bone with “Bullfighter Jacket,” but otherwise, the room was becomingly noticeably more stuffy — and mixed with people eating bean-and-cheese tacos, it felt like we were trapped in an oven that was heated by human flatulence. It was close to torturous.

Luckily, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. know how to distract. In fact, they simply rejuvenate. It can be a hot-as-hell Texas summer day during the Austin City Limits festival, and they’ll throw out a pack of popsicles and a bunch of happy, energetic rock jams to get your groove back. At Hype Hotel, they simply gave it all they got. “Skeletons” was a soft, sweet sing-along, whereas “It’s a Corporate World” was rambunctious and punky. Singer Joshua Epstein especially felt the energy, as he climbed to the front of the stage, stretching his arms upward to try to hang from the ceiling. When that failed, his eyes full of fire, he scanned the audience near-frantic, found his victim, and pointed at the unassuming fan, mouthing, “You!” The guy semi-froze, and Epstein dove shoulder-first into the crowd, surfing for a moment before being tossed gently back onstage. The guys closed everything out with “Nothing But Our Love,” and as they proclaimed in harmony, “Baby, everyone has some worth,” their light show beamed brightly behind them. Standing in the fifth row, the glow was so bright it was almost blinding, but even as I closed my eyes, it felt warm and inclusive, like driving into the sun on purpose. As Epstein recorded and distorted his voice, it echoed out in robotic urgency, “Deserve!” It was an intensely invigorating climax to one of the best live shows of the entire music conference, and performed on the first official night of it. It left us all in a state of, “Hell, yes.”

Wednesday started off frustratingly. I was set on making it to see Geographer play a set at La Zona Rosa, but as we approached the venue, it became clear that everyone was set on seeing that show — or, at least, the band that came on later. Once we decided there was no way into this venue, we wandered over to Dogwood on east sixth to see a bit of the M Music showcase. It was crowded and we had just caught the tail-end of a band, meaning there was going to be more waiting time before more music, so we went to a different venue in hopes of procuring some libations. Zack had to head to work at that point, so I decided it was time to head to the Drums showcase…that was in 2 and a half hours. When you don’t know what else you want to do, what else would you do? I walked the 5 blocks to Flamingo Cantina, and the line was crazy long, so I hopped into it and prepared myself to wait.

Part of the reason the venue was so packed was because Reggie Watts was performing right at the moment I sauntered up to the venue. I was sad to miss him, but glad that this likely meant there would be some clearing out by the time the Drums went on two sets later. Lo and behold, before Reggie was finished playing his last note, I was in the venue, hanging out with a friend from work. I also ran into my friend Mark, who was filming for Under the Radar, so we chatted it up as I nervously stood right up against the stage, so ready for my Drums to perform.

I had one last obstacle to make it through first, and that was the Love Language. They were a fun, incredibly loud pop-rock band, and the lead singer and band mastermind Stuart McLamb was interesting to watch, donned in jeans and a sleeveless tee with Paul McCartney all 80s-ified on the front.  I particularly loved keyboardist Missy Thangs, with wild brown hair and eyes just barely peeking out from under her long, thick bangs. She looked effortless and excited, slamming a tambourine into her clenched fist and jamming out friendly melodies on her keys. They aren’t my new favorite band, but I could easily see how they might be someone’s.

The first thing I noticed while the Drums were being set up, was that guitarist Connor Hanwick was seemingly replaced. There was a new guitarist in his stead, who I described to people as a slightly softer, emo Elijah Wood, and who seemed to fit about as well aesthetically as the drummer (aka stood out like a sore thumb). Still, founding members Jonny and Jacob are the backbone of the band, so I feel confident that as long as we maintain them, I will still love what they come up with.

I felt slightly awkward standing so near the stage — as tall as I am, it’s hard to miss me up there, and Jonny isn’t that tall, so I found that I blocked about half of him from below the stage. However, I quickly forgot my awkwardness as the band launched into “What You Were,” one of my favorite songs off of their newer album, Portamento. The band was kind to fans, mixing their new material with their older songs, and followed up with “Best Friend” from their eponymous debut. “If He Likes It Let Him Do It” made me smile, because Zack tends to sing that to me around the apartment, including singing the high-pitched, eerie synth that follows the lyrical chorus. “How It Ended” slowed things down a bit, but “Money” picked it right back up, and allowed me to channel my inner pogo-ing punk, as I shimmied my shoulders and let everything go. In that first show, “Days” was the most overwhelming song, as Jacob’s synth part swooped in and acted like a Men In Black-style neuralyzer — it gave me chills and made me forget everything that came before it. The guys ended with their most popular singles to date, “Down by the Water,” and “Let’s Go Surfing,” which they had previously retired, but played at every SXSW show I saw this year. Jonny was his usual theatrical self, dancing in herky-jerky patterns and acting out his words and feelings with hand gesture and shoulder-shakes.

Though it was the band’s warm-up set at the conference, this may be my favorite performance I saw, because my energy level was still high enough for me to totally lose myself in everything, dancing like a madwoman. This was also my first fan-vs-reporter moment, where I couldn’t bring myself to approach the band members (though they were easily accessible outside of the venue before their performance), because I was too big of a fan to be able to pull it together and get professional. There are only a few bands in my life that turn me to that much of a jelly-blob dweeb, but the Drums easily make that list.

As I stretched my legs out in the open post-Drums, I made my plan for the night. I went to grab some dinner so I wouldn’t starve to death before the night hit, and ran into my friend Chris Brancato, who I hadn’t seen since we’d interned at Rolling Stone together three years prior. This reunion was one of the happiest accidents I stumbled into, and made the conference feel like something I have finally grown into, after all these years.

After dinner, I headed for Stubb’s to ensure I’d make it in for Sharon van Etten. The line was insanely long, but mostly because folks were still holding out hope that they’d make it inside for Fiona Apple, who was finishing up her set. As she ended her performance with “Criminal,” I tipped my hat to Portlandia and tweeted, “The dream of the 90s is alive in Austin.” Of course, when Fiona was done, I easily made it into Stubb’s and fourth row back for Sharon. Van Etten sounded gorgeous, as usual, and her first few songs had me completely bowled over. However, the pacing of the middle-to-end of her set was slow enough that I started to lose momentum, having been on my feet most of the day and having walked all over the world. My intent was to see the Drums at 1AM with Zack when he got off of work, but he was already fading and thinking he wouldn’t want to join. I decided I’d see how I feel after my next act, and headed out when Sharon was done, across town to the Beale Street Tavern.

I had never been in the Beale Street Tavern, so I didn’t know exactly where it was before Wednesday night rolled around. I found it tucked underneath the Parish — directly underneath. So, while I tried to listen to singer-songwriter Marit Larsen croon bird-like tunes about heartbreak, the thump-thump-thump of whatever dubstep folks were performing upstairs bled through the floorboards, and I feared that Teitur would suffer Larsen’s same fate.

I hadn’t seen Teitur since he forgot to play “Amanda’s Dream” for me on my birthday many South by Southwests ago. He looked exactly the same, ever the boyish haircut-and-face and gentle soul that he is. My feet ached as he was setting up his acoustic guitar and keyboard, so I texted Zack and confirmed we’d call it a night after that.

Teitur opened with the first single off of his new album, “Freight Train,” which is a song about the regrets someone has who lives a safe life. It was more than relatable to me. I’ve always been a rule-follower — partly because I tend to think it’s the right thing to do, and partly because I want desperately to be perceived as doing the right thing, and as a “good person.” I’ve chased perfection all of my life, more to my own detriment and the detriment of those around me than for positive outcomes. Actually, I usually enjoy being able to feel high-and-mighty for doing the “right thing.” Still, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to ride the “freight train.” Anyhow, from that opening tune, I felt as though Teitur and I were on the same page.

Teitur was plagued by the dubstep above him, as well as his own mic’s ear-bleeding feedback screeches, and you could tell that it was frustrating to him, though he was just kind of laughing it all away. He sang a few other newer songs, but also went way back in time, singing “Josephine” and “One and Only” off of his first album. When he announced he was going to play “All My Mistakes,” which has been one of my most-played songs of my whole life, I was the only one in that crowded room to “Woooo!” Those around me turned their heads toward me and smiled, and we all got prepared — but then Teitur couldn’t get his keyboard right, and said, “No, actually, we’re not gonna do that one.” I sighed and went, “Oooooh,” and there were some gentle chuckles and friendly “Oooh!”s around me. I thought, that’s about right — just like my birthday those many moons ago, I didn’t quite get the one song I was hoping to hear. I really didn’t mind, and decided to enjoy whatever else Teitur had up his sleeve. However, two songs later, after he’d switched back to acoustic guitar, he once again announced, “This is ‘All My Mistakes,’” and my heart soared as he interpreted the tune on his acoustic. “Who is to say who wins or who loses/I sing to myself at the end of the day when I know what the blues is/And all my mistakes have become masterpieces,” he crooned, as my eyes became wet. It’s a whispered anthem for we romantics and perfectionists, and it was such a beautiful and raw thing for him to present to us, to close out his night of mic feedback and gross thumping bleeding through the walls. It was total redemption, and if I could thank him a million times for this generous gift of a song, I would.

Having enjoyed more sleep than I thought I would, I was able to drag myself from bed early enough to go to the Moody Theater for an intimate performance by Ben Kweller over breakfast tacos. Before Kweller went on, someone hit a transformer outside of the venue, which shut off all power to the amps and soundboard on the Moody patio. Kweller improvised, playing totally acoustically and singing at the top of his lungs to the 250+ crowd surrounding him. It was somewhat difficult to hear him, but his voice carries well, and he was able to croon out 3 songs (including a Neil Young cover) before calling it quits and telling us all to just make it to his next show. It was a fun and very unique way to wake up, and it energized me for the next big event I had been looking forward to all week.

I walked with Zack and a work friend straight to the Paramount Theatre, to see how long the line was for the LCD Soundsystem documentary, Shut Up and Play the Hits, which was screening two hours later. Ever since I heard that this documentary existed, I followed it like a hawk, salivating over its release. We had purchased advanced tickets for the screening, but all film badge holders were still going to be allowed in before us, which had me sweating. When we arrived at the venue, there was no line whatsoever. We were the only people there interested in the screening. We asked some volunteers working the event how things would go down, and they explained they’d line us up around the corner, and film badge holders would enter first. Zack decided it was time to go get some libations before the show, so I begrudgingly walked with the group back to the Stage on Sixth for some free drinks. I had a cup of wine, and was ready to head back to the Paramount.

When we were within an hour of showtime, I power-walked back to the venue, expecting some kind of line at this point. Still – zilch. We were the only ones there. I asked the volunteers again where I needed to go, and wandered around the side of the building, nervous that I still wasn’t in the right place, and nervous there’d be a last-minute rush for the screening. A line began to form behind us — it ultimately only contained 10-15 people — and the film badge line ended up holding about 30 folks. I was shocked at the lack of attendance, but as this was the film’s third screening that week, it seemed like most people just got theirs in early.

As we waited in line, I excitedly spoke with the event’s organizer, who was clearly a fan of the band himself. He said that at the Spaghetti Warehouse screening earlier in the week, people were standing up, dancing and singing along, just like at a live concert. This was exactly what I wanted, so it made me happy to hear it. The volunteer assigned to watch over our area was also incredibly friendly, and said she wasn’t worried at all about us getting in. When they finally moved us inside, I was impatient when my group stopped for drinks, so after a beat, I just walked into the theater by myself and snagged some seats for us in the middle-back.

The crowd surprised me. It was an odd mix of a few fans (mostly the people who had been in line behind us), and a much, much older set who looked like they just always came to the Paramount matinee show. This made me lose hope in any real dance party atmosphere, but I didn’t mind. I just was ready to see the documentary. We spotted Reggie Watts in the theatre, too, so Zack decided he had to go introduce himself, and chatted Reggie up for quite a while. Finally, it was time to start the movie. Our friend, the event organizer guy, encouraged us to dance or do whatever we were moved to do, and then brought Reggie up onstage to give the official introduction. Reggie explained he was in the film for all of four minutes, and was honored to be in it. He said, “I think you’re all really gonna love this, it’s really fantastic…this is actually the first time I’m ever seeing it.” After reminding us to place our trash in the appropriate receptacle at the end of the event, we got it rolling.

The documentary is a perfect mix of James Murphy as an everyman, taking his dog out to shit, feeding it, and walking it, versus James Murphy the rock star. There is interesting, thought-provoking interview footage with Chuck Klosterman, and then of course, there is tons and tons of live footage from LCD Soundsystem’s final performance at Madison Square Garden. You can see Murphy’s struggle within himself, trying to define why exactly he called it quits, and if he did so for the “right” reasons, and what would even be the “right” reasons. It is such a raw and unique peek into the life of a rock band, on their hypothetical death bed, and despite being the only ones to do so, Zack and I danced in our seats as if we were there, in the middle of everything. It was a heartbreaking detox, to watch a band you adore dissolve in front of your eyes all over again. When “All My Friends” came on, I pumped my first hard and gave a little, “Woo!” because this was the song during which my close friend Melissa called me from the actual event. This was the song that took the band from awesome to next-level obsession for me. This was the song during which I felt closest with my new group of Austin friends at our buddies Lisa and Eric’s wedding. This is the kind of song you never forget. When Murphy sings, “To tell the truth, this could be the last time,” and you hear the roar from that MSG crowd begging it not to be true, it strikes a chord. So I pumped my fist. I then started to laugh at the absurdity of cheering in a film, where nobody could really see or hear me besides the other movie-goers, and then in the middle of it all I choked on a laugh and began to sob uncontrollably. This is the power of this movie.

After it was over, we ran into Reggie Watts again by the bathroom, and he seemed as speechless as the rest of us. I told him that Zack had been the one cheering every time Reggie was on-screen, and he laughed at that prospect. We walked into the daylight, blinking hard, and then headed for the second Drums set of my week.

The Drums played the same set they had played the day before, less “Down by the Water,” and I was just as into it. In fact, the crowd at their Brooklyn Vegan set at Hotel Vegas was way more light-hearted and fun-loving than the previous day’s crowd, dancing up a storm and singing along brightly to all of the songs. Plus, it was great to have Zack with me for this show, so that we could sing to each other and dance together as the band rocked our socks off. Jonny looked close to a heatstroke at this performance, so I was glad he made it through the entire set alive, and I figured I’d just see them one final time, on my birthday the following day. They put pep in my step as I wandered off to see what the evening would bring me.

I fueled up with some dinner and a margarita, and then headed back downtown to make sure I’d be front-and-center for Brazos. I’d been missing this Austin-spawned band ever since mastermind Martin Crane defected to New York City two years ago, and this was the first time he’d been back in a performance capacity. He and his new Brazos lineup played all-new songs, and Crane himself looked happier and more carefree than he’d been. It made me glad for him to be living in New York, because that seemed to infuse him with new life and a new outlook. The songs had that earthy energy that marked them as Brazos songs, and Martin got wild on a few, tossing his wispy hair from left to right as the crowd bobbled to his gentle beats. Brazos is set to release this new material on record soon, and I cannot wait. It’s as dreamy and dazzling as ever.

Next up, I went to M Music’s Thursday-night showcase, featuring the Ettes — sadly, I couldn’t stay for this group’s performance, because I had Miike Snow fish to fry. But I did get to listen to a bit of Argentinian band Capsula’s mad set, punky and high-pitched, and spoke with M editor Rick Taylor for a while, which was humbling and wonderful. Then, I high-tailed it to Lustre Pearl to make sure I’d get in to see my beloved Swedish electro-rock group throw down.

When we got in to Lustre Pearl, YACHT was onstage. My despise of this band is well-documented, so I will merely say, I think their “we are a set of ideals, not just a band!” shtick is complete bullshit, and I don’t particularly care for being screeched at by some would-be-oddball lead singer, so I sat their set out on the side of the venue.

Once YACHT fans cleared out, we were able to get just a few rows back from the stage for Miike Snow. The band was set to go on at midnight, thus welcoming in my 25th year with me, which is why I wanted to be at their show. I informed a fellow concert-goer that it was my birthday at midnight, so he excitedly had me check my phone every minute to see if it was midnight. Right when the clock turned, he and my work friend started yelling “Happy Birthday!” at me, and total strangers around us joined in the madness. I was so happy, and so ready for the band to come on — unfortunately, the band ended up being 45 minutes late. This is really unsurprising, based on the fact that they essentially set up a spaceship onstage. They have a new synth machine with lights lining the upper part, shaped like an octagon, that looks ready for orbit at any time. That, plus their usual barrage of synth machines and microphones led to myriad sound checks and tweakings. The unusually fratty audience became impatient fairly quickly into the night, and began chants of “We want music!” that weren’t helping anybody. When the band finally did take the stage, they were still plagued with sound issues, but rolled through them anyway and put on a really solid performance.

The band intermixed new songs with a lot of the old, but the new actually seemed to go over even stronger. Though they closed out with barn-burner “Animal,” their latest single “Paddling Out” actually had people dancing harder than any other song they played. Lead singer Andrew Wyatt dared to leap down into the masses in the middle of “Black and Blue,” but as soon as he got right next to me, he looked up with a dear-in-headlights panic on his face, and rushed right back up to the stage. It was like, he wanted that rockstar moment, but didn’t know what to do with it when it arrived. I am confident that by the time Miike Snow comes back through Austin touring on their newest album, they’ll have all the kinks worked out.

I have hurt myself at South by Southwest before, but apparently turning 25 was exactly what my body needed to signal it to completely shut down. My legs and feet ached so badly that I had to hobble home like the grandmother from Little Red Riding Hood, and it was a mile-long walk home. I moaned and groaned at this Bataan Death March, as my dad would have called it, and felt like I’d need to sit forever into the next day.

That wasn’t in the cards, though. After getting to sleep at 5AM, I woke up again at 10:45AM so that we could make it to Ezra Furman’s noontime set at Lovejoy’s.

Looking every bit like Johnny Cash or a rock ‘n’ roll Jesus, Ezra played his solo set with fiercely angry energy. There was almost disdain in every chord, as he prefaced us, “South by Southwest makes me not want to please my crowds, so I’m gonna play what I want to play.” He played new songs, like “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,” and practically spit the lyrics through clenched teeth. It was intense, and woke me up in the afternoon heat. Ezra is an incredible guitarist, and his new stripped sound really allows him to showcase it. I brightened when he said, “How about a 50′s style love song?” He paused, and said, “…it’s called Blood-Sucking Whore.” I laughed despite myself, and he launched into the tune. After he was done, Zack and I approached him so Zack could hug his old friend — Zack used to watch Ezra play small clubs in Chicago, so he’s followed his career for a long time. Ezra was much softer when we spoke with him, removing his sunglasses to reveal a boyish face and a gentle smile.

We wandered over to a birthday lunch at Frank, resting our feet before we headed to try to catch Fanfarlo at Cedar Street. When we arrived, we learned their set had been pushed an hour later, meaning we would have to miss the Drums if we stayed. That wasn’t worth it to me, so we chilled inside long enough for Zack and my co-worker to have some beer, and to listen to folk-poppy Graffiti6 from inside Cedar Street’s walls. Then it was off to Lustre Pearl. I was fading fast, feeling completely worn out after the last 3 days’ adventures, but I knew that as soon as I saw Jonny and co. onstage, everything else would fade away. My theory came true, and the guys once again played the set I’d heard twice before, except that they subbed out “Down By the Water” for “I Need a Doctor.” We danced and sang, and the band sounded better than ever, and before they launched into closer “Let’s Go Surfing,” Jonny announced, “We’re playing Stubb’s tonight, and I guess we’re headlining, because the Ting-Tings canceled, so I hope we see you there!” My ears perked up at this, but I’d been planning to see Jack White’s solo show at the Stage on Sixth with Zack, so I just shrugged it off.

I’ve been to enough showcases to know there is an ebb and flow to these things, and though I’ve camped out many a time to ensure I have had a spot at my favorites, I’ve never needed to — at literally every show, I could show up an hour before and get in if I wanted, because people come and go. So, I decided I should go home and rest for two hours, instead of pushing myself to vomiting everywhere from exhaustion, and told Zack I’d meet up with him right after I was done with my little break. Zack literally ran to the Stage on Sixth, and started texting me shortly thereafter that the badge line was insane, and that no wristbands at all were going to get in. I freaked out, but knowing Zack, felt like he might be exaggerating because his fandom was blinding him to the truth of the situation. I took a deep breath, trusted my knowledge of how SXSW works, and continued to force myself to rest on the couch, slowly eating some rice so I wouldn’t die.

I began to get antsy as I learned Zack finally got in the venue, but the badge line was apparently miles long. I had set up a taxi to pick me up at 9:15, but the taxi never came. This was my first sign of things to come. As I raced out the door, I dropped my phone on the ground and it split into its various parts, so I quickly shoved the battery back inside its case and the phone turned on for the time being. I walked briskly downtown, hoping I’d still find a way inside the Stage on Sixth. When I got there, I saw my co-worker in line. He wasn’t far back, but hadn’t moved for an hour. I waited with him for another hour, and we never moved an inch. Not to mention, there was a huge line of fans who had waited as early as 1PM, who had little chance of getting in. I peeked in the venue itself, and it was hardly at capacity — apparently only 650 people were let in for Jack’s showcase, though the venue surely has a capacity over 1,000. I was frustrated by this rockstar move of forcing people to stand outside, making it appear that there was more interest in the show than there was. I thought it was a slap in the face for the people desperate to be inside. When I felt like there was no hope of us getting inside, I left with my co-worker to see the Drums headline at Stubb’s.

When we arrived at Stubb’s, Delta Spirit had been playing for about 10 minutes. They announced that this was their 16th show, and I was shocked — they played with so much energy, I never would have guessed it. The only thing that betrayed their exhaustion was the lead singer’s voice, which was just scratchy enough to imply that he’d been singing quite a bit. Other than that, it was as if this was their first show. It’s unlikely I’ll buy their music for sitting-around-to-listen purposes, I will never be sad if Delta Spirit play at a concert I attend. They play the kind of sing-along anthems that make Mumford & Sons so beloved.

I had been purposefully avoiding the band fun. all week, but sadly, they were slated to play before my beloved Drums. So, I tried to keep an open mind. Sure, I thought their car commercial song was detestable, but maybe they’d have some stuff I would enjoy. After all, they’d worked with Janelle Monae! I loved her! However, it was clear from the opening notes of their first song, this band was not for me.  I’m not sure if it’s that I’m too cynical for them, or too old, or that they just are awful — maybe this trifecta worked together. The band came across as a reject cast of Degrassi, and they apparently thought they were performing in some kind of musical, with over-the-top gestures and “C’mon, cheer this with us!” preciousness. The songs are all about being young and owning the night, and it felt so force-fed and fake that it was excruciating. However, it was made worse as the jocks standing next to me loudly bemoaned how terrible the band was throughout their performance. I can hate on a band, but I have the decency to not do so in front of their rabid fan base. Just because something doesn’t work at all for me, doesn’t mean I’m going to ruin an experience for the people it works for. Overall, it was just a terrible, terrible time, and I was incredibly relieved when it was over.

As expected, once fun. was done, the crowd dispersed, and I scooted up to be 2nd row, surrounded by other real Drums fans. Two in particular were as dancey and sing-alongy as I am, and they made the whole experience that much better. The Drums were able to hang their gorgeous backdrop on the Stubb’s stage, and had an actual light show at this performance, which made it feel like a real Drums show. When they came out onstage, some of their “found sound” recordings from their Summertime EP was playing, and they really gave this headlining performance everything they got. This was also the night that I learned lead singer Jonny Pierce was gay, and it enlightened me and opened up whole new interpretations of the songs. “If He Likes It Let Him Do It” had a whole new meaning, and Jonny himself even introduced the song as, “one for the gays!” The tween-girl in me who was in love with rockstar Jonny was a bit heartbroken, but I thought it was very brave of him to be his whole self in front of a Texas crowd, and I was especially proud of the crowd, who seemed to love him more, if anything.

The guys were able to play far more old and new songs in this set, and before they launched into “Book of Revelations,” Jonny said, “The Drums have a lot of songs that are catchy and will stick in your head, but for this song — this song, we really want you to understand this message, and take it with you, so really listen to the lyrics!” As we all pumped our fists and sang in unison, “I’ve seen the world, and there’s no heaven and there’s no hell/And I believe, that when we die, we die/So let me love you tonight,” it was simultaneously lonely and unifying. Jonny looked at each of us meticulously, seemingly trying to spell it out as he sang, “You can love them/You can hate them/You never wronged them/So you don’t owe them.” Their Stubb’s performance was probably my favorite, as the band was totally in their element and running on all cylinders. They were a perfect way to close out my birthday night of music.

Still, when Zack joined back up with me, euphoric from an hour-and-45-minute Jack White set, I was jealous. Zack is the biggest Jack White superfan in all the land, so I felt bad not allowing him to immediately gush about the show, but I was incensed that Jack White would steal away my boyfriend from me on my birthday for a second year in a row. Still, I felt childish being jealous, and pushed through it as quickly as I could so I could just enjoy Zack’s happiness with him.

Saturday, unfortunately, was kind of a wash. We slept in a luxuriously long time, and wandered down to meet our friends at the Hype Hotel around 3:30PM to get some drinks and free tacos. We were wanting to see the Bright Light Social Hour at the Belmont at 3PM, but were running too late to make it. I really wanted to see Yellow Ostrich, and knew they had a set at Peckerheads at 5PM, so Zack joined me in my quest, and we headed across the street at 4:30 to make sure we wouldn’t miss them. Sadly…we’d missed them anyway. Their set had been moved to 2PM that day, so they were long gone.

Devastated, I didn’t really know what else there would be to do until the 1AM show at Club DeVille by the Black and White Years. Suddenly, it hit me — the Drums were playing a set at Emo’s East, their sixth and final show of SXSW. I knew Zack wanted to watch his alma mater, IU, play in the playoff basketball game around that time, so we decided I’d drop him at our friend Bryn’s house, since he lived just down the street, and I’d go to Emo’s East. It was settled. We raced to my car, and I drove us out to the east. Parking by Emo’s East was surprisingly easy, and I quickly found my friends hanging around outside the venue when I got there. As I stood with my music-loving bosom buddy Melissa, LCD Soundsystem’s Pat Mahoney walked by. Pat…Mahoney. I almost died. Mel and I had a twee-girl freakout moment, but neither had the guts to say anything, so we just stood in awe. Turns out, his supergroup with members of Hot Chip was playing Emo’s East later on that day.

After we calmed down, we headed inside to catch Bleached, which our friend and photographer extraordinaire Pooneh Ghana described as a “better Vivian Girls.” I wasn’t sold right away; the vocals sounded harsh and a little out of tune. However, the more they played, the more I liked the female-fronted punk band. They were spunky and raw, but friendlier than Bikini Kill. I bobbed around a bit, and then Mel and I moved closer to the stage for our beloved Drums. It was her first time seeing them, and it took a lot for me to not just tell her what the setlist would be right there on the spot. When the guys came onstage, they had the same wonderful energy as they had the previous 4 times, except they seemed even more boosted, as it was their final show and they could give it everything they had. Jonny danced harder, Jacob even got into a bit of a groove, and we all sang along at the top of our lungs.

The Drums have something special. I’ve seen enough bands to know when something is just merely enjoyable, versus when a group has a special energy and creative spark about them that is unique. This band is unique. They tap into something that only very special music can reach. Jonny’s voice is magical, like taking a drug and opening up your mind to see the world differently. Jacob is in his own world half the time, and when the band’s set came to its final close, he bowed deeply at the waist, and blew a kiss with a Miss America wave tacked onto the end of it as he rose back up. It was precious and endearing, and solidified the group in my heart.

I headed for Zack and Bryn after that, with the promise of pizza awaiting me, and downed two slices before wanting to move. We finally forced ourselves up, in hopes to see Fanfarlo play at the Hype Hotel. They were the first band on that night at 10PM, and so badge-holders were the only ones being let in at the beginning. We tried to have Zack crash with me, but there was just nothing doing. I was in for 2 and a half songs by Fanfarlo, and they sounded just brilliant, but I couldn’t leave my boyfriend inebriated and waiting outside for me, so I headed back out as we kicked our feet in the proverbial dirt trying to decide what to do. I really, really wanted to see the Black and White Years at Club DeVille, but we were losing steam, and ice cream and kicking back at home sounded like it might win the day. If there had been a show in-between 11PM and 1AM that we really wanted to see, we may have been re-energized and stayed out longer. But alas, movie time and cuddling up were calling, so we trudged home and said goodbye to South by Southwest.

If I’m being totally honest, I can’t say I have no regrets about this year’s SXSW. I wish I’d left earlier to make it in to the Jack White show — although I would have then missed my favorite (and the longest) Drums set I was graced with. I wish I had tried to see more bands that I had never seen or heard before — but then I may have missed some of those energizing Drums sets, or not been able to spend time with my friends and loved ones, or else made myself even more sick than I am right now. I wish I hadn’t chickened out on the last night of SXSW — but then, I’d still have never seen Dead Poets Society, and again, might have been even more ill than my closed-up throat and fevered head are making me now. So yes, regrets pull at me occasionally, but when I really examine them, they disappear like ghosts. I had so many perfect moments, and was able to release so many emotions, all while turning 25 (and being all out of escapes). I was more the fan than the journalist this year, but I still managed to see what the fuss was about with fun., still managed to see some bands I’d never seen before, and still exposed myself to all kinds of new and exciting music in my research leading up to South by Southwest. The conference is all about balance, and I made it across the high-wire.

It always creeps up on me. One minute, my friends and I are lamenting the fact that South by Southwest is over, and we have to wait a whole year before we do it all again. The very next, it’s time for a constant barrage of music, libations, and general merriment. And so, here we are again, poised on the edge of greatness (or a great catastrophe, depending on how organized you are). What’s that, you say? You don’t even know who is playing this year? Worry not, o yon procrastinator! That’s what I’m here for. I’ve scoured the SXSW lineup this year and have come up with the below suggestions of bands you really can’t miss. Per our usual format, you’ll find below the name of an incredible band, a brief description of what they’re like, a video of a song that encapsulates what they’re about, and the venues & showtimes where you can actually find them. Some are new to me, some are old favorites. Either way — buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Apache Relay – Kings of Leon-meet-Young the Giant? I don’t know really, but I LOVE it. Big guitar sound, pretty vocals. Definitely indie-rock, rushing strings, music with movement to it.

Tuesday, March 13 – 9PM, the Bat Bar

Wednesday, March 14 – 5PM, the Swan Dive

- 10PM, Maggie Mae’s Rooftop

Thursday, March 15 – 6PM, Flat Top Burger Shop

Ume – Kind of Metric-y. Smooth, sexy oozing vocals set to alt. rock with electricity throughout. And Austinites!

Tuesday, March 13 – 1oPM, the Bat Bar

Wednesday, March 14 – 7PM, Peckerheads

- 1:20AM, Trinity Hall

Friday, March 16 – between 1PM and 6PM, Friends

- 6:15PM, the Grackle

Yellow Ostrich – gorgeous vocals, interesting rhythms – like Local Natives without the harmonies. This is one of my favorite finds!

Tuesday, March 13 – 11PM, the Bat Bar

Thursday, March 15 – 8:25PM, Red Eyed Fly

Friday, March 16 – 4:15PM, Home Slice Pizza

Saturday, March 17 – 8:30AM, W Hotel

- 5PM, Peckerheads

Follow that Bird! – I’ve been trying to see this band forever, because my college pal Tiffany plays the drums. Now, a chance for all of us! This is great shoe-gazey punk rock with bite. Love the vocals, love the summertime moodiness – all good stuff here.

Tuesday, March 13 – 5:15PM, Cheer Up Charlie’s

- 10PM, Headhunters

Thursday, March 15 – Noon at Swan Dive

Miniature Tigers – I was just listening to Fortress the other night, and it’s upbeat, pop candy gold! So catchy, so lovely, so much fun.

Tuesday, March 13 – 11PM, Hype Hotel

Thursday, March 15 – 1AM, Soho Lounge

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Best day show I saw at Austin City Limits 2011. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. give it 110% at every performance, engaging the crowd, creating a spectacle on a small budget, and singing until you think their lungs may pop right out of their mouths. Plus, watch this video. You will fall in love.

Tuesday, March 13 – 12AM, Hype Hotel

Wednesday, March 14 – 10:55PM, La Zona Rosa

Frank Turner – I’ve wanted to check out this Irish punk-folk singer for ages. He’s like a stripped-down Flogging Molly!

Tuesday, March 13 – 12AM, Latitude 30

JC & Co. – Austinites — in fact, I see Jason Chronis in attendance at most shows I’m at. Adorable poppy sweet daydream fare.

<No video available!! I know, I know – it’s a barrier to entry, but it’s worth clicking over to this group’s MySpace page.>

Tuesday, March 13 – 8PM, the Main

Quiet Company – These guys have only gotten better with age. Austin favorites, and rightly so. Pop rock in the tradition of Ben Folds Five.

Tuesday, March 13 – 10PM, the Main

Wednesday, March 14 – 7:10PM, Austin Music Hall

Thursday, March 15 – 6PM, the Dogwood

Saturday, March 17 – 10:45PM, Chevrolet Sound Garage

Not in the Face! – AMAZING during Free Week, practically stole the whole week. Sexy, bluesy rock with soooo much attitude.

Tuesday, March 13 – 1AM, the Main

Wednesday, March 14 – 11PM, Buffalo Billiards

Marmalakes – Since Brazos left Austin, Marmalakes have been my sweet, melodical replacement. They write lovely folk-pop tunes with jazz undertones, and always leave me with a smile on my face.

Tuesday, March 13 – 10PM, the Parish

Lex Land – Adorable throwback pop music from the era of girl bands produced by Phil Specter, minus the madness and scandal.

Tuesday, March 13 – 11PM, the Parish

Boy Friend – Dreamy, layered, gorgeous, haunting 80s-almost-but-not-quite music, possibly taking a page from Fever Ray.

Tuesday, March 13 – 8PM, Swan Dive

Friday, March 16 – 11AM, East Side Tone

Saturday, March 17 – 3PM, Baby Blue Studios

Little Lo – We saw Little Lo live recently at the Parish, playing their homecoming show after having toured these great United States. They’re growing. Their stage presence continues to mature, and their sound continues to stretch and explore new avenues. For the uninitiated, they create big, bold indie-rock with energy, and are one of the most exciting young bands in Austin.

Tuesday, March 13 – 3:15PM, Cheer Up Charlie’s

- 10PM, Trinity Hall

Sun Boxes - Though this isn’t exactly a musical act, this art installation is one of the most gorgeous things I’ve ever heard. Created by Craig Colorusso, they at once make me feel tranquil, and remind me of the feeling I get during a sweet, quiet Sigur Ros song. Even on 6th Street in the middle of Austin, Texas, I suddenly am transported to the wilderness. Have a listen and see for yourself.

Sunday, March 18 – Uncorked

Brazos – This is one of my all-time favorite Austin bands, and also just all-time favorite bands. Mastermind Martin Crane escaped us to the north, and this will be the first time he’s been back in ages. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Gorgeous, folky tunes with jazzy undertones, and Crane’s voice soaring through it all. Not to be missed!

Wednesday, March 14: 5PM, Vortex Theater

Thursday, March 15: 8:30PM, Mohawk

Dan Mangan – I first saw Dan at CMJ 2010, and was blown away by his engaging stage presence, husky vocals and folk-rock sound. His new album, Oh Fortune, is fantastic, and I can’t wait to hear what he does with it in a live setting.

Wednesday, March 14 – 1:30PM, Red Eye Fly

Thursday, March 15 – 2PM, Hotel San Jose

Friday, March 16 – 6pm, Home Slice Pizza

- 1am, 512 Rooftop

Saturday, March 17 – 9PM, Maggie Mae’s

Mirel Wagner – GORGEOUS vocals, gentle like a soft river flowing, but dark like the night.

Tuesday, March 13 – 2:30AM, PureVolume House

Wednesday, March 14 – 7:30PM, Sony Club at Red 7

Saturday, March 17 – 4PM, Domy Books

Cowboy and Indian – Although I find the band name slightly offensive and uninventive, this Austin band’s music is anything but. It’s rock done southern, with haunting vocals, gentle guitar picking, and tearful melodies.

Tuesday, March 13 – 7PM, Cheer Up Charlies

Wednesday, March 14 – 1AM, Bat Bar

Teitur  – Teitur is an unforgettable artist. He crafts delicate stories with an eye to the everyman, and his soft, sweet vocals make the delivery of any sentiment heart-melting. If you have missed him all these years, you must familiarize yourself immediately.

Wednesday, March 14 – 11PM, Beale Street Tavern

Turbo Fruits: There is a nod to the Strokes here, but more youthful, sock-hoppish and with a southern rock twist.

Tuesday, March 13 – Scoot Inn (after 7PM)

Wednesday, March 14 – 29th Street Ballroom (after 1PM)

- 9:50PM, Beauty Bar Backyard

Thursday, March 15 – 3:30PM, Spiderhouse

Foy Vance: Reminds me a LOT of Bon Iver, and I like everything about that. Gentle, beautiful vocals that seem like they would be magical to experience in person.

Wednesday, March 14 – 10PM, Central Presbyterian Church

The Bright Light Social Hour: But of course! Austin’s best 70s guitar rock going.

Wednesday, March 14 – 1AM, Deseo Centro Lounge

Todd Barry: Awkward-hilarious. He may make you uncomfortable, but he will definitely make you laugh.

Wednesday, March 14 – 9:30PM, Esther’s Follies

Dead Black Hearts: Their words can sometimes be harsh, but they’re always set to blossoming, beautiful music. Love this up-and-coming Austin band.

Wednesday, March 14 – 11PM, Frank

Band of Skulls: This is a group for fans of the Silversun Pickups. It’s alt-rock with more passionate undertones, catchy and heart-pumping.

Tuesday, March 13 – 8PM, Antones

Wednesday, March 14 – 11PM, Haven

Thursday, March 15 – 3PM, Cedar Street

Kimbra: I am finding myself more & more drawn to creative, honey-voiced female pop artists, and Kimbra is near the front of that pack. I can’t even begin to imagine what she has up her sleeve for a live show. You may be familiar with her voice as the counterpart to Gotye in “Someone I Used to Know.” DO NOT MISS.

Wednesday, March 14 – 10:10PM, La Zona Rosa

- 12AM, Haven

Thursday, March 15 – 3PM, Clive Bar

Friday, March 16 – 5:15PM, Fader Fort

- W Hotel (between 1 & 9PM)

Miike Snow:  It feels like I should say “duh” here. I have to admit, I have not been loving the new stuff I’ve been hearing. I’m hopeful it will all grow on me, and confident the live show will still be stunning.

Tuesday, March 13 – Stubb’s

Wednesday, March 14 – 12AM, Hype Hotel

Thursday, March 15 – 12AM, Lustre Pearl

Ezra Furman: Ezra is a unique voice on the indie-rock circuit. He is an expert lyricist and smart storyteller, and he plays with differing sounds all on the same album. He’s also incredibly prolific, and gets better with every new release.

Wednesday, March 14 – 10PM, the Jr

Thursday, March 15 – Continental Club (no time given)

- The 512 Bar (no time given)

Friday, March 16 – 12PM, Lovejoys

The Spinto Band: I fell in love with the Spinto Band when I heard “Oh, Mandy,” preparing myself for Fun Fun Fun Fest back in 2008. They’ve been in the studio for what feels like forever, and I cannot wait to see what they have come up with behind closed doors. They are fun, poppy, upbeat and charming.

Wednesday, March 14 – 1AM, Karma Lounge

Thursday, March 15 – 1:45PM, Red Eyed Fly

- 2:55PM, Swan Dive

Friday, March 16 – 5PM, Flat Top Burger Shop

The Drowning Men: I remember having trouble putting a finger on the Drowning Men when I saw them open for Flogging Molly. I knew they were appropriate openers, but were they Man Man-ish? Kind of. Gogol Bordello-eque? Yeah, sure. Steampunk? You betcha. They’re a little bit of everything, and a hell of a rock show.

Wednesday, March 14 – 9:45PM, Lamberts

Saturday, March 17 – 3PM, Bar 96

College: The mastermind behind the ubiquitous “Real Hero,” I would be interested to hear more and see what happens live. Plus, FRENCH!

Wednesday, March 14 – 10:30PM, Mohawk Patio

Daughter: Reminds me of a slightly more avant-garde Sarah Jaffe — and I do so love my Sarah Jaffe.

Wednesday, March 14 – 10PM, Red Eyed Fly

Thursday, March 15 – 12:45PM, Red Eyed Fly

Friday, March 16 – 11:30PM, St. David’s Historic Sanctuary

The Drums – The Drums are my favorite young band, period. I intend to see as many of their numerous performances as I possibly can, because they are that good. They are making music that is guttural, beautiful, catchy, danceable, fun and memorable. This is the stuff you make life memories to.

Wednesday, March 14 – 5PM, Flamingo Cantina

- 1AM, Stage on Sixth

Thursday, March 15 – 4:30PM, Hotel Vegas

Friday, March 16 – 6PM, Lustre Pearl

- 12AM, Stubb’s

Saturday, March 17 – 5:55PM, Emo’s East

Sharon Van Etten: I saw Sharon play SXSW last year, and she was as preciously sweet as I imagined she might be. However, when the woman begins to sing, time stops and her voice keeps you in a chokehold until her songs end. She’s a killer, in the best of ways.

Wednesday, March 14 – 9PM, Stubb’s

Thursday, March 15 – 12:35AM, Mohawk Patio

The Black & White Years: Still one of my very favorite Austin bands, these electro-rockers never fail to get me sweating and smiling at their live shows. And! Their lyrics are so smart, I can feel good about it.

Wednesday, March 14 – 12:20AM, Trinity Hall

Saturday, March 17 –  1AM, Club DeVille

Trampled by Turtles: First of all, the name. Amazing. Secondly, this stuff is beautiful! Folk with harmonies and some down-home banjo tinges to give it a really woodsy feeling.

Thursday, March 15 – 12AM, Cedar Street Courtyard

Friday, March 16 – 9:05AM, Four Seasons Hotel

- 1:15PM, Red Eyed Fly

- 4:30PM, Swan Dive

Sarah Jaffe: Always, always & always. This female rocker is brilliant, adventurous and has the voice of an angel. Sarah Jaffe is taking over the world, one show at a time.

Thursday, March 15 – 8PM, Club DeVille

Fanfarlo: With swirling orchestral sounds, sweet harmonies, and European gloom packaged in that sweet way that only Europeans seem to be able to pull off, Fanfarlo are back with more imagination-opening tunes.

Thursday, March 15 – 10PM, Club DeVille

- Hotel Vegas (No time given)

Friday, March 16 – 2PM, Radio Day Stage Austin Convention Center

- 4PM, Cedar Street

Saturday, March 17 – 10PM, Hype Hotel

Youth Lagoon: Dreamy, quiet, subtle, creeping, takes it time and then takes you over. Very emotive.

Wednesday, March 14 – 2:30PM, Skinny’s Ballroom

- 4:40PM, Red 7

- 11PM, IFC Crossroads house at Vice

Thursday, March 15 – Mohawk (between noon & 6PM)

- 3PM, Hype Hotel

- 1AM, Club DeVille

Friday, March 16 – 4PM, Flamingo Cantina

Saturday, March 17 – noon, Waterloo Records

Elle King: Sweet, young, with snarl. Pop singer from the south — and maybe our answer to Adele?

Thursday, March 15 – 8PM, Creekside at Hilton Garden Inn

Friday, March 16 – 10:40PM, Stubb’s

The Tontons: Dance-rock from Texas with fantastic lead female vocals. Heavy on the rock.

Thursday, March 15 – 8PM, Deseo Centro Lounge

Friday, March 16 – Gypsy Lounge, between 10AM & 6PM

The Ettes: I first saw the Ettes when they were opening for the Dead Weather. It was an apt pairing, and this little-band-that-could is firmly standing on its own two feet. Sexy, bluesy rock that screams in the night and leaves scratch marks behind.

Wednesday, March 14 – 11PM, East Side Tone

Thursday, March 15 – 4:05PM, Swan Dive

- 12AM, the Iron Bear

Nightmare and the Cat: Adorable brothers playing up the “we’re so different!” thing, but with a seriously awesome sound. Soulful but lighthearted rock with a bit of a wink and swagger in its step, this stuff is fun.

Thursday, March 15 – 11PM, the Loft

Gossip: I had to do a double-take when I saw Gossip on this year’s SXSW lineup. I used to play this Beth Ditto-powered band on my college radio show weekly, so the opportunity to see this pop powerhouse is pretty unbelievable. You wanna dance? You wanna see Gossip.

Thursday, March 15 – 1PM, Google Lot

- 1AM, Maggie Mae’s Rooftop

Milo Greene: Beautiful folk music with fantastic male/female lead harmonies. I love the urgency in “1957.” In the vein of the Head and the Heart, but a little less precious (which is refreshing).

Thursday, March 15 – 8PM, Stubb’s

- 12AM, Maggie Mae’s Rooftop

Saturday, March 17 – 3PM, Cedar Street

Chairlift: If for nothing else than their AMAZING choose-your-own-ending music video, I am going to check this band out. But, the nice part is, their music is awesome as well. Layered, beautiful vocals, set to exciting early-80s but also kind of 70s music…love it.

Wednesday, March 14 – Mohawk (day show, no time listed)

- 5:30PM, Empire Automotive

Thursday, March 15 – 1PM, 1100 Warehouse

- 5PM, Flamingo Cantina

- 1AM, the Parish

Friday, March 16 – 5PM, Beauty Bar

- 12AM, Empire Auto & Club 606

Geographer: pretty outer-space electronic grooves, a sweet, airy vocalist and deep, throbbing beats. Love, love, love.

Wednesday, March 14 – La Zona Rosa (no time given)

Thursday, March 15 – Emo’s East (day show, no time given)

- 11PM, Soho Lounge

Karim Ouellet:  Jazzy pop in French AND English?! My heart swoons. I love this! It’s got hip-hop flavors, but it’s mostly smooth, jazzy pop.

Thursday, March 15 – 9M, Spill

Plants & Animals: Deeply felt music, sung from the gut. It transcends catchy indie-rock by having so much punch — emotive, it sneaks up on you.

Thursday, March 15 – 11:30PM, St. David’s Historic Sanctuary

Friday, March 16 – 3:45PM, Lovejoys

Saturday, March 17 – 2PM, Radio Day Stage Austin Convention Center

- 1AM, Spill

What Made Milwaukee Famous: What Made Milwaukee Famous are back and better than ever. Strong, catchy, sing-along anthems and car trip fare.

Wednesday, March 14 – 4:15PM, Parish

Thursday, March 15 – 12AM, The Studio by HGTV

Saturday, March 17 – 2:45PM, Snack Bar

Yukon Blonde: Saw these gentlemen live, and they DESTROYED. Gorgeous harmonies, craaazy guitar work, animated performers. Genuine & fantastic.

Thursday, March 15 – 4PM, Aussie’s Grill & Beach Bar

- 9PM, Trinity Hall

Friday, March 16 – 12:10PM, Home Slice Pizza

Saturday, March 17 – 4PM, East Side Tone

Glen Hansard: Mastermind behind the Frames, the Swell Season, the movie Once and an Academy Award winner, Glen Hansard is a fiery live performer who sings from his heart every time.

Thursday, March 15 – Hotel Vegas (no time given; day show)

Friday, March 16 – 5PM, Stage on Sixth

- 10:30PM, Antone’s

Saturday, March 17 – 9AM, Four Seasons Hotel

The American Secrets: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. member! The FreeCreditReport.com band! So many reasons to see these guys. Similar to Dale Earnhardt fare, these are upbeat poppy tunes with force.

Friday, March 16 – 11PM, IFC Crossroads House at Vice

The Big Pink: I adore these moody electro-rockers. “Dominoes” was my theme song for months, and I fell in love with the band with my whole heart after seeing them play with swagger and sex appeal at Lollapalooza.

Friday, March 16 – 10PM, Lustre Pearl

Saturday, March 17 – 12PM, Radio Day Stage Austin Convention Center

- W Hotel (day party, no time given)

Ben Kweller: Ben has become the patron saint of indie rock here in Austin. He frequently makes guest appearances with touring singer-songwriters and rock bands, and seems like the kind of guy who would be a great friend. His music is laid back, real and honest.

Wednesday, March 14 – 8:30AM, W Hotel

- 5PM, the Stage on Sixth

Friday, March 16 – 3PM, Radio Day Stage Austin Convention Center

Michael Kiwanuka: Soulful music straight outta the 70s. This is just like something my mom would have played me when I was growing up, or when she was driving me to school. Stax material to the core.

Wednesday, March 14 – 9AM, W Hotel

- 3PM, Radio Day Stage Austin Convention Center

Friday, March 16 – 12:30AM, St. David’s Historic Sanctuary

Saturday, March 17 – 8PM, Stubb’s

Chuck Ragan: Chuck Ragan is like what would happen if Bruce Springsteen were a bit more mean, and had a punk background. He’s got some incredible friends that he takes on his Revival Tour, who share stories of blue-collar America — the struggles and the triumphs.

Friday, March 16 – 3PM, Ballroom G Day Stage, Austin Convention Center

Saturday, March 17 – 4:30PM, Waterloo Records

David Ramirez: Sweet voice, soft and heartbroken lyrics, gentle guitar picking. My kinda guy.

Saturday, March 17 – 12AM, the Tap Room at Six

Peelander-Z: Crazy, colorful punk rockers who play guitar upside-down and backwards. Human bowling! Kawaii mascots! So Many Mike! Steak!!!

Wednesday, March 14 – 4PM, Elysium

Saturday, March 17 – 6:25PM, the Grackle

- 1AM, Treasure Island

Sunday, March 18 – 4PM, Springdale Farm

Photo by @griffinshot - Tim Griffin, c/o Brooklyn Vegan

Radiohead has never made happy music. From their first hit “Creep” to now, they have always been a band to explore themes of political unjust and despair, of the downfall and conforming of the human race, of the end of the world. However previously, despite these dark themes, layers of guitar managed to keep a sense of warmth running through the songs. No matter how distorted, the familiar sound of six strings shouting out has helped audiences to jump, throw fists in the air, and forcefully rock out with a sense of unity. Even the saddest songs from the band’s pre-King of Limbs era (see “How to Disappear Completely”, “Street Spirit (Fade Out),” “All I Need,” et al.) had a sweetness to them that made them gently sad. Perhaps only “Fitter, Happier” was an indication of the kind of anguish we would be exposed to on King of Limbs.

On this tour, in particular, it seems that the band is wholly embracing their new, unembraceable low. Radiohead has taken their electronic experimentations to a stark soundscape that is cold and unrelenting. Before their concert, I remarked to Zack that King of Limbs actually had more soft songs than even Kid A or Amnesiac — “Give Up the Ghost” and “Separator” are 25% of the album, and offer some release from the inhuman, twitchy electric barking that is featured on the rest of the album. But their set as a whole offers very little relief these days. Even when they dig into their older material, the band seems focused on their blackest material. “Myxomatosis,” “Idioteque,” “Paranoid Android” and “Kid A” all build a sense of sadness and paranoia that fits so perfectly with our modern world that it is depressing.

This is not to say that Radiohead concerts are no longer enjoyable. Seeing the band perform at the Erwin Center last night in Austin — which is hardly a venue deserving of them, really — was nothing short of magical. Thom Yorke was firing on all cylinders, Jonny Greenwood had his same boy-genius aura about him. The band was on fire. But, the crowd was not, and it was something that confounded me throughout the evening and into the morning hours. The Austin crowd showed up a bit late, and General Admission was disgustingly sparse about 20 feet back from the stage, but other than that, for all intents and purposes, they made it clear they were fans. They were respectful in that there was very little talking (if any at all) during songs, they cheered in an uproarious mass in between each song, and there was legitimate, loving cheering when we brought the band back out for 2 encores. However, there were only tiny pockets of us dancing and losing ourselves in the music — otherwise, people would clap excitedly for a song, and then stand stick-straight, arms crossed, with serious looks on their faces, unmoving.

This is, hands down, the strangest crowd I’ve ever been a part of. It made no sense to me. Clearly these people loved Radiohead, if not as much as I did, enough to shell out money and stand for hours to watch them perform (from the opener “Bloom,” the crowd as a whole, even in the stands, stood the entire time with only a few exceptions). But, unlike the last time I saw Radiohead play on their In Rainbows tour, nobody danced. Nobody sang along, really. People seemed stunned into silence.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think that this has to do with the content of the band’s material. The songs are so gloomy, that why would you want to dance? I do, because I dance at pretty much everything, but I can understand being so upset by this noisy, confusing, overwhelming reflection of our society that you just can’t breathe, almost.

Thom Yorke offsets this mood by being his elfin, devilish, child-like self, of course. There were many human moments that he threw us, like bones for a starving dog, to allow us to laugh and have some relief.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

I can’t imagine being the opening band Other Lives. From what I could tell, the members of this Oklahoman outfit were all 20-somethings, meaning they all must have had a Radiohead phase where they obsessed about the band, Thom Yorke, everything. A phase during which they likely stood in front of their mirrors and said, “I’d like to thank Radiohead for inviting us here tonight,” and then chuckled, shaking their heads at themselves and their own momentary gumption. So when the lead singer of the group actually said, “I’d like to thank Radiohead for having us here, we are so honored,” although he pulled that line off from all the rehearsing, he stumbled over his next sentence, crushed under the weight of the former.

However, the booking agents made a good decision in getting Other Lives to open for Radiohead. The band filled the room with incredible ease, and made me aware of just how gorgeous the Erwin sound system is. More than being a band that plays soundtracks, Other Lives’ music actually transported me to a dusty Western town, in the middle of a gun fight, and to a frightening and breathless horseback-driven chase, and to a place where my lover has just been captured and I don’t know how I’ll save him. It was big, booming Western music, and made the time pass quickly to the main attraction of the night.

It’s always surreal to see Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway in person. I say “always” as if it is a regular occurrence — it isn’t, of course. But it does feel so strange, like it can’t be real. I can’t imagine being these men, just people, when fans like me put them on that surreal pedestal.

They opened with “Bloom,” the first track off of King of Limbs, and kept the new songs coming for quite a while after that. “The Daily Mail” was the first song to really make me swoon — it reminds me so much of the Beatles, with its full sound and orchestral crest.

“Kid A” was the moment where I really felt like I understood where the band was coming from. It’s pied-piper-of-the-apocalypse message made me feel at once understood and isolated, which is a rare trick for a song. “The National Anthem” was the first song where I really felt the strange disparity in the crowd. That song rock so hard, but even the band momentarily fell apart as Phil tried to slow the tempo down, and the second drummer didn’t seem to quite catch on. It was the only hiccup in the entire show, but it seemed reflective of the mood. I was flailing and losing myself in the song, but at that moment I opened one eye to look at the band, and saw that the crowd was motionless. It totally sucked the energy out of the room, and slowed my moves a bit, too.

Two songs later, “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” picked us back up again. It also allowed Thom to be a goofball. During the song, I tried to put myself back in Germany, standing alone at a tram stop, waiting to go to class, and that song came on right as rain droplets began to fall from the sky. It was one of those perfect moments, where the universe tunes into your rhythms and everything clicks. When the song ended, Thom took on the persona of a Texan valley girl, telling us in a thick accent, “S’aaaaaaaalll goooooood!” He said it twice, becoming a little more absurd each time, and then told a story to try to explain himself (but it really didn’t). He said the band had gone down to Barton Springs, but it was closed, and then he went on a tangent about our “Keep Austin Weird” shirts. He said, “I like that. ‘Keep Austin Weird.’ You have weird fishes all over the city.” A huge roar went up at this statement — it was a unifier. Though the music seemed bleak, it helped us reconnect with the band and remember that we were all in this thing together.

New song “Identikit” was as electronic as the rest, but also had almost hip-hop beats running throughout, giving it some soul and heft that was really engaging. “Lotus Flower” followed by “There There” finally loosed some free spirits in the audience, and I kept myself tuned in to them when I wasn’t watching the band. The group ended their opening set with “Idioteque,” and I did hear a few quiet voices singing along here and there.

After incredible applause, the band returned and started up with my favorite song off of King of Limbs, “Separator.” This is the song that promises a little hope, and it is so appropriate that it comes at the very end of the album. It’s not happy, exactly — the way I see it, it’s a promise that we can all shake off whatever haze we’re in and make something happen. “If you think this is over, then you’re wrong.” This was the only song where I came close to crying, because it just felt so nice to have some encouragement from a man I admire so much.

“Everything in Its Right Place” ended the first encore, and I noticed how appropriate it was that much of the time, the large digital screens floating above the stage were focused on Colin Greenwood’s face. I feel like his mug should be the band’s mascot — he looks endlessly glum, with wide, sad eyes and a face somewhere between fear and shock. It’s as though his expressions are born from the music, or maybe vice-versa. In any event, he and Phil Selway often filled the screens, with Phil acting as the bald-headed robotic future.

The final encore was like a story unto itself, with a soft beginning, build-up in the middle, and a climaxing end. “Give Up the Ghost” featured just Thom and Jonny on stage, and particularly put Yorke’s vocals front and center. The man has the voice of a god, it must be said. It floats and dances within itself, and is simply other worldly. Looped over and over in harmony, it is transcendent.

“You and Whose Army?” was one of my favorite performances when I first saw Radiohead live, and Thom was up to his same old tricks, looking both playfully and threateningly into the camera onstage as he challenged us and included us in his gang, all at once. When the song explodes in movement at the end, he rose his arms, directing the crowd to sing out. It was unforgettable.

Finally, “Paranoid Android” ended the evening. Before they began, Thom thanked us all for attending, saying, “It’s awfully silly that this giant arena full of people all came out to spend their evening listening to a little band play songs.” Nothing was silly about this song — it allowed Jonny Greenwood to destroy us with his guitar riff, it allowed Thom to be intimidating and wild, it allowed the whole band to let loose something raw. Ed O’Brien looked right up into our section as we sang along, and nodded his head in approval. This song still didn’t get people dancing, but finally a chorus of voices could be heard mimicking Thom’s. It ended the night on a high, albeit paranoid, note.

Seeing King of Limbs live unlocked it for me. I was not a fan of this album on first listen. It was so electronic, so foreign and cold and unwelcoming, that I could not bring myself to listen more than a few times. I loved Thom’s voice on “Lotus Flower,” and I loved the beats on “Morning Mr. Magpie.” Beyond that, I just couldn’t handle it. Now, having taken in a light show mimicking the madness of our big city streets or television and computer and phone and device screens in our home, I feel like I understand. It is a product of the world we live in, and a product of Thom’s disgust with how the world is run. It’s a product of a band challenging itself to continue to grow, instead of take steps backward. It is a beautiful album that will offer some relief, if you are vulnerable with it. And it has totally restored my faith in the greatness of Radiohead.

Katie Herzig – Free My Mind from Katie Herzig on Vimeo.

Katie Herzig seems to answer the question, “What would happen if we combined the quirkiness of Regina Spektor, the pop sensibilities of Robyn and Kylie Minogue and the gentleness of Gotye?” Before I got through the entirety of “Free My Mind,” I was already singing the chorus to myself. Herzig’s voice is sweetly earnest, but without being so airy or bubbly as to evaporate — it sticks with you and hits all the right chords. Her music itself is a really cool collaboration of both indie and popular styles, giving it an undeniably universal appeal.

On top of her endearing, catchy and fun music, Herzig’s music videos are memorable pieces of art in their own right. They’re flights of fancy that often employ stop motion, bright colors and striking imagery. It will be interesting to see what Herzig’s stage persona is like, since she fills video space so fully.

Although Herzig has written songs for television and movies, The Waking Sleep was a return to writing music for herself. Knowing that, you’d have to guess that Katie is a creative, upbeat, wonderful person to know.

Katie Herzig performs tonight at Stubb’s Jr. with Rebecca Butler & the Richards. Tickets are $10, doors are at 8PM, and concert starts at 8:30PM.