SXSW Music 2007
I think we have decided not to ever get wristbands again unless there is some absolute must-see that is worth an arm and a leg. The non-official shows are increasing in number every year to where there is so much to do it's silly. Besides, you can probably get into a show unbanded and unbadged if you try. It depends on the venue.
Soaking rain and indoor shows
Photo Gallery Tuesday
We started early this year with shows on Tuesday. There was an invitation-only show at Stubb's inside featuring Brett Dennen and Waylon Payne -- along with free food and booze. Always an unexpected pleasure. There were even some veggie side dishes for us non-meat-eaters. Brett Dennen is one of those people to watch. He's got a nice laid-back pop sound and good songwriter. We were introduced to Trent Summar, but still have not seen him play.
After Stubb's we went to Threadgill's for a great show featuring songwriters. Monte Warden was hosting and playing the breaks. Ones we saw were Brit John Siddle, Aussie Kara Grainger, Gurf Morlix, Betty Soo, and Sonny Throckmorton. Sonny has written an incredibly long list of songs that others have recorded, including "The Way I Am", made famous by Merle Haggard. It was a treat getting to watch him play. More on Kara later in the week.
Pete Townshend for $15
Photo Gallery Wednesday
Early in the afternoon we stopped by Waterloo Ice House where Brandon Jenkins and the Thrift Store Cowboys played (that's two separate bands, not one). Then we went over to Maria's Taco Xpress for a great afternoon with the Ginn Sisters, followed by Kim DesChamps (lap steel/dobro/guitar) played with a couple of songer-songwriters: Lee Winright from Bandera, and Andrew Walker from Ontario (who said he's thinking of moving here). Andrew Walker... what a great voice, kind of a cross between Michael Fracasso and Ellis Paul. Then Kim got up with his electric band (gotta love the graphic on the drum kit!) which includes Matt Giles.
Austin Music Awards: surprise guest, Pete Townshend! He played a few songs with Ian McLagen. WOW! Lots of other folks played, Carrie Rodriguez, Shandon Sahm and the Tex-Mex Experience (including the legendary Flaco Jimenez), Bobby Whitlock (new Austinite and ex-Derek & the Dominoes/Delaney & Bonnie), and Jimmie Vaughan with James Cotton, Gary Clark Jr and Derek O'Brien. Patrice Pike was the big winner at the Awards this year (she was on MTV's Rockstar and has a huge fan base here) along with Ian McLagen & band and Asleep at the Wheel. Our young friend Sarah Jarosz won Best Kid Band and we were super-proud of her. She really deserves it!
Alleys and Eateries
Photo Gallery Thursday
We got to Yard Dog around noon or so, in time to see The 1900s followed by Elvis Perkins, who is a very interesting singer-songwriter-performer. He has a bit of a "hook" in that his father was actor Anthony Perkins, and his mother was killed in a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. Those are the types of things that raise people's curiousity, but he is really worth seeing regardless of the curiosity factor. We enjoyed Elvis, then went over to Home Slice Pizza to see who was playing, and it was a good rock band from San Francisco called Scissors For Lefty. Still enjoying the beautiful weather in the Austin parking lots, we crossed the street to Jo's Coffee, and after chilling out for awhile we watched The Octopus Project. They had just won the Austin Music Award for Best Experimental Band. They are a kind of psych rock band with a theramin, which was played Jimmy Page style (as a rock instrument).
Leaving South Congress, we went over to Maria's Taco Xpress and saw a band called Beamont LaGrange, followed by The Texas Sapphires. (I just did their new website) they put on a fantastic show! I really hope they start playing there regularly. They play really good, old-fashioned country music, some old covers and lots of original stuff.
City Hall, ME TV, Yard Dog and Flipnotics
Photo Gallery Friday
The Band of Heathens (link plays music) is one of the best bands in town. No kidding! They just the Austin Music Award for Best New Band and came in second on Band of the Year. A nice mix of Little Feat, The Band, Marshall Tucker and great original songwriting gives them a sound you can't resist. We saw them at City Hall at noon. We caught Graham Parker for a couple of songs at the Yard Dog. Would love to see his show show sometime. We headed over to the METV (Music Entertainment Television) studios for The Greencards segment taping, and got to watch the Holloways (UK), Pistolera (NY) and Elizabeth Cook tape their performances first. The really kept things going at a rapid pace over there. Looks like a tight ship! In the early evening we went over to Flipnotics to see Kara Grainger. She's somebody you should really check out. Great soulful voice, good songwriting, slide acoustic guitar and good vibe. Eric Johnson plays on a track on her CD that will come out later this year, and he stopped by to see her as well. We got to chat with him for a couple of minutes. Always a pleasure. We were also introduced to Jackie Bristow (from New Zealand), Kara's label mate. We still have not seen Jackie play but hope to do that in the next few months.
St. Patrick's Day and unwinding
Photo Gallery Saturday
Went over to the Dog & Duck by around noon for St. Patrick's day festivities. Really wanted to see the Tea Merchants, who had just won an Austin Music Award for Best World Music. They were fantastic, and played for over an hour. I had fully intended to go to the RajiWorld Party at Big Red Sun for the rest of the afternoon... it's the party of the day... but we stopped by Jo's Coffee, watched Black Water Gospel, and part of The Small Stars when I started getting a strong urge to just chill somewhere. I wanted to find a place without throngs of people jockeying for position, where birds could be heard chirping, and there was no one giving it their all to entertain me. We walked nearly to Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse before realizing that, unlike every other day, they had live entertainment! It was a rap artist and a couple of drums. Exactly what I was not in the mood for -- so we got in the car and went over to Shady Grove. Perfect! Ended up with a table right next to Jill and Heidi from McGuckin PR, and Carol Young from The Greencards. I think that Shady Grove should get the Award for the Best Place to Restore Your Sanity and Chill Out. It was a beautiful week, gorgeous weather, great music, and it seemed like a good time to call it a festival for the year.