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SXSW Report: DAY 1

Here’s what I remember…..

I spent most of that afternoon (last wednesday) at the Canadian Blast party in the Brush square. Solid sets by Magneta Lane and Pilate. Swollen Members, not so great. They did have a great big tour bus, but I’m not sure the crowd appreciated the long wait in between them and the band before them.

I remember having Tex Mex that night. One of the cool things about SXSW is that everything is so damn close. I ordered my food, left the table, went down 6th street 2 blocks, and caught two songs by Aberdeen City. They were great. And the food was waiting for me when I returned.

After dinner I jumped across the street to see two songs from Sailboats are White and a couple songs from the Hot Springs. Could they be a new buzz band? They do hail from Montreal….. but apparently Edmonton is the new Montreal.

A short hike then a couple tunes from Head Automatica. Then, the coolest thing happened. I heard that the Flaming Lips were performing a surprise set at a nearby outdoor venue. I missed their cover of Bohemian Rhapsody, but caught their rendition of Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ (with Peaches). Second last stop, Wolfmother.

Last stop, and the best way to wind down the night? Mogwai. Purely awesome.

Decoder Ring

I have a good reason for not posting. I spent the last 6 days in Austin, TX (also known as Awesome, TX) seeing concerts, eating nachos and drinking bad beer.

Top award goes to a beer called Fat Tire. It scored high for having a cool name, but was knocked down to a low score for tasting like its name. I don’t care if it is from Belgium.

And my day to day SXSW report is on the way. I seemed to have left my notes in the office.

I will mention the shiniest gem I heard in Awesome. They are a band from Australia called Decoder Ring.

Its a six piece from Sydney ‘blending analogue synths with indie-rock guitars to create a streamlined electro-rock fusion’. They switch instruments and groove onstage like the Arcade Fire. The lead singer is not only a great ethereal singer, but she is gorgeous. And the band use old film projectors to project short films on to them while they perform.

I checked my right arm while watching them perform ‘Serac‘ and saw goosebumps. Band barometer never lies.

**Interesting thing to note. This band is getting a lot of attention for the scoring work they do. Music for an Aussie-Indie film called ‘Somersault’ by Cate Shortland received not only a standing ovation at Cannes, but won the coveted AFI award.

My advice is to check out the song ‘Fractions‘. Wait for it…. it layers and builds…. layers and builds.

The Acorn

I first heard The Acorn while listening to CBC Radio 3’s podcast.

The song ‘Blankets’ came on (from the bands second effort, an EP called the ‘Blankets!’ EP) and it stuck with me for a couple days. Then as I heard more of their music on their website (or on their label’s site, Kelp Records out of Ottawa), I took that extra step and bought both their discs. Haven’t regretted it yet.

The music is described by the band as ‘intricate acoustic arrangements with euphoric melodies’. Four of their strongest tracks can be found here, I recommend spending some time with the song Darcy.

Stay tuned for the ‘South-By’ Report; tall tales from the heart of North America’s most exciting and chaotic music festival SXSW. I ship out today.

The Secret Machines

So, last night I went to a concert, some guy pushed me, then the crowd started swirling. Then I got kicked out. And never got to talk to that girl that I was meant to…

Maybe I’ll have to watch this video a couple more times. (It’s in windows media format, if it doesn’t work, try their myspace page). It’s an amazing song called ‘Lightning Blue Eyes’.? Beautifully placed refrain (of ahhs) in between the last two choruses.

Fjord Rowboat

I had to look up the meaning of Fjord to refresh my memory. Was I ever taught this word in school?

To quote the band from their New Music Canada site, Fjord Rowboat has been trying to ‘save the world with Reverb since 2004’. Does saving the world mean recording and performing lush atmospheric shoegazer athems covered in layered with soft echoed vocals?

Maybe. But’s its too early to tell.

Check out ‘Paragon‘. Chorus kicks in strong, makes you want to go see it live.? If so, they play this Saturday, March 11th. Drake Hotel. With two great bands, Raised by Swans and Madrid.