SXSW 2007 Day 1

After a six AM flight out of Minneapolis and an hour layover in Dallas, I officially arrived in Austin, Texas for the annual South by Southwest music conference for the second time in as many years. Not booking your hotel months in advance these days means that you don’t stay downtown, but instead in one of many hotels lining the Austin highways. The La Quinta Inn and Suites is where I will call home this week.

A quick nap at the hotel put a little spring back into my step and got me ready for the evening. Stacy (Sandstrom, HWTS photographer and writer) and I hopped in a cab with our driver “Rain” and made it downtown for the night’s events. South By Southwest’s official showcases mostly take place in the evening, but the music conference attracts vendors and other business that host free day parties, taking advantage of the absurd amount of people that fill the streets of Austin for each year’s conference.

We had some time to kill and as we walked around downtown I was quickly reminded of what makes SXSW so special. There are musicians and music EVERYWHERE. You cant walk two blocks without seeing a group of musicians playing on a street corner or hearing a band’s music blaring out of venue’s open doors. There is gear in the street, waiting to be loaded into clubs, and music industry conversation everywhere you turn. This is my kind of conference.

The keynote was given by Peter Townshend of legendary rock band “The Who.” Mr. Townshend spoke to a mostly full Hilton ballroom of eager fans and music appreciators alike. His words mostly spoke of the past and current state of music. Peter also talked about his time with the Who and what he was trying to accomplish with the songs he would write. The keynote was honest and witty, a nice way to kick things off.

At last it was time to get to the bands. The first showcase I checked out was the “Sub Pop Records” showcase at Emo’s IV. Maps and Atlases, (the only band NOT on Sub Pop of the evening) started the night out with their technical and innovative brand of math rock. Led by Dave Davison’s wailing vocals, the band slaps you in the face with fits of guitar harmonics and razor sharp drumming. Speaking of the drumming, I have no problem crowning Maps and Atlases’ drummer the best of SXSW. Speed and consistency aside, his sheer innovation on the set, using his shells, rims and hardware in ways I have never seen before, puts him ahead of most drummers I have ever seen and I would be shocked if I see a better drummer in the next four days.

As soon as Maps and Atlases finished their set, I hustled over to the Beauty Bar Patio to check out Langhorne Slim. Slim’s lip curling songs remind me of the smell of cigarette smoke and dirt on your hands. Although I have been a big fan of his work over the years, I have never been able to catch him live. I was surprised to find that he plays with two other guys. An upright bassist and brush-wielding drummer round-out Langhorne’s band. His down-home twang and obvious Dylan influences were a treat.

One of the toughest things about SXSW is the conflicts that come up while trying to plan your evening’s schedule. Often you will be faced with a decision to check out a new band that you have never seen before, or going to see one of your favorite live acts. My first crossroads was tonight at 10PM when I chose to go see “To Live and Die in LA’ rather than go to Emo’s to see ‘Beirut’ who I had seen this fall in London. To Live and Die in LA is a pretty straight ahead rock band. They don’t do anything amazingly special or mind-blowing. The band uses a mixer to supply ambient sound samples to create more of a ‘wall of sound.’ The effect is nice, and the guys sound great on record, but it just didn’t come across as well in a live setting.

This past summer my Itunes was dominated by “LDN” and “Smile” by a then up and coming pop star, Lily Allen. These days she is one of the biggest celebrities in the U.K. and is looking to sink her teeth into the states as well. Austin’s premier midsized venue, Stubb’s was home to one of Lily’s first shows stateside and anticipation filled the air as the capacity crowd (including an out of place Adam Sandler) waited for Allen to take the stage. After a short wait the lights went down and Lily came on, bottle of Budweiser in one hand, cigarette (or fag) in the other. She played only 5 songs in her short set and although the songs were tight, especially accentuated by a charming three piece horn section, the energy level was low. Lily admitted to being drunk, having ‘been sitting in her bus waiting all day to play,’ and paced the stage back and forth for the entirety of her 30 minute set. What was most interesting about this was the crowd’s reaction, anybody who has heard Lily Allen’s music knows that it is danceable pop music. That being said, almost nobody in attendance seemed to be dancing or even moving around much. I quickly decided that it was because that most people, much like myself, were there simply to see what all the hype as been about, and in Lily’s case, not much.

After leaving Stubb’s disappointed I decided to take another chance and check out a band that I had heard little from in the past, Les Savy Fav. The Brooklyn based band would simply be a high energy rock band if it wasn’t for front man Tim Harrington (think Kyle Glass and Har Mar Superstar). The man is overweight, balding, but has plenty of hair elsewhere on his body. The thirty-something squeezed into a spandex full body suit and took us all for a ride. The crowd, full of seemingly hardcore Les Savy Fav fans screamed along as Harrington used the entire room as his play area. Dragging kids onstage to simulate sex acts, climbing to the bar to have the bartender sing a chorus, and laying in the middle of the floor, he pulled out all the stops. The raw energy that this band brought truly blew me away. It was somehow offensive and inspiring at the same time. That’s what I love about this conference, the idea of being able to stumble across insane bands like this at almost any hour of the day. There is so much to do and see, it truly is an adventure. What will tomorrow’s discoveries be? Time will tell.