Ritchie Havens

So sorry that the world has lost Ritchie Havens. He was an icon of the music festivals of the 1960s (where I saw him quite a few times), and if you've seen the movie "Woodstock" you must have been moved by his "Freedom." He was sooo wonderful. He wrote many songs, but was also a master of the cover song, he would make a song his own. We both got to see him as recently as 2003, during SXSW he played an official showcase at the Cedar Street Courtyard where we watched him from a few feet away on a warm night. This is probably my favorite listen from Ritchie Havens, "Follow."



Follow
Words by Jerry Merrick

Let the river rock you like a cradle
Climb to the treetops, child, if you’re able
Let your hands tie a knot across the table.
Come and touch the things you cannot feel.
And close your fingertips and fly where I can’t hold you
Let the sun-rain fall and let the dewy clouds enfold you
And maybe you can sing to me the words I just told you,
If all the things you feel ain’t what they seem.
And don’t mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream.

The mocking bird sings each different song
Each song has wings - they won’t stay long.
Do those who hear think he's doing wrong?
While the church bell tolls its one-note song
And the school bell is tinkling to the throng.
Come here where your ears cannot hear.
And close your eyes, child, and listen to what I’ll tell you
Follow in the darkest night the sounds that may impel you
And the song that I am singing may disturb or serve to quell you
If all the sounds you hear ain’t what they seem,
Then don’t mind me ‘cos I ain’t nothin’ but a dream.

The rising smell of fresh-cut grass,
Smothered cities choke and yell with fuming gas;
I hold some grapes up to the sun
And their flavour breaks upon my tongue.
With eager tongues we taste our strife
And fill our lungs with seas of life.
Come taste and smell the waters of our time.
And close your lips, child, so softly I might kiss you,
Let your flower perfume out and let the winds caress you.
As I walk on through the garden, I am hoping I don’t miss you
If all the things you taste ain’t what they seem,
Then don’t mind me ‘cos I ain’t nothin’ but a dream.

The sun and moon both are right,
And we’ll see them soon through days of night
But now silver leaves on mirrors bring delight.
And the colours of your eyes are fiery bright,
While darkness blinds the skies with all its light.
Come see where your eyes cannot see.
And close your eyes, child, and look at what I’ll show you;
Let your mind go reeling out and let the breezes blow you,
Then maybe, when we meet, suddenly I will know you.
If all the things you see ain't what they seem,
Then don’t mind me ‘cos I ain’t nothin’ but a dream .
And you can follow; And you can follow; follow…

Those boots

Remember the pairs of mysterious gold boots that were draped, tennis shoe style over the wires around town? (Things can ALWAYS get more fabulous, and you truly never know what you will see during SXSW!) I didn’t think they were an official SXSW decoration (not corporate enough) but a rogue act.

I just went to the CD release for (awesome local band) The Wheeler Brothers, which is called “Gold Boots Glitter.” I have a very strong suspicion that the boots were a tribute. Anyway, I am kind of new to The Wheeler Brothers even though they've been causing a stir in the local music scene for awhile. They are a really good band, and know we know they have a lot of style too. Here's a video from their earlier record - worth watching on its own merits just for being fun.

A pic from the in-store at Waterloo Records:

When I opened up the CD, my jaw dropped in amazement at the design of it! Flaps unfold, and unfold again, and eventually it turns into a popup! The insert slides underneath the burning guy. They don't give out prizes anymore in this town for album art, but if they did, this one should win.

I hope that there is always a need and a purpose for physical album art. Maybe the resurgence of vinyl will ensure that, for awhile anyway. I really like Gold Boots Glitter, and thin maybe I should buy some more Wheeler Brothers.


Image from Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966)

Zombie Day and The End

We got downtown early enough to be able to head back to the Waterloo Records parking lot to see The Zombies, a band I have loved since I was about 12. They still have enough principal original people in the band to keep their credentials and sound solid (with Colin Blunstone, lead vocals, and Rod Argent, keyboards).

The Zombies

Some old footage:

We saw them at noon, then again at 2pm down the street at a bike shop (where KEXP of Seattle was hosting their SXSW live broadcasts). We were pretty close at the Waterloo parking lot stage, but really just inches away at the bike shop. Tickled pink.

Our friend who was with at the KEXP show drove us over to Threadgill's for the Folk Alliance party, which was certainly the most relaxed and easiest event of the week. You could go inside or out, order dinner and drinks, sit wherever you like, listen to good music, and chat with friends. I finally got to see Willie Nile (after years of recommendations) and he was good - also a blast when he came out to dance with the audience.

Willie Nile and dancer

It was Saturday afternoon and time to start winding it down for the week. We don't don't anything on Southby Sunday, even if it IS St. Paddy's Day. Dem's da rules (unwritten). We headed down to South Congress to hit the big stage at SXSJ (South by San Jose), another parking lot and just jammed full of folks. MrB was a hero and wiggled us up to the front, where we got to see Dawes for the last time. Here is a well-recorded video of one of their shows from the week.


We saw:
Caroline Brooks, Courrier, Seryn, The Preservation, Emily Reid, The Royalty, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Quiet Company, Dawes, Delta Spirit, John McCauley, Kopecky Family Band, Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, Quiet Life, The Lone Bellow, Guards, Foxygen, Michael Fracasso, Nels Andrews, Nathan Hamilton, Birds of Chicago, von Grey, Shakey Graves, Milk Carton Kids, The Dunwells, Billy Bragg, Jesca Hoop, Frightened Rabbit, Alt-J, Richard Thompson, Billy Bragg, The Relatives, The Mavericks, Emmylou Harris with Rodney Crowell, The Zombies, Trey Hawkins, Willie Nile, Sahara Smith, Heartless Bastards.

43 shows, 38 acts (a few more than once, accounting for there being more shows than acts).

A pig and a unicorn went downtown...

"Goodnight Austin Texas... wherever you are."
-- Frank Zappa, Armadillo World Headquarters, 1975
-- Jack White, Austin City Limits, 2012

A Day at the Park(ing Lot)

Friday was easily planned.
(A) Go to Waterloo Records.
(B) Stay all day.

Waterloo's SXSW day shows have outgrown the inside of their record store (which actually hosted Iggy Pop & the Stooges in 2007, INSIDE the store from a tiny stage), and have more recently been held in the parking lot. The line waiting to get in was about a block long, but we still did great and ended up on the front rail. It was at capacity all day, and you can see why from this stunning lineup:

Frightened Rabbit, Alt-J, Richard Thompson, Billy Bragg, The Relatives, The Mavericks, and Emmylou Harris/Rodney Crowell

The Mavericks featuring Raul Malo

All folks that I either already loved or was wanting to see for the first time (Alt-J being in that category). It was all great, and there were autograph opportunities after each performance, for those willing to lose their concert turf and go into the store, that is... someone not me.

Here's The Mavericks with one of their badass new songs:

The legendary Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell

My 70s Goddess - I've only seen her once before and it was from back in the cheap seats. These free 'seats' proved to be much better. A sweet day.

Hop, skip and jump around

Golden glitter cowboy boots had been wrapped around high wires in several places around town. How they got there is a mystery.

As yesterday, we started at the Paste party at the crack of noon. The first band was “von Grey,” which we knew absolutely nothing about… turns out they are a very listenable group of 4 young sisters who sing and play various acoustic instruments (very well), and for lack of a better description I would say they play contemporary pop/grass Americana with just a slight Nashville flavor. Wow - that was a genre salad. See what you think:


We left Paste (The Stages on Sixth) after von Grey and walked some blocks over to the Pandora Discovery Den, which is usually known as Antone’s nightclub (that is until it moves to the Eastside this week). They have great lineups as well, and it’s really pleasant and cool inside. Also, maybe a bit less crowded than some other places because you need to RSVP for a wristband (which is free) and they don’t have free refreshments. Anyway, it makes for a nice atmosphere. We saw Shakey Graves, an Austin-based singer/songwriter who I highly recommend - a little along the lines of John Fullbright and maybe some Ryan Bingham flavor in my opinion - lots of soul. We talked with his manager while we were waiting in line. He was a really nice guy from Canada, although his name escapes me.

Next up was the Milk Carton Kids from Los Angeles. They reminded me of Gillian Welch/Dave Rawlings (esp. Dave's guitar), Chad and Jeremy, early Simon and Garfunkel... and their stage banter was dry and funny like the Smothers Brothers. Sweet stuff.

Milk Carton Kids

We left Antone's and hiked over to the Whole Foods rooftop just in time to catch The Dunwells from Leeds UK. I really like those guys, they are good and lots of fun to watch too. Go and see them if you can. This picture looks pretty comical where the guitar player on the right in concerned.

The Dunwells

The East/West bus was uselessly slow, so we walked back to Antone's in time for Billy Bragg and Dawes (3rd time). I have wanted to see Billy Bragg for years. Checked another one off of the must-see list.

Billy Bragg

Yet another hike back west got us in to see Jesca Hoop, who has a beautiful and hypnotic vocal and guitar style. We sat cross-legged on the floor in a really terrible music venue for her, but during southby there is live music coming from every nook and cranny.

Wednesday Day Shift

It was hard to be at the bus stop, all packed for the day, at 9:30AM after not getting to bed until around 3:00 the same morning. On the bus ride ride in, there was a big thump of a noise in front of us. A motorcycle and car had collided right in front of the bus. The rider was wearing a helmet, and fortunately was able to be helped to the curb, possibly injured but alive. The driver of the car was an old man who I think was probably too old be still be operating such dangerous machinery - but tragedy was averted, as far as we could tell.

We started out at the Wednesday Paste party, they never fail to present a lineup that's very impressive in quality. The venue is a great place to see a band, there's a stage indoors and one outdoors in the back under a tent... and real working bathrooms (not a small benefit, esp. for a woman in the SXSW throngs). They also have (free while they last) t-shirts, good beer, and cold Honest Tea. Yum.

The Lone Bellow was one of our must-sees, and they blew us away. Spectacular! Three strong voices to make you tingle and swoon. Also saw Guards, Foxygen (a young band channeling some mid-sixties and sound and style), and then Dawes (again) (I will try to hold back the gushing for now).

The Lone Bellow

Foxygen

Dawes

There was time for lunch at Koriente, a hike to the bus stop and headed south for Guero's Taco Bar courtyard - something called South-by-Soupfest, a benefit for the homeless shelter. It's a nice area for hanging out, big trees, picnic tables and benches, kids (and adults) romping it up and dancing. Watched several great local and not-so-local singer/songwriters before another of our must-see bands came up - Birds of Chicago (from Chicago and Canada). Soooo wonderful, so under the radar too. LOVE. Here's the scene right after sundown.


A fine day with beautiful weather.

Tuesday rowdiness

We went to the Dyn party last year, so this year when I RSVP'd they sent a code for VIP status. That meant that in addition to the free music we got free drinks, food, and swag (lighted tambourines, sunglasses, t-shirt, backpack, and hardcover journal), plus access to the side balconies where it was a teeny tiny bit less crowded.

A great, high-energy lineup, including Kopecky Family Band, John McCauley (Deertick, Diamond Rugs, Middle Brother) Delta Spirit and Dawes.

Delta Spirit's singer Matt Vasquez has been known to do some acrobatic stuff, and I hope he always makes it back down safely. Fun to watch... but OH NOOOOOOO!

First time to see John McCauley after wanted to see him for a year or so. This was the first of FOUR Dawes shows for us during SXSW, but I believe they played 14 times so it's not like we went to all of them. ;-) SXSW shows range from about 15 minutes to maybe 45, with most being a half-hour.

This was the hardest party to do for us because MrB had to work all day after getting up at 5:00am (not me though, I took Tuesday off). Then we hustled over to the bus transit center. The ride in went smoothly but the ride home with the "Night Owl route" (running on detours due to festival traffic), not knowing exactly where to catch it and then overshooting the transit center because - hey - I didn't not know they CLOSED it... sheesh... but we were walking on blisters after 7 hours of standing for music - and the half-hour commute took 2.5 hours.

Worth it? Yes.

Our day-party kickoff

We have already started our week-long SXSW music party as of yesterday. This one took place on the rooftop of the Whole Foods HQ, where it is always windy (and they really should install some turbines). It was a really good lineup with Seryn, What Made Milwaukee Famous, headliners Quiet Company and several others. I have already started working on my sunburn (or maybe this one is a windburn)! Here is Quiet Company:


Our next event is on Tuesday. Bring it.

Party business, it's March!

Hellloooo! Yes, I'm still alive and well - better than usual, in fact. My foot is healing up and it looks like I'm going to be left with some permanent aching and swelling, but it hurts less than the cyst that was removed, so I can live with it... at least I hope so.

We have not gone out as much for live music lately (have been cocooned in the house a lot, watching DVDs and such, even during nice weather... for shame!) but will make up for it in about a week when SXSW music kicks in. I have been very busy keeping track of all the day parties and their lineups, sending RSVPs and such, and making decisions soon. Lots of bands I love and some I want to see for the first time. Really going to try and see Dawes, The Lone Bellow, Emmylou Harris with Rodney Crowell, The Zombies (yup... returned from the 60s), Billy Bragg, maybe John Hiatt, maybe Divine Fits, maybe Birds of Chicago, Richard Thompson, The Dunwells, Delta Spirit, John McCauley, Josh Ritter, Alt-J... looking for wonderfulness and hoping our feet and backs hold up.

Someday, we will be too old for this.

The lines are worth it, SXSW Day 4

Well, all week I had been showing up to things embarrassingly early, and had been first in line more than once. This day I gave MrB a break and agreed to show up only maybe a half hour before doors opened - but then nearly freaked out when I saw the line to get into Rachael Ray's party. She has a great lineup with not only free drinks but free food. The first people in line got there at 6:40 AM for 10:30 doors. Very hard core. The line, from this point of view, turned a corner on the right and went another half city block. I was ready to give up, but he said we might as well stay to see what happened, and sure enough, we got in and there was plenty of room to spare. The food line was about as long as this one, so we called our orange wedge Blue Moon beer garnishes and Bloody Marys "food."

Skipping the food line allowed us to head to the indoor stage where we miraculously snagged a table and chairs on the upper level with a perfect rail view. I was amazed. Here's an example of the view of Jack White's label all-female The Black Belles. I was sort of hoping he might make an appearance, but this year I did not get to lay eyes on him.

The Black Belles

Rachael Ray
Also viewed from this vantage point: The Wild Feathers and Click Clack Boom. Then it was outside for GIVERS and we were headed home to prep for our final event. By 'prep' I just mean get off the bus and get the car.

One last walk down 6th St. for Southby sightseeing. Here is the weirdest-looking stage I ever saw (Rolling Stones excepted). It's hard to tell, but at ground level it's a music stage and the top of it is a giant Doritos vending machine.

To draw attention to your band, put a penis on the sign.

We were 2 of ~10,000 people who had won free tickets to an outdoor screening of Big Easy Express, a tour documentary about the Railroad Revival Tour including Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and the Old Crow Medicine Show - so we faced our second monster line of the day. This one must have been a couple of miles long, but it was very organized and moved quickly. I was starting to feel the effects of a cold coming on, so it didn't matter to me (for once) that I didn't get up close to the stage.

Here's the trailer for the film, which was absolutely pure joy, especially given the way that we got to see it - sitting on the lawn of the LBJ Library on the UT campus on a beautiful night - followed by a full concert performance by the musicians involved. Old Crow has sort of broken up since this happened, but they had representation there by a former member.

They even brought in the Austin High School Marching Band to perform with them on a number, because they had done that during the filming of the documentary. It was just so cool. We got a video here, and more goodies on my channel here. It was an amazing finale for our annual mad music bash. Cost for today's tickets = $0.


SXSW is a Rite of Spring. Very soon it will be hot as blazes and I won't want to go out. Very soon. Time to get some rest, and hit the Cold-Eeze. Tomorrow is another work day.

Blues club in pretty blue, SXSW Day 3

We have been to Antone's many times, and think of it as a concrete floor where it's always hot and sweaty (even in Winter) and overcrowded. Not necessarily bad things, but it is what it is. On this day, it looked like they had it all dressed up for the Prom or something. They took down all the pictures and posters hanging on the wall, the Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Doug Sahm, the old framed antiques showing unrecognizably young versions of the regular house band, and the big picture of Clifford Antone himself. They did keep that blue neon that just says BLUES, and it looked really good with all the added hanging Japanese paper lampshades. The other thing they did was to actually run the air conditioner enough to cool the place down. We easily found a little turf by the stage monitors where it remained uncrowded and we could sit down between sets. I wasn't the least bit tired after 4 hours of music.

This was the Pandora.com party, and started out with CHAPPO (feathered clothing, confetti, sonic and visual experimentation), Field Report (singer/songwriter, very good), and LP (woman with a big rock voice, think "Annie Lennox").

Then there was Gary Clark Jr., who was born and raised in this town and has been slinging guitar in these clubs since he was a kid. He's finally become an overnight success, just played for President Obama at the White House sharing the stage with Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Buddy Guy and many more, then a couple days after that played at the big Hubert Sumlin memorial bash with the likes of Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. He is someone you should definitely try to see, esp. if you love a mean, rockin' bluesy guitar.

Finally there was (were?) The Dunwells (Leeds UK), and they were my discovery of the day. Contemporary folk, I suppose, wonderful harmony vocals. The sound was beautiful in Antone's this time, and the party was so pleasant it just made my day.
The Dunwells


After Antone's we headed down to Home Slice Pizza, where they were having their music party. Saw Family of the Year and Dan Mangan (pictured below). Very good stuff. We ended our day on a high note. (noooo, not that kind of 'high'). Ticket cost for today = $0.

Treasure at the taco bar, SXSW Day 2

Continuing on with the Townie's Unofficial SXSW Day Party Journals, Day 2. There will be 2 more installments after this one, so hang in there!! On Thursday AM we went up to Stubb's. Mainly, I wanted to see The Punch Brothers again, and preferred this 10AM party to the earlier one staged by the radio morning show.

Highlights from Stubb's:
Alpha Rev, good local indie band that was already an old favorite, played first, and we enjoyed the cool temperatures and good sound from the stage.

Kopecky Family Band was a nice discovery. Not sure how we've managed to miss them so many times before.

I got a kick out of the superfan next to us for Lucero. So stoked!! And he loudly told the bandleader before the show started that, other than Springsteen, he was the greatest songwriter of our generation! That's some big love. I do understand it... I really do.

Alabama Shakes was the headliner at this party, and the radio gal on the announcement mic made what I thought was a rude faux pas. With the Punch Brothers standing on the stage ready to start, all she can come up with initially was something like "Bet you all can't wait for Alabama Shakes! We're all here for that, right?" The crowd attempted to correct and convince her that many of us were here for these guys!

Punch BrothersThe band was great, and we got some video, but the sound on that stage was no longer something that would show them off, it was hard to hear, especially the vocals. Instead of our video, here's one created the following day by radio KFUV a day later.


Actually, we did stick around for Alabama Shakes, because there is a HUGE buzz for this band right now... magazine covers, an Austin City Limits taping (look for it this Fall), critics choice lists... Their set also suffered from muffled, bad sound, and although I thought they were really pretty good, they did NOT knock my socks off.

Alabama Shakes

By then I was hot and tired, but the long walk to the bus stop is always entertaining on 6th street during the festival. These people are not really naked. They are wearing skin-tight flesh-colored leotards for some promotional purpose.

We went down to South Congress to Guero's Taco Bar courtyard, where we saw 2 really good bands. I really want to recommend The Belle Brigade. It's fronted by a brother and sister who have sweet harmonies and great songwriting skills. Their harmonies reminded me of The Indigo Girls, but they claim influence from Paul Simon and Fleetwood Mac. Good stuff, anyway. Children were romping wildly, dancing and playing in the mulch in front of the stage, we were sitting in the dirt in the shade of a tent, there was a light breeze and the music was so good.

The Belle Brigade (LA)

The band after them, Ivan and Alyosha (Seattle), was so good that I bought both their CDs!


We decided to call it a day at that point, and remember it all as a good time. I will leave you with the image of this pair of busking cuties on South Congress. Ticket money spent today = $0.

Swan Dive and Springsteen, SXSW day 1

Wednesday was a long one. Started out at a place/party where I hadn't been before, it was the Billy Reid American Songwriter held at the Swan Dive. It turned out to be a pretty stylish little hole-in-the-wall, kind of shabby chic decor and (best of all) the walls were lined with padded seating. We were so grateful for those! I had expected we would be standing up in a crowded, sweaty room for 6 hours - something I was better at when I was a lot younger. Instead we managed to get a wall seat with a sidelong view of the stage that wouldn't be obstructed by people. The "sweaty" part still applied though.

The lineup was great!

The Punch Brothers, Delta Spirit, The Apache Relay, Phosphorescent, Brendan Benson, Jonny Corndawg, Wild Cub, & Shelly Colvin.

Jonny Corndawg was new for us. Really good music in what I would call "California Country" style, or perhaps "Western" (and I can't write that without thinking of that scene in the Blues Brothers where Bob's Country Bunker informs the band that their club plays both kinds of music, country AND western). J. Corndawg featured a damned good fiddler, an amazing pedal steel, and the added feature of guest Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes (a band I love).

Matt Vasquez (from Delta Spirit/Middle Brother) was enjoying the show from stage front and even jumped up for a quick chorus. John McCauley (Deer Tick/Diamond Rugs/Middle Brother) was spied up there too... and as much as I was hoping for a Middle Brother surprise quickie (Middle Brother is Vasquez, Goldsmith and McCauley), that's as close as it got to happening. I just got their CD and can't leave it alone.

Brendan Benson was really good. I didn't realize (by name) that he was part of The Raconteurs and is generally related to much of Jack White's music with mutual influence on each other. Recommended!

The Apache Relay also a discovery act for me, really want to see them again. Check them out.

Delta Spirit is a band we already liked, and in fact, saw them the previous day at their CD release at Waterloo Records. Great songs, great energy!

I dearly love The Punch Brothers, and they played a rowdy, energetic set to finish out Billy Ried's party. All kinds of awesome.

We needed to get to the Austin Music Awards as quickly as possible. The doors opened while we were still at Swan Dive, and the seats fill up fast. I was grateful to a friend of mine who managed to save us 2nd row seats! This is a combo awards show/concert, so they have a little music interspersed with a few awards. They tailor the lineup with local new hotness, local legends, and everything in-between or both. They had Quiet Company, Austin's hottest indie band, performances from Ruthie Foster, Patty Griffin, Carolyn Wonderland, Joe "King" Carrasco, and Christopher Cross with his original Austin band..

It was strongly rumored that Bruce Springsteen just might put in a surprise appearance at the Awards, and they kept on building that suspense. Sure enough, out he came to sit in with Alejandro Escovedo, Joe Ely, Garland Jeffreys and a whole lot of folks. I'm in the process of getting some videos up on my channel, so check it out if you want (and excuse the gawd awful shitty acoustics at the Austin Music Hall).


Spectacular first day. Started out at noon (not counting the earlier line-waiting time - I am an obsessive early bird to the annoyance of certain people - but there are often big advantages to being first in line) and went until after midnight. Ticket cost for all = $15.

SXSW, Day 0

We both had to work today, but still went to an in-store performance from Delta Spirit. We like this band, and are planning to see them again tomorrow along with our beloved Punch Brothers and a bunch of others.


The weather couldn't have been more perfect for an evening walk, which we did after the show, but riding is sometimes a good idea too. The pedicabs compete for your business, and I'd say this one's doing a good job of that.

SXSW Day 4, Saturday

Aaaaah! My final posting on this big music party for the year!

Started out on Red River where I figured Rachael Ray's party would be impossibly crowded at Stubb's, she always has a great lineup and goes all out to serve delicious food (all free) not to mention the free beer, margaritas, vodka+tea combo drinks, bottled tea and soft drinks. As it turned out, the place we were headed to try and see Okkervil River (a block away) was the one with the line going for a mile so we went to Rachael's. You could actually walk around freely there, I was amazed! Even though she probably had a veggie offering, we passed on the long food line to take in some music. Here's Charlie Mars on the indoor stage (there were 3 stages). She is a big music fan and stood stageside for every band, enjoying them and taking pictures.

The crowd at Stubb's for Rachael

We also saw Bob Schneider and Fitz & the Tantrums (below). Both highly recommended!

Ran into Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top) and got a picture taken with him, but missed his guest appearance onstage because of the really long bathroom line.

It was time to hike about a mile over to the bus stop to head down to Jo's Coffee where we saw Menomena and our headliner for the day, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. His band plays high-energy rockin' funky soul, guitars, horn section, and if that wasn't enough he adds in a gospel-style vocal group. Listen to him on NPR.

 

There's been a theme running through the news coverage, post-festival, about all the out-of-control issues - fights, tasing, fence-busting, pepper spraying, and one so-called riot that included all of the above... I've been wondering where the tipping point for these free parties was going to be and it just might be here.

Some examples with videos (and there's one thing that's going to be true, from now on and forever, and that is that events are going to caught on camera... multiple times!)
[sour notes]
[Tasing on 6th]
[Beauty bar riot]

This thing has been growing steadily and evolving into a bigger and bigger party monster. We only do the daytime stuff, and it might get rowdy and nutty but hasn't been scary. Of course, we're in it together. We'll get back on the ride next year, if possible.

SXSW Day 3, Friday

The Beautiful Boy and his Beautiful Lady

Started the day on Friday at the Hilton Hotel lobby for KUT radio's morning live broadcasts. We were the first people there and because of that we got to sit in the only padded armchairs available. That was the payback for the 5AM alarm. We were mainly there to see Old 97's [event picture and video link] who played an acoustic version of their high-energy cowpunk rock or whatever you want to call it. Also saw Bobby Long and Tristen, didn't know either of them, they were good too. We were expecting to see Middle Brother there but there had been a schedule change. We ended up not seeing Middle Brother at all this week. It's really hard to see everyone you want to see.

After the Austin radio broadcast, we went to a high-end bicycle shop called "Mellow Johnny's" for Seattle's KEXP live broadcast of Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 [KEXP's coverage and photos here]. We really like Steve Wynn and band, but the inside of that bike shop was a terrible music venue IMO. Acoustics were bad (which I guess doesn't matter on the radio, it's only the soundboard that matters) and there was no elevated stage so you couldn't see the whole band at once unless you were a photographer. Mellow Johnny's had a patio outside that was party-ready, and might have been a better spot for it.

The highlight of the day, without a doubt, was the lawn party at the French Legation Museum. I had never been there before and was trying to imagine it based on Google satellite and street views. As it turned out, it was just as imagined... green grass lawn, a few shade trees... picturesque. The stage was a foot-tall platform with a cloth canopy and handmade flag banners made from scraps.

John Vanderslice played shortly after we got there, and we really liked him but want to see him another time when the sound conditions are better. The sun was starting to beat down hard on us so we moved right up next to the stage to be in the shade of the speakers so we got sub-woofed pretty bad but the shade and the breeze were glorious. Despite the thump, we completely enjoyed seeing Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl (a.k.a. Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger). Sean, of course, strongly resembles his father, and I must say that I'm not sure I've ever seen a more attractive woman (in person) than Charlotte (Kemp Muhl) who is a model as well as a musician. Also... Yoko Ono was there. She was standing a mere few feet away from us and watching her son play.

Someone was handing out sampler CDs from Sean's label (Chimera) so we were able to get one signed by them (not Yoko, though). We liked the music a lot (I would describe it as melodic, jazzy, sweet, pop and/or eclectic but never as rock 'n' roll), and were absolutely enchanted by the whole experience.

We walked to Koriente after their show, and had another wonderful (late) lunch in a restaurant which not only has the framed Rolling Stone cover of naked John with Yoko, but also a mural of it on the wall. It was all a little surreal, almost dreamlike.

Some more sights on 6th Street on the way to the bus stop: There a couple of beautiful chalk drawings.

More buskers with a doggy.

Yeah.

Funniest band name of the week.

It was back down south to Home Slice Pizza where they were finishing up their party with one more band to go, Rural Alberta Advantage.

Home Slice had a Google theme to their decorations.

3 days down, 1 to go. Stay tuned.