SXSW 2009, Day 2: Sickboy, No Age, The Carrots, Garotas Suecas, Hacienda, Question, & Moth!Fight!

Day 2 was my first “full” day at SXSW, and armed with an 8GB CF card in my camera, I was determined to see as much as I could, and shoot it as well. Wednesday’s Dept. of Eagles set was pretty incredible, so I had high hopes for Thursday.

After an exhaustive search, I finally found a parking spot on 7th and Neches and hoofed it to the Parish to catch the tail end of the NPR Showcase, walking in on Blitzen Trapper’s last song. While I enjoyed their debut, Wild Mountain Nation, their new record Furr didn’t make as big of an impact on me, trading much of the kooky mountain man stuff for some more subdued Dylanism. The only true upside to missing this showcase was bumping into Annie Clark of St. Vincent in the Parish stairway. I congratulated her on her set last night, and she seemed pleasant if not a little distracted. St. Vincent plays two or three more gigs before Sunday; I don’t think I’ll be able to catch any of them, but if you’re at SXSW I highly recommend one of her shows.

SXSW 2009: 4AD Showcase with Department of Eagles, St. Vincent, Camera Obscura

It was a long, slow crawl up I-35 to Austin last night, but there was only one SXSW show, or showcase, on my to-do list: The 4AD Showcase at Central Presbyterian Church. It was a heavy line-up: M. Ward, Department of Eagles, St. Vincent, and Camera Obscura. While Matt Ward and Annie Clark play Texas frequently enough (they both just played ACL and Fun Fun Fun Fest, respectively), Department of Eagles (side project to critical darling Grizzly Bear) and Camera Obscura (from Glasgow, Scotland) don’t play Texas very often, if ever.

After getting badged and bagged (relatively quickly), I high-tailed it to the Central Presbyterian Church only to be confronted with a line out the door and down the block. Long lines of hopeful music fans isn’t uncommon at SXSW, but this was the badge line.

Everybody and their mother wanted to see M. Ward, who released the stellar Hold Time this year (read my review here), and blew up on the national radar with his other band with Zooey Deschanel (so jealous!), She & Him. But having seen Ward at ACL last year, and determined to see DOE, I stuck it out and waited for his set to be over. Predictably, the church emptied after Ward finished, and I made it inside.

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008, Day Two

I am aware of the gap between my Day One post and my Day Two post, and I apologize to anybody who follows this blog for the delay. You see, on the Monday following Fun Fun Fun Fest I got caught up in another big event: Work Work Work Fest. But now that WWWF is over, I have the time to post some more photos and comments about last Sunday’s lineup, which included Islands (above), St. Vincent, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and others. Honestly, Day Two was a much weaker lineup than Day One in my opinion. But here come some more photos (with commentary!) anyway — hope you enjoy.

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008, Day One

Fun Fun Fun Fest is ACL’s upstart little brother — and it should always stay that way, no matter how big the acts playing their stages get. And this year, they brought some pretty big acts. The National, Deerhoof, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bad Brains, Dead Milkmen, Atmosphere, Octopus Project, Bishop Allen … this year’s lineup has eclipsed previous years by a mile. 

As a venue, Waterloo Park is a smaller, more rustic version of Zilker, and the organizers have come up with an ingenious way to minimize the wait between sets: Split one big stage into two stages, and have the next band set up during the current band’s performance. Less wait, less walking, and more music? You had me at “Fun Fun Fun.” 

Austin City Limits Festival 2008, Day Three: or, The Dust Has Settled

Day 3 is always the do-or-die day for music festivals. It’s either the big finish or the anti-climax that will determine whether or not the 400 dollars you spent on tickets, parking, beer, food, merch, beer, and vitamin water was all worth it.

For me, ACL tends to wear out its welcome after two full days. The third morning of ACL weekend I’m always a little slower to get out of bed, and a little more eager to call it quits early. (Hey, some of us have work in the morning!) That’s when the Sunday lineup really makes the difference. As a whole, I wasn’t blown away by Sunday’s bill, with the exception of a few solid standouts (and an appearance by one of my current favorite bands). I didn’t get around to as many stages as I did on the previous two days, opting to stay at a few more shows and relax a bit. I also dropped by the press alcove for a drink and a comfy chair, and Blues Traveler was back there. The funny thing was that I didn’t recognize the slimmed-down John Popper, but I did recognize his distinctive hat.

And now: ACL 2008 Day Three, in words and pictures.

Austin City Limits Festival 2008, Day Two: or, Dust in My Lungs

Saturday morning I woke up with at least seven ounces of Zilker Park in my lungs and sinuses.

While I was prepared for the heat (Saturday was hotter then Friday; less cloudy and breezy), I was not prepared for what some have called the “ACL Mud Booger Plague.” If the sun doesn’t kill you, then the dust of Zilker Park will definitely make breathing difficult for about a week. I feel like a coal miner. Until yesterday, I never knew what someone meant when they told me to “eat dirt.” You know what? It’s not fun.

Saturday wasn’t as exciting as Friday band-wise, but like Day One, there were a few surprises. Like CSS.

Austin City Limits Festival 2008, Day One: or, Dust in the Wind

Greetings from the beer-pong table that I’ve converted to a desk:

I am privileged to bring you part one of the San Antonio Current’s 2008 Austin City Limits Festival coverage. This is my third ACL (unless my one-day 2007 pilgrimage to see Arcade Fire doesn’t count), and, considering myself a festival pro (I was at this year’s Lollapalooza, also), I thought I knew what to expect. I also wasn’t completely floored by this year’s lineup like previous years. However, what I originally thought was a lackluster schedule has proven so far to be surprisingly good, if not a little Friday-heavy. Another surprise: The weather was beautiful. Hot, but not humid — with plenty of breezes and occasional cloud cover. I still drank about 2 liters of water (and a few vodka-Red Bulls to keep my energy up) but like I said to the poor girl who threw up on her shoes waiting for Radiohead at Lollapalooza: In Texas, the heat will kill you. We don’t mess with the sun.

And now, my report from the front: