3.26.2008
[SXSW - One Helluva Recap: Day Four]
SXSW One Helluva Recap: Day Four

March is definitely one month I always look forward to, and I contribute that entirely to SXSWeek - Austin's favorite time to show some love to film, music and technology. Buried into that schedule are four days dedicated to music, and it is in those four days that I really live. I apologize ahead of time for somewhat quickened recaps, but there's just too much to really get into individual sets of all those days. So let's get to it - day four!



Gil Mantera's Party Dream

Gil Mantera's Party Dream - Elmo's Wish

Yeasayer

Yeasayer - 2080




Well look at that, I was able to find a stable connection out here in the ruralities. To the person whose WiFi I'm...erm, borrowing - thanks, this post is for you.

Saturday morning met me on the grassy knolls of the French Legation Museum. Something I alwasy try to take advantage of during SXSW is the fact that so many international artists are in town. With that said, I had a particularly British morning, and it kicked off with Emmy the Great. I'm gonna attempt to use the word "adorable" sparingly, but no other word encompasses this cheeky Brit quite so well. Her lyrics, her voice - hell, even she's adorable. I tagged her as someone that wouldn't come stateside often, so I'm glad to have caught her set.

The next Brits in line were London-natives, Noah & The Whale. At the end of any South By day, there are two things that should be killing you - your ears and your feet. You're hard-pressed to find an event during South By that actually encourages you to sit, and I'm always really appreciative of the few places that invite you to pop a squat. As much as I like the idea of sitting, for the love of God, I could not sit still during Noah & The Whale's set. I wouldn't say they're a danceable band, but they got me moving. And once "5 Years Time" kicked in, I turned into the guy you slightly hate for singing along. I restrained myself to just whistling, but none of it could be helped. Their music is just so damn giddy, and I absolutely loved every minute of it.

The reason why I found Saturday so enjoyable was probably due to the fact that I, in a rare decision, allowed some time for a break. Earbuds rested, stomach full - I went ahead to the second year of Mess With Texas. Remember on my recap of day one when I said soundchecks are usually a good way to gauge what a band's like? That theory waned a bit with Curumin, but it was just completely thrown out the window with Gil Mantera's Party Dream. They looked howdy-doody for their soundcheck - perfectly normal. When they returned though, it was...well it was a biiit different. My first though was honestly a huge, "WTF?!" These were showmen though, and they know how to elicit a response. As for me, it went from "WTF" to "F*ck yeah." It was weird as hell, but I had I had a hell of a time.

Capping off my South By festivities were, quite possibly my favorite duo, Matt & Kim. I had high expectations for these guys, and they delivered everything and more. I've been wanting to see these guys ever since I watched some YouTubage of these guys playing in someone's modest kitchenette. These kids are capable of throwing a party anywhere, and their Mess With Texas set at Waterloo Park was no exception. Inviting people to stage, things really started to pick up as Matt & Kim were literally surrounded by audience. Everyone was a part of what went down that night, and it was just an absolute madhouse. Jumping around, singing along, stage dives - Matt & Kim wrapped this year up in just a ridiculous amount of fun.

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4 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Matt & Kim were simply Ah-mAzing

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Emmy the Great really is adorable though so feel free to use it as much as you want with her

All wrapped up - your SXSW recaps were awesome!

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Great blog! greetings from Galiza (Europe)

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I LOVE Emmy the Great and Noah and the Whale! Y'know, Noah and the Whale are labelmates with some pretty cool artists like Feist and Robyn... http://www.cherrytreerecords.com Check it out!