3.18.2008
[SXSW - One Helluva Recap: Day Two]
SXSW One Helluva Recap: Day Two

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 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 two!

SXSW One Helluva Recap - Day Two (artist name leads to site and all songs are right click - save as):


Jens Lekman

Jens Lekman - Black Cab



Tapes 'n Tapes

Tapes 'n Tapes - Insistor

Thursday started with the tried and true South By practice of line-waiting. An hour of standing with entertainment provided by the odd passerby and out-of-the-blue conversations with fellow line-waiters. Once I found myself upstairs at NPR's event, I was greeted by the likes of familiar faces and familiar sounds. Yeah, all right, so I ended up watching the Shout Out Louds again. Not my fault they happen to be playing everywhere I go, and I'm not complaining either. These guys were even more fun the second time.

The reason I wanted to find myself at the Parish that afternoon, however, was for an entirely different set of Swedes - Jens Lekman and his merry maidens. I don't know what led me to miss Jens when he was here in autumn, but I knew I couldn't miss him again. The slim, soft-spoken Swede played an overall laid-back set sprinkled with aberrant anecdotes about his old home of Kortedala. I absolutely loved it - the bongos, the strings, the Kortedala.

I continued my day at Antone's where Earlimart was set to play. Earlimart, at least vocally, sounds exactly how you would expect. Not a note was out of place and this contribution gave way for an overall tight set. Instrumentally, something went a muck during Happy Alone. The power on stage or something gave out, but no matter. Finding themselves unamplified and a bit quieter, they coaxed out an audience sing-along. Ah yes, a sing-along, and lucky for us the chorus isn't very hard to remember.

I had hopes on catching Division Day next, but the Xs on my hands, practically tattooed in at this point, said otherwise. I headed off to Emo's, arriving to the sounds of, again, the Shout Out Louds. I, however, was headed to the inside stage for Los Campesinos! They were just absolutely awesome, absolutely wild. Gareth, the source of their vocals, takes to his words flailing his arms about like a stubborn child. All the while, as he screamed into the mic, the rest of the band, numbering a membership that rivals the mariachi band their name gives image of, kept the place loud and dancing. If I have to leave them with one thing, all I can say is they deserve that exclamation point in their name and much, much more.

Traversing across the feel free to smoke courtyard to Emo's outside, I headed towards the stage for Tapes 'n Tapes. It had been a while since I last saw these guys. They disappeared for a while to work on a new album - guess what most of their setlist was. There are certainly things to look forward to once that drops. They didn't shy away from tracks of old though, delving into tracks like Insistor and Cowbell. You know a band's done good when people in the audience aren't shy to sing along.

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Published at 10:10 PM by Brad aka Penguin.
3 comments
3 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Looks like we saw a lot of the same stuff. Los Campesinos! were awesome.
4:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I've heard nothing but good things when it comes to all the events Los Campesinos played during SXSW. I completely regret not seeing them at least once while I was down there.
2:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
you missed a lot then marc
11:12 AM  
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