Oh, to have been in Houston last night… If you read my recent post on Alejandro Escovedo’s Sunday night performance at SXSW, you know what a fan I am of the man. If you followed my entire South-by “highlights reel,” you also know that the Replacements are my all-time favorite band. What I haven’t [...] more »

Tue, Apr 15, 2008 | 2 Comments

For all intents and purposes, SXSW turns into a pumpkin at 2 a.m. Saturday night, but true aficionados know that it ain’t really over until the legendary Alejandro Escovedo leaves the Continental Club stage after his unofficial closing night show on Sunday. We knew going in that this year’s set was going to be something special [...] more »

Sun, Apr 13, 2008 | 0 Comments

My Saturday night started strong and finished monumentally, though in the middle was an unfortunate lowlight in the form of the only showcase I didn’t get into this year due to the length of the line (it was an acoustic Nada Surf performance, but don’t cry for me, Twangville Nation — I’m seeing them at [...] more »

Sat, Apr 12, 2008 | 0 Comments

Saturday afternoon began for me with a touch of déjà vu, as I once again started my day at Cedar Street Courtyard for the kickoff of day three of the Filter throwdown there. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d be bookending my day parties with Filter on this day. Kicking [...] more »

Sat, Apr 12, 2008 | 1 Comment

Friday night followed my unintentional afternoon trend of mixing old favorites with new sounds. My preference at South-by is to see almost entirely new-to-me bands, especially during official showcases, but there were just too many favorites to stick to my guns on a day like this. Sue me. In that respect, Friday night truly [...] more »

Fri, Apr 11, 2008 | 2 Comments

My Friday afternoon was largely about Filter magazine’s Showdown at Cedar Street party. This was day two of what was a three-day throwdown hosted by Filter this year, and it was a lineup that (for me) couldn’t be beat, not even by the SPIN party, for which I turned down a pass generously offered [...] more »

Fri, Apr 11, 2008 | 0 Comments

The highlight of my Thursday night occurred straight out of the gate in the 8 o’clock showcase time slot, but it was hardly all downhill from there, as a “bonus highlight” also awaited me during the witching hour. I’ve had a few tracks by the Swedish singer-songwriter, Jens Lekman, for a couple of years now. [...] more »

Thu, Apr 10, 2008 | 0 Comments

The party of the day on Thursday was –as tends to be the case– the mighty New West soiree at Club DeVille. This was certainly the place to be for the Twangville crew, as all four of our intrepid correspondents posted this invitation-only affair. After all, with a bill featuring likes of the Drams, [...] more »

Thu, Apr 10, 2008 | 5 Comments

SXSW 2008 - John’s Wednesday Night Highlight: The Playing Favorites My third showcase of the night on Wednesday was when I struck gold for the first time “officially” this year, and I knew it almost as soon as the Playing Favorites began their set. The Playing Favorites are a supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Me First [...] more »

Wed, Apr 09, 2008 | 1 Comment

With apologies for the tardiness of the appearance of this, the beginning of my 2008 SXSW highlights reel, we’re off to the races now. This post is the first in a nine- (possibly ten-) part series which will be coming your way regularly over the coming days, so please don’t be shy about chiming [...] more »

Wed, Apr 09, 2008 | 1 Comment

On their third studio full-length, New York City’s Hem offer up a thoughtful selection of secular hymns to the lost and broken-hearted. There is a fragile beauty in the delicate arrangements of Hem’s songs, and an often comfortably familiar tone, by turns evoking the melodies and moods of Bruce Springsteen (”Old Adam”), Tom Waits (”The Burnt-Over [...] more »

Fri, Feb 02, 2007 | 0 Comments