Another SXSW has come and gone. This year’s event brought over 1,000 bands to Austin for five days of music, cheap beer and great barbeque. Sounds pretty good to me. Although this year’s event was light on new discoveries, it was filled with old favorites.
And now for the highlights:
The New Orleans Social Club: The highlight of the weekend was the live performance by New Orleans Social Club by the shores of Town Lake. The Club originally gathered in an Austin recording studio a few weeks after Hurrican Katrina struck to express their feelings through music. Ivan Neville opened the evening with a fiery version of John Fogerty’s “President’s Son†that was propelled by George Porter, Jr. and Leo Nocentelli of the Meters. The show kept an emotional high through New Orleans jazz pianist Henry Butler’s moving version of West Side Story’s “Somewhere†and John Bouchette’s equally powerful version of Annie Lenox’s “Why.†Cyrille Neville closed the set with an uplifting performance of Curtis Mayfield’s “This is My Country.” It was a powerful showcase of a moving album.
The Drive-By Truckers: Does anybody know how a band raises the musical bar when your band already features three ferocious guitar-players? The Drive-By Truckers have the answer: add a fourth guitar player to add some slide guitar to the mix. In between sharing a bottle of Jack Daniels and flaunting the Austin no smoking ordinance, they delivered a staggering set of DBT classics and fantastic new selections from the forthcoming “A Blessing and a Curse.†A special bonus performance by Jason Isbell the next afternoon was the icing on the cake.
The Beastie Boys/Lyle Lovett: No, Lovett did not sit in with the Beasties during SXSW. Both artists were, however, among the several “surprise†shows sprinkled through the weekend.
Lovett played a late night club show for about 100 people. The set was heavy on cover songs written by Texas songwriters, each accompanied by a story about how Lovett learned the song, plus a few Lovett originals. The closing cover of Guy Clark’s “Step Inside This House†was breathtaking, with Lovett’s voice hanging poignantly in the room.
In Austin to promote their new movie, the Beasties showed up at Stubb’s Barbeque for an early evening showcase. I couldn’t get into the crowded venue but took in the show from behind the stage wall. Surprisingly the sound was incredible as the music reverberated off the tent covering the stage and blasted right over the wall. Although I’ve never been a huge fan, I was quite impressed with the show – the set list spanned the band’s entire career — which covered the band’s entire and am now the proud owner of
Also in town for a “surprise†appearance were the Flaming Lips, who did two club shows and also made quite a scene when singer Wayne Coyne “rolled down Sixth Street in a large plastic ball.
Alejandro Escovedo: Alejandro’s traditional Sunday night show at the Continental Club is the unofficial closing SXSW event and was the perfect capstone to the weekend. Alejandro masterfully led an eight piece band through his incredible catalog with a particularly emphasis on his forthcoming Boxing Mirror. If this preview is any indication, expect Alejandro to prove yet again that he is one of our premier singer-songwriters. Encore featured Garland Jeffreys bringing down the house with his own “35 Millimeter Dreamsâ€. The night closed with an extended jam on the Stone’s “Beast of Burden†featuring Escovedo, Jeffreys, Nick Tremulus and Charlie Sexton.
Also on the bill were Jon Langford and Sally Timms, both of the Mekons and he of the Waco Brothers. Their entertaining banter, British humor by way of Chicago, was matched by their mix of punk and roots rock.
Langford and Timms were followed by Austin’s Grady, who sound like a mix of ZZ Top and Primus. Although their music was not to my liking, they made Spinal Tap look tame: they go to 12.
Marty Stuart – I was a fan of Marty Stuart’s beautiful country gospel album Soul’s Chapel even before Stuart and his band the Fabulous Superlatives performed at Austin’s Central Presbyterian Church. Although the band seemed dwarfed on the large pulpit, the harmonies and guitar reverberated throughout the immense sanctuary to create a magical SXSW moment.
Stay tuned later for more on the best of SXSW plus the annual list of notable quotes…
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.