One of my favorite parts of SXSW is the crazy things you see and hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections. This is how we fucking roll in Austin Texas. Steve Wertheimer, proprietor of the Continental Club introducing Alejandro Escovedo. Amen, Brother Steve. What’s going on? Stewardess on my flight to Austin, […]
Monday Morning Video: “You Shook Me All Night Long”
New York-based singer-songwriter Mike Errico transforms the AC/DC classic. Download this gem and several other Errico classics here. In particular, I highly recommend the Errico original “When She Walks By,” the brilliant tale of an elderly man reflecting on his biggest regret. Errico has a new album, Wander Away, being released on 12 April 2011.
SXSW 2011: The Video Companion
I got a bit carried away with the videos, compiling 26 great videos captured live at SXSW. Not surprisingly, we kick things off with the performance that introduced me to Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven. From there, a three-fer from Alejandro Escovedo’s special Sunday night gig at the legendary Continental Club. We’ve got […]
SXSW 2011: The Sounds, Part 2
Kasey Anderson & the Honkies Music is often about improvisation. In this case, however, it wasn’t the type of improvisation that one would expect. When the bass drum kept slipping across the cement floor, the band grabbed a keg to hold it in place. When that didn’t work, Anderson took a seat on the keg […]
SXSW 2011: The Sounds, Part 1
Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven If I were to highlight only one band from SXSW, this would be this one. To say that Ludwig is high energy simply doesn’t do him justice. He exudes enthusiasm with a confidence and maturity that belies his age. His songs have a familiar quality to them, a […]
SXSW 2011: The Scene, Part 2
DAY PARTIES EVERYWHERE Unofficial day parties have exploded in the past several years to the point that they now outnumber the official showcases. By my count there were over 120 day parties taking place on Saturday and I know that my list wasn’t complete. With that many shows it takes some creativity to stand out, […]
SXSW 2011: The Scene, Part 1
For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,000 bands and 13,000 attendees, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even better, it is one heck of […]
Monday Morning Video: Alejandro Escovedo is Sad and Dreamy
I was reminded about this song while having a conversation about childrens music with a few day-job colleagues several weeks ago. As the story goes, Alejandro Escovedo and Mike Fracasso led a songwriting seminar for a group of students at the Ziker Elementary School in South Austin, Texas. From Escovedo: [The boy] thought deeply for […]
Monday Morning Video: Dave Alvin
The arrival of new music from Dave Alvin has sent me scurrying through his impressive back catalog. Here is “Haley’s Comet,†one of my personal favorites from Alvin’s seminal outstanding solo release Blue Blvd. “Do you know who I am,†said Bill Haley in a pancake house near the Rio Grande; the waitress said “I […]
Monday Morning Video: Jon Dee Graham is “Beautifully Broken”
In honor of this week’s SXSW Music Conference, here is John Dee Graham performing “Beautifully Broken.” No trip to Austin is complete without catching a set by the Bard of Austin. If you like what you hear, Graham is offering a full live album (recorded at Austin’s Saxon Pub) as a pay-what-you-like download. Check it […]