The Flashbacks
While SXSW is generally for the unknown discoveries, there were of course some blast from the past sets. Nineties revival at it’s peak lately, the real nineties rolled through Austin with a live performance by Meat Puppets at Waterloo Records. Going through all their past hits as well as newer cuts from their upcoming album, Lollipop to a very sunburned audience, the band has aged well musically with experience and possibly made some new fans who hadn’t gone deeper into their discography. That said, while Meat Puppets gained fans, The Bangles certainly lost some at SXSW. After nearly an hour wait for the iconic pop band finally came out on stage at Cedar Street Courtyard. Losing half the crowd to go see TV on the Radio, The Bangles may have lost some fans’ eternal flames, however playing a generally solid set to the restless crowd.
hip hop: kanye west, lil b + diddy + ofwkta, grillade + big krit, wiz khalifa
house shows: secret mountains / mazes
flash backs: meat puppets, the bangles
big names: james blake, tv on the radio
collabs nite jewel + dam funk
overseas: Pacific!, BRAHMS, boxer rebellion, summer camp
la sera, dirty beaches, foster the people, naked and famous, gobble gobble, twin shadow, darwin deez, tristen, cloud nothings,
The House Shows
A huge draw for my trip to Austin, was the fact that so many locals opened up their homes and backyard to strangers and bands. While, they do get a little weird, that’s all part of their charm. From home brewed kegs to taco bars in people’s kitchens, Austin’s true hospitality shines through with these shows. Amongst the slew of nameless local bands which seemed to focus on either heavy psych rock or loud noise jam bands, there were shining gems of touring bands that made appearances as well. Baltimore band Secret Mountains (formerly The Owls Go) played several sets throughout the week,
The Hype Bands
The bands everybody has “got to see”, the ones on the top of the blogosphere charts, the ones that will hit mainstream and you “knew about it before everybody else” or ultimately fade into the past without notice or a second album. Cults/tennis/