Down in the pit

More Spring Break '14 adventures with music filling the air and people every where.

Symphony Square located at the corner of 11th and Red River. along the banks of the mighty and beautiful Waller Creek. This lovely Amphitheater is small and unexpected, lying in the heart of beautiful downtown Austin, Texas. Just steps for the Capital building, and with you back to Serranos restaurant, there is always something good to eat or drink while you enjoy a show.

Supporting live local music and hosting events during SXSW is always a great place to start your daily adventures downtown.

This particular night we started out the night with some good Mexican beer and music from local superstars The Dirty Wormz (https://www.facebook.com/DirtyWormz). If you have read my blog before you know that I am a huge fan and am not shy about following them. This night had some WormHeadz gathered down on Waller Creek, just across from the stage. Though there was not a tremendous crowd for the performance, as it was early, all in attendance where in for a treat. I, myself, was completely blown away by what happened next.

I have, what the Dirty Wormz call "The Viruz". The fever that you get, the shakes, the rapid heartbeat, and the ringing in the ears when you see and experience a full performance of the Dirty Wormz. I have been to SEVERAL head line shows of theirs. I have seen the lead singer, Smackola, do his solo set. This evening, it was just a little bit different and a lot more powerful.

Only having approximately 30 minutes on stage to do their thing, I was concerned about how much fun it would/could be. After bragging to my girlfriends brother Ivan about the prowess and power of the Wormz, I was a afraid of the let down. What a dumb ass am I! Once again, I was impressed, pleased, surprised, and had hella fun during this small 'Outbreak' of 'The Viruz'...and so did Ivan.

The Wormz did the unexpected and tore through their full set list in 30 minutes. With all the passion and fury they are known for, they did not fail. It was exciting seeing that they did shortened versions of their songs, the chorus lines, and still put in some musical filler to excite the small crowd in attendance.

Once again I tip my hat and use my digital pen to give proper respect to a great performance.


Our next stop was at The Dirty Dog (https://dirtydogbar.com) for the Relapse Records Showcase. and I must say GODDAMN it feels good to be treated like a rock star. Thanks to Ben and the rest of the staff to the Dirty Dog, has been and will remain one of the 2 venues at the top of my list to just show up at and always have a good time with GREAT music. Check the web page and make it a point to stop in if you see something happening you like.

The thing to comment on is a Showcase crowd is a totally different animal than the normal crowd you would expect or see at a Death Metal show! The crowd was well dressed and polite....W E I R D!  Not knowing if Mariza or Ivan would appreciate the music, I told them I wanted to stay and check out this one band before we moved on.

Obliteration (https://www.facebook.com/obliterationofficial) was the lucky band up and we were they lucky ones to experience it. Sharp, deep and clean, cutting through your soul. Obliteration was intense and had the crowds attention and everybody looking at the stage. It wasn't until 2 songs in that the lead singer introduced the band and where they were from. I then became really excited, experiencing a Black Metal band all the way from the shores of Norway. This, to me, was and is EPIC! The true brutality and dark dimensions of their music crossed over all of those borders. Obliteration not only impressed my country music loving girlfriend, but also her jazz loving brother. Damn fine stuff!

Oh Yeah! and then there was this dude. DJ'ing in the parking lot across from Mug Shots. This taken about an hour before the car accident.

Laters

SXSW 2014

Here is my take on SXSW (the event as it exists) and my wrap up of who I saw and what I experienced.

To begin, I love the week of music from the multitude of bands that come in from out of town that SXSW brings. Bands everywhere..in the street, on the corner, in parking lots, and in the clubs. The unknown and the unsigned, looking for the moment of glory, and 'to get signed'! It is amazing, and glorious.

SXSW is the greatest culmination of raw talent looking to prove themselves, gain new ground or fans, and hopefully/ultimately maybe be the next big thing, EVER!

It hurts when I hear people hate on SXSW, BUT what I do agree about is the awful and ridiculous commercialization of what it is now. What it is now is quite stupid and a joke of itself.

Here is my example of the media brainwashing and destruction of SXSW that it has done to itself;
On two occasions, in two separate years - last year and this year, I have invited/asked people if they were going to go downtown during SXSW. The responses both times were sad and heartbreaking. "Oh, I can't go. I can't afford it." "I can't afford badges or wrist bands or whatever." Oh the horror!

My explanation to those people is simple. The event that is SXSW is free, there are tons of bands to see, tons of events to go to, many things to experience. The badges are just a ridiculous media hype. Why would you pay HUGE sums of money for a badge or a wrist band (that DOES NOT guarantee you entry - based on venue capacity)? Why would you pay LARGE sums of money for a badge or wrist band to go see a huge name artist? Jay -Z, Lady GaGa, or any other giant of the music world. Save your damn money and go see them at a concert venue, for a lot less! That makes no sense...does it?

Go to SXSW and enjoy those bands who are there to prove something. The variety of music is mind boggling. The shear size of the entertainment district is almost impossible to walk from one end to the other. Encompassing venues and spaces on both sides of IH 35. From well far above 6th St to south of the river. SXSW as an event, NOT a named entity, has tons to offer for free.

The purity of that week, the soul of what it is, means, and stands for, will NEVER die. The Live Music Capital of the World won't let that happen. Let the powers that be have the name SXSW cannibalize itself and become a living joke on itself.

Thank god for everyone and every thing that is out there to continually let people know.

Come to Austin. Come to SXSW. Play, have fun, and discover something new. It's all for the music, for the fans, and the best of all, the best that SXSW has to offer will ALWAYS be free!


Laters

p.s. - my write up for the fun I had and the experiences I had will come shortly...be prepared!  

The last straw

My final evening at SXSW 2013, and it was spent at the Heart of Texas Rockfest, located on the corner of 7th and Neches. It was free to get into, but a donation was requested. Two stages, side by side, and non stop rock and roll for hours upon hours. After leaving our Bungalow (http://livemusicinaustin.blogspot.com/2013/03/it-was-rainey-for-sxsw.html) on Rainey St we made a quick pit stop at the corner of 6th and Red River to retrieve one of the cameras from Angel Skye (apparently the crowd was WAY to damn wild at the Woe is Me show.)

Walking into the Texas Rockfest (http://www.texasrockfest.com) was like a veritable Who's Who of Austin, Texas music royalty. There was a TV personality, Dave TeeVee (https://www.facebook.com/DaveTeeVee), his royal highness MC Overlord (http://www.overlordmusic.com), radio personality Patrick Davis ( http://www.atxafterdark.com), and the KINGS of Austin ROCK - Vallejo (http://vallejomusic.wordpress.com)! Pretty damn impressive AND WE DIDN'T NEED BADGES!!!!! I can't say that the music was diverse because it was, after all, Texas ROCKFEST!

We had the pleasure of hearing 5 different bands with styles ranging from 'what the fuck is this shit' to Mexican metal. I will write up the performances in the order we saw the bands and it starts with 'What the fuck is this shit?!'




Indofin (http://www.indofinmusic.com/) had just gone on stage when we arrived. Sounding like something between metal or punk and a little bit of confusion mixed in. My regular blog readers sometimes bust my balls for being 'too nice' or 'perpetually positive', well sorry, that's not gonna happen here. It didn't sound rehearsed, there was too much talking between songs, and just seemed like they weren't prepared. When a producer, a manager, and a videographer all remark (at different times and no where near each other) about the things I mentioned, about the quality, or musicianship...somethings up! I really don't know if these guys 'got it'. In the festival setting every band has their 30 minutes to bang out the performance, show the audience who you are and what you are about. That is the time to bring your 'A' game. I really did try to like them and really did try to hear something in the music that would make me tell you go see them or that I would want to see them again. Sorry Brother...not this one.

Liftoff (http://liftoffband.com/The_band.html) is from Canada and these guys really put on a performance. Using the full stage to their advantage with dancing girls on the speakers, lighting effects, and a front man who was pretty damn charismatic. This band really attracted your attention. There was not a lot of conversation in the crowd while they were onstage as it seemed the audience was pretty struck by them. There was, however, a little conversation at the end of the set. It seems there was a pretty interesting resemblance to the lead singer of one certain 'Green Day' band that didn't go unnoticed by some in the crowd. The music was not exactly the same as that, but definitely had the same kind of 'damn the man' feel to it.  Good stuff my friends, check them out.


Treetop Sailors (http://treetopsailors.com/band.htm) sailed onto the stage next. I have been asked several times to go to a show of theirs. I have, sadly, never really made the opportunity to go. As fate would have it, the best part about seeing them here, I was with my heartbeat...and she LOVED them! No doubt about it, these guys are freaking awesome! The lead guitar is pretty fucking outstanding and the lead singer/keyboard player is, well to be frank ...get the fuck outta here! Blues rock with a heavy, HEAVY, accent on the rock portion of that statement. It is a kind of raw and grungy sound, but so unbelievably polished. DUDE! Really, the amount of talent to make yourself sound raw while being that tight is mind boggling. My girlfriend was just amazed with the lead singer, his look and the sound of his voice. While I was sneaking around and took pictures, I did manage to slide up next to her at one point during their set. She grabs my by the arm and shakes me "Oh My God! These guys are great! Why didn't you tell me about them before?" AHHHHH the excitement and enthusiasm. Thankfully they are a local (for now) Austin band, so now I get to go to more of their performances with the stamp and arm shake seal of approval from Ms Cruz. Watch out guys, we'll be seeing ya!

Vallejo (http://vallejomusic.wordpress.com/) are The kings of fucking Austin, Texas Rock-n-Roll! This band is the epitome of fun, excitement, energy, and enthusiasm. They DO NOT know how to stop once they get on stage. They are the utmost professionals and they are musical divas onstage. Absolutely and unequivocally! They mug for all of the cameras in the audience, while they are doing their set. They will point you out in the audience, acknowledge you and make you feel like the rock stars they are up on stage. The music is non stop infectious with their Latin infused grooves underlying that rock and roll blood as they pump it through the crowd. This has been and will ALWAYS be one of the 2 premier rock bands to go see in Austin when it comes to a GREAT live music experience. I have always taken every opportunity to go see them, I have not seen them near as much as I have wanted to, and now I beseech you...GO! Seek out the fun and rock and roll that is Vallejo! and if you can't then here is a video from that show to hold you over http://youtu.be/3GDgwqSis_g.



Seis Pistos (http://www.seispistos.com/) was the final band we saw before an early, but exhausted exit from Rockfest. With the lead singer doing a lot of Spanish speaking and really horrible broken English, I thought it was a joke. HELLLL NO! These guys are straight up from Mexico, but they are great proof that rock music has no boundaries. The music had this definite and irreverent 'I don't give a fuck' attitude, but they were serious. Mixing some old classics with their new style, it was actually impressive. I really liked it. In fact, I would say that I loved it. Metal is metal no matter where you go in the world. Nope, I couldn't understand a damn thing the singer was saying (even his hilariously shitty English), but it was great. It was great in every way that rock music should be. Powerful, driven, and in the end, gracious that you were there to witness it and appreciate it. They were kind enough to pour their souls out for us and I will definitely be kind enough to go see them again!


Laters

It was Rainey for SXSW

That's right, it was Rainey St. to kick off what would be my last day of SXSW.

Rainey St. is the newest edition to the down town entertainment district. Located just on the south end of Red River, but still close enough to walk to several other down town venues. Rainey St. seems to have it all. There are establishments that serve food, some with lots of TV's, some whiskey bars, some beer gartens, and a great time to be had along this small stretch of road. All of the establishments are designed to maintain there original small, older home facade, but then you step in or step out back and you are blown away.

Bungalow (https://www.facebook.com/bungalowatx) was our first stop on our last day and is definitely one of those places. "Bungalow was inviting and is definitely set up for people to stay and have a cocktail (cocktail = beer or whatever else you drink).  It's a nice place to meet people or just hang out. There is a food trailer outback that provides tacos for good eats so they definitely don't want you to go anywhere. You can stay for drinks, a good time, and eat there too!" Mariza Cruz

With performances by The Dunwells (http://thedunwells.com/) and the Roosevelts on tap it would prove to be a great start to a great day. Although we did sit through the sound check for The Dunwells, (which doesn't qualify as a performance) it did keep the audience riveted. As they sound checked on several tunes to make sure everything would be perfect for the evening performance, the audience was definitely drawn in. I can say with the harmonies from the brothers that fronted the band, I look forward for an opportunity to check out a real set, and hopefully soon!

The Roosevelts (http://www.wearetheroosevelts.com) I did catch. Now that I have been privy to several performances already, including a late night fireside acoustic set (DAMN! There should be a BAD ASS video coming from that!!!!!! can you hear me James and Jason, can you hear me?) I am going to turn over the crowd source reaction to Ms Cruz.


I did catch The Roosevelts at a previous show in early February (http://livemusicinaustin.blogspot.com/2013/01/no-reservations.html), but there was much conversation, I was seated in the back, and the crowd was front to back and side to side. It was not easy to see the performance and sort of OK hearing it. THIS EVENING on Rainey St., in Bungalow, during SXSW was a whole different beast. Standing quite close to the stage and being able to enjoy the performance and see the crowd was wonderful. The full and true enthusiasm that The Roosevelts bring to the stage is completely telling. It tells of their joy in performing the music they create, it tells of their joy in performing on it stage, and most of all it tells in the audience reaction. The opportunity was definitely not lost with the band. To have many new faces in the crowd it seems that the band embraced it and returned the excitement ten fold. They have a new video they have released and it there was total crowd participation with "Everybody Knows" (http://youtu.be/TYMLzYJ-pt4). I hope 'everybody knows' about the Roosevlets soon because they are a joy to see and hear.


Laters

Written by:
M. Cruz
edited by:
William Tompkins

SXSW 2013 The Kick Off pt.2

So I leave Macy's (from their American Rag Showcase sponsored by the Vans Warped tour) and head to the East side of Austin for a Portland Music Showcase. Now this is on E A S T 6th St, like way, way, way EAST 6th St. A small bar called The Grackle (http://www.facebook.com/thegrackleaustin). I didn't know it was there and would have never known or passed by, had it not been for SXSW. This is part of the energy and dynamic that is SXSW. I live here and this is such an amazing opportunity to go to new places and experience a whole new piece of life that would have been otherwise overlooked.

The bar is on a corner with a decent little outside lot. There is a food trailer for some good eats outside, a screened in patio for enjoying the outdoors. The inside space has a stage in the left back corner as you enter and the bar wraps around on the right. It definitely has that lounge type of feel with the decor inside.

On to the music.

I had no idea what I was going to hear, nor whom. To my wonderment and surprise, I  saw (and heard) Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside (http://sallieford.com/site)! What a fun band and a great time. Sallie and the band are totally entertaining on stage and lively.  Sallie Ford's vocals are heavy and full. In no way does the sweet, innocent looking, and unassuming Sallie Ford that you see, match the voice that kicks you in the ears and pulls you by the guts. That sweet, innocent look gives way to some strikingly naughty lyrics. My girlfriend was cracking up a couple of songs into the set as she pointed this out to me. Oh My! How great it is to be in the midst and company of some pretty ingenious writing and performance at this level. To think, here we are checking this band out for free in a dirt lot! Seeing The Sound Outside is nothing but a great time.

In the  late afternoon Texas sun, everyone in the crowd had their eyes on Sallie and many in the crowd were dancing...dancing by themselves, dancing with others, or just grooving along. The guitar sound is twangy and unique for today, it is not that radio pop bullshit we hear. It is original and it is interesting, if you pay attention. The stand up bass only adds to the whole performance aspect when they bust it out. The music is somewhere between rock-a-billy and a fifties-ish rock and roll sound. EEhhhhh, fuck the pigeon hole, this is absolute fun, a good time, and great music.




Make sure you jump to the band's web page from the link I provided. Go to YouTube, do whatever to check out Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside. We did and we were so very pleased with it all.

Inside The Grackle we caught the sounds of Quiet Life (https://www.facebook.com/QuietLifeBand). The set started a little down tempo with the two guitars and vocal harmonies, but as the room filled with people, it quickly changed. With an acknowledgment from the lead singer, the 3 piece kicked it up a notch and really found their groove within the crowd. It only took two minutes and the room was packed.  There was nothing quiet about this performance. With really great skills by both of the front men, Quiet Life, so brightly and brilliantly breathed some life into the crowd. Sorry, but I couldn't help the puns. Look them up on Facebook and find them on the road...Hell if you are lucky you will catch them with Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside.

p.s. - two days later we are walking down a side street looking for some more SXSW shows and who do we see sitting on a bench...SALLIE FORD! It was the coolest shit, she was totally nice and even seemed a bit shocked that she was recognized. So we got a picture with her...thanks Sallie!

Laters

SXSW The Kick Off

Wednesday has always been the official kick off to the music portion of South By Southwest (SXSW). The entire SXSW conference has become a beast of a whole different proportion in recent years, and I definitely don't crab about the giant commercial entity it has become, hell I look forward to it whole hearted. All of the things to see and bands to experience, I love it.

 Of all the places I could go to kick things off, how about Macy's? Right! My thought also. Macy's American Rag collection sponsored by the Van's Warped Tour. As a special event, Macy's had a stage in their store with special acoustic performances by Super Water Sympathy (SWS) and Breathe Carolina. I, unfortunately did not catch Breathe Carolina, but look forward to that in the near future, but was wowed by the SWS performance.

Super Water Sympathy (http://superwatersympathy.com/) was here in Austin, Texas as recent as February for a full on show at the One2One. These young kids from Shreveport. La. brought a big time touring show to a local venue and it was heart stopping. Their sound is clean, crisp and full of energy. Fronted by the vocals of Ansley Hughes, it is truly stunning. They do what you want when you go out to see a show. They put on a show! The way that SWS stands on stage and becomes one with the crowd is unbelievable. The guitars and keys mesh together into a sound that can only be described by the band as 'Water Pop'. The big bold vocals and the haunting sounds of the rhythm section are only topped off by a light show that you just don't see, unless you pay big money and go to the event sized arenas. To think they are still doing this on a small scale seems unimaginable, but then you snap back to reality and realize, "Oh Shit!" They are gonna be on the Vans Warped Tour for a second year in a row. There is definitely something special within the bands collective beating heart, and how they give that to the audience in a performance is just beautiful.

This leads me to SXSW kick off at Macy's. It was an acoustic performance. This could possibly be a crack in the foundation of a lesser band, if they were not prepared, but not SWS. Taking the stage and blasting through their set list in slow motion was wonderful. Here again the vocal performance of Ms Hughes was more than enough to make the crowd of young, eager on lookers just shut up and listen. Though they may not have known the songs of SWS, the crowd liked what they heard, clapped and swayed to a phenomenal sound. I don't think there could have been a better performance to introduce a whole new fan base to what is already a great band.

Handing out little business cards with free downloads of some SWS songs was just the perfect thing to do to work the crowd into a frenzy after hearing the haunting, but stunning performance.

I had the pleasure of catching them yet a third time the next day, but will save that blog for another part to my SXSW excursion.



Laters

SXSW 2013 edition

So it has begun. The South By Southwest Music, Film, and Interactive conference. The biggest draw and portion of this event is by far the Music conference. Although, the film is coming on strong, AND the interactive portion is HUGE when it comes to the launch of new things, i.e. Twitter and Foursquare!

I will make my way to the DT Austin area and surrounding parts to explore new venues, here tons of new music and hopefully interview some bands.

On just a small little jaunt to the downtown area for a couple of hours on 03/11/13 (for my girlfriends birthday) I did meet some new friends, Ismael (facebook.com/oldmaninthepeanut) and Tom. Hopefully I will see them around over the next few days. During a conversation last night with Ismael, we both made the observation that it is not a preponderance of social media representation and presence this year...(such as the Mashable venue) it is the camera person! I have seen folks with cameras every year and all the time, but this year everyone is breaking out the tri pods, the large camera bags, and lighting. It seems that everyone wants to capture their memory, make their mark, and show the world while they are doing it. You know what I say about that....HELL YEAH! Bring it on! All of you, them, us. This is what makes modern social media fun, exciting and great.

I did upload an intro video to my YouTube channel and to G+, so if you would like to take a moment and check it out ( http://m.youtube.com/user/soundfiend001?feature=guide#/watch?v=c8_7HFS1vpU) . Nothing spectacular, but it is just a short intro of myself, Austin, and the SXSW event that has enveloped the city. To tell the world your story in words and video is awesome, and of course everyone dreams of fame, fortune, and maybe even a little noteriety.

Oh well, be back at ya soon with some video and words of my own, about the music and events that will unfold over the course of this week.....and maybe I will get my shot at fame.

Laters