SXSW 2013 day six: Alejandro Escovedo and pals put on a party

-->

The final day of the South by Southwest Music Festival didn’t get off to a great start, as my Mixed Media Mongrels softball team had an influx of new and inexperienced players and we got smoked badly and were eliminated from the SXSW tournament after the first game. Luckily, there was lots of free and delicious barbecue from Ruby's to eat at the diamonds afterward and Alejandro Escovedo’s non-SXSW-affiliated show at The Continental Club provided a lot more thrills through Sunday night.

After licking my wounds and relaxing around the condo having a beer and watching Sixteen Candles, I trudged down South Congress Avenue and had a margarita at Guero’s outdoor garden stage while watching a local vintage boogie band getting couples up on the dancefloor.

I crossed the street to the Continental at 6:30 p.m., arriving in time to hear the last couple of songs from Rosie Flores — including one in which Kelly Hogan and other women sang back-up. Best of all, I found a seat. Standing at this show for 10 hours last year after a week of SXSW club-hopping almost did my legs and feet in, so the chair near the back of the intimate, 200-person capacity club was a godsend.

Mighty Stef, an Irish rock-and-roll quartet that’s better than its name, followed shortly thereafter. The audience sang along to “We Want Blood,” but there were no St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans like I’m sure must have been happening at other bars around the city. But colourful Halifax bar owner and former mayoral candidate Victor Syperek cut a dashing figure walking around the club in a top hat with feathers sticking out of the band.

I’d seen Willie Nile a couple of times before, but his 7:15 p.m. set was definitely the most incendiary I’d witnessed. The singer/songwriter/guitarist and his band opened in a big way with “House of a Thousand Guitars” and kept things pumping through a set that also included “Holy War,” “American Ride,” “One Guitar” (with Escovedo and two women singing harmonies) and a ripping cover of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died” that had much of the room (including me) singing along.

I’ve seen Bobby Bare Jr. a few times in the past, but tonight I got to witness his namesake father, who was one of the biggest names in country music in the 1960s and ‘70s. He looks and sounds great for a 77-year-old, as he sang and played electric guitar in front of a five-piece band that included Jr. on backing vocals. He opened the set with his classic 1963 hit “Detroit City” that induced another sing-along. “Ride Me Down Easy” and a cover of “Tom Dooley” led to Escovedo’s “I Was Drunk,” with the night’s host walking out to share vocals. “Boll Weevil” and “John Hardy” carried the set through to a fine conclusion with Bare's 1974 chart-topper, “Marie Laveau.”

Austin sextet Pong was eclectic and amused me for a while, but I wasn’t sad to see its time on stage come to an end.

I’d first heard Barfield, "The Tyrant of Texas Funk" at Escovedo’s Continental showcase at last year’s SXSW and was pleasantly surprised. Mike Barfield has some interesting dance moves and his band definitely brings some rocking funk, including on one song that incorporated The Clash’s “Magnificent Seven.”

I’m not sure if Gordie Johnson and his bandmates in the reformed Big Sugar spend more time in Austin or Toronto these days. But the group, which got back together in 2010 and released an album a year later, reached back into its catalogue of Canadian hits and opened with 1996’s “Diggin’ A Hole” and ended with 1999’s “Turn The Lights On,” which included some of The English Beat’s “Rough Rider” in the middle. There’s a reggae vibe to more of the material now, not unlike what was found on 2000’s Alkaline side project album, and recent addition Friendlyness does a lot of toasting in addition to his keyboard duties. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Kurt Bloch and Peter Buck

R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Bill Rieflin and Scott McCaughey, along with Fastbacks guitarist Kurt Bloch, had been circulating around the club through much of the evening, but the time finally came for them to take the stage together for a 25-minute set heavy on songs from Buck’s self-titled debut from last year. Robyn Hitchcock was standing beside me when the band launched into “Monkey Mask,” and then a go-go dancer came out for “Give Me Back My Wig.”

The crowd got a particular thrill, and a chance to join in, when Mills sang the R.E.M. classic “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville.” A few more rocking and raucous power pop songs followed before things came to an end the same way they do on Buck's album with “I’m Alive.” Buck wasn’t a vocal contributor to R.E.M. and he’s hardly a pure singer, but his rough-hewn growl is suited to the primitive-sounding material he dished out with a large dash of attitude during this performance.

I hadn’t really heard from or thought much of Atlanta’s Drivin N Cryin in 20 years, and didn’t know it was still together, but the quartet’s performance was a revelation and rocked much harder than I was expected. The group is now issuing a six-song EP every 90 days and included a song about “Hot Wheels out of control” from its latest one that seemed as strong as its past material. Given who was in the room, the band’s R.E.M. tribute song was perfectly timed and Mills and McCaughey showed their appreciation from the bar.

Buck joined the group for “10 Million B.C.” from his album and stuck around for Drivin N Cryin’s “Straight to Hell,” with Mills also coming out to add harmonies on the 40-minute set’s final number.

Escovedo had been coming on stage in his snakeskin jacket and ascot to introduce each band throughout the night, but the Continental’s owner did the honour for True Believers — a rocking roots band which he said first played that stage exactly 30 years earlier and changed the Austin music scene forever — which was formed by Alejandro, his guitarist brother Javier, guitarist Jon Dee Graham, drummer Kevin Foley and bassist Denny DeGorio. True Believers have reunited and this performance would be the last of several it did during SXSW.

True Believers

The Escovedo brothers and Graham traded off on lead vocals throughout the 40-minute set, which I enjoyed but could see really meant a lot more to the locals in the crowd who seemed to worship the group. “Rebel Kind” resonated most with me until the last song, a cover of Velvet Underground’s “Foggy Notion” that was injected with accelerant. That wasn’t enough for the audience, however, which included Fleshtones/The Split Squad singer/guitarist Keith Streng. It demanded and got an encore, for which True Believers sounded even louder.

The $20 cover charge was a small price to pay for such great music but, even better, it was all donated to The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C., a multicultural, non-profit civil association dedicated to developing and administering scholarship, educational, medical and environmental programs for the benefit of children and their families in Todos Santos, Mexico. Buck is a big supporter of the organization, and holds an annual music festival in support of it, and he walked through the audience with a bucket to collect additional donations as True Believers played.

It was almost 2 a.m. and time to make my final walk back up South Congress to our condo. It had been another great week in Austin, and I never spent a penny on food throughout the music festival, which made it even better.

Thanks to everyone who I spent time with in one way or another. Let’s do it again.

SXSW 2013 day four: a Waco afternoon turns into a Specials night

It’s been my tradition since first coming to the South by Southwest Music Festival to cross Town Lake to the South Congress neighbourhood and the Yard Dog Gallery for the Bloodshot Records party and margaritas across the street with the Waco Brothers. It’s a tradition that was continued this year and I don’t see it ending as long as all the involved parties are in Austin.

I arrived at the Yard Dog at 3 p.m., where I caught Lydia Loveless’ last song. I would have liked to have heard more, since I’m a fan, but luckily I caught her in Toronto a few months ago.

Luke Winslow-King

Lagunitas IPA was selling for three dollars, but it was just a buck if you kept your cup for refills, so I ordered my first beer while waiting for Luke Winslow-King to begin at 3:15 p.m. He sang and played guitar and was accompanied on vocals by Esther Rose (who added percussion with both a rub board and by striking a horseshoe with a screwdriver) and an upright bassist. The trio had a rootsy, folky, down-home sound that was nice, but not particularly inspiring.

I went inside the gallery to check out its great collection of folk art and then back outside to the Bloodshot merchandise table where I bought both a Bloodshot work shirt and bottle opener for just five dollars.

Waco Brothers

I then went to Guero’s and bellied up to the bar for margaritas and conversations with old friends, new friends and all of my friends in the Waco Brothers. I was going to briefly check out and go down the street to Jo’s Coffee to see The James Hunter Six, but Wacos drummer Joe Camarillo had already bought me another margarita so I stuck around and chatted more until just before 5:30 p.m. when the band left to take the Yard Dog stage.

I don’t know if you’ll find a more entertaining rock and roll band than the Wacos, and this set featured a fiery set of original songs and choice covers. Jo Walston from The Meat Purveyors jumped on stage for George Jones’ “White Lightning” and Jon Langford reciprocated by jumping into the crowd during Johnny Cash’s “Big River,” but the boys were generally better behaved than at past Bloodshot parties. And yet another Friday at SXSW tradition was upheld when Craig Laskey kept drinking my beer.

Green Day

I made a pitstop back at the condo before it was time to go to ACL Live at The Moody Theatre to see Green Day. You can read my Spinner review of that outstanding show here.

When Green Day had finally finished after playing for more than two hours, I dropped my laptop off at the condo and went across the street to The Ginger Man to see The District Attorneys. Some friends are working with the band, and they should because it’s really good. The relatively young Athens, Ga. group features two guitars, drums, bass and keyboards, plays melodic alternative rock, and goes down fine with a pint of IPA. I’d be happy to be in court with these guys.

The Specials' Terry Hall

The Specials were playing again at Stubb’s at 12:30 a.m., and I got there early so I could grab a tallboy of Lone Star and get right up front where hopefully I’d encounter more real fans of the second wave ska kings than I did the night before. A few people spotted my Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice T-shirt and waved me over to join them. It was a similar set to the previous night, with perhaps a few more songs thrown in, but I was too preoccupied with moshing and skanking to take notes. The Specials once again left me on a high on the walk back to the condo for the usual socializing and debriefing.

Amount of money spent on food during SXSW thus far: $0.

SXSW day three: Warm Soda, The Split Squad and The Specials

-->

Warm Soda

I elected to plant myself at The Side Bar for a few hours from 3 p.m. onward on Thursday to take in a bill of rock-and-roll that began with Warm Soda. This full-on, rockin’ power pop quartet is part of what seems to be an interesting music scene developing in Oakland, Calif. A number of friends had raved about the group, and they weren’t wrong — and many of them were in the front of the stage when I arrived for a set that included “Jeanie Loves Pop,” “Spellbound” and several other songs I’m still getting familiar with. There was a relatively small crowd on hand, but it was justifiably enthusiastic.

I moved from the bar’s inside stage with my pint of 512 Wit Bier to another one set up on a back patio to catch the final number from Minnesota’s 4onthefloor that was an up-tempo, blues-based rocker.

A pint of Austin IPA and Spider Bags took me back to the inside stage. The group members are punky, meat-and-potatoes, rock-and-roll practitioners who played very loud in the relatively small room. It was okay but didn’t live up to my expectations.

The Hounds Below

I returned to the glorious sunshine for The Hounds Below, a group I tried to see on Tuesday night but didn’t, which is fronted by Jason Stollsteimer from The Von Bondies. The band wasn’t as intense as Warm Soda or Spider Bags, but was definitely more melodic than the latter. A drunk dancing in front of the stage was attracting as much attention as the band, and I concluded that I prefer The Von Bondies over The Hounds Below. I felt like beating someone up and not talking about it when the group concluded with a cover of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”

I drank some of my FM966 Farmhouse Ale pint at the inside bar to catch a bit of Diarrhea Planet, which was better than its name and fit in with the sound and spirit of other bands on the bill.

Paws

Glasgow, Scotland’s Paws was another band I’d heard great things about. The young outfit plays perky power pop that packs a decent punch and abundant hooks. The aforementioned drunk dancer grabbed my pen and notepad and scribbled or drew something that a really loaded guy might create before he bounded off. While I was certainly impressed with Paws, I had to cut out with two songs to go see something else I was curious about.

I spotted Billy Bragg walking down Sixth Street by himself while on my way to Latitude 30 to see another young United Kingdom band, China Rats. The quartet plays and writes songs beyond its years, and its spiky, energetic, melodic mix of pop and rock is full of promise. A surfy, garage-y tune reminded me a bit of Van Morrison’s “Gloria,” and the band stopped it mid-song a couple of times for dramatic effect. Paws and China Rats should draw from the same fan base, and hopefully it will be a large one.

The Split Squad's Keith Streng

I didn’t realize that Patagonia was a clothing store and not a club until I arrived and was given a free slice of pizza and a bottle of sparkling cider on my way in to see garage rock’s new supergroup: The Split Squad. Bassist Michael Giblin from Parallax Project handles most of the lead vocals, and his peers have even more impressive resumes. Drummer Clem Burke is from Blondie, guitarist Keith Streng is from The Fleshtones, guitarist Eddie Munoz is from The Plimsouls, keyboardist Josh Kantor plays at Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park and Scott McCaughey plays in too many bands to remember, but they include R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows and The Baseball Project.

This was The Split Squad’s first show, but you wouldn’t have known it by the performance. The group’s debut album (which includes contributions from R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, Gang of Four's Hugo Burnham and The Figgs' Mike Gent) will be out this spring and you won’t get anything unexpected, considering the members’ pedigrees, and that’s alright. If you’ve ever seen The Fleshtones, you’d know what a dervish Streng is — spinning around, doing jumping scissor kicks, immersing himself in the audience and climbing on amplifiers, all while playing crisp guitar lines. Original power pop, garage and glam rock songs formed the backbone of the set and had people dancing, but covers including The Small Faces’ sparkling “Sorry She’s Mine” and a rawking encore run through Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown” shone a spotlight on both the musicians’ skills and music knowledge.

Chuck Mead and The Grassy Knoll Boys

I left the store on a high and returned to our condo to check a few emails, and a couple of breakfast tacos that had been given away this morning and refrigerated were thrust at me as I made my way out the door to see Chuck Mead and The Grassy Knoll Boys. Mead is the former frontman of the much missed BR549, but this very traditional country music combo he’s put together could go a long way to making people cherish his present and future as opposed to his past. The vintage ‘50s country and honky tonk sounds that came from Mead’s electric guitar and the three accompanying musicians on mandolin/steel guitar/harmonica, upright bass and snare drum infused the original songs and carried over to covers of Del Reeves' “Girl On The Billboard” and Little Willie John's “Leave My Kitten Alone.” I may not be as nimble as the couples that started two-stepping and spinning each other around on the dancefloor, but I was just as happy as they were by the time Mead and the boys left the stage — and that wasn’t just from my Red Hook Audible Ale.

Capsula is a rock trio from Spain that I’ve planned to see for the past few SXSWs, but haven’t been able to squeeze in. The group mixes late ‘60s hard rock and psychedelia and plays pretty loose, which perhaps makes sense considering its Stooges influences. The lead singer/guitarist vibrated his instrument against various ceiling and wall pipes to see what would happen and had a lot of energy, and I found the female bassist/singer sexy. But it wasn’t quite what I expected, which dampened my enthusiasm a bit. Capsula will record its next album in two weeks.

There were no nearby must-see bands for 10 p.m. on my list, and I had met friends at Capsula who I warmed to seeing Warm Soda, so I elected to order a second pint of Ziegen Bock and stick around to see the band for the second time today. It played many of the same songs again, which I was cool with, as this is definitely a band to watch out for.

I arrived at Hype Hotel at 10:40 p.m. and heard the last couple of songs from Beach Fossils, which I pretty much ignored -- but it let me know that things were running late and I’d have to wait longer than expected to see The Specials. But The Specials are worth waiting for and admission to the large venue included two free drink tickets and two free tacos — and my guile and charm got me four more free drink tickets that I quickly turned into more easy-drinking maple bourbon and colas. It made the wait go much easier.

I saw two members of unique Finnish punk rock band Pertti Kurikka’s Name Day in line to get in and again inside the venue and tried to talk to them and told them I had reviewed the documentary made about them last year, but they either didn’t understand or appreciate what I was saying. I also realized that a lot of people in the room didn’t appreciate The Specials, as a number of them walked up to me to ask who the band was when it came on stage. It made me miss my reserved skanking spot that was set aside for a few hardcore fans when the group played Toronto’s Sound Academy in the summerof 2010.

The Specials finally came on and launched into “Do The Dog,” but the backing vocals were mixed too low. Luckily, that problem was soon resolved. The absence of Neville Staple unfortunately wasn’t. His vocal and camaraderie contributions were missed.

“New Era” followed and, while most people were just standing around, I told them to give me some room to dance and sing along as I moved a bit closer to the stage. The hits came in quick succession, with “Gangsters,” “Monkey Man,” “Rat Race,” “Doesn’t Make It Alright,” “Concrete Jungle,” “Man at C&A,” “Do Nothing,” “A Message to You, Rudy,” “Nite Klub” and finally a closing run through “Too Much Too Young.”

By this time it was after 1 a.m. and I knew I wasn’t going to see anything better, so I walked back to the condo and stayed up until around 4:30 a.m. writing, talking, eating and drinking.

Amount of money spent on food during SXSW thus far: $0.

SXSW 2013 day two: Billy Bragg, Allah-Las, Thermals and Skatalites

Since I’m yet again endeavouring to make it through another South by Southwest Music Festival without paying for any food, my awesome host Tara King-Cohen made me a breakfast of scrambled eggs and brisket as I was typing away through Wednesday morning.

Billy Bragg

Music for me began at 3 p.m. at the Hangar Lounge with Billy Bragg. I interviewed him over the phone last Friday and had a few words with him in person at the bar before he did an on-stage interview and a four-song, solo acoustic set. A bee or a hornet or something stung my arm while I was sipping my Shiner 966 Farmhouse Ale, and it’s still slightly swollen and painful, but that didn’t draw my attention away from Bragg opening with two songs from his new Tooth & Nail album: “No One Knows Nothing Anymore” and the humorous “Handyman Blues.” He followed it up with his biggest American hit, 1991’s “Sexuality,” and ended with a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “My Flying Saucer” from 2000’s Mermaid Avenue Vol. II.

The Allah-Las were one of my priority acts to see here, so I caught a 3:30 p.m. set at the packed back tent at The Stage on Sixth. I couldn’t get that close to the young Los Angeles garage rock quartet, so I hung back by the bar enjoying a very nice, dry-hopped Red Hook Long Hammer IPA, and the band sounded great from there. The chiming guitars would fit perfectly on the Nuggets box set. The playing is strong and the lead singer has an edge to his voice without being close to out of control, and subtle backing harmonies rounded everything out nicely. The Allah-Las don’t have a lot of stage presence, but they certainly have songs and a sound that I totally appreciated.

I saw The Thermals for the first time down here three years ago, and the dynamic, spiky rock trio’s high energy left a big impression and prompted me to catch the 4 p.m. set at The Parish. I stood at the bar with a Stash IPA and listened to a set heavy on songs from the group’s Saddle Creek Records debut, Desperate Ground, which comes out on April 16. I loved the last album, 2010’s Chris Walla-produced Personal Life (via Kill Rock Stars), so I’m looking forward to this new one. The 25-set left me wanting more, but the Portland, Ore. group is playing several SXSW shows so I may catch another one.

I then made my dutiful appearance at the Canadian Blast party in Brush Square Park, where I heard Paper Lions playing on the other side of the VIP area as I ate free barbecued chicken and beans and drank a bourbon and cola while catching up with the lovely and talented Jennie Punter, who’s here from Toronto covering films for Variety.

The Skatalites

She accompanied me to The Ginger Man, where we drank nicely hopped pints of Bear Republic Racer 5 while grooving on the back patio to The Skatalites. Alto saxophonist Lester Sterling is the only founding member of the legendary ska group still remaining, but the nine-piece band still plays the old favourites, including “Phoenix City,” “Guns of Navarone” and even the Flintstones theme. Doreen Shaffer got up for Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop,” which increased the dancefloor action.

I was assigned to cover the Spinner showcase at the ACL for the entire night, so you can read what I wrote about Natalie Maines, Dawes, Iron & Wine, Family of the Year and Lord Huron while drinking free IPAs at ACL Live at the Moody Theater here.

I returned to the condo for beer, barbecue, conversation and writing until turning in at 4:30 a.m.

Amount of money spent on food during SXSW: $0.

SXSW 2013: Hanging with a legend and two new discoveries

-->

Maria Elena Holly slums it with me.

The South by Southwest Music Festival officially begins for me once I receive my first free drink at a bar, and this year it was on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at The Cedar Door, where I stopped in on the Fast Company Grill party while on my way to the Austin Convention Center to pick up my photo pass.

I’m not sure why I was invited, but I was given a Target-branded pair of sunglasses when I walked in and then bellied up to the bar for a stiff margarita. Outside in the sunshine, actor and 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto was being interviewed about advertising, the Internet, film and the media. He directed a film called Artifact about the making of his band’s This Is War album and his ensuing battle with EMI over it, and it’s being screened in Austin this week. He said he was at NASA last week to launch the “Up In The Air” single from the group’s forthcoming album into space to join the International Space Station. Leto didn’t seem like the dick that I’ve read in a number of places that he apparently can be.

El Vez

I got caught up with my filmmaking friend Mitchell Kezin (look for his Jingle Bell Rocks! documentary on obscure Christmas music before the end of the year) over a couple of pints at Casino El Camino before we headed next door to Flamingo Cantina to see El Vez, the “Mexican Elvis,” perform a punk rock-themed show. Robert Lopez is a flamboyant entertainer and his thoroughly enjoyable set included multiple costume changes in just 40 minutes. His songs mix comedic moments with relevant socio-political commentary and always leave me with a silly grin on my face. El Vez is in Kezin’s film and, so far at least, so am I (as my Mexican wrestling Santa Claus “Santez” alter-ego). Those are two great reasons why you should see it, and here’s a third: Wayne Coyne.

I then had to rush off to a condo owned by my lawyer friend Stephen Easley for a poolside party he was throwing to announce two new prizes on behalf of The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. I sat down and chatted with Buddy’s widow, Maria Elena, and you can read that interview on Spinner.ca once its posted. 

The party included heartwarming performances by Colin Boyd, Paul Burch, the reunited Wagoneers, 2012 Grammy Award nominee Seth Glier and Willie Nile that were heavy on Holly covers. I interviewed Burch last year about his collaborative Great Chicago Fire album with The Waco Brothers, and he released a Buddy Holly tribute album titled Words of Love in 2011. I never thought I’d get a chance to see the Monte Warden-fronted Wagoneers, so watching these Texas Music Hall of Fame inductees cover Holly’s “Well Alright” and “Maybe Baby” as well as new originals from the band’s forthcoming first new album since 1989’s Good Fortune was a special treat. Match this great music with delicious food, cucumber and hot pepper-infused margaritas, Shiner Bock and a worthy cause, and you had a great way to start an evening.

The Wagoneers

Austin’s Rainey Street neighbourhood has really taken off since I was here last year, with lots of houses being converted into bars with backyard stages. I’d planned on seeing The Hounds Below at one of them (Javelina) at 10 p.m., but was told upon my arrival that the music for the night had been cancelled. Luckily, Jason Isbell was playing less than a block away at Blackheart, so I caught the second half of his acoustic set while sipping a hoppy, microbrewed IPA.

I stayed there for another IPA and Spirit Family Reunion, a young band with its own take on bluegrass and traditional country that it calls “homegrown American music to stomp, clap, shake and holler with.” The harmonies were tight and the fiddle and accordion added flavour to the sounds coming from the acoustic guitars and rhythm section. This was my first happy discovery of SXSW.

My second one happened immediately afterward at Latitude 30, where young New Zealand native Willy Moon jumped on stage with attitude, a ‘60s meets ‘80s vibe and a look that harkened back to a youthful Bryan Ferry. A female guitarist and dancer were part of the band that knocked out energetic renditions of songs from his upcoming Here’s Willy Moon debut album, including covers of The Blasters’ “Shakin’” and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You.” This eclectic artist is playing several shows this week and is worth investigating.

I had planned to go up to Red 7 Patio to close the night off with The Polyphonic Spree, but ran into people at Latitude 30 and started talking, so I just stayed there to close out the night before walking back to our condo.