SXSW highlights from Saturday and Sunday

As mentioned previously, I'll provide an overview of my top moments of this year's South by Southwest Music Festival in a later post, but here's a brief overview of my Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday I saw:

Low Cut Connie, Saukrates, The People The Poet, Whitehorse, Screaming Females, Pop Group, Elliott Brood, Black Linen, Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express, The Parrots, Spells, The Blind Owls, Danny B. Harvey with Annie Marie Lewis (Jerry Lee's niece), 69 Cats, a Trinidadian steel band that played while we were waiting for Mighty Sparrow (who never showed up in his allotted hour-long time slot), Pujol, Sweet Talk and The Uglybeats.

On Sunday I saw:

Ice Cold Singles, Jon Langford and the Far Forlorn, Banditos, Churchwood and The Waco Brothers (who invited me on stage to sing "Folsom Prison Blues.")

I didn't take my camera out on Sunday night because the battery was dead, but here are a few photos from the past few days:

Jon Langford and The Far Forlorn

The Uglybeats

Pujol

Low Cut Connie

Elliott Brood

Danny B. Harvey and Annie Marie Lewis

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express

Black Linen

69 Cats

Photo highlights from Friday at SXSW

Here are the acts I saw on Friday at the South by Southwest Music Festival:

Go Wolf, July Talk, Rachel Sage, Best Coast, San Cisco, Broncho, The Waco Brothers, Grounders, Joe "King" Carrasco, Hinds, Twin Peaks, Palma Violets and Cloud Nothings.

Since the music festival officially started on Tuesday, I have yet to spend any money on food.

Here's a sampling of photos from Friday:

Cloud Nothings

Palma Violets

Twin Peaks

Hinds

Joe "King" Carrasco

Grounders

The Waco Brothers

San Cisco

Best Coast

July Talk

SXSW Thursday in words and pictures ... okay, mostly pictures

I've decided that time and other commitment constraints won't allow me to write comprehensive reports on my goings-on from the South by Southwest Music Festival every day, so I'm just going to provide a list of the acts I saw on Thursday and some of their photos for now, and then I'll follow up with highlights later.

Here are the artists: Look Vibrant, Rah Rah, Mac McCaughan, The Lost Brothers, Del Barber, The Apache Relay, The Cribs, Gang of Four, Loud Larry Ajust, Big Harp, Jeff Stuart and The Hearts, Slothrust, JP Hoe, Hippo Campus, Alvvays, The Saturday Tea, Frank Turner, Quiet Company and Surfer Blood.

Hippo Campus is my best discovery of a band previously unknown to me, aside from hearing a couple of songs online.

Here are some photos:

Surfer Blood

Quiet Company

Frank Turner

 

The Saturday Tea

Hippo Campus

Big Harp

Gang of Four

The Cribs

The Apache Relay

Mac McCaughan

Del Barber

Alvvays

Rah Rah

2015 South by Southwest Music Festival day three report

I'm covering the South by Southwest Music Festival for SOCAN's Words and Music and you can read about the Canadian Blast BBQ and other Canuck happenings here at some point.

I may try to write more later, but rest assured that I still haven't paid for any food since the music fest started on Tuesday and lots of free libations made their way down my throat during yesterday's day parties.

Here's what I saw on Wednesday along with photos of some of the artists:

Chadwick Stokes, The Wet Secrets, The Bros. Landreth, Single Mothers, Franklin Electric, Carl Barat & The Jackals, Frank Turner, The Everymen, Natural Child, Water Liars, The Mystery Lights, Chastity Belt and Broncho.

The Wet Secrets

The Franklin Electric

The Bros. Landreth

Single Mothers

Chastity Belt

The Mystery Lights

Water Liars

2015 South by Southwest Music Festival day two report

Ronald McDonald drove past me in a golf cart as I was walking up Red River Street early on Tuesday afternoon.

These are the types of things that happen at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. But luckily, seeing a hamburger-promoting clown was far from the highlight of my day.

Catl

One of them followed shortly thereafter, however, when I saw Catl at Cheer Up Charlie's. I've seen this group perform as much as anyone in Toronto over the last handful of years, but I wanted to pay my respects in Austin. I preferred it when there was a drummer and Sarah Kirkpatrick played keyboards instead of wailing away at a stand-up drum as she does now, but Catl remains a dynamic duo that plays raw, bluesy and elemental rock-and-roll. A Hasil Adkins cover was thrown in among the originals, which well-suited the band's unhinged approach to music.

A band called Calliope Musicals was playing outside, so I had a look and was caught off guard by seeing small kids dressed as tigers and unicorns dancing with balloons. It was cute but I wasn't into it and made my way to the convention centre to walk around the trade show for the remainder of the afternoon.

It was pretty tech-driven and there wasn't a lot that interested me, but I was invited to the Canadian Blast stand where the Ontario Media Development Corporation was having a small reception. I caught up with some Canadians I hadn't seen for a long time and chatted with people from Germany and England while having free beer, wine and sandwiches. I also got free beers from the New Zealand, Austin and Denton, Texas stands.

The Barberettes

The Next Stage in a corner of the trade show featured a South Korean female trio called The Barberettes that was making their first American appearance after playing two shows in Toronto just prior to arriving in Austin. They wore traditional Korean clothing at first but soon removed that to reveal something a little sexier. One of the women played acoustic guitar and sang, while the two others briefly picked up a ukulele and kazoo but primarily stuck to vocals. They delivered songs in Korean and English and had excellent harmonies as they sang originals (one about the popular Korean side dish kimchi was a standout) and great covers of "Barbara Ann" (with "Barberettes" subbed in during the chorus) and "Be My Baby" while doing some choreographed dance steps.

After the performance I was interviewed by a reporter from Dong-A Ilbo, whose business card said it was South Korea's leading newspaper, about The Barberettes. I'd appreciate it if all of you dedicated Dong-A Ilbo readers would save me a copy of any article you might see my name in.

I paid a visit to the washroom on the way out and Blondie drummer Clem Burke urinated beside me. He's playing with BP Fallon for SXSW and I hope to see him on Sunday.

The Breakout West party featuring bands from Western Canada was held at The Majestic and I arrived in time to see Mise en Scene, a Manitoba act with a female lead singer/guitarist and drummer and a male bassist that played a rootsy and sometimes slightly bluesy version of alternative rock that hit a lot of the right spots.

Free mini bratwursts and nachos were served and I was given four free drink tickets which I converted into a Shiner Bock and a triple rum and Coke, which seemed like a good idea at the time.

Yukon Blonde

Yukon Blonde took the stage at 6:30 p.m. and I noticed more emphasis on keyboards than I had the last time I saw the Vancouver group a few years ago. It's still a guitar-driven indie rock band, however, and a good one at that. The follow-up album to 2012's Tiger Talk will be out this summer, and that previous record's "Radio" was my favourite song of the set.

I walked across town to Stephen Easley's condominium, where he was hosting his traditional SXSW kick-off party poolside. The prominent attorney works in the technology and music fields and represents the estate of Buddy Holly as well as current artists, some of whom played this year's party. He's an excellent host and also manages the Mixed Media Mongrels, the softball team I play for in the annual SXSW tournament.

Edison Chair is a young pop-rock quintet from Austin that I can see growing into something more than it is now, which is still pretty good. You wouldn't know that lead singer Rachel Thompson only recently joined the band.

Bruce Smith

Bruce Smith is a fellow Mongrel and a salt of the earth guy who also happens to be a kick-ass roots-country singer/songwriter. He has a big following locally and hopefully that fan base will widen. He deserves it. Smith dedicated "'59 Stratocaster" to Buddy Holly, and that song may have been the standout number of his short set.

The Statesboro Revue is another young and very rootsy band that adds touches of country and blues to its rock. Their original material was solid, but their cover of Holly's "Think It Over" left me with the biggest smile.

Monte Warden

That smile was rivaled by the one that took over my face when Monte Warden said he knew who I was since no-one else in Canada writes about him. I'm a fan of his band The Wagoneers and his solo work, and he's had his songs recorded by the likes of Kelly Willis, Patty Loveless, George Jones, Travis Tritt, Carrie Underwood, Merle Haggard and George Strait. Warden performed a cross-section of his material, including some written as an ambassador for Songwriting for Soldiers, a charity dedicated to helping returning veterans adjust to life at home. Warden is an alternative country music pioneer who can do little wrong in my eyes. It would be great if he could get up to Toronto since Austin is the only place I've ever seen him.

I left the party to meet my friend Tom from Seattle, who I hadn't seen in a year-and-a-half, and we walked east to Hotel Vegas where I had hoped to see Protex, The Oh Sees, Paul Collins Beat and The Sloths, but there was a pretty long line and since it was an unofficial SXSW event, our badges wouldn't have got us in any quicker so instead we planted ourselves at a bar across the street where we could see and hear some of what was happening while enjoying some better quality beers than we could have got had we actually made it in to the multi-staged venue.

I didn't see as many acts as I normally would on Tuesday, but I was okay with that since hanging out with friends is another reason why I come to Austin.

2015 South by Southwest Music Festival day one report

The South by Southwest Music Festival doesn't officially begin until today,  but there was still lots of music to be heard around Austin, Texas as the multi-faceted SXSW event's interactive portion concluded on Monday.

Michael Rault

My first SXSW music experience of 2015 was provided by Michael Rault and his band from my hometown of Toronto. I loved his 2010 Ma-Me-O debut album and 2012 Whirlpool EP, but I didn't find last year's seven-song Living Daylight as much fun as its predecessors. The sound is a little more straight-forward rock than the '50s and '60s-influenced material that attracted me to him and most of Rault's eight-song set was comprised of that newer material. Again, in a live setting, I found that it lacked the retro quirkiness and some of the hooks that first drew me. But the performance in front of about 40 people ended on a high note with Living Daylight's "Suckcess."

The Vaccines

It was then on to The Spotify House, where I had to wait in a press line for about 20 minutes to get in to see The Vaccines. The London, England quintet's tight and melodic indie rock-and-roll had chops and hooks, but more sheen than I was expecting. Several new songs were showcased, including one that lead singer/guitarist Justin Young claimed that it had never played before. The group has a BRIT Award nomination for best live act under its belt and, while I enjoyed the performance, I can't say that I was blown away by it -- even with the generous portion of sweet tea vodka I was given for free. English Graffiti, the first full-length since 2012's Come of Age, will be out on May 26.

The venue was still packed to capacity for Canadian producer/remixer/DJ Ryan Hemsworth, who's created a solid buzz for himself in the electronic dance music world over the past few years. That's really not my scene, however, so I didn't stick around long and went on to do more mundane, non-SXSW things like going to the liquor store for supplies, checking into the apartment I'm renting for the week (it looked better online, oddly enough) and grabbing a large wrap from a vendor at one of Austin's numerous food truck parks for dinner.

Two Cow Garage

I soon regretted that decision. It tasted fine. But I found out there was free barbecue at the party on the roof of Cheers Shot Bar, where I checked out Columbus, Ohio rockers Two Cow Garage. The hard-working band has a fervent, cult-like following among some of my American friends that I can't grasp, but Two Cow plays impassioned rock-and-roll with narrative lyrics that are a cut above many other groups of their ilk. The friend who I was with and is more casual about his fandom, but has seen the group more than me, thought it was the best show he'd seen from the quartet. I was satisfied, too.

East Cameron Folkcore

Austin's East Cameron Folkcore came on at 9 p.m. at Empire Control Room and seemed to have a solid following. Its eight-member co-ed roster plays an array of instruments, including keyboards, mandolin, guitars, bass, drums, trombone and cello. While guitarist and primary songwriter Jesse Moore largely sings lead, others take turns in delivering his socially conscious lyrics that often pack a political and socio-economic punch that you can sometimes join along with. This is an expansive and powerful approach to folk that also incorporates punk, Celtic, rock, country and gospel elements. I haven't yet had a chance to listen to the advance copy of the group's Kingdom of Fear album (which comes out on April 7) I received, but this stirring performance gives me added incentive.

I had to go to Wikipedia to find out that Rocket Fuel was founded in 2008 and is a "provider of a programmatic media-buying platform that utilizes artificial intelligence, big data and predictive modeling bid in real time on digital media ad impressions across web, video, mobile, and social media." I just knew that it had spent big money to throw a party at Vulcan Gas Company.

I was ushered in after a 20-minute wait in line and found an open bar and free sandwiches, sliders, tacos and donuts. I was still full but forced down a couple of sliders to help form a base in my stomach for Lagunitas IPA and Austin Eastciders dry ciders while I found a comfy leather chair and waited for Real Estate to come on.

The New Jersey-formed group played a relatively short set of mid-tempo indie rock that was a bit laconic at first but picked up as things went along and a couple of songs kicked things up a notch or two. It was pleasant enough, but not particularly inspiring.

The New Pornographers

The party was capped off by The New Pornographers, the Canadian "supergroup" whose members and crew were flown in from around North America for this one gig. It doesn't seem like the band has been around for 15 years, but it has, and I was pleased that it dipped into its catalogue significantly during an hour-long performance that didn't include occasional live members Neko Case and Dan Bejar. The older nuggets included "Moves," "Use It," "Dancehall Dominee," "Your Hands," "The Laws Have Changed," "Testament to Youth in Verse," "Sing Me Spanish Techno," "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" and a set-closing "Mass Romantic," which inspired mass dancing.

I wasn't thrilled with last year's Brill Bruisers album that I thought lacked much of the power pop brilliance of yesteryear, but hearing some of its songs live -- particularly "You Tell Me Where," Backstairs" and "Champions of Red Wine" -- gave me a better appreciation of their merits. The night ended with a single encore number, "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism," and with all the free booze flowing around the club that was probably appropriate.

Oh, and by the way, happy St. Patrick's Day!

Frank Turner returns to the Horseshoe

British singer/songwriter Frank Turner made his first appearance in Toronto in 15 months on Monday night and, after playing the cavernous Sound Academy on his last visit, he happily returned to the cozier confines of the Horseshoe Tavern.

The show quickly sold out, but those who arrived at the club early were treated to a surprise acoustic performance by the man who headlines arena tours in his homeland and played at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London. It didn't take long for the venue to fill in after that and the place was pretty much packed by the time Turner's longtime friend Beans on Toast hit the stage for a solo acoustic set of his own.

I'd seen the English artist a few years ago at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas and enjoyed his easygoing delivery of wide-ranging, topical tunes. While chatting with him afterward, he pulled out a marker and drew two lines on my face, leaving me looking like a much less cute version of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.

While I'd listened to a few Beans on Toast songs online since then, his new The Grand Scheme of Things was the first album I'd listened to from beginning to end. I was impressed. It offers wit and insight in balanced measures, and the "drunk folk singer" provided entertaining renditions of several of its songs at the Horseshoe. 

It wasn't long before Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls trotted across the stage to be met with hoops, hollers, shouts, screams, whistles and clapping by the folks that surged forward to get as good a view as possible. 

The energy from the audience was met and returned by the musicians, who cranked out songs from across the catalogue and only let up when Turner took time to address the crowd with his typical humour, humility and profanity. He even briefly played electric guitar, which added a different wrinkle, and fell off a monitor on to his arse -- luckily not damaging his back which had caused him issues in the past.

Pretty much all of Turner's most popular songs were played during the 90-minute set, and a handful of new numbers from a new album due later this year were presented. They sounded promising and those in attendance responded enthusiastically, even if they couldn't sing every word like many were with virtually every song through most of the performance.

It was sweaty and fun, the way a good rock-and-roll show should be.

On a more personal note, I was pleased to be name-checked by veteran sportscaster Dave Hodge from the stage as he introduced the proceedings. Turner also acknowledged me (along with Hodge and Collective Concerts' Jeff Cohen and Ben Pearlman) during the show, which was nice.

I first saw Turner in Austin in March 2009 and spoke with him for the first time later that year on the night after I watched him open for The Offspring at the Molson Amphitheatre, when we shared pints at the Horseshoe. He opened his 2010 North American tour in my living room and I've written a lot about him over the years, and he appreciates the support even though he's now achieved a level of popularity where he probably wouldn't have to.

It was good to catch up with Turner while drinking a dram of Jameson Irish Whiskey with him backstage before he went on, and in the club's front bar over pints of 50 afterward when the throngs of fans who wanted autographs and photos finally thinned out. We'll both be in Austin for South by Southwest again later this month so we may get a chance to exchange pleasantries again before he returns to Toronto later this year in support of the new record.

In the meantime, just as Beans on Toast has a new album out this week through Xtra Mile Recordings (which is now distributed in Canada by Fontana North), Turner's The Third Three Years was released digitally by Xtra Mile this week as well.

It's his third installment of material not included on his studio albums and includes previously unreleased demos, radio sessions, B-sides, duets, live tracks, one-off side projects and covers of Queen's "Somebody to Love," Tom Petty's "American Girl," Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty," Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run."

It may be a wee bit hit and miss in places, as these types of collections can tend to be, but it was compiled for hardcore fans more than casual listeners just dipping their toes into Turner's repertoire. So if you like Turner and his music, you'll definitely like The Third Three Years.

Finally, I apologize for the less than stellar photos accompanying this post. I was using my new iPhone for the first time when I took them. Yes, I've finally taken the plunge. And no, you can't have my number.

Steve McLean's favourite music of 2014

The top 10
 
1. Old 97's - Most Messed Up
2. Ex Hex - Rips
3. The Rich Hands - Out of My Head
4. Dex Romweber Duo - Images 13
5. Archie Powell & The Exports - Back in Black
6. The Growlers - Chinese Fountain
7. Cousins - The Halls of Wickwire
8. Chuck Prophet - Night Surfer
9. Brian Setzer - Rockabilly Riot! All Original
10. Los Straitjackets - Deke Dickerson Sings the Instrumental Hits

The next 10
 

11. Stella Ella Ola - We Should Hang Out All The Time
12. The Strypes - Snapshot
13. Shovels & Rope - Swimmin' Time
14. The Baseball Project - 3rd
15. Imelda May - Tribal
16. Rodney Crowell - Tarpaper Sky
17. Reigning Sound - Shattered
18. The Orwells - Disgraceland
19. Pink Mountaintops - Get Back
20. Shivery Shakes - Three Waves & a Shake

 
Honourable mention
Rancid - Honor Is All We Know
Skaters - Manhattan
The Wet Secrets - Free Candy
Alvvays - Alvvays
Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
Nick Waterhouse - Holly

Reissues, compilations and box sets (alphabetical order)
 
Stompin' Tom Connors - A Truly Proud Canadian - The Hits The Country
The Gaslight Anthem - The B-Sides
Corb Lund - Counterfeit Blues
The Tragically Hip - Fully Completely Deluxe Edition
Various artists - While No One Was Looking: Toasting 20 Years of Bloodshot Records
Paul Weller - More Modern Classics
The Who - The Who Hits 50! Deluxe Edition
Wilco - Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014

 
EP
The She's - Dreamers EP

Concerts (chronological order)
 

Violent Femmes at Toronto Urban Roots Fest

The Millwinders, Jim Jones Revue - Jan. 17, Horseshoe, Toronto
The Millwinders, Deke Dickerson with James Henry and Teddy Fury - Jan. 21, Cameron House, Toronto
The Dream Syndicate - Feb. 8, The Garrison, Toronto
The B.B. Guns, Nick Waterhouse - Feb. 22, Horseshoe, Toronto
The Royal Crowns, The Fleshtones - April 18, Horseshoe, Toronto
Stompin' Tom Connors tribute - April 19, Horseshoe, Toronto
Holly Golightly - April 23, Horseshoe, Toronto
Bloodshot Bill, Catl - April 24, Horseshoe, Toronto
Ablebody, Fear of Men, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - April 26, Horseshoe, Toronto
Various artists at various venues for Canadian Music Festival - May 6-10, Toronto
The Slackers - May 9, Lee's Palace, Toronto
Ray Condo tribute - May 16, 3030, Toronto
The Toasters - June 5, Horseshoe, Toronto
Various artists at various venues for North by Northeast Music Festival - June 18-21, Toronto
Various artists at Toronto Urban Roots Fest - July 4-6, Fort York, Toronto
Hands & Teeth, Beliefs, Cousins - Aug. 8, Silver Dollar, Toronto
Daddy Long Legs, The Ding-Dongs, Miriam - Aug. 31, Horseshoe, Toronto
Paul Weller, The Flaming Lips, The Cure - Sept. 6, Riot Fest, Downsview Park, Toronto
The Blasters - Sept. 6, Horseshoe, Toronto
Robyn Hitchcock - Sept. 12 and 13, The Drake Underground, Toronto
Stiff Little Fingers - Sept. 14, Lee's Palace, Toronto
La La Brooks - Sept. 27, Horseshoe, Toronto
Catl, The Undead Telly Savalas, The Reigning Sound - Oct. 26, Horseshoe, Toronto
Ex Hex - Oct. 27, Horseshoe, Toronto
Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express - Nov. 9, Horseshoe, Toronto
Allah-Las - Nov. 27, Horseshoe, Toronto
The Hold Steady - Dec. 11, Horseshoe, Toronto
Skydiggers - Dec. 20, Horseshoe, Toronto
The Sadies - Dec. 31, Horseshoe, Toronto