SXSW 2006

3/17/06
1:00 pm
José González @ Emo's Annex
My second José González set of the Fest was at a party thrown by the indie rock geek site Pitchfork and hosted by acerbic comedian Patton Oswald (who was actually pretty funny). He played a similar set as he had the night before to a much younger but equally appreciative crowd. The sound was much better here, making for a more satisfying experience.

Before we move on, however, I need to mention Death Vessel. I walked in on the middle of this set, thinking, "Death Vessel? Some whiny early 20-something, no doubt." On stage was a craggy, extremely thin young man clad in black jeans, T-shirt and bangs, looking like a refugee from a My Chemical Romance cover band. However, he performed expertly picked country/folk love songs on a decades-old Gibson and sang them in what I can only call a woman's voice. Not a man's high voice, not a man trying to imitate a woman, but a woman's pure, feminine keen. Once I got past the cognitive disconnect I was captivated. He didn't say anything about who he was or whether or not he had records, but Death Vessel bears further investigation.

2:00 pm
Pong @ Bourbon Rocks
As I've written in previous years, one of the fun things about SXSW is stumbling across some free show you didn't even know was happening. So it was with this Pong show; I was enticed into the door of this recently-opened club for a set by one of Austin's most enjoyable live acts. Made up of former members of the Pocket FishRMen, ST-37 and the notorious Ed Hall, Pong fused classic rock guitar licks, barebones funk/disco rhythms and New Wave keyboard blurts into an unclassifiable, compulsively danceable brew that made the crowd shake its collective ass off harder than any band I've seen in months. Always a pleasure.

4:00 pm
The BellRays @ The Parish
I've gone on and on so often about the wonder that is the BellRays that it seems almost pointless to do it again. But I can't sing this band's praises loudly enough. This was an afternoon show for mostly music biz weasels, and the band hit the stage with the same fire and fury it would any other show. Playing a blazing mix of recent songs ("Revolution Get Down," "Remember," "We Are the Dead") and tunes from its forthcoming album Have a Little Faith, the California quartet has incorporated more funk, soul and jazz influences into its music than ever before, without ever coming off as "funk rock" or "jazz rock." The group's use of dynamics grows ever more masterful—this set was practically a class on how to use dynamics without ever falling into loud/soft clichés. The 'Rays' energy level was burning hotter than a supernova sun's, and singer Lisa Kekaula's sheer sense of commitment dragged us on the bus whether we were prepared or not. The BellRays are the only band I know that literally get better every time—let me repeat that, every time—I see them. And there's nothing quite like watching the BellRays completely win over a jaded SXSW crowd.

8:00 pm
The Sharp Things @ Friends
New York's Sharp Things have a couple of excellent, symphonic pop records out, but the band makes the kind of intricate music that would be intimidating to reproduce live. For most bands, anyway; singer/songwriter/pianist Perry Serpa and guitarist Jim Santos simply brought their 10-piece group (including three violinists and two brass players) to Friends' tiny stage as if it weren't no big thang. Serpa's rich writing and dramatic singing betrayed roots in Broadway-style craftsmanship, but he and Santos knew how to arrange his creations to avoid both melodrama and complexity for complexity's sake. It helps that all ten members took such obvious pleasure in playing lush, near-perfect pop songs like "Suicide Bombers," "Don't You Leave Me This Way" and a delightful cover of the Beatles' "Martha My Dear." There was a lot of love on that stage, and the audience shared it.

9:00 pm
Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. @ Pecan St. Ale House
Every night I have one act around which everything else revolves; if nothing else pans out, I will experience that particular show. This Friday it was what as far as I know was the debut solo performance by Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. Manning is well-known to underground pop fans as one of the masterminds behind the much-missed Jellyfish and Imperial Drag, as well as a popular sideman for Beck, Air and dozens of others. It's a testament to his enduring influence that, while the club was nearly empty when I came in (allowing me to get a spot directly in front of the artist), it was packed by showtime with fans bearing Jellyfish box sets for autographing, digital cameras for candids and good wishes, all of which Manning was happy to receive.

Last year he released in his long-gestating solo album Solid State Warrior as a download; in preparation for its terrestrial release in October on the Cordless label, he was in town to give what he called a "preview." Adorned in a multi-colored velvet jacket, he sat alone at a Roland Fantom X8 keyboard set for acoustic or electric piano, playing with backing tracks he'd prepared for the occasion. There was no space between cuts on the backing tape, so there was little chance for between-song banter, and occasionally Manning tripped over his own endings, but those were merely proof to the wide-eyed faithful that he was human. (A reality check some of these folks needed.) Besides, when he was gracing the crowd with stunning pop tunes like "Sandman," "Land of Pure Imagination," "The Loser" and first single "Too Late For Us Now" (the only four songs he played), who cares about a few mistakes? Especially when he sang just as well live as he did on the recordings. The crowd was ecstatic and Manning seemed pleased as well. "I'm gonna keep making music for you guys as long as I possibly can," he told me afterward. Amen to that.

10:30 pm
Turn Me On Dead Man/Zolar X @ The Jackalope
I discovered the San Fran psych band Turn Me On Dead Man just recently at my local used record store. I'm such a soft touch for this stuff I couldn't resist a band with that name, an album called God Bless the Electric Freak and a cover depicting a double-exposed, scantily-clad maiden holding a Gibson SG. I mean, for aficionados of the genre, you just know what you're getting without hearing a note, right? Anyway, the former power trio has become a quintet with the addition of a second guitarist and a keyboardist/trumpeter, and hit the stage at the Jackalope as part of the Alternative Tentacles showcase. Though beset by equipment problems at the beginning of its set, the band still managed to erect an impressive psychedelic sound edifice. An ever-so-slight glam rock edge lent the music a buoyancy that kept it from being too stoner rock, even though it was always heavy. That tunes like "Her Planet is Love" and "Spiral Marylin" always kept a firm grasp on melody helped as well. And when the keysman picked up his effects-laden horn, it was like the psych rock Miles Davis album of my fantasies.

Right before TMODM began, however, we were, ahem, treated to an appearance by Blowfly. The infamous proto-rapper/comedian took over the stage from label owner/MC Jello Biafra with a ridiculous superhero costume, a masked band and a pair of hot dancers for a quick blast called, as near as I could tell, "Strongbad Fucker," which Blowfly claimed was "about his ass" (pointing at Biafra). It was, as one might expect from the legendary pottymouth, stupid and profane, but funny. Jello helpfully reminded the crowd that Blowfly had a new album coming later in the year called Blowfly's Punk Rock Party. Prank or advertisement? Hard to tell, because Biafra certainly looked surprised to see Blowfly and his posse heading toward the stage just as he finished introing Turn Me On Dead Man.

TMODM's glam-edged psych, was an appropriate predecessor for the psychedelic glam rock of the reconstituted Zolar X. Rescued from obscurity by the enthusiastic patronage of Biafra (who issued the excellent compilation Timeless on AT ), this late-70s glam band was playing what may have been its first show outside of San Francisco in over two decades. The trio's gimmick in the past was to always appear in public dressed as space aliens from the planet Plutonia; a complicated mythology came with the package. The aging musicians used a low-rent version of same for this show, confining themselves to platinum-blonde pageboy wigs and Mr. Spock eyebrows. Besides, like any good band, it's the music, not the trappings, that make Zolar X worth hearing. Catchy, punk-charged glam spangles like "Timeless," "Mirrors" and the encored "Jet Star 19" hold up quite well, and the band played several new songs (including the magnificent power ballad "Unplugged In," which would have made Redd Kross proud) that bode well for the future. The band has some tech problems even more severe than those suffered by TMODM (with whom it was sharing gear), and the first half of the show was a bit tentative as a result. But when Zolar X hit warp 5, there was no better companion with which to be traveling to unknown worlds.

By the way, host/label boss Biafra not only introduced each band, but was right in the front row rocking out to each set. I know if I was on a label it would give me a great deal of comfort to see the guy signing my advance checks having such a great time at one of my shows. This is why Jello is so well loved and respected in the underground.

1:00 am
Witch @ The Dirty Dog Bar
One o'clock is a bit inaccurate, as the Netherlands organ/drum duo ZZZ was still busily making a feedback-ripping racket by showtime. That band's noisy space rock, Kraftwerk experiencing horrifying hallucinations on really bad acid, was actually a nice transition from Zolar X to the traditional metal of Witch. The New England quartet boasted the presence of Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, and the crowd was oddly light despite the indie rock icon in the drum chair. But Mascis was just the timekeeper (and a solid and enthusiastic one, I might add); the main creative forces were the moonlighting guitar players for the acid folk band Feathers, exploring their retro metal side. Frankly, Witch was quite similar to the hotly-tipped Austin band the Sword, though with a more blatant early 70s Sabbath vibe (even if it's Sab's weirder side). The singer tried hard to keep the indie nerd out of his singing, but couldn't quite do it, though the high volume of the band pretty much drowned him out anyway. Since Witch is a side project and not a "real" band (indeed, I suspect SXSW may be the only gigs it was playing, since Feathers has a new record coming out and Mascis is hitting the road this month with Dinosaur Jr.), there was a sense there wasn't necessarily 100% commitment to these performances. But Witch rocked reasonably loud and hard in the proper lighter-waving, beer-drinking, Satan-worshipping way, and the audience responded lustily. It was a bit of a letdown after the rest of the evening, but good enough.