SXSW Redux :: Day Four
Bands Watched : 10 (final total : 35)
Celebrity Sightings : 0 (final total : 3)
Beers Consumed : 2
Tragically Bad Bands Seen : 0
SXSW Saturday was a day marked by long lines and schedule changes. Frustrating as it was, I still got to see some outstanding music.
The day kicked off at The Belmont with Gringo Star and Manchester Orchestra. Gringo Star was competant, but nothing special or original. The most interesting thing that happened during their set was the random musician walking around eating a block of dry ramen noodles. YUM! I’d actually gone to The Belmont to see Manchester Orchestra but their set was pushed back by 45 mins, so I only got to see a few songs before it was time to move onto the next show.
Next up on the schedule was The Cool Kids at Momo’s. I’d seen them open for M.I.A. before, but was interested to see how they’d do on their own headlining gig. I was not disappointed, as they delivered beat for beat and had the crowd jumping the entire time. Opener Kidz in the Hall wasn’t bad either. I’m always in favor of new hip-hop that avoids all the gangsta cliches.
The Cannabinoids featuring Erykah Badu were amazing. I was first introduced to the incredible Ms. Badu at ACL 2008 and have been hooked ever since. She’s incredibly relevant and an engaging performer and set the chill tone at Auditorium Shores perfectly for Explosions in the Sky. It was a great night to sit in the park and enjoy a cold drink. I was a bit disappointed in the sound engineering during Explosions in the Sky. We were having a hard time hearing some of their songs, despite being relatively close to the stage. I’ve never been to an outdoor show that was so hard to hear before. Odd that there were no problems during The Cannabinoids set. Not sure what was going on there, but we left before the end of Explosions in the Sky’s set.
Next, I’d planned to see The Gin Riots at The Rio, but yet again the band’s set was pushed back by an hour, creating a conflict that put The Gin Riots on the losing end. We saw a few minutes of fellow Londoners Honey Ryder, who were unimpressive. I was disappointed that they covered Prince during their set. I don’t know why a band would come to SXSW, one of the preeminent music festivals in the world and perform a song they didn’t write.
Back Alley Social was a pretty hot spot to be on Saturday night. The lineup was packed with hip-hop artists from Ann Arbor and Detroit, MI. Despite some technical problems, Invincible delivered a set I was ecstatic to see. Though, I worry that Invincible’s intense message may be lost on her core audience. If you’re reading this, I encourage you to look into Invincible and the message she’s spreading about justice in Palestine. If you don’t agree with her politics, you’ll still get to hear some of the hottest beats in underground hip-hop today.
I’m still composing my thoughts concerning SXSW overall. Stay tuned tomorrow for a full recap including my thoughts on the state of music as seen over the course of 35 bands in 4 days at SXSW. I need a nap.
Comments Off