Austin Sound Check

SXSW : Day One

by Ana Wolken on March 13th, 2008

In previous years, SXSW Music week has typically been a rainy one. We had some pretty harsh thunderstorms earlier this week, so I was concerned that it would be more of the same for SXSW 2008. My worries melted away in the warm sun yesterday, as it was a beautiful day in Austin, and a fantastic day to be out and about for SXSW.

Most of the prime shows I want to see are Thursday (today) and Saturday, so I spent the better part of the afternoon strolling around getting situated. There are always a lot of music venues in Austin, but during SXSW the number seemingly doubles. A lot of buildings that are empty or otherwise occupied during the rest of the year are rented out and converted into venues just for SXSW.

Austin always lives up to its weird reputation. I snapped a couple pics of some really unique street performers.

Highlights of the Day:

De Novo Dahl @ Nuno’s Attic. The Nashville-based quartet was fun, upbeat and danceable. I call it disco pop rock. They have a new album on Roadrunner Records being released later this month.(See pictures below).

Seeing John Norris while waiting in line to get into the Gorilla vs. Bear event at the Peacock. The venue was so packed that The Cool Kids started 2 hours late. I had left by then as there were other events to get to. Hopefully I’ll catch The Cool Kids later today.

Lowlight of the Day:

Anathallo @ The Mohawk for the Austinist event. The band was competent and played their music well, but they had a seemingly endless array of instruments like a big marching band-style bass drum and two blocks of wood being clapped together. I’m not a minimalist by any means, but at some point you have to wonder if these instruments are actually adding to the music. To me, it came off as a shoddy attempt to play to the indie scenesters with whom these weird instruments seem to resonate.

Below are a few pictures of the various bands I saw on Wednesday. I’m heading back into the fray in a couple short hours, so until tomorrow…

Bent Eye Bolt @ Thirsty Nickel

Vimana @ Dizzy Rooster

De Novo Dahl @ Nuno’s Attic

Voxhaul Broadcast @ Dirty Dog Bar

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