Election Day finally arrives this week. If you’re one of the few not burned out on politics, start the week off tonight with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings Red State Blues Concert for Change at La Zona Rosa. Tuesday, I expect everybody to be in a voting booth.

Your reward is a free Trail of Dead in store on Wednesday followed by free Mix Master Mike at La Zona Rosa on Thursday. Mad Decent Tour rolls through town on Friday, followed by Fun Fun Fun Fest all weekend. Need I say more?

Monday, November 3
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings @ La Zona Rosa
I was very impressed with Ms. Jones and the Kings at ACL. Read my ACL recap here and then head to Do512 for more info on tonight’s show.

Tuesday, November 4
Election Day – Go Vote!

Wednesday, November 5
And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead @ End of an Ear (free, instore)
This week’s No Duh recommendation. It’s Trail of Dead, it’s an in-store and it’s free.

Thursday, November 6
Mix Master Mike @ La Zona Rosa (free with RSVP)
Another no-brainer. His work with the Beastie Boys gives Mix Master Mike enough cred to pack LZR, but combined that with free admission and you’ve got a winner.

Friday, November 7
Mad Decent Tour @ Emo’s
Diplo, Telepathe & Abe Vigoda. Get thee to Emo’s for one of the best shows to criss-cross the country this year.

Saturday, November 8
Fun Fun Fun Fest @ Waterloo Park
Saturday highlights include Atmosphere, Trail of Dead, Dead Milkmen, Krum Bums, Dan Deacon and Z-Trip.

Sunday, November 9
Fun Fun Fun Fest @ Waterloo Park
Sunday, see The Black Angels, Black Joe Lewis, Til We’re Blue or Destroy, Bad Brains, Bouncing Souls, Born to Lose and Clipse.

Girl in A Coma and Bitch & the Exciting Conclusion @ Mohawk
San Antonio garage-punkers Girl in a Coma come to the Mohawk, along with legendary Bitch and her exciting conclusion. Read an excellent interview with Bitch over at Recycled Love Songs.

Post from: Austin Sound Check

October
4 – Clutch & The Sword @ Stubb’s [Tickets]
8 – Presidents of the United States of America @ Stubb’s [Tickets]
9 – Jonezetta & Shiny Toy Guns @ The Parish [Tickets]
10 – Citizen Cope @ Hogg Auditorium [Tickets]
12 – The Roots & Gym Class Heroes @ The Backyard [Tickets]
13 – Ryan Adams @ Paramount Theatre [Tickets]
15 – Phantom Planet @ Emo’s [Tickets]
16 – Opeth & High on Fire @ The Monarch [Tickets]
18 – Portugal. The Man @ Emo’s [Tickets]
18 – Pepper @ Stubb’s [Tickets]
20 – Weezer @ Frank Erwin Center [Tickets]
20 – Girl Talk @ Emo’s [Tickets]
20 – Uh Huh Her @ The Parish [Tickets]
24 – Cold War Kids @ Emo’s [Tickets]
25 – Ben Folds @ Stubb’s [Tickets]
26 – Rise Against & Alkaline Trio @ Austin Music Hall [Tickets]

November
2 – Ben Kweller @ Antone’s [Tickets]
6 – Mickey Avalon @ Emo’s Lounge [Tickets]
7 – Diplo @ Emo’s [Tickets]
8 & 9 – Fun Fun Fun Fest @ Waterloo Park [Lineup / Tickets]
9 – Girl in a Coma & Bitch @ Mohawk [Tickets]
11 – Matisyahu @ Stubb’s [Tickets Not Announced Yet]
13 – Electric 6 & Local H @ Emo’s [Tickets]
18 – Murs @ Emo’s [Tickets]
18 – Method Man & Red Man @ Stubb’s [Tickets]
19 – Dragonforce @ Stubb’s [Tickets]
22 – The Black Crowes @ Austin Music Hall [Tickets]
25 – Scars on Broadway @ Emo’s [Tickets]
26 – O’Death @ Mohawk [Tickets]

Post from: Austin Sound Check

Santogold lip-synced at the IHeartComix day party. Plain and simple. Diplo was DJing (I use the word loosely) for her and was having trouble locating her tracks on his laptop during the beginning of the set. After playing LES Artistes, my favorite Santogold song, Santogold announced to the crowd that she had not actually sang the last song. That Diplo had accidentally played the album version of her song, complete with vocals.

I’m not questioning Santogold’s cred as a performer. The larger problem I see is that her so-called DJ wasn’t a disc jockey at all. Yes, turntables were present. However, they were mainly there for looks, as the only thing Diplo used to back Santogold was his Apple laptop (pictured below).

The question I’m seeking to answer is if this is another case of mistaken outrage (like when Dylan went electric), or if this style of performance is just a fad. Does a guy with a Mac qualify as a musician now?

Post from: Austin Sound Check

Santogold did nothing to restore my faith in the electro genre. I was excited to see Diplo as her DJ for the set, but was quickly let down when they announced Diplo couldn’t locate her tracks on his computer. After two songs, it was apparent that Santogold was lip syncing and she let us know that he had mistakenly played the album versions of her songs with the vocals on them. So she really wasn’t singing and freely admitted it. I left shortly after, completely disappointed in one of the artists I was most excited to see at SXSW this year.

This show wasn’t a total bust, though. I did hear the quote of the weekend. From drunk guy #1 to drunk guy #2, “I need to get something to eat so I can sober up and get drunk again.”

The only other highlight worth mentioning from day 3 is Built By Snow. I reviewed their EP on my other blog. I have to say that they lived up to all my expectations. Built By Snow even covered Friends of P by The Rentals. It was the perfect cover, given all the comparisons to early Weezer.

Blogger’s Note: By now you’ve noticed the lack of pictures in this post. I’m had some SD card issues and lost all my pictures from SXSW Day Three.

Post from: Austin Sound Check