Austin Sound Check

The Austin City Limits Festival announced it’s 2009 lineup, which includes all the acts we’d previously leaked, as well as many more.
Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon, Thievery Corporation, John Legend, Ghostland Observatory, Sonic Youth, Mos Def and The B-52s are all confirmed from the lineup, just as our source confirmed.
Other highlights include Ben Harper and Relentless7, Jack White’s new project Dead Weather, Toadies, Flogging Molly, Citizen Cope, The Decemberists, Coheed & Cambria, Girl Talk, The Airborne Toxic Event, Clutch, The Scabs, K’naan, The Knux, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Daniel Johnston, and School of …read more

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“Wanting people to listen, you can’t just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you’ll notice you’ve got their strict attention.”
Going into SXSW 2009, Detroit rapper Invincible was one of the artists I was most excited to see. The quote above, from Kevin Spacey as John Doe in Seven, is a sample used in her song Sledgehammer! and really sums up how I feel about this year’s SXSW music festival. Over four days of music, including thirty-five different performances, most of the musicians I saw could use more sledgehammer in their …read more

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Bands Watched : 9  (running total : 17)
Tragically Bad Bands Seen : 2
Beers Consumed : 2
Celebrity Sightings : 1
SXSW Thursday kicked off early in the afternoon, at the NPR Music for the Right Brain showcase at the Parish.
I’d originally gotten to The Parish early to get a good spot for K’naan’s first set of the day, but in the process got to see two good bands previously unknown to me. Blind Pilot played a rousing set of classic downtempo Americana, complete with a banjo, standup bass, trumpet and even a xylophone. The female backup vocals paired perfectly with frontman Israel …read more

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