Austin Music Monkey

South by Southwest 2007 is here.

Some general sites with lots of lists of the unofficial and day shows:
ShowListAustin
the Austinist's Interactive Day Show Map
Don't Need No Badges

Some friends of mine are putting on their own this year, ShedXShedEast in a warehouse 3 of them live in on East 6th:
ShedXShedEast at the East Side Shed

That time has passed yet again where Austin is set upon by music from the four corners of the Earth. This year marks my first time attempting live on-the-scene coverage, or "moblogging" the event. Moblogging, for those of you technologically rooted in the era when "e-mail" meant you got on CompuServe or MCI, is live web logging from a mobile phone, PDA or other such gadgetry. For those of us technologically rooted even earlier, let's just be happy we got here at all.

So, join "moBaba" and ATL Gretchen ("mo-G") as they rock the SXSW in the ATX... [read more]

When I learned that my friend from high school was in charge of staffing all the venues and still needed more volunteers, I decided to take the plunge and give it a shot. As volunteers, my crew’s jobs would be to help move equipment between sets, answer questions for audience and crews, keep fire exits clear and keep people from smoking. Sounded pretty simple. In addition to hearing some amazing bands for free – including Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and a surprise performance by the Flaming Lips – I quickly learned a few truths about volunteering for SXSW…

1) There are 1,800 different terms for the restroom, depending on your nationality. This became one of the jokes of the week, as the most common question that we repeatedly answered was how to get to the bathroom, delivered with various accents and terms for the washroom. By the end of the week, you could almost recognize that desperate look in someone’s eyes and you would simultaneously answer, “Around the light booth to the left, down the hallway to your right.”

Day

food and rest

Night

• 8pm
  DJ Logic (NY) @ Oslo
  Vasallo Crab 75 (Japan) @ Elysium
  Cadence Weapon (Canada) @ 8:30pm - Caribbean Lights
• 9pm
  LoneLady (UK) @ Exodus
  Forward Russia (UK) @ Fox and Hound
  The Rodeo Carburettor (Japan) @ Elysium
  Birdy Nam Nam (France) @ 9:30pm - Oslo
• 10pm
  The Datsuns (NZ) @ Emo's Main Room
  Gitogito Hustler (Japan) @ Beerland
  Coco Solid (NZ) @ Caribbean Lights
• 11pm
  The Jessica Fletchers (Norway) @ Blender Bar / Ritz
• 12am
  She Wants Revenge (LA) @ Fox and Hound
  Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re (Japan) @ Elysium
  Lords of Altamont (LA) @ Beerland
  Holy Fuck (Canada) @ Momo's
• 1am
  The Hellacopters (Sweden) @ Emo's Main Room
  The Charlatans (UK) @ Exodus
  Die! Die! Die! (NZ) @ Lava Lounge
  We Are Scientists (NY) @ Fox and Hound
  The Emeralds (Japan) @ Elysium

we had few real-time updates for friday night, cellular data service was really flaky yesterday. the influx of leather-jacketted greasy a&r types on their RAZR-z probably overloaded the system.

Firday Night Highlights

Gemma Hayes @ Soho
Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles showcase @ the Jackalope:
- Turn Me On Dead Man
- Zolar X (from Pluto and the past)
- eX-Girl (dancing lobsters with guitars rock)

Day

Elf Power @ Sound on Sound Records 2:30pm
Mean-Eyed Cat (Forward Russia, Longcut, Dirty Pretty Things)
Red Eyed Fly (Brian Jonestown Massacre 4:30pm, She Wants Revenge 5:30pm)

Night

• 8pm
  The Flairz (australia) @ Caribbean Lights
  The Klezmatics (NY) @ Cedar Street Courtyard
  Mum DJ Set (icelnad) @ 7:45pm Fox and Hound
  The Brunettes (new zealand) @ Red Eyed Fly
  Polysics (japan) @ Zero Degrees
• 9pm
  Billy Bragg @ 9:30pm Cedar Street Courtyard
  Princess Superstar (NY) @ Elysium
  Storsveit Nix Noltes (iceland) @ Fox and Hound
  Oppenheimer (UK) @ Friends
• 10pm
  The Revs (ireland) @ Caribbean Lights
  Afriampo (japan) @ Flamingo Cantina
  Gemma Hayes (ireland) @ Soho Loungs
• 11pm
  OK GO (chicago) @ Dirty Dog Bar
  Animal Alpha (norway) @ Drink
  Zolar X (pluto) @ 11:30pm The Jackalope
• 12am
  Brian Jonestown Massacre (LA) @ Bourbon Rocks
  zZz (netherlands) @ Dirty Dog Bar
  Veto (denmark) @ Drink
  eX-Girl (japan) @ 12:45am THe Jackalope
  Arctic Monkeys (UK) @ La Zona Rosa
  Ted Leo & the Pharmacists (NJ) @ 12:30am Red 7
• 1am
  Quit Your Dayjob (sweden) @ Drink
  Rogue Wave (CA) @ Red Eyed Fly

The plan-ish like schedule for Thursday...

Day

• Go! Team @ Waterloo Records 3pm, also at Mean-Eyed Cat
• Gram Parsons tribute Jam @ Opal Divines noon-3pm
• Mates of State @ Factory People soco at 3pm
• The Ark @ Guero's at 4pm
• South Austin Jug Band @ Red Eyed Fly at 5pm

Night

• Nordic night:
• The Drink: Astrid Swan 8pm, Latebirds 10pm, Royal Higness 11pm, Disco Ensemble 12am, Sign 1am
• Oslo: Dr. Spock 9pm, Jakob'nar'na 10pm
• Morissey 9:30pm @ Austin Music Hall
• Auktyon (St Petersburg) 10pm @ Caribbean Lights
• Mates of State 12pm @ Parish
• Spiros: Poni Hoax 9pm, Zenzile 10pm, Linea 77 11pm, Girls in Hawaii 11pm (patio), dEUS 1am
• Jackalope: Shifter 12am, The Mess Hall 1am
• Good local Austin set @ Cedar Street: South Austin Jug Band 9pm, Carolyn Wonderland 10pm, Ruthie Foster 11pm

awash in a sea of music

An utterly infectious Australian punk-pop act called The Grates (like a grate in the ground, she says). It was punk in that "fuck it i just want to play" kind of way, with a driving beat made by a short-haired lass who looked like she was probably an australian librarian when she wasn't busy being a rock star. The singer had an incredible voice -- they were NOISY, but somehow she could wrangle all that sound and impose her melody on top of it. I hate it when the drummer has to hold back so the singer won't get overwhelmed, but these guys were full-on balls-to-the-sticky-club-walls. And she did all of that while jumping around for the entire show like she was in one very rocking jane fonda workout video. Not sure if they're playing again here, but if you see their name somewhere i HIGHLY recommend it.

Here's a starter list of international acts that appear to be worth a look (hit read more). More tips and schedules coming soon.

Soon the music will play... getting the live posting from the Treo working.

Year 20 for South by Southwest is here and the beginning of the music festival is nearly upon us. With 1300 bands having official showcases and more day shows and parties than you can spit Pearl at, the hangover is sure to be profound.

I'm going to try some field reporting this year, so stay tuned to the homepage here at Austin Music Monkey for live coverage from throughout the music festival.

i'll start talkin' again when i've got something to say — Blaze Foley

39 bands in 4 days from 7 countries at 21 venues with 3 Canadians and one ATL refugee, leading to a hangover that'll last until ACLfest

gotta love any south-by that starts on Sait Patrick's day...