Seraphina Lotkhamnga on March 19th, 2011

1

[Chaos was running rampant in Austin on St. Patrick’s Day (at SXSW) and as I made my way through the obliterated, my aching feet reluctantly carried me through a revival of musical styles from the past for the day. Thus, the obvious choice for my evening was some classic, straight-up pop.]

Smoosh (Cedar Street Courtyard) – It was seven years ago that Asya and Chloe met mentor Jason McGerr of Death Cab for Cutie and formed their band, Smoosh. They were 12 and 10 years old, respectively, at the time, and they wanted a band name similar to Smashmouth, which gives you a sense of the direction they thought they were headed. Today, the kids of Smoosh are … well, still kids. They’re still in their teens, with younger sister Maia, still sporting braces, on board. And the sense of purpose the sisters displayed way back when was still evident in their set at SXSW on Thursday night.  Playing a set heavy on songs from their 2010 album, “Withershins,” the girls’ stripped-down indie-pop sounded less amateur and more focused. There weren’t any obvious trial-and-error songs (no cheesy raps this time around), only a confident air. Bringing in two extra members to play the upright bass and violin, it was downright impressive when you factored in who they were supporting.

The Bangles – The Bangles, who had songs charting before any Smoosh members were even born, must have had one of the largest crowds that Cedar Street Courtyard had seen yet. From one female trio to another, the pop-rockers who have been reunited longer than they were a band together in the 1980s, played SXSW for the first time in history – and they exuded all the confidence of a band that has been through the wars. Fans had to suffer through a long, torturous wait to enjoy the set, which started 45 minutes later then scheduled. Although the band is working on a new album that is slated for a release in 2011, the group only played the hits. Since the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd that took up any remaining breathing room exponentially took a turn for the worse beforehand, the set list which included “Manic Monday” and “Eternal Flame” was fine by most fans. Susanna Hoff’s vocals have remained sweet over the last two decades and the Peterson sisters continued to rock it out for all the middle-aged people inhaling their wine.

On Twitter: @Seraphina_L