Kevin Bronson on March 20th, 2011

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[The home stretch of SXSW included a bunch of small bands in a bunch of intimate places …]

Sun Airway (at Headhunters) – It was neither the right time (midafternoon) nor the right place (a divey joint near Stubb’s) for the blissed-out music of Sun Airway, and the screeching noises that punctuated their set were certainly not the kind of feedback they wanted. Still, the soundscapes from their extravagantly titled album “Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier” had their moments – all synths and samples and space. It’s easy to imagine listening to the tunes of these guitar-shunning Philadelphians as you drive back across the desert from Austin.

Hollerado (at Red Eyed Fly) – If you’ve seen their video for “Americanarama” or heard tracks like “Fake Drugs,” you know these Canadians take their fun very seriously. They’ve become good at it. Showcasing their wares at the M for Montreal day party, singer-guitarist Meeno Versteeg quickly broke a sweat and bounded into the crowd with the microphone to get some help on the chorus to “Juliette.” “How long do we get to play for?” he asked the sound man three songs in, before remembering how exhausted the quartet was from playing multiple shows in Austin and rephrased the question, with a laugh: “How long do we have to play for?”