Seraphina Lotkhamnga on March 14th, 2014

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[TGIF … kind of. It’s already Friday which means SXSW is nearly over, but we’ve still got lots to explore and we did our best to check out the bountiful goods last night. The usual energetic bustle of downtown Austin was a bit dampened after Wednesday’s night late-night tragedy, but the Mohawk, Cheer Up Charlie’s and other venues reopened for festival operation. Here’s what I saw on Thursday night…]

@Seraphina_L on Wednesday at SXSW:

“We love Carpark Records, so we’ll endure whatever,” claimed Speedy Ortiz frontwoman Sadie Dupuis during their late-night set at the Parish Underground. Running 30 minutes late, the showcase at the small venue was suffering soundcheck difficulties and then monitor issues. Like the many other bands who were not happy with the setup or the sound system, both Dupuis and the crowd had trouble hearing vocals, but that didn’t stop the crowd form cheering the Northhampton, Mass.-based rock quintet on with encouraging exclamations like “You sound great!” and “Keep going!” And the raucousness did continue with newer songs such as “American Horror.” Both Speedy Ortiz fans (and those piling in for the Cloud Nothings acoustic set to follow) also roared when they began the set with the excellent “Tiger Tank” and gladly continued to head bang for Dupuis and the gang. Finally hearing a band who pulled off tunes influenced by Pixies, Pavement and Helium, rock fans didn’t let a few sound blips spoil their spirits.

Also notable. . . 

White Sea, the solo project of M83’s Morgan Kibby, lit the Brazos Hall on fire with her deep synth lines and rich harmonies. Fans who were no doubt claiming their spots for later sets from Gary Numan and Blondie experienced a true awakening with Kibby’s operatic vocals. Not far from the atmospherics Kibby helped incorporate into M83 songs, White Sea’s bombastic set gained her a crowd of new fans. Drummer Lia Braswell (Le Butcherettes and also formerly of James Supercave, Gothic Tropic) and guitarist Daniel DeBlanke (Robotanists, Seven Saturdays) definitely held down their respective parts as well. Textured rhythms, graceful yet powerful pop arrangements and style created a beautiful arch in White Sea’s set, which included singles “They Don’t Know” and “Prague.”

Saint Rich, one the of the most recent signings to Merge Records, proved their worth at the label’s showcase upstairs at the Parish. With two members of Delicate Steve on stage together for an entirely new project, fun was in store. “How many hits?” an enthused Steve Marion asked the crowd. Answers ranged anywhere from seven to 45 guitar stabs, in which they did the latter without any hesitance. “That’s not a real song,” Marion explained. “We did that just for you guys.” But aside from humorous stage banter, Saint Rich really did prove they’ve got the goods when it comes to the talent to do another genre very well. Unlike the big jams Delicate Steve released, Saint Rich shows the duo’s songwriting skills in pop with a ’70s folk rock twist on it. They ended their set with “Officer,” the sarcastic and bemusing track which wonderfully highlights Christian Peslak’s breezy vocals.

Back at the Parish Underground, Carpark Records continued their showcase despite the long setups. Brooklyn’s TEEN, the band consisting of Kristina “Teeny” Lieberson (formerly of Here We Go Magic), her sisters Katharine and Lizzy and friend Boshra AlSaadi, chugged on without a line check. Kudos to that since Speedy Ortiz was already supposed to be setting up at this point. The all-girl quartet played a set of quirky, psych-tinged pop music where electric guitar danced upon drum patterns that had both the attitude of the Riot Grrrl era and the sweetness of the Go-Go’s. Their set was followed by the festival wide moment of silence for those who died or were injured during the SXSW tragedy early Thursday morning, but as soon as those two minutes were up, the house applauded TEEN’s wonky stylings.

Because the Parish Underground was running so late, I was able to check out Young Magic, an electronic trio also hailing from Brooklyn. Led by Melati Malay and Isaac Emmanuel, the band’s sounds certainly reflected their international influences (their album “Melt” was recorded in a variety of locations such as Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Iceland and more), a trait that helps them stand out in the abyss of electronic artists everywhere today. With samples of some soul and a tinge of psychedelia, Young Magic’s set was hypnotic, thumping and very, very suave for being considered an “indie” band.

Postscript. . . 

Wye Oak‘s set upstairs at the Parish was on the schedule for Thursday night, however, this blogger had to sacrifice that show because of  the lines outside the venue. Separate lines for separate showcases (upstairs: Merge Records and downstairs: Carpark Records) is totally understandable when it comes to protocol, but it would have been much easier if there were some way for a badge holder to cover both showcases without having to get back in line… Just sayin’.

White Sea and Saint Rich photos: Concert photography by Scott Dudelson