SXSW: Shadow Shadow Shade and a few other things I recall about a long week in Austin …

Kevin Bronson on
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Most-heard question last week: “So how was your South by Southwest?”

Me: “Kind of a blur … I think … I mean …”

My assignments for SPIN.com kept me beyond busy, so the week was a parade of bands, sleep deprivation and more bands, and I didn’t get to catch a lot of the buzzy ones I’d been hearing so much about. (Best coverage I wish I’d had: Dave Rawkblog.) But I had some memorable moments – once I regained my memory, of course:

‣ Shadow Shadow Shade’s set at the IFC Crossroads House was nothing short of chilling, owing to the band’s new material and near-perfect acoustics. Above, the live video of “Did Not the Lights Go Out for You.” The film channel hosted (and webcast) interviews and live shows from the likes of Jakob Dylan and the Walkmen, and never have I heard the L.A. seven piece (f/k/a Afternoons)– a potentially unwieldy group with two percussionists, up to five vocalists, horns and keyboards and the usual two guitars-and-bass set-up – sound so good.

‣ Band of Horses’ set on a nearly night at Stubb’s outdoor theater felt like the onset of spring.

‣ Nineteen-year-old Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg’s legend as a guitar prodigy continued to blossom – I caught Avi Buffalo’s explosive set at the Mohawk, and then, when the Long Beach quartet was finishing up its shows in Austin, the axeman went out with a bang. Because of equipment problems, he performed “What’s In It For” solo, segueing into “The Star-Spangled Banner,” done Hendrix-style.

‣ Harlem’s quick set in between mainstage acts at the SPIN 25 party was a shot of adrenaline.

‣ F*cked Up’s roaring antics made me laugh. And I didn’t get muddy.

‣ I was somehow lucky enough to catch all or part of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on three occasions.

‣ I got one of those 30-minute band crushes on Carsick Cars, a trio from Beijing, at a showcase called “Chinese Invasion.” Download: “You Can Listen, You Can Talk.”

‣ And the Alex Chilton/Big Star tribute at Antone’s was the perfect exclamation point for the festival, attracting as it did longtime admirers of the power-pop icon as well as young fans (many of them musicians) who fell under Chilton’s spell.

â—Š â—Š â—Š

Whom did I miss in Austin? Plenty. I did an informal poll of five or six people whose ears I trust, and here are 10 acts that showed up on multiple lists:

Givers
Lost in Holland
Active Child
Best Coast
The Lonely Forest
Surf City
Foster the People
Smith Westerns
The Jim Jones Revue
Bear Hands