[The second installment of our Los Angeles-goes-to-SXSW preview:] DAEDELUS If you like: Alfred Darlington. And who the hell doesn’t? What’s up with him: Daedelus emerged from the Dublab crew to become one of the most innovative and eclectic producers around, sporting his dandy look and playing gadgets we won’t pretend to understand. His new album […]
Deep Dark Robot – the new project from Linda Perry, the 4 Non Blondes provocateur turned A-list songwriter/producer and record label impresario – highlights the lineup for the Buzz Bands LA Austin 2011 Showcase, sponsored by 1band 1brand, on Wednesday, March 16, at the Cedar Street Courtyard. New and newer – that’s the best way […]
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 […]
Power-pop icon Alex Chilton died suddenly of a heart attack on Wednesday at age 59, but his influential ’70s band Big Star shone brightly nonetheless Saturday night at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin. A headlining concert originally scheduled as a reunion show instead became a star-studded tribute to the late songwriter/producer whose […]
My assignments for SPIN.com on the final day of SXSW took me all over the map – not just the Austin street map, but the stylistic map. With temperatures around 40 and an uppity north wind chafing anything that wasn’t covered, it was a tough day for outdoor shows. Yes, I was the guy wearing […]
Maybe it had something to do with Hole’s performance on Friday, but a thunderstorm moved through Austin in the early hours of Saturday morning, sending temperatures plummeting and kicking up a nasty north wind that had more bite than any guitarist I saw all week. SXSW attendees on Saturday scrambled for their winter clothes, if […]
[My main assignment Friday was to cover the SPIN 25 party – all six hours of it – for SPIN.com:] Courtney Love took the stage at Stubb’s on Friday evening wearing an orange sash that said “BEWARE.” As if the capacity crowd at the SPIN 25 party (presented by RockBand and MySpace Music) at the […]
My assignment for SPIN.com kept me tied up at the SPIN 25 party at Stubb’s all afternoon for nonstop music capped by Hole’s first North American concert in more than a decade. The highlight of the support bands that day was the indoors set from Harlem [above], whose crackling garage rock made me wish I […]
The third day of the South by Southwest Music Festival was a full-on music orgy, including performances by Frightened Rabbit [top, at the Don’t Mess With Texas event], Metric, Billy Bragg and Dead Confederate, among many. Photographer Scott Dudelson tirelessly made the rounds, and submitted these images.
Austin is just getting warmed up. I covered seven bands Thursday while on assignment for SPIN.com: ‣ Band of Horses played a resplendent set to a full house at Stubb’s outdoor theater. ‣ L.A.’s Radar Bros. [that’s Jim Putnam, pictured] playing to a packed Merge Records showcase at the Cedar Street Courtyard, previewed their sixth […]
