SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Tammi’s Recap

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sxsw2011d3tammi.jpg" alt="SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Tammi's Recap" />Waking up on Day Three was a quick reminder of SXSW's ability to hit you like a speeding train....
SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Tammi's Recap
SXSW 2011 Day 3 : Tammi's Recap

The massive music industry festival that is South-by-Southwest fell into some bad timing this year, coming right after the Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis, and right before the United States and her allies joined the fight in Libya by bombing Muammar Gaddafi (Day Two of the festival was also St. Patrick’s Day, but SXSW knew that going in…).  It all threatened to make the festival, and music in general, seem irrelevant, what with the world going to hell in a handbasket.  But ensconced in the cocoon that was downtown Austin, on your smart phones and Twitter, with wristbands and free drinks galore, SXSW proved to once again be an engrossing, all-encompassing musical clusterfuck of an experience.

 

Waking up on Day Three was a quick reminder of SXSW’s ability to hit you like a speeding train.  My ears were ringing, my head was spinning and my legs and feet were pretty close to immobile.  This feeling just gets stronger and stronger as the days go on, because there is really no time to recover.  Even with slower starts, our days were still long.

 

[Note: QRO had a number of correspondents at SXSW this year; this is just the Day Three recap from Tammi J Myers; click here for Ted Chase’s Day Three recap, click here for Amanda Krieg’s, and click here for Robin Sinhababu’s]

 

Vanguard Records/Sugar Hill Music party @ The Belmont

Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers
Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers

Click image for full gallery

Stephen KelloggThe Vanguard Records and Sugar Hill Music party was at The Belmont, which had a very vacation-like atmosphere that I was immediately attracted to.  It was a very hot, sunny afternoon but the line-up was filled with great talent from start to finish.  We jumped in right in the middle with Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers. 

Stephen Kellogg went to the same college as a friend of mine, so I was first introduced to his music when visiting Massachusetts more than ten years ago.  He has this amazing connection with the audience when he’s on stage, so it makes sense that the band has a pretty large following (a crowd that I can easily compare to what I saw at the Josh Ritter – QRO album review – show in February).  The band’s sound leans more towards alt-country pop than folk-rock, but the only thing more contagious than the catchy beats was the band’s on-stage energy. 

More than just the great energy, Stephen always looks so genuinely happy and excited when he’s on stage that you can’t help but smile with him.  It was like all worries and stress (and hangovers) were checked at the door and everyone was there purely for the music.  Definitely a great start to the day.
Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers

 

Daphne Willis
Daphne Willis

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I recently realized that March marked the third consecutive month that I’ve shot a Daphne Willis’ concert, which was the next artist to take the stage.   I first discovered the Chicago-native several years ago when she put everyone else to shame at local karaoke bars, took advantage of coffee shop’s open mic nights and played songs off her self-made EP at some of the city’s neighborhood festivals.  Her sound caught the attention of Vanguard Records in 2008 and to say she’s come a long Daphne's future's so bright she's gotta wear shadesway since then is a huge understatement.  This show was just another reminder of that. 

Her soulful voice paired with the bluesy pop sound quickly grabbed the attention of the audience, turning every un-expecting viewer into a new Daphne Willis fan.  I witness it at every one of her shows, but it still excites me to hear all of the whispers and watch the moment that people catch on to Daphne’s talent.  In addition to several songs off her upcoming album, her cover of The Beatles’ "Come Together" has become one of my favorite show staples.  As an avid Beatles fan, its not easy for me to accept just anyone covering one of their masterpieces, but Daphne does it perfectly and makes it her own.

What is expected to be her career album, Because I Can, will be released on April 19th.  Creating even more hype for the anticipated release, Daphne has already released three tracks from the album (each paired with an additional un-released track) delivered monthly as digital 45s.  Just one of the many ways she continues to connect with her fans as she embraces her continued (and much deserved) success.
Daphne Willis

 

The Gourds
The Gourds

mandolin!Click image for full gallery

There was about a 15-minute gap between the time The Gourds took the stage and the time they started accordion!playing due to some kind of amp trouble.  By the time they started their set, I shot a few photos and then quickly lost all interest to stay up front in the direct sunlight.  They didn’t seem to need my support, though, since being from Austin, they had a full house of enthusiastic fans.  After a completely unnecessary issue with a less than friendly bartender, we decided to leave The Belmont even before catching The Gourds’ infamous bluegrass cover of Snoop Dogg’s (QRO photos at SXSW 2010) "Gin and Juice". 

~

 

2DopeBoyz and DJ Booth & The Last Rights party @ Dizzy Rooster

Freeway

One of our regrets after last year’s SXSW was that we didn’t catch any hip-hop acts, so this was our first attempt to avoid that regret and branch out a little.  We walked into The Dizzy Rooster and were welcomed by an interesting strict security check.  The door guy was stopping anyone from entering with any kind of bag (luckily, I guess my camera equipment bag didn’t look very threatening) and making everyone remove their sunglasses before walking inside, mentioning that the cops had already "been there once."  Not sure if any of that had to do with the fact that the narrow bar smelled exactly like an Amsterdam coffee shop, but I wasn’t about to ask any questions.

I hung out near the bar, far behind the crowd while Freeway took the stage.  It seems as though when a rapper performs, several others often accompany them on stage, I guess similar to their collaborative records.   It makes it hard to tell who is who, even more so when you can’t see the artists.  They did take advantage of the spotlight and asked everyone to raise a light, taking a moment to honor rapper, Nate Dogg, who died from heart failure just three days prior. 

~

 

My Old Kentucky Blog party @ Peckerheads

Asobi Seksu
Asobi Seksu

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Peckerheads had an interesting vibe with its duplicate adjacent rooms and neighboring stages.  I assume the set times were scattered between the two stages since they were so close to each other, but we hung out in the first room in anticipation for Asobi Seksu before the other room’s band even finished their set. 

The small room quickly filled up which stopped them from allowing anyone else into the bar’s downstairs’ entrance, but the vibe was still relaxed at the moment.  Several people were sitting down in front of the stage, concentrated on nothing but their smart phones, patiently waiting for the show to start.  Being a small venue, there obviously was no official photo pit, but Asobi SeksuI was in no rush to squeeze up front to get some shots right away.  I usually had no problem with fans being at least somewhat understanding if I needed to get closer to the band for a minute or two during the show.

That is where this show was different and it honestly ruined the whole experience for me.  I was actually really excited to check out Asobi Seksu, but maybe I should have just accepted the view from where I was, giving up any possibility of photos.  A song or two into their set, I politely asked the people in front of me if I could squeeze by them to get a few quick shots, out of their way as much as possible.  The level of… rudeness, for lack of a better term… was almost shocking.  I was pushed and shoved and very quickly irritated by everyone who was trying to ruin my mood and bring me down.  Needless to say, I didn’t stay long – not at the front, not at the show, not at the venue at all.  Sorry, Asobi Seksu, not your fault, but I don’t have any positive memories of this show.
Asobi Seksu & crowd

~

 

Head Above Water party @ The Rooftop on Sixth

Cord Carpenter
Cord Carpenter

Cord Carpenter & violinClick image for full gallery

After the crappy experience at (the aptly-named) Peckerheads, we sought out a chill, spacious, low-profile venue and found it right across the street at The Rooftop on Sixth.  Again, finding ourselves in that awkward time between day and evening showcases again, we embraced the downtime and got comfortable in an oversized booth (while consuming overpriced drinks).

This venue had the perfect little stage area set up in the front, not only surrounded by open windows over looking 6th Street (and a backwards view of Das Racist’s – QRO photos – show at Peckerheads) but also with an open roof, exposing the evening sky.  The space for the crowd to gather around was kind of awkward, but when Cord Carpenter started playing, it was obvious this may not be a ‘gather round’ kind of show.  Instead, it was more of a ‘background music’ kind of show. 

The singer-songwriter’s set was a typical solo acoustic show with emotionally driven lyrics but nothing real unique or catchy.  He invited a couple people on stage with him, one at a time, the first guest being a violinist that he stated he had just met that day.  The addition of the haunting sounds of her instrument definitely stood out over the other mediocre songs.  The next guest was a friend of his who added some energy with both his harmonica and his excitement to be any kind of part of SXSW.
Cord Carpenter

~

 

The Dorks

After leaving The Rooftop on Sixth, we spent some time enjoying what the Austin streets had to offer: busking, people watching, gyros, etc.  We made our way to River Road and stumbled across a freestyle battle – walked right into it for a front row view.  The ones organizing the battle were a group of eight members from Los Angeles, all sporting handmade bowties, who introduced themselves collectively as "The Dorks".  It was my understanding that within "The Dorks", there were several side projects as they were clearly a very creative group of mixed talents.  One member, Dork (the creator of all the bowties) played referee and took topic ideas from the crowd that had quickly gathered.  The one doing the rapping was Turbo, who spit off rhymes about any given topic without hesitation at anyone who was up for the challenge of battling.
The Dorks

 

SXSW party @ Empire Auto Garage

Mohammed Dangerfield & Shinobi Ninja

Mohammad DangerfieldAt this point in the evening, we were greeted by long lines at almost every venue.  Sticking to our no-waiting, stumbling approach, we searched for the places without the crowds – which is how we ended up in some kind of empty lot.  Instead of waiting to get in to showcase at Lipstick24, we checked out the outside stage right next door.  I believe where we were was the parking lot for Empire Auto Garage, but I can’t really be sure.  What I do remember about this ‘venue’ is they had a makeshift bar on a concrete countertop that only included cans of PBR and some of the worst no-name liquor poured out of giant plastic bottles.  Not our finest drinking.

Mohammad Dangerfield, a rap duo consisting of Hasan Salaam and Rugged N Raw, took the stage at about 10:30 and was followed by Shinobi Ninja, who was more of a hip-hop and punk mash up.  The only thing memorable about either act was probably the ridiculous outfit that the Shinobi Ninja female lead wore – it looked like it could have been created from your grandmother’s old tablecloth.  How’s that for an official review?!

Good thing this day started off so strong because it sure didn’t end very strong musically.  I guess it goes back to Day Two’s late night discovery – by the end of the day, we just want good drinks and room to dance.  

~

 

Other notes:

-Wish I would have gotten the tip earlier about the burgers at Jackalope – Day Three wasn’t the only day we ended up there for drinks – never gave the food a thought. 

-I would never suggest using the pedicabs to get around – just because personally, I think it’s a little inhumane (not to mention overpriced).  But if you ever need to ask for directions anywhere, these guys definitely know their is that bad advice @ relationships, or advice @ bad relationships?way around the city.

-In case anyone is looking for a new drug-dealing marketing plan, you may be able to get some tips from the guy walking down 6th Street with a piece of cardboard that had ‘WEED’ written on it in black marker.

 

Unfortunately missed:

-Sarah Jaffe (QRO live review) @ Momo’s.

-J Mascis (QRO photos) @ Red 7 Patio.

-The Kills (QRO photos at SXSW) @ Stubbs.  But QRO’s Ted Chase caught them – QRO recap.

-Black Lips (QRO live review) @ Lustre Pearl.

 

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Concert Reviews
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