South by Southwest 2009 Recap, In Brief

March 22nd, 2009

If you don’t want to go through my entire day-by-day descriptions, here are my personal highlights of the festival. Also, if you want to see my pictorial recap of the fest, click here.

Day 1, Best Acts I Saw:
- Twin Atlantic
- Janelle Monae
- The Avett Brothers
- The Decemberists

Day 2, Best Acts I Saw:
- The Spinto Band
- Local Natives
- Passion Pit
- Peter Bjorn & John
(Honorable mention = Cut Off Your Hands. They are damned earnest.)

Day 3, Best Acts I Saw:
- Tom Brousseau
- Corto Maltese
- Bedouin Soundclash
- Peter Bjorn & John

Day 4, Best Acts I Saw:
- The Hours
- The Spinto Band

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South by Southwest, Day 4

March 22nd, 2009

For my final day of South by Southwest 2009, I needed a bit of a break. Having already caught 29 acts, I decided to sleep in a little and nurse a horrible cold I had been developing since Day 1. Thus, I also decided NOT to brave the afternoon heat, which I’m guessing would have been the only way imaginable to get into the Fader Fort for Kanye West and his family of cool folk. Oh well, Kanye. Nice to at least be in the same city with you. Instead, I kicked it off at Submerged, wandered over to Dirty Dog, and ended the night at Room 710. Here’s who I saw.

Drew Andrews: A perfect choice for this subdued venue, with a wall fountain all LED-infused. Andrews started out the set with an acoustic song, and although the sound quality started off a little shaky (not due to Andrews, obviously) that was overcome and this singer-songwriter had a chance to really shine. He’s got a great voice, kind of reminiscent of Peter from Peter, Paul and Mary. When the band joined him, there was a nice full sound that reminded me of Cardiff artist Jason Soudah – pop rock that is easy on the ears. For just the very first full-band song, the bass player did sound a little out of tune from the rest of the group, but I didn’t notice any problems after that. At one point, the guitarist pulled a Sigur Ros and started playing his instrument with a string bow. It was all very mellow. I think my favorite songs were the first and very last, with just Andrews and his acoustic guitar; the stripped sound allowed his voice and the lyrics to really shine. Not bad!

Hypernova: This group of guys from Iran are easier for me to describe – if the vocalist from The National decided to play fast-paced dance rock tunes, this is what you’d get. It was not bad, but the songs had a sameness to them. Luckily, since they were all high-energy, they weren’t ever boring. The most notable moment was at the very end of their set, when the lead vocalist sort of fell-jumped off of the front of the stage, guitar in hand, and because the monitors were covering the front of the stage, he remained in the audience through the end of the final song. This made many audience members very excited, and further connected the band and the crowd. A nice, serendipitous mistake-turned-”move”.

Simplifires: I wanted to like this group, because the frontman was earnest and really tried with all of his heart to get the crowd into it. The problem was, his voice was pretty terrible. I was standing near the front and in the middle, and I felt totally uncomfortable there. I noticed I was not alone – a couple in front of me kept making eyes at each other, as if to say, “Would it be rude to walk away for this set?” I honestly don’t even remember what the music sounded like, which is not a good sign. I do remember that the frontman had the audience chime in for the band’s last two songs, and when he was trying to direct them, he could hardly hit the notes himself.

The Hours: This was the band I was excited about at the Dirty Dog venue, and they opened with my favorite song, “Ali In The Jungle.” It’s a pounding, get-back-up-again anthem that is super catchy and will absolutely make you feel better about yourself instantly. The rest of the tunes were solid; they kind of reminded me of a rockier Keane. There was good stage presence, and lead singer Antony Genn is big on gestures; he punctuated a lot of what he sang with pointing and pounding. There is something refreshing about a band that wants you to understand all of their lyrics upon the first listen.

The High Strung: These guys were the first act I caught at Room 710 for the Park The Van showcase, and it was definitely crazy in this room. The group takes Daniel Johnston vocals, makes them a little more listenable by smoothing them out but keeps them just as high-pitched, and sets them to a background of quick-paced rock. My favorite was an audience-participation piece called “Standing At The Door Of Self-Discovery,” and representation from pretty much everyone billed at the Park The Van showcase crowded onto the stage, including a lyrics page-holder. The guys are funny and had fans in the crowd, so if you like enthusiastic rock music, check it out.

The Spinto Band: I caught these boys again, and though they played a lot of the stuff they played at Homeslice Pizza, they also added one of my favorite old songs, “Mountains,” as well as a bunch of stuff from the new album. Everyone was really into this fun, pop rock group, and dancing was practically required. Seriously, check my other review and check these guys OUT. Plus, check out their blog, it is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

And that, my friends, is it. I’m completely sad that the craziness is already over – I’m so ready to indulge in music 24/7. It was great to think about nothing else for 4 days. Now that I’m heading back to classes, posts might be a little sporadic again, but I’ll try to be more regular with concert and music reviews, particularly because tons of great music is about to get dropped. Time for sleep!

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South by Southwest, Day 3

March 21st, 2009

Yesterday was a little bit of a downer, and honestly, after 4 years of doing this festival, it’s about time I experienced the part of South by Southwest that many of my local Austinites always complain about. I hit up the Craftster party early in the day, but because I attended alone and I was feeling sick and tired, I just stayed to hear a track or two from Kentucky Nightmare, and left. If I had been feeling a little better, I would have stayed to get a freshly screen-printed tote bag, or made my own button. I decided I didn’t want to just go home, because I had gotten up early for a reason, so I decided to trot over to the KOOP and Austin Sound “Now Playing” party. Thus began a 2-hour ordeal of trying to find parking around the city of Austin. At night, it’s no big D, because lots and garages around town become everyone-can-park-if-they-can-pay lots and garages. During the day, these same lots and garages are reserved for the workin’ folk of Austin, and it is much trickier to find a place available to the everyman. Anyway, after being incredibly frustrated, I was finally able to find a garage and rush my tired body over to the Creekside Lounge. I made it in time to catch the end of Black Before Red’s set, and all I remember is that they jumped around the stage a bunch. Then Tom Brousseau, an incredibly sweet folkster, played a few songs in his high-pitched warble-y voice with his acoustic guitar. Brousseau has been at SxSW many years now (I know for sure the past 3, because I’ve seen him all three years) and has numerous albums out. If you like Fionn Regan or similar super-stripped folk music, you’ll like Brousseau. Next up, Corto Maltese played again, and as I’ve already reviewed them, I’ll let you peek back at that past review to decide if you’d like them. The performance was just as good as the first, and the guys still had the same sarcastic and biting attitude, which is hilarious, engaging and awesome. I wanted to stick around for Loxsly, but it was time for me to rest before the evening and I headed out with my friend Kate.

I had grandiose plans for the evening, but again decided to just pick a venue and stick to it. Good thing I did, because Cedar Street Courtyard became so crowded that policemen were stationed outside of the venue.

Pete & The Pirates: This sounded to me like 80s pop rock; light, fun and toe-tap inducing.

Beach House: This band had a significant fan following in the venue, including two people up in the restaurant above the venue who put a homemade “I <3 Beach House" sign in the window. This made frontwoman Victoria Legrand smile and, for a few bars, sing exclusively to the couple. This is airy ambient layered pop music; something to dream to. It's not for me, but it might be for you, and it's easy to hear that these folks do what they do well.

Bedouin Soundclash: I loved these guys! It’s reggae rock with the raggedness of punk; I was actually trying to decide if I’d call it ska (there’s a trumpet player and a sax player,) but I think it definitely leans more towards reggae. The aura the band has is really strong, and the vocalist was raspy and fitting. If you ever wished 311 had more bite to their music, these guys might be your thing. My favorite moment was the intro to their very last song, when they briefly teased the crowd with a cover of “Stand By Me;” everyone chimed in and it was a lot of fun. Plus, as I’ve been harping on all week, the music had variety. Very cool!

Peter Bjorn and John: This was the last show by my boys, and they played most of the same set from the Emo’s show, sans “Objects” and “Young Folks” (to the chagrin of many in the audience.) I think the Emo’s show was a little better, because the audience was there JUST to see PB&J, so the vibe was a little better. Still, the band performed like total champs. I made a friend in the crowd, Marcus, who had seen them perform at Vice, when they had all of their technical difficulties. He was very pleased with this second performance, and it’s my sincerest hope that more people from that first show at Vice gave PB&J a second chance to do what they are so wonderful at doing – to totally rock out with their pop-rock-hip-hop-electronic sound.

Grizzly Bear: I had not intended on staying past PB&J, but the buzz for Grizzly Bear was so intense that I couldn’t help being curious. These guys are definitely musically talented; great harmonies with a sweet, somewhat avant folky sound. All of the instrumentation kind of runs together into one whirl of hushed music. I was reminded of My Morning Jacket, Horse Feathers and Radical Face. I do have to be honest: I prefer the three aforementioned bands to Grizzly. It may have been because I was already so exhausted, but I kind of felt like I was being put to sleep. Still, this band had a crazy amount of fans, so if you like this kind of folk music, maybe you’ll catch whatever I am missing about them.

OK, I started today off late, and I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I’ll be at Submerged for a few hours, and hopefully will get to see the band called The Hours play at Dirty Dog. After that, we’ll see where my ears (and feet!) take me. One day left!!! I can’t believe it all goes by so quickly.

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South by Southwest Day 2, Part 2

March 20th, 2009

What a night! I survived, and I’m going to make this super quick because I’ve got a scarily early morning tomorrow for the Craftster party. Here we go!

I started my evening out late at Maggie Mae’s Gibson room, where I caught some of what Nashville has to offer.

Turbo Fruits: This is solid proto-punk-style rock music with the vocal quality of the Stones. The Turbo Fruits are a 3-piece of dudes, and it’s clear they love what they are doing. I’d say they do it well; it follows in the tradition of the Ramones, being very stripped down and simple, with quick songs that are rhythm-heavy, but I didn’t find myself being at all bored.

Landon Pigg: This was the act I showed up to see, and Pigg did not disappoint. He’s got a boyish charm, which probably explains the female-heavy fan base surrounding the front of the stage. His voice is beautiful; it’s gentle and folksy, and Pigg commands control over it. His brother played the drums, and although he was good, at one point he kind of took a big sigh, which was just a little distracting. I’m sure it’s a sibling thing, though. Pigg’s friend (Peter?) played the keyboard, and my favorite accompaniment was during Pigg’s hit song, “Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop.” The keys melted in with the acoustic guitar, and everything sounded sweet and airy, like a bike ride during a beautiful spring evening. Pigg is a sweet performer, and fun to watch.

Next, it was on to Emo’s, where I spent the rest of my night.

Cut Off Your Hands: If I thought Landon Pigg had a significant female fan base, these four guys from New Zealand must have had an army. Tons of ladies (and quite a few men, too!) danced frenetically to the pop punk tunes this band put out. Their energy was high, which was nice, and the songs were fun.

Passion Pit: SO impressed by these fellows. This was my “fantastic find” of the day, I’d say. They are something like if the Small Sins and Daft Punk had children, because they play the electronic pop of the former, but with the energy of the latter. There were a number of tunes that had the crowd dancing around like crazy, and again, it is so fantastic to me when a group I don’t know can engage me and keep me wanting more the way these guys did, instead of staring at my watch, waiting for them to be done so I can get to the band I really wanted to see. The songs had a good variety, particularly for the genre; electronic stuff can easily fall into the “heard one, heard ‘em all” category, but this band did not leave me feeling that at all. They played a few songs that they said would come out on their new album, due out in May, and these were some of my favorites. If you like to dance, look into Passion Pit.

Peter Bjorn & John: OK, so I’ve got to come clean with you before I try to review this band. I’m a total fangirl, and will always love PB&J with all of my heart forever and ever, and will probably think everything they ever do is amazing. That being said, I didn’t see any sad faces as I left the venue after this performance. I think it’s safe to say that these three dudes from Sweden pwned. They played new songs exclusively for almost the entire set, and the songs sounded GOOD. “Living Thing” is the album due out March 31st, and the song titles I remember are “Past,” which is a slower, sweet rock song with the memorable lyric, “Is it your parents or just your past?” Then there was another one that I can’t remember very well, but the fourth and fifth are new songs I was familiar with, and they went over splendidly live. For “Lay It Down,” much of the crowd joined in on the explicit chorus, “Hey, shut the f___ up boy, you are starting to piss me off.” Dancing really kicked off with this one. They followed that with “Nothing To Worry About,” a child-chorusy hip-hop-inspired tune with a great bass line. There was one particular new song with a heavy, head bang-worthy guitar part, and the title track has an incredibly catchy chorus and a sort of Graceland-era Paul Simon feel. All of the new songs are so varied, which makes me (prematurely) thrilled about what is to come from this band. Near the end of their set, the group covered a song by The Feelers, and then almost made me cry when they played my very favorite, “Objects of My Affection.” Having had a peek at the setlist and not having seen any old songs, this was unexpected and totally welcomed. Much of the crowd around me head banged to this one, and chimed in during the verses. The band left the stage, but the crowd begged for an encore, and got it with “Young Folks.” Naturally, everyone was pleased. During the whole show, Peter got right up against the side of the stage, playing to the audience, and at the very end of everything he shook people’s hands as the group said their goodbyes. I, being the crazy that I am, waited outside of the band entrance to see if I could say hello, because Peter and I have chatted at shows before (are you beginning to see what I mean when I say I’m a pretty huge fan?) He saw me standing and waved, and I practically fell over that he even remembered me. We said hello and I thanked him for “Objects,” and asked about shows to come in the last two festival days. GLORIOUS!

OK, time for me to be in bed; I’m waking up in less than 6 hours:( Fingers crossed that I survive tomorrow!!

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South by Southwest, Day 2 (Part 1)

March 19th, 2009

I’m gonna do a quick update before I head back out into the streets.

I tried to get into the Brooklyn Vegan/Paste party with my friend Eric for Cursive, but the line was probably about a quarter of a mile long, so that wasn’t happening. We grabbed a cab and shot up to South Congress for the rest of the day. First stop, free Homeslice Pizza day party.

Animal Farm: Rap group from Portland. They were pretty good with flow, but personally, I like my rap a little more political than song after song of “throw your hands in the air” party stuff. People got into them, and they were funny, so the charisma is there. If you like fun, easy-going Will Smith-type pop rap, they might be your cup of tea.

The Spinto Band: The reason I was interested in this day party at all was this band. I LOVE this band. If you like David Byrne weirdness, and solid pop rock songs that are interesting and varied and awesome, you will love this band, too. They are great performers, and seem totally approachable (read: a little nerdy, which is awesome). They opened with my favorite, “Direct to Helmet”, and kept the hits coming. It was actually a surprising split between songs off of their new album, Moonwink, and those off of their original release, Nice and Nicely Done. I like the latter best, so I was pleased. They played “Later On”; “Vivian, Don’t”; “Summer Grof”; “Brown Boxes”; and finished with “Oh Mandy”. I think I’m missing a couple, but that was most of the playlist. I keep singing the praises of this band to anyone who will listen, so really, if you like pop rock, check these dudes out!

Little Stolen Moments: This was an in-between act at Homeslice, but they were so damned entertaining I had to mention them. A three piece from Austin, there was one guy and two girls, who were all wearing red. Basically, they do interpretive dance to a bunch of random songs, including TV show themes (the Cosby theme was the one I recognized.) It was AWESOME, and a perfect filler. If you’re ever looking for someone to entertain for about fifteen minutes at your house party, book this group. Hilarious and fun.

Local Natives: These guys were playing at Joe’s Coffee, and I was afraid we’d miss them, but we managed to catch most of their set. This group is absolutely destined to be huge, I can feel it. They have ridiculous harmonies, and play together so solidly that you feel like they must be best friends and live together and do all of the same things all of the time, always. They remind me of My Morning Jacket, very breezy rock music great for hanging out to. It’s sunny, cool days and summer drinks and plain awesomeness. There were even hula hoops at the show, which seemed pretty appropriate, all things considered. Check ‘em out! Airplanes is a good starter song.

OK, I’m rushing off to try to see as much music as my poor, tired body can handle. This is the first year where I’ve started the fest out kind of sick…here’s hoping I last through tonight and two more days!!

Pictures here.

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South by Southwest Music Fest, Day 1

March 19th, 2009

Today I started out standing in line to get my wristband for the Fader Fort, whose lineup is pretty sweet (I’m particularly excited about Peter Bjorn and John on Friday, and the rumored performance by Kanye West Saturday.) The line was long, and I was running late for my day party, so I was worried; luckily, Fader has their routine on LOCKDOWN. I made it through the line in just about ten minutes, maybe less.

Then it was off to Mother Egan’s for the Incubation party. I stayed here for all 6 acts; here’s a short rundown.

The Tunnels: 5-piece out of Austin, Texas. It’s pretty straightforward rock, and unfortunately, I didn’t feel like the band had enough stage presence to draw me in. They sounded like The Subways, but without the oomph that The Subways have in their performances. If they look livelier, I feel like they could garner a bigger fan base.

New Roman Times: This band had more energy than the first, but the vocalist’s singing was not for me. It was a little whiny, and definitely not strong enough; it might have been that he was nervous, but he did NOT play it off well, if that’s the case. The female bassist (surprise, surprise) sang vocals occasionally, and I enjoyed her much more. Overall, this group had a New Wave-ish sound, but bands like stellastarr* do it better, in my opinion; this group didn’t have enough variety. The best part of this set was a little girl (possibly the daughter of one of the band members) in a green summer dress, dancing up a storm to her favorite songs (stomping and swaying, and generally smiling at everyone and brightening up the room.)

Corto Maltese: I’d seen these locals perform at their EP release at the Scoot Inn, and they didn’t disappoint the second time around. Their sound was familiar, though I ultimately couldn’t place who they reminded me of. There were nice harmonies that soared with the keyboards on top of thick, rhythmic guitars. Also, this was the first band with a noticeable stage presence. The lead vocalist had some bite in him; the first thing he said was, “We’re The Corto Maltese. . .we just woke up.” Occasionally, the band would seem to make little inside jokes at each other and everyone onstage would crack a smile. Liking the other members of your band is a step in the right direction, I’d say. Although the vocals did lose their charm a little bit over time, overall this was a fun gig to watch.

MoTel Aviv: Another local group, MoTel Aviv had a vocal fan following in the crowd at their show. The vocalist was akin to the lead from As Tall As Lions, and he had good energy; a kind of Bono swagger. My favorite character in the whole band was the girl on bass, because she actually moved around and seemed to like their music. The problem with this group, as with a few others in this set, is that songs tend to blend together after a while. There was not a lot of variance, and that can become boring, depending on what kind of music attracts you. For people who know the sound they like, and like to stick to it time after time, this band could be a winner, for sure; they played well and were very consistent.

Stereo Is A Lie: This group is in the same arena as Oasis or Jet, with a hint of The Black Angels. There’s definitely a full guitar wall-o-sound happening with this 5 piece, and the vocalist was one of my favorite of the party. He was strong, with a good command of what he was doing; there was attitude there, but it was understated, so he was believable. He gave you a sense that he performs the same way for a room of 10 or 100 (the former being the situation at Mother Egan’s!) He and the drummer were the stars of the band, and unfortunately, this took away from their performance. The other three guys, particularly the second guitarist and the keyboardist, looked dead. The good news for the lead vocalist is, if this band fails, I believe he’ll be able to make it no matter what.

Twin Atlantic: Hands down, these guys were my favorite of the party. The youthful group kicked off immediately to an arresting, rocking sound, and my attention was with them until the end of their short set. Every member (apart from the drummer, naturally) jumped around the stage, and all four seemed completely in sync, which is essential when you play with rhythm the way they do. The vocals are dripping with Sam McTrusty’s Scottish accent (the band are from Glasgow), and they change from lyrical and strong to screaming and passionate. My favorite moment was when, in the middle of a song, McTrusty has a line where he laughs, and it’s both sadistic and desperate at the same time. The band play great rock music, but it isn’t static; they incorporate an electric cello to keep things interesting. The band’s stage crew had to help with the acrobatics of switching the cello for a guitar, and back again. It was just fun to watch, and by the end, the guys had worn themselves out for a supportive crowd. They’re playing more shows, and I hope tons of people go out to see them; this is their first time in the States, and they are here to rock us.

Thus ended my day party craziness. After trekking home to have some dinner, I found (expensive:/) parking downtown for my night of. . .more standing. I was going to wander around a bit before I headed into Stubb’s, but chickened out as I was passing the venue and decided I did NOT want to miss The Decemberists, so I headed straight in. I’m SO glad I did, because I caught some really incredible acts.

Janelle Monae: This, hands down, was the best “surprise” act of my day. Buttered biscuits, is this woman ever good!!! Her set started out with some recorded dialogue about a woman being chased by a bounty hunter. Her drummer and guitarist, in OutKast-ish attire, came out and started playing, and finally, after what seemed like quite a while, Monae came out in a high-waisted suit and faux-hawk hairdo (click the link above to see what I mean.) This woman had the most energy of anybody I had seen during my day, and it was infectious. Her vocal abilities are incredibly impressive; her voice absolutely soars, smooth and silky but powerful all the same. Her prowess for performance is going to make Janelle Monae a star, for sure.

Ladyhawke: Ladyhawke makes sweet, electronic tunes fitting for a dance workout, or a roller-skate rink. It’s catchy and fun, but I’m afraid after being spoiled with Janelle Monae, the actual live performance just wasn’t doing it for me. I respect the sound, for sure; Ladyhawke is good at what she does. But this isn’t a show I feel that I need to go see again. I’d prefer to hear her music when I’m downtown at a club.

The Heartless Bastards: When the first note was sung during the Heartless Bastards’ performance, I searched all over the stage, trying to figure out which guy was singing. Little did I know, those deep, husky, sultry vocals caressing my eardrums were coming from Erika Wennerstrom, the front-woman of the group. Once I became accustomed to this, I LOVED it. The songs touched that part of you deep inside that yearns for the blues, and that wants to just feel miserable every once in a while. My only complaint, again, is the lack of variation in the songs; I’ve found that, when I don’t know anything about a band as I’m going in to a concert, it is much easier for songs to blend together unless the band truly has some variety. Still, I enjoyed the set and plan on looking deeper into this alt-country group.

The Avett Brothers: The two Avett brothers are charismatic, poetic, and energetic – a completely winning combination. They also have the thing I was just talking about, which is that variation in their songs that keeps an unfamiliar fan engaged the whole performance through. The brothers, Seth and Scott, play the guitar and banjo, respectively, and were joined by upright bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon, who played that cello STANDING, which (as I know from longtime experience in orchestra) is not an easy feat! All four characters stood side by side on stage, jumping around and clearly into their folksy sound. Scott did play the drums on a couple of songs, as well, which was made extra interesting, because he also continued to sing while he played. The standout song by this group was a sweet acoustic tune where Scott sang lead. There was a line asking which brother was their father’s favorite that almost brought me to tears, and it was clear that family is at the forefront of this band’s mind. Both of these brothers are now my “favorite,” and I look forward to what is in store for them.

The Decemberists: For those of you not up to speed, The Decemberists are coming out with a new album, The Hazards of Love, on March 24th (although it is already available on iTunes as a pre-release.) They thus decided that, for their one (official) South by Southwest appearance, they would spend their entire set performing the entire album, front to back, for the first time EVER, for Stubb’s-goers and anyone tuned in to NPR online (they broadcast the entire performance.) I had only heard The Rake Song, which I believe Pitchfork posted a while back, and I was instantly enamored with this rock opera Colin Meloy had composed. Upon hearing the whole thing, my love has doubled. I don’t even know what to say about the whole thing, except that if you have ever been in love, you will find a way to relate to the concept. There are two female “characters” (or two halves of the same character?), and the harder-edged, more vixen-y character was my favorite, as well as the favorite of much of the crowd; whenever she took to the front of the stage, people erupted in hoots, hollers and whistles. There are softer songs about babies and the future, and harder songs about betrayal and murder. As I expected, The Rake Song is FANTASTIC live, with almost every band member playing a drum. One of the last songs on the album features a chorus of children’s voices, singing the “hazards of love” refrain, and Meloy and Chris Funk got to play pots, pans and. . .a robot (yes, really. A toy robot.) The band did come on after the whole set to play two songs for an encore, The Raincoat Song (with just Meloy and his guitar, accompanied by the harmonies of John Moen) and I Was Meant For The Stage, which was a complete crowd-pleaser. Was this show worth standing for 4 and a half hours on rocky Stubb’s ground? Why, yes, it was.

Pictures here.

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Back from the dead…

March 12th, 2009

Hi, friends. Obviously I’ve been hardcore shirking my updating responsibilities, and I apologize for that. I’m trying to focus on school and whatnot, but the mayhem that is the South by Southwest music festival is creeping up on us, and I intend to report all of my experiences as thoroughly as I can. I’ll do a nightly report and let you all know who I was able to see, and my thoughts. I was also lucky enough to see both Flogging Molly and Modest Mouse play at Stubb’s here in Austin in the past few weeks, and have hit up a ton of shows by locals Oh No! Oh My! and Loxsly. I don’t think I’ll be doing a complete write up of these, but do see these acts if you get a chance. They are all wonderful. OK, back to work – you’ll be hearing from my regularly, at least for a week, starting Wednesday.

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