We had probably our most enjoyable and most productive Wednesday at SXSW this year. After getting up far earlier than we all wanted, thanks to a very noisy air conditioner and beds too small to fit four rather large/tall guys, we pulled ourselves together and headed downtown to aquire wristbands. SXSW gives you quite a few hoops to jump through to save money, and one of them is finding people who spent gobs of money on badges as they are allowed to let one person buy a cheaper, but lower priority wristband off of their badge.
At the convention center Swedish pop star Robyn walked by us. I have loved Robyn ever since her "Show Me Love" days of the late '90s. Since then she has become a huge sensation all over Europe but has never released another album here. She's just now making inroads again here and is surprisingly all the rage with the Pitchfork-reading set. It's nice to have a pure pop act I don't have to be made to feel embarrassed about loving! Moby also walked past us on the street again (snooze! Just kidding).
After a few phone calls we were all set and headed for The Fader Lounge, which has become THE destination at SXSW over the years for an afternoon of usually good new bands and always free booze. We arrived on time and while in line ran into a label guy we know that introduced us to a band for which he's seeking radio promotion. It's these chance meetings with friends, clients, and people you don't even know that can make this sort of trip pay for itself if they work out.
Inside, we were treated to two really interesting live performances. One was from a Los Angeles band called Mae Shi. They had perhaps one of the most unorthodox and original deliveries I have seen in a long time. All five members shouted in unison, climbing on and off the stage, with two of the members writhing, jumping, and generally looking pained. I liken one of them to reliving his birth as he peeled off his shirt, jumped around until his pants fell down around his waist, and then collapsed in a pile on the stage contorting his sweaty face in agony.
The other band was a UK outfit called The Whip, and they were the highlight of my day musically — an electronic based band with hypnotic beats and fantastic melodies. I was very impressed. After that, Jesse and I left to grab a quick bite and head for the Creekside Lounge to catch a client of ours, Joseph Arthur, play. We spent some time chatting with the band Division Day, as well as the woman who runs their label, and caught their set as well.
From there it was back to Fader, where we ran into a bunch of station music directors and joined them inside for a band called Does It Offend You, Yeah?, which I kind of felt waas comparable to Limp Bizkit (which is not good), though many people there seemed to be eating it up.
A crew of folks consisting of label reps, station folks, and promoters then headed to Jaime's (a Mexican restaurant) for dinner. We basically overran the place with a crew of about 50. Dinner was fun but took forever, and the food was fairly mediocre. But you can't really beat free chips and salsa and lively conversation. Plus, dinner was free, compliments of our friend Graham from Warner Brothers.
Jesse, Gabby from Astralwerks, and I then caught Ed Harcourt playing. His band and their manager clearly were unimpressed with the sound at their venue, and rightfully so. Loud feedback, several songs in, is not ideal. From there we went up 6th Street to see another client of ours play, Winnipeg band The Details. They played a great set, and we chatted with them for a while.
We then ran up to Stubb's to stand outside and hear REM play a song or two, and then trekked up the street to see the end of the Cut Copy set. I love them, and they had the crowd in a frenzy, fist pumping and jumping in unison. It's something you don't see much at music festivals.
At this point we were ready to call it a night. We walked back to 6th Street, where The Lemonheads were playing an outdoor show, and ran into a few more people we know. Said goodnight to Gabby and headed back to the car to head home to the hotel, ‘dogs' barking all around.
At the convention center Swedish pop star Robyn walked by us. I have loved Robyn ever since her "Show Me Love" days of the late '90s. Since then she has become a huge sensation all over Europe but has never released another album here. She's just now making inroads again here and is surprisingly all the rage with the Pitchfork-reading set. It's nice to have a pure pop act I don't have to be made to feel embarrassed about loving! Moby also walked past us on the street again (snooze! Just kidding).
After a few phone calls we were all set and headed for The Fader Lounge, which has become THE destination at SXSW over the years for an afternoon of usually good new bands and always free booze. We arrived on time and while in line ran into a label guy we know that introduced us to a band for which he's seeking radio promotion. It's these chance meetings with friends, clients, and people you don't even know that can make this sort of trip pay for itself if they work out.
Inside, we were treated to two really interesting live performances. One was from a Los Angeles band called Mae Shi. They had perhaps one of the most unorthodox and original deliveries I have seen in a long time. All five members shouted in unison, climbing on and off the stage, with two of the members writhing, jumping, and generally looking pained. I liken one of them to reliving his birth as he peeled off his shirt, jumped around until his pants fell down around his waist, and then collapsed in a pile on the stage contorting his sweaty face in agony.
The other band was a UK outfit called The Whip, and they were the highlight of my day musically — an electronic based band with hypnotic beats and fantastic melodies. I was very impressed. After that, Jesse and I left to grab a quick bite and head for the Creekside Lounge to catch a client of ours, Joseph Arthur, play. We spent some time chatting with the band Division Day, as well as the woman who runs their label, and caught their set as well.
From there it was back to Fader, where we ran into a bunch of station music directors and joined them inside for a band called Does It Offend You, Yeah?, which I kind of felt waas comparable to Limp Bizkit (which is not good), though many people there seemed to be eating it up.
A crew of folks consisting of label reps, station folks, and promoters then headed to Jaime's (a Mexican restaurant) for dinner. We basically overran the place with a crew of about 50. Dinner was fun but took forever, and the food was fairly mediocre. But you can't really beat free chips and salsa and lively conversation. Plus, dinner was free, compliments of our friend Graham from Warner Brothers.
Jesse, Gabby from Astralwerks, and I then caught Ed Harcourt playing. His band and their manager clearly were unimpressed with the sound at their venue, and rightfully so. Loud feedback, several songs in, is not ideal. From there we went up 6th Street to see another client of ours play, Winnipeg band The Details. They played a great set, and we chatted with them for a while.
We then ran up to Stubb's to stand outside and hear REM play a song or two, and then trekked up the street to see the end of the Cut Copy set. I love them, and they had the crowd in a frenzy, fist pumping and jumping in unison. It's something you don't see much at music festivals.
At this point we were ready to call it a night. We walked back to 6th Street, where The Lemonheads were playing an outdoor show, and ran into a few more people we know. Said goodnight to Gabby and headed back to the car to head home to the hotel, ‘dogs' barking all around.