Festival Coverage
SXSW 2013: Desert Noises @ Javelina – New Frontier Touring...
There was not a moment that Desert Noises wasn’t giving their all, and the sound was as flawless as if they were playing Velour. … read more
SXSW 2013: Imam Baildi @ International Day Stage 03.15
I was immediately drawn in by their “fusion” sound: a mix between traditional Greek music, which sounds a little bit like samba, Flamenco and Arabic pop jumbled together, hip hop and a ’60s Bollywood musical. … read more
SXSW 2013: Wavves @ Easy Tiger – SPIN House 03.15
Watching Wavves for the first time made me wish someone had sat me down and said, “Esther, you gotta listen to Wavves, RIGHT NOW, because it’s going to become your summer soundtrack, I just KNOW it.” … read more
SXSW 2013: Fuck It, Let’s Dance @ Salvage Vanguard Theater...
Regardless of the totally stiff, American vibes we were putting off, FALD didn’t let it affect their energy level. Singer Nico Cham danced enough for all of us, jumped off the bass drum and even came into the stands to kick up his heels. Europeans––gotta love ’em. … read more
SXSW 2013: Bonobo @ Elysium 03.14
Bonobo is a super chill tropical animal, like a neon-colored frog bobbing his head up and down in the rainforest. Bonobo’s music feels … wet, in a sweet, sweaty, sloppy, lip-smacking kiss kind of way. … read more
SXSW 2013: Escape @ The JR 03.15
Escape made me want to do one thing and one thing only while standing in one place: pure head banging. The chance to see a Cuban metal band is quite rare in SLC due to customs laws between the states and Cuba. It took SXSW two years just to bring Escape over from Cuba to play a forty-minute set. I would say the chance of that happening in Salt Lake City is slim to none. … read more
SXSW 2013: Bleached @ Panache Showcase – Hotel Vegas 03.15
If I had to marry one band member from Bleached the obvious choice would have to be the reserved, quiet bass player, who by appearance and pure energy radiated a sense of maturity one or two notches above the other ladies in the band. ‘Nuff said. … read more
SXSW 2013: Eagles of Death Metal @ The Belmont 03.15
Eagles of Death Metal put on an energetic show with plenty of crowd interaction unlike any other band who rolls through town. Jesse interacts with his fans, thanks and praises all who come out to see, kisses ladies’ hands and pulls cigarettes from crowd members who are happy to hand them out, and, last but not least, lets stage jumpers hang out with the band on stage. … read more
SXSW 2013: Masked Intruder @ Red 7 Fat Wreck Chords...
You see, Masked Intruder has a dancer, who is a dude dressed up in a cop costume. His job is to run around and rile people up. He accomplishes this by pushing people and moshing with them. Part of his job is to flip people off, too. He flips off as many people as he can at any given moment, on- or offstage. I imagine that Masked Intruder would kidnap me, as they are robbers, and I’d probably get sick and tired of the cop, even though I think he’s cool at the same time. … read more
SXSW 2013: Lemuria @ The Mohawk Indoor 03.15
Sheena Ozella, the frontwoman (guitar and vocals) of Lemuria, is an amazing guitarist—she’s clearly an intelligent person, as her odd chord structuring and deft movement along the neck played out sonically with an almost jazzy character. Her left hand played Tetris with itself and moved from barre 7 chords to tuning while she was singing during a stop. … read more