Festival Coverage
SXSW 2013: Blue Hawaii @ Elysium – RA Showcase 3.13
Raph Standell-Preston’s vocals and stage presence are sugary sweet, and the music manipulated behind them is crisp and chilled, like fresh strawberries with a dusting of sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. … read more
SXSW 2013: Bleeding Rainbow @ Valhalla – Kanine Records Showcase...
About three-fourths into Bleeding Rainbow’s set, front woman Sarah Everton swapped her bass for Rob Garcia’s guitar and they even traded spaces onstage. The set got a lot livelier then, and for their last song, just as my ears were about to start bleeding (because I was standing next to a speaker without protection), guitarist Al Creedon rammed into Everton with his guitar until she playfully pushed him away. … read more
SXSW 2013: White Lung @ Holy Mountain Enabler PR Showcase
When White Lung played their first song with their sharp melodies and Mish Way’s nonchalant stage presence, the darkness and slight dinginess of the club complemented White Lung’s macabre sound well as a group of photographers at the front snapped and flashed their machines like the band members were stars on some sort of award show in a noir movie. … read more
SXSW 2013: Foxygen @ The Stages on Sixth 03.13
Foxygen played a great mix of energetic, offbeat tracks with soulful guitars that wouldn’t be out of place in the Rocky Horror Picture Show and made me want to move my feet . … read more
SXSW 2013: Drunk History Panel @ The Next Stage 03.13
I’ve been watching Drunk History since I came across it on Funny or Die a few years ago, so when I saw that the creators were part of a panel to promote their upcoming series on Comedy Central, I immediately wanted to be there. … read more
SXSW 2013: Nü Sensae @ Holy Mountain Backward Enabler PR...
I would marry Andrea Lukic. There was just something about her—the same thing I like about Chelsea Wolfe—which makes me think that she would have a nice conversation with me one day over tea, then strangle me in my sleep the next. I like that in a girl. … read more
SXSW 2013: Café Tacvba @ Stubb’s NPR Music Showcase 03.13
I made my way to the Stubb’s stage, which was in an outside-concert-style scheme. It was nighttime, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make it through the line in time to see Café Tacvba, as the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s were booked to play next. I made it in with ease, though, and got up front with a packed crowd during their first song, which was a rock n’ roll–ranchera hybrid played to easygoing spiritedness from the front of the audience. … read more
SXSW 2013: The Wolf @ Hotel Vegas/Volstead 03.13
It would be great to see The Wolf play with The Entrance Band, for the pure joy in showing The Wolf how an adult garage psych band really makes original music. … read more
SXSW 2013: Baths @ Mohawk 03.13
Baths is many things, but his humor in between his non-transitions of DJ songs took the prize. One of the funniest things that came out of Will Wiesenfeld’s vocal box (his real one) was “All great DJs have transitions between songs. Well, I don’t, so they can all fuck it.” Words alone are not a good example of Baths’ humor, so I recommend you see the “band” in person. … read more
SXSW 2013: California X @ Holy Mountain 03.13
I discovered California X through the SXSW schedule at a time when I needed to fill a hole during my day. It was one of those “watch/listen to one thirty minute segment and throw caution to the wind” situations, and I hoped California X was something I could get into. … read more