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SXSW 2013: Baptists @ The Scoot Inn 03.16
Baptists have two, concurrent modes: metal face-clocking and riling the crowd into an abrasive disposition. The vocalist bashed into the crowd freely to generate mosh pits that would have otherwise been inaccessible for the band before an audience who found shade from the 3:00-p.m. Texas sun. Baptists thrash with a hardcore punk candor amid their “metal fur-ball convulsions” where their whole body takes on the motion of head banging. … read more
SXSW 2013: The Soft Moon @ Elysium – Moog/Switched On...
The Soft Moon is a post-punk three-piece form San Francisco with Krautrock subtleties. Their stage presence was cool—lots of smoke, darkness and a few laser lights to round it out. The show was fantastic aside form vocalist Luis Vasquez’s numerous vocal screams, emulating Robert Smith. The first couple were coo,l but the yowls became predicable by the fourth song. … read more
SXSW 2013: Austra @ Elysium – Moog/Switched On Showcase 03.16
Austra and their roadies took forever to set up (almost an hour)! They apathetically wandered around the stage while the audience waited patiently. Just as it looked like they were going to start, front woman Katie Stelmanis announced that drummer Maya Postepski, had lost her cymbals and that they couldn’t start until she found them. Seriously, how drunk do you have to be to you lose your drum symbols? … read more
SXSW 2013: Mikal Cronin @ The Perish – Merge Records...
I knew Mikal Cronin had played with Ty Segall and recently inked a deal with Merge Records, but I had yet to check out his music. When I saw he was playing SXSW, I added him to my list. The crowd drank up Mikal Cronin like he was the last beer of the night. Lots of NPR types and 40-something industry people crowed the front of the stage, acting like they were in college again. … read more
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