Three Imaginary Girls - SXSW 2007

The Imaginary SXSW 2007 Report: Day 4

three imaginary girls — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 08:00:00 +0000

17 Mar 2007

With Monsters Are Waiting, The Pipettes, The Fratellis, Jon Rauhouse, Rachel Flotard, The Blakes, Turbo Fruits, Prototypes, Junior Senior, and Nicole Atkins and the Sea.

To kick off the final day of SXSW 2007, we knew — even before we left Seattle — that we wanted to hit the NY2LON party at Habana Calle 6. It really was a no-brainer: co-sponsored by Brooklyn Vegan and featuring Bloody Marys, Cuban Food, and a great line up (finally Amy Winehouse and the Fratellis on the same bill?).

A no-brainer especially since last year we were turned away from the NY2LON party (which included luminaries like Voxtrot, Two Gallants, and the Charlatans), for no good reason (grumble grumble). This year the poster said doors at 11am and encouraged us to get there early to guarantee entrance. That said, we complied; in fact, we were first in line and entered no problemo!

The first band up was Monsters Are Waiting. This LA-based band played at about 12:30pm, amid a bunch of pretty cooler-than-thou hipsters — I'm going to blame the general level of aloofness on the fact that that the free Bloody Marys were very slow in coming. Something about the band (um, the black dyed hair, black sweater, black eyeliner, black instruments, black background) made me think this band doesn't often perform by the light of day. They definitely seemed a bit uncomfortable in the sunlight.

But being a bit of a pre-Goth-demographic Cure baby myself, I really liked them, even if they were a bit predictably Hot Topic bat-cavey. Singer Annalee Fery has vocal stylings reminiscent of Bjork, and her voice was nice (if not a bit affected). The band earned huge bonus points from me for 1) covering the Stone Roses "I Wanna Be Adored" (that took some major cahones and they pulled it off with aplomb) and 2) ending their set by telling the audience they had driven from LA to Austin on frying oil. They drive a Frybrid! TIG is in full-on support of bands touring on bio-fuels!

While at the NY2LON party, we got to talk about how we were all itching to finally see a full set of those Pipettes we’d being hearing about for the last three days. We kept having close calls of seeing a full set of theirs, but maximum capacities and scheduling overlaps kept us at bay.

And of course, I needed to get my daily dose of Fratelli, and Dana was jonesing for some more Amy Winehouse (at this point, for those not keeping score at home, we were at two shows a piece for our respective fave acts). Since the Fratellis were playing at NY2LON at 3p and at the Filter party across town at 4p (with the Pipettes), what we were to do??

Our fate was sealed for me when I realized Amy Winehouse has backed out of the NY2LON show (finally! one of those infamous Winehouse flakes I'd been reading so much about!). We rallied the troops and headed out to catch the lovely Pipettes, who had whetted our appetites two days earlier when we caught the last songs of their set, from the back of the room. We needed more Pipettes in our imaginary monitors, please!

Catching their full set, their coordinating dresses, their Supreme dance moves, their harmonies: we were smitten. Oddly, by the end of the set, we all had our favorite Pipette. My favorite is Rosay! She has the most complex harmonies and the sassiest dance moves.

No way! Riot Becki was my favorite. With her sassy haircut, cool glasses, and tiny little nose piercing, I fell in love with her sexy indie librarian look and new best friend approachability.

Perhaps I was also intrigued because she was the only Pipette who had a modifier in front of her name. I'm certainly curious what happened to earn her "Riot" as part of her moniker.

I might have steered clear from Gwenno as my fave only because I found her bleach blonde bombshell looks so intimidating, but that's totally not fair. I bet she's really cool as well, and would totally listen to all our boy troubles and help us shop for shoes too (they would just look so much cuter on her!).

But I don't want to play favorites. I was completely floored both by how well all three of these ladies sing, and also how memorable their songs are. I distinctly remembered as they played each of the songs we'd caught two days earlier, in some cases, word-for-word, even though I'd only had one listen. I still remember them now, typing them up at home, thousands of miles away from the closest Pipette. "And we've got no regrets! And in case you haven't guessed... we're the prettiest girls! You ever met!"

As I said in the last Pipettes article: Need the CD. Need them to come to Seattle. Need to get all three action figures. Anyone want to bet me when the U.S. copies the U.K. once again (hi, "The Office") and we have our own version of the Pipettes?

By this time, the Dewar’s Scotch-sponsored portion of the bill inspired us to override our previous plan of heading back to the NY2LON party and decide to wait out there for the Fratellis. Yes, the Fratellis. Again!

In case this surprises you, YES, it was another fine performance from our Glaswegian mates. This time they speckled the set list with some surprises – one of which was a rip-roaring cover of The Who's, “The Seeker.” This, in addition to spotting an inquisitive Thurston Moore on the porch overlooking the stage (he was the next up on the bill), was a magical last imaginary-Fratellis meet up.

But, to avoid being so sad about goodbyes, I did some internet research back at the hotel and realized that they were going to be in Seattle with BRMC on May 13, 2007 at the Showbox. Hooray!

After such a rock and roll afternoon, what could be better than a trip to TGI Fridays! Actually, I'm being serious. Normally I am extremely anti-chain restaurants, but this was the coolest Fridays ever, with a huge back patio overlooking the river and front-row seats to see those famous Austin Bats fly at dusk. That was a spectacular site to see!

But it was a short-lived respite in TGI Fridays-land, as imaginary photographer and I booked it to the Red Eye Fly for the first show of the evening: Jon Rauhouse. While Rauhouse himself is not a Northwest resident, I kinda feel like we can claim him because 1) he plays pedal steel for Neko Case (who we can sorta maybe still claim as our own) 2) he had Seattle resident Mark Pickeral (Screaming Trees) drumming for him tonight and 3) he had Seattle resident Rachel Flotard (Visqueen) sing a couple of tunes at the show.

The set was definitely a highlight of my SXSW experience (and was clearly photographer Kaley's favorite show by a landslide; as a whole fan of All Things Neko, I'm surprised she could even see through the lens, she was smiling so huge throughout the set). The night felt very humble and grounded, sans the pretension and the hubbub so often seen at the fest. It felt like what I bet Austin is like most of the rest of the year: a group of music fans hooting on a band of virtuoso performers, and everyone having a damn fine time of it.

The set was all over the map: from originals to showtunes and classics and back again. While I enjoyed the entire set, the highlights for me were clearly when he brought up two fabulous ladies to diva it up on the mic: Sally Timms of the Mekons, and Seattle's own Rachel Flotard of Visqueen. Both ladies shot lots of lip off to Rauhouse and the band (including Flotard referring to the keyboardist as a "Jewish terrorist," which sounds scary as I type it but was actually hilarious), but both were no joke on the mic.

The evolution of Rachel Flotard from Rachel the punk-pop princess in Visqueen to Rachel the vocalist has been enchanting to witness. Those months of touring with Neko Case have definitely paid off and a more courageous and enduring Rachel has emerged, one with all the sass and vigor we've come to expect, but one who can stand up and tug your heartstrings with the power of her voice. When she sang "Harbor Lights" I actually choked up.

Speaking of choking, I nearly choked on the Spaghetti Warehouse dinner I was enjoying with the rest of the posse at the time when I heard about what an incredible Flotard experience I was missing (did you send me like, eight text messages telling me how amazing Rachel was???)

I think there were at least nine — and she only sang two songs!

After their set, Kaley and I darted across the street to the KEXP showcase at Mohawk to catch a blistering show from Seattle band the Blakes.

As I've mentioned before, the Blakes are shit-hot live. This three-piece has it all: a great tight garage-rock intensity, boyish charms and good looks, raw sex appeal, and hook-laden songs that make the girls squeal. As always, it's great to watch local Northwest bands in new locales (I cracked up when they said "We're from Seattle!" midway through the set and asked if anyone else in the room was. There were quite a few "woots!" in response for sure.)

After the show, we weren't sure where to head. I wanted to see Kings of Leon at nearby at Stubbs, but since a little band you might have heard of called THE STOOGES were headlining later that night, the line was literally halfway to Dallas, so we knew we weren't getting in there...

So in search of something off the radar, we found ourselves at The Co-op watching a band called Turbo Fruits from Nashville, Tennessee. I texted imaginary Dana and she came and joined us.

We both observed that the trio *looked* like they were barely legal on tour in their first band ever, but we came to find out they're actually from the Thurston Moore-acclaimed band Be Your Own Pet (he even signed them to his Ecstatic Peace record label). It makes sense that they follow in their BYOP roots and take the T. Rex-infused garage pop road. After the last few days of big crowds, industry money (yes, even including my dear Fratellis), it was refreshing to mix it up with Turbo Fruits.

Yeah, they played the show like the place was a packed Stubbs, posing with their axe for an appreciative group (that continued to grow throughout their set). The show ended with an enthusiastic friend helping out on the drums (two drummers on one drumset) with sweaty applause from all.

Whew, after that burst we knew we wanted to end SXSW 2007 with a Junior Senor dance party.

Despite our exhaustion, we headed to Exodus and before Junior Senior caught French rockin' dance band, Prototypes.

I liked Prototypes, even though I had no idea what they were saying (you know, singing in French and all). To me, the lyrics were beautiful against the backdrop reminiscent of a euro discothèque.

Sure the lead singer could be the Karen O of Paris and they might have a song title that translates to "Dance On The Shit" – I actually like them regardless. Hell yeah to my fellow EuroTrashers!

I think I spent most of Prototypes in some over-stimulation, over-exhaustion haze. Since I'd spent most of the night in smaller venues listening to more intimate performers, the Prototypes set totally jarred my brain, especially since the number of green-clad St Patty's Day Meathead Revelers were clearly starting to outnumber the Indie Rock kids at this particular venue. The end of the day deo was starting to wear out, the room was packed to the gills... and then we had to wait at least 30 minutes for the Junior Senior soundcheck (which was weird — who knew they even played instruments??). But I was resolute: I wanted to end SXSW with Liz and at a dance party!

It's true. Their set change took an astronomical amount of time – I'd say at least 40 minutes, perhaps near an hour. In a dance club, sweaty bodies, 1.30am… there's only so much someone who isn't used to being in 'dance clubs' or around sweaty bodies can comfortably handle in the wee hours.

Once Junior Senior did take the stage, all that set change frustration was (nearly) forgiven. Although I expected their Junior and Senior-ness to be a little more pronounced, they were still commanding of the eager-to-boogie crowd. It was a bold bet to start the set off with their five biggest hits from the classic album, D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat.

And with that, my five favorite Junior Senior songs performed live for my enjoyment, I was fully Junior Senior satiated. I danced, I sang along, and I was ready to head back to the hotel... to pack.

As for me, I heard three songs. I was all: Go Junior! Go Senior! Go imaginary Dana, back to the hotel room!

When I left Exodus I had every intention to walk/hobble my exhausted self back to the hotel; but, as I got close to the bridge, I realized I was standing in front of Copa, a venue where New York's Nicole Atkins and the Sea were closing out the festival. I had only just learned about Nicole from imaginary writer Betsy Boston, who had just submitted her review of Blood Diamonds, the band's debut EP, days before I left for SXSW. I was impressed with Betsy's glowing praise, and loved the tracks I'd heard on her MySpace profile (especially "The Way It Is" — OMG, that song completely rules my world and I need to hear it at least four times every day).

So I slipped into the show: barely. I couldn't even find the door to the venue at first. That's how hidden this show was.

The set was spectacular and baffling — spectacular because Nicole's voice is even more robust and soaring and heartbreakingly beautiful live, and baffling because there were only about 15 or so other people in the room to hear it — and this from an artist signed to Columbia Records. Completely bizarre, and I'm betting some publicist somewhere has lost a job over this one. (And big thanks to photographer Daniel Coston for sharing this photo.)

I have no doubt that in the coming years I'll be able to tell my imaginary friends and grandchildren that I once saw Nicole Atkins sing at 2am to a nearly empty room in Austin, Texas.

And truly, isn't that why we all go to SXSW? To be able to return with stories like that?

As for me, three hours later, I was on my way to the airport to head back to Seattle, glorious Seattle. Who needs to sleep just to get on a plane?

And the countdown to the Fratillis’ Seattle show begins!

Day 4 of the Imaginary SXSW 2007 report, with Monsters Are Waiting, The Pipettes, Monsters are Waiting, the Fratellis, Jon Rauhouse, Prototypes, Nicole Aktins and the Sea, & Junior Senior

The Imaginary SXSW 2007 Report: Day 3

three imaginary girls — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:14:24 +0000

16 Mar 2007

amywinehousesxsw07marDAY3.jpg

With Matt & Kim, Dark Meat, Spindrift, Emma Pollack, the Twilight Sad, Paolo Nutini, the Fratellis, Amy Winehouse, the Zebras, the Manhattan Love Suicides, BOAT, the Faintest Ideas, Tullycraft

Day three of SXSW began with sustenance. We knew we had big days (Matt & Kim, The Fratellis, the Twilight Sad) and even bigger nights (Amy Winehouse, the Magic Marker showcase) ahead of us. First thing on the list: complementary breakfast burritos at the BBC party at Brush Square Park and free coffee (served in plastic cups) at the SFxSXSW party at Spiros, and then we headed to Red 7 for the Mess with Texas party.

Throughout the weekend, the line at Red 7 was around the block. Any event with a line-up overseen by David Cross with appearances by fellow Mr. Show star Bob Odenkirk and indie-rock darlings like the Black Angels, the Gossip, Matt & Kim is bound to be exciting. When we saw that the line was down to just 30 people, we realized that this was *our chance* to see what was happening on that patio of theirs. Upon entry I was captivated by a spoken word pep talk from Andrew WK. He was headlong into an eloquent, convincing little chat about loving thy neighbor. He used personal anecdotes, talking through his own battles of realizing that hating a group of people because of the behaviors of a hardcore sect of the group isn’t the road to enlightenment. Life’s hard man, and we’re just all trying to get through.

You were captivated? I was puzzled. I felt like I'd walked into some crazy after-school special, and since I had missed most of the pre-funk free-food-and-beverage haps, I was pretty well dyin' for some caffeine/hydration/sustenance. (I did partake of 'coffee in a plastic cup' that I grabbed quickly from Spiro's on the way over. After stomaching a few sips, I had to throw it out. I was certain that the amount of plastic toxins I just ingested equated to swallowing a golf ball.)

And the words of Andrew WK aren't enough to sustain me first thing in the morning — erm, early afternoon, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Tragically, the bartender had no coffee, and no whitening product with which to make White Russians (hey, it's as hearty a breakfast as any of those Carnation breakfast drinks!). And I was out of cash to boot. Resigned, I got a free water and went to stake my spot out on the deck for igLiz's favorite flavor of the moment, Matt & Kim.

In true SXSW style, by committing to see Matt & Kim, we also signed on to South by Squat through the two bands preceding them. This morning's South by Squatting presented us with the hippiest opening line-up to date: Spindrift and Dark Meat.

And I'm happy to report that neither band South by Sucked! It was a nice early afternoon way to start our days, actually. Spindrift were notable for evoking a mid-70s sensibility in us all as well as for pulling a total Noah's Ark by having two of everything: two drummers, two members in embroidered cowboy shirts, and my favorite, two necks on that guitar (see photo).

I was interested to see them since they reminded me a lot of another band I know named Spindrift; the other band being the one that ruled the Newark, DE music scene in the mid 90’s. The Newark, DE Spindrift logo was even similar to the Spindrift gracing the stage this day (swirling font, circular shape, 1970’s influenced). I suppose that if there were two bands named Hairshirt they would have similar logo aesthetics as well.

Now, back in Seattle and researching this Spindrift phenomenon, I find that they are actually THE SAME BAND! Talk about twisting my melon, man! This band — that I sat through studying their combination Allman Brothers/Wild Bill Hickock attire and had two drummers and dreams of being the next Band of Horses — was the same band that I spinned 7” records of on my wildly small-time college radio show in Delaware.

Ok, if you want to talk about twisting a melon, I say "Dark Meat."

Clearly, we were fated to see Athens, GA band Dark Meat. They were everywhere we wanted to be.

You may remember our initial encounter with them on Thursday while making a run for the Sauconys. This time the stage was a bit bigger, but the 15 - 18 of them still filled it up like a ladies rest room on free beer night (wait, isn’t every night free beer night at SXSW?).

Do you think that all of them get SXSW wristbands for performing? I wonder if there's a special form the processors in the SXSW office have to fill out when your band roster has more names than most label showcases?

I'm not sure — but I think both sides involved got their money's worth. Dark Meat's songs were as long as the list of players in the band. Each tune meandered with biodegradable fervor. Their stage show was full of flying Mardi Gras beads (I think imaginary Dana wore hers all day) and eau natural fashions.

That almost makes it sound like they were naked, which they weren't. But something tells me it wouldn't have taken much persuasion or too many calls of "drop trou!" to get the band members in their birthday suit finery. And yes, I did wear my long gold dangly Mardi Gras beads most of the day, till they started to make my neck hurt. Those suckers were kinda heavy!

I couldn't decide if Dark Meat was more like a modern day symphony or a hippyfest cacophony. I'd like to think they had elements of both.

Dark Meat is on the Orange Twin label, a record label and web site run by members of Elf Power. The label is known not only for releasing that really odd Jeff Mangum Field Recordings album and that awesome Gerbils album a few years ago, but also for their genuine commune ethic. More than just a record label with a roster of bands, they are all one big happy group of friends who love, work, and play together as part of the Orange Twin Conservation Community. I’d like to buy the world an Orange Twin!

The commune aesthetic really exemplifies Dark Meat's sound. They work independently toward the good of the song. Each song gallivants like a picnic jam session with each person joyously smiling and “feeling the groove.” They were so comfortable onstage that in the midst of a song, the trumpet player answered a call on his cell phone, laughed, talked to the caller and then — presumably when the background groove got too loud — proceeded to text message with someone for the rest of the song.

Do you think he was text messaging with someone onstage to get feedback on what he thought of his trumpet parts?

Or maybe he was texting the sound guy for more saxophone in his monitor?

Either way, all I could focus on was that Matt & Kim were up next... and not a moment too soon. For the last half of the Dark Meat set, I was distracted by Matt & Kim's sidestage preparation for their set. They were so giddy and, well, so was I. Going into SXSW, I had the intention of seeing them at all of their SXSW performances (at last count they had about 72 appearances scheduled) — but unfortunately (spoiler alert), sadly this was the only one that I made it into one of their shows (these kids are pop-u-lar!).

This blinding impulse to fill my schedule up with Matt & Kim-ness was spawned by seeing them at their recent Chop Suey show (in Seattle). It was a rip-roaring good time that converted even the stoic bystanders. Andy Smull’s Flickr set really shows how the crowd was whipped into a Matt & Kim frenzy. I had a feeling it was going to be great to see what they could accomplish on a beautiful sunny day in Austin to a crowd of admirers.

Blood sugar crashing, in the throes of caffeine withdrawal, and stone-cold sober, I was ready for a good indie-pop whipping!!

Matt & Kim were over-the-top cute and hip. And the most adorable part was that their admiration extends to their feelings toward the audience. When watching their set, you feel like they would have every one of us over for Saturday brunch if they could. Their good will is infectious. Between this, the Andrew WK pep talk, and the commune-esque Dark Meat, I was looking around the room for folks to hug.

Matt & Kim played all songs from their album, a model lo-fi piece of work that I love. Live, the succinct drum/keyboard combo was choppy and forced the crowd to dance.

I likewise found Matt & Kim endearing, and clearly, those two are the life of every musical party they attend. Their simple yet infectious songs could bring a smile to even the most curmudgeonly sort (seratonein, are your ears burning?), and force him to at least head-nod through the first few songs. I'm guessing that said curmudgeon would likely be quick to point out the relentless cheeriness after awhile because hey, that's what curmudgeons (and blood-sugar crashed) imaginary girls do. But pshaw. When something makes folks as happy as playing music clearly does for Matt & Kim, they should stick with it and continue to delight fans, as they accomplished at this showcase and I'm sure the 72* others they played.

*I have no idea how many showcases they actually played.

High on the Matt & Kim cheerfulness, it was time to head out into the sunshine and take the party down the road to the Scottish Art Council’s party at the Luna Lounge.

The sect of our posse who were already at the S.A.C. event confirmed that the Scots had the Fratellis taking the stage in an hour, and also free quesadillas and drinks. ‘Nuff said.

We arrived and joined up with our posse. First up was the great surprise of catching the tale end of Emma Pollack's set, the magically voiced chanteuse from the late, great Delgados. I had missed her when she played with Beirut on the opening night of SXSW, and I thought we arrived at this showcase too late for her set. Lucky me, the Scots weren't such good timekeepers today, so we got to hear a song or two from her latest band. The songs sounded a bit less sonorous and more subdued than the Delgados... but of course, still featured Emma's lovely voice. It was some serious SXSW good fortune!

After Emma Pollack was possibly the Next Big Thing Outta Scotland, The Twilight Sad, a band that came highly recommended to me from my pal Matt at Aversion. Their set was probably not as bombastic as they'd be playing at a big venue at night (note: the Scottish Arts Council had their stage outside with chairs in the front with maybe 50 or so folks milling about, most of whom had accents. I felt like I'd been teleported into some bizarre Scottish family reunion in someone's back yard!).

While they didn't rage or scream or move about the stage much at all (couldn't help but notice the bass player was in his socks, even), they were certainly intense, and, for lack of a better word, just so Scottish!

Those gruff and tumble Scots and their Mogwai /Arab Strap sensibilities. They’ve got the Glaswegian brogue and thick guitars and they know how to use it.

The Twilight Sad carried most of their performance through their vocalist, whose name we didn't catch but who our friend April liked to call "The gorgeous one with the beautiful blue eyes." TGOWTBBE waxed on lyrically with his thick accent and deep voice, sharing his mournful tales with his eyes closed and generally getting us all kinds of excited that the band is touring around the US this Spring (with fellow Scotts Aereogramme), including in Seattle on April 13th.

Next up was Paolo Nutini, a Scottish singer-songwriter with an Italian name and a face that I'm sure helped launch him to sudden popularity in the US in recent months. Until this day I'd never heard Paolo's music, only seen said gorgeous face plastered on the MySpace music pages. I was excited to hear what sort of voice would emerge from within those lush, beautiful lips.

But I had no idea this barely 20 year old UK artist would be playing... Americana? Now I generally don't trust Brits who play country-flavored music, but with Paolo it was different.

It was at this point in the showcase where they also announced that the Fratellis wouldn’t be making it... and so I was torn. Do I see the acclaimed Paulo, or run over and try to catch some of the Apples in Stereo show as part of the Yep Roc day showcase?

Torn… torn… torn...

OK, I decided it was necessary to run (yes, I can run when the circumstances call for it) over to the Apples in Stereo show. And just in time, as they were in the midst of a set of their greatest hits. There are few bands that channel their inner Beach Boys like the Apples, and the fact they were playing outside on a sunny day with a temperature in the mid 70’s? Well, even Peter Buck raced to the front of the pack to enjoy the sugary-sweet pop goodness.

Back at the Scottish Arts Council bash, April and I soaked up every moment of Paolo's short but incredibly intimate set. We marveled that someone so young could not only write incredible pop songs, but he could also deliver them as if the soul of Woody Guthrie were being directly channeled through that long, gorgeous neck. His songs conveyed such passion and wisdom beyond his years, it was almost eerie.

And all this coming from a performer who could easily coast to fame on his good looks alone!

After the marvelous day with the Scots came to an end, we zipped over to Bourbon Rocks to catch the one Scottish band that didn't make the hometown showcase: the Fratellis. Since there was no line, I quickly texted Liz and told her to run her imaginary bum back to meet us there.

{PS ~ I've seen Liz run. It's pretty cute!}

After another bout of running (in a Family Circus-type pattern since it took a couple of tries before I figured out where Dana was texting me from), I snuck in to a last piece of Bourbon Rocks real estate. I guess there’s power in traveling single, since they could only allow ONE person in before exceeding the maximum capacity. Thankfully, this final piece of real estate was right near the front of the stage.

Although the set list was basically the same as the Thursday evening show, the order was moved around a bit this time. Even with the daylight streaming in, the Fratellis pushed through with their best rockstar performance... again with minimal banter (and what they did say I couldn't make out — I swore he said something about pancakes). Mostly I was excited that my fellow travelers were subject to this prize performance. Finally my Fratellis talk wouldn't be so one-sided.

And once the set was done, we finally understood why every third word out of Liz's mouth had been "FRATELLI!" since she saw their set opening night. She was all like, "Hey FRATELLI! I'm thinking of FRATELLI! getting some FRATELLI! coffee now. FRATELLI! Do you want FRATELLI! a soy latte FRATELLI! too?" And FRATELLI! now I see FRATELLI! what all the FRATELLI! Tourette's syndrome FRATELLI! symptoms were FRATELLI! all about FRATELLI!

When the set was over we found Liz and, while recapping our favorite parts of the show, we spotted a lone Fratelli a few feet away! It was a matter of seconds before we sucked in our giddiness and requested a photo and signature.

Oh, even retelling the story makes me lightheaded. We met a Fratelli! THE Fratelli at that. Sure he kinda a made a zombie face in the photo and my pen ran out of ink when he was signing the setlist (yes, I even got the set list! Superfandom was in high gear!). But regardless, the moment is filed away as a glorious one.

Wondering what could possibly beat this afternoon, we decided the only thing that would make sense would be to sit down in the comfort of our hotel during their complementary happy hour. Free drinks and comfy seats! Plus I heard Flava Flav was staying there!

I am never one to turn down either of those... so I seconded that motion and we headed to recuperate before the evening’s festivities.

As we each pored over the SXSW evening schedule, I realized there was nothing I wanted to see more than seeing Amy Winehouse again, by a mile. So after our deserved rest, photographer Kaley and I headed out to La Zona Rosa for Amy Winehouse, part deux. And the experience tonight was sooooo much better, by mucho miles. La Zona Rosa is a great venue, much larger and with much better sound, and with a real press bench for photographers.

I followed Kaley into the press section and sat patiently through opener Scott Matthews, a British singer-songwriter who was most notable to me for NOT being James Morrison, the British singer-songwriter who was on this bill. Word has is that Morrison missed SXSW altogether because of snowy weather in NY. Matthews was fine, though he seemed a bit weary, even commenting, "God I need a pick-me-up or something," and asking the audience, "What do I need?" I wanted to yell back, "A backing band!" but didn't want to seem like the cheeky American that I am. The audience seemed to really dig Matthews' quiet, folksy sensibilities, and compared to the South by Sucking experience of Waiting for Winehouse the previous night, watching Matthews croon was a pleasure.

I have no way of counting, but I believe I have seen 1,000s of live shows in my extensive show-going career, and for years now, my list of Top Show of All Time has remained the same:

Nick Cave at the Bad Seeds at the 5th Avenue Theater

Two-way tie between The Magnetic Fields at the Seattle Opera House and Elvis Costello at Bumbershoot 1996.

U2 at the Miami Baseball Stadium (long since destroyed) on the Joshua Tree tour.

And then came Amy Winehouse at La Zona Rosa.

While I don't think any show will ever equal or beat my first Mr. Cave experience (even subsequent Nick Cave shows haven't come close), and I need to put a bit of distance between me and the show before official submitting it into my top 3, I think it's safe to say there are some good odds that Amy and Stephin and Elvis will be sharing that #2 position.

There weren't a ton of differences between this show and her show at Eternal the previous night. The setlist was the same, her amazing band was the same, Amy even wore the same jeans (embroidered in hot pink on the back pocket). But tonight's event had such great presence, such an incredibly positive energy — and of course, the killer sound system and the far huger (not exhausted from five hours of waiting) crowd didn't hurt matters.

You know how when you hear Amy Winehouse's latest record, Back to Black, you can't fathom how that voice is emerging from a skinny, 23 year old British girl instead of a large old black Southern diva? That effect gets compounded when she performs live. Amy's body is so tiny yet her voice is so huge, so bombastic, so gritty and experienced; it seems impossible that the power behind it could come from her physical form.

Her backing band was the Dap Kings (of Sharon Jones fame) and from the moment they set foot on the stage both nights I saw them, the crowd did an inward gasp. They dressed to the nines and had such a commanding combined presence that power emanated from them. Amy also came fortified with two of the most gorgeous and talented R&B back up vocalists and dancers, who earned even more special bonus points when they broke into the refrain of Lauren Hill's "Do Wop (That Thing)" at the end of "He Can Only Hold Her." It made music that mostly wasn't known to the American audience, more accessible without doing a full-on cover.

Amy did one of those too: she covered one of her favorite songs from last year, "Valerie" by the Zutons (available to listen on their MySpace. With her rendition, Amy definitely made the song her own. She seemed genuinely bemused that more of us didn't know the band.

You could tell the audience loved the band, you could tell the band knew the audience was loving them, and you could tell the band loved playing to an audience that was so responsive and adoring... and so on, and so on. It was definitely one of my favorite live shows ever (no small statement, as outlined above), and I would even be so bold as to say that I think Amy and the Dap Kings will remember this show fondly as one of their favorites they ever played. I'd also like to think it's because she recognized me, her new BFF from 6th Ave, rocking out the entire time front and center in the press pit. Seriously, it was like I had my own private Amy Winehouse and the Dap Kings show. It was incredible.

To paraphrase the Big Lebowski (as I'm wont to do), sometimes there's a (wo)man — and I'm talking about the Winehouse here — sometimes there's a man who, well, she's the (wo)man for her time in place, she fits right in there — and that's the Amy Winehouse, in Austin at SXSW.

In an almost intangible way, you could tell this was her moment. Whatever happens in the music career of Amy Winehouse — and I believe her music could be timeless and her career epic — but no matter what, seeing her in this setting at this music festival was one of those perfect moments when everything was gloriously how it should be.

And after a moment like that, how were we supposed to see another show? Razorlight started shortly after Amy's set finished, and Kaley and I stared aimlessly at the stage for several moments before deciding we were done with music for the night, completely sated.

No one else stood a chance.

While Dana was fulfilling her Amy Winehouse fetish, I was committed to indie-popping it up for the night. It's no secret I'm quite partial to the bands on Portland, OR's Magic Marker Records label, so it's no surprise that I found myself at the Magic Marker Records showcase at the Parish II for the remainder of the night. The line-up nearly mirrored the Indie-Pop Hootenanny: The Zebras, The Faintest Ideas, BOAT, Manhattan Love Suicides, and Tullycraft. Tonight's incarnation of the bill found the bands equipped with topshelf gear and soundboard, which allowed each band to really shine in their indie-pop glory.

The Zebras started it off, and since this was the last time anyone stateside was going to get to see them before they head back to Australia, I soaked in each song. The crowd swelled and swaggered over the course of their set as they effortlessly played their wistful, elegant, jangly set.

With their early Wedding Present guitar jangle spasms and penchant for short songs (most are under two minutes long), Sweden's The Faintest Ideas provided an energetic jumpstart to the line up. The audience was jerking with head bobs to the curt songs and by the end, the silky vocals overtop frenetic melodies left us out breath.

The Faintest Ideas were a fine precursor to BOAT's set. The audience was primed to take on the responsibility of handling one of the twenty-odd handmade shakers with which to accompany the band during the near hour-long set. Again, with guest drummer Jeff Fell (of Tullycraft) on drums, the group covered most songs from their album Songs You Might Not Like, a few new ones and that lovely Guided By Voices cover.

Just as at the Indie-pop Hootenanny show the day before, The Manhattan Love Suicides, as short as their set was, jammed packed it with a lifetime's worth of Jesus and Mary Chain idolizing. The ear heard JAMC signature echoey vocals overtop fuzzy guitars (imagine if Lush's 'Miki Berenyi was around for the Honey's Dead sessions), and the eye saw an aloof foursome complete with Manchester-era black attire and guitarists in sunglasses. Perhaps it was the bright lights of the Parish II they were avoiding, or a performer/audience self-confidence protection technique, but I think was actually it is because they find it most comfortable to mimic the tried and true Reid brothers mantra of "Don't acknowledge the audience and all will be fine."

Tullycraft was up next. It was a little after 1am and with acts like The Good, The Bad and the Queen, Apples in Stereo, and Polyphonic Spree hitting their respective stages at the same time, the crowd at the Parish II took the form of a chummy house party. The club became a comfortably full of living room of people all with the same intention. Whether it was to hear a particular Tullycraft mixtape classic, hear one of the new songs, or because the person South by Selected based on the most manageable queue, we were all there to raise a glass (and the roof) — even Peter Hughes of the Mountain Goats was there to join in the fun.

The band blasted through an hour-long set of old and new songs. One of my personal highlights included a point half-way through the set when lead singer Sean gathered the audience to join in a catchy, campfire-esque song, "If You Take Away The Make-up, Then The Vampires They Will Die." We can only hope that it might just give us an idea of the direction of the new album (due for release in September). We danced, we sang along, and I think there some folks even made out afterwards. I myself just headed back to the hotel, exhausted from the full day of music, running, and the dancefest (I think I even pogo'd a little bit!).

We still had one more day of SXSW-fun to look forward to... and more music madness!

Day 3 of the Imaginary SXSW 2007 report, with Matt & Kim, Dark Meat, Spindrift, Emma Pollack, the Twilight Sad, Paolo Nutini, the Fratellis, Amy Winehouse, the Zebras, the Manhattan Love Suicides, BOAT, the Faintest Ideas, and Tullycraft

The Imaginary SXSW 2007 Report: Day 2

three imaginary girls — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:00:00 +0000

15 Mar 2007

tullycraft07marhome.jpg

With Dark Meat, The Zebras, the Manhattan Love Suicides, Okkervil River, BOAT, Tullycraft, The Faintest Ideas, The Pipettes, Palomar, Cut Off Your Hands, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, The Cassettes, Kate Havnevik, Rocky Votolato, Mika, Northern State, The Fratellis, Straylight Run, Fair to Midland, and Amy Winehouse

Thursday, March 15th, started with big-time excitement: today was the day of our first-ever Three Imaginary Girls SXSW showcase!! On the morning of the big day, we made our way to Lovejoys early to help set up and put our ducks in the row. It was so astonishingly tranquil and refreshing to walk the streets of Austin before the crowds hit… and getting an early start allowed us to get our South By Squatting on. South By Squat before 11a? That doesn’t sound so rock n’ roll… but actually it proved one of the smartest things we did the whole weekend (on par with our Yaris liaison).

The Team Clermont/Under the Radar showcase was right around the corner from our party at the Flamingo Cantina and they had free Sauconys. And I know it's lame to take schwag and run, but dude — I'm only human! I love me the Sauconys! Smart footwear is key. And if it has a snazzy color palette, I'm defenseless.

And their line-up was so good; any other day and I would have camped myself there for a lineup like this: The Pipettes, Architecture in Helsinki, Loney Dear, Headlights, Gruff Rhys, and Dark Meat. That was one swoon-worthy bill.

Instead, we dashed in and got some sneaks. Tragically, there were none left in Liz's size, all the more tragic because the whole thing was her idea. But after we grabbed our shoes and were ready to run back over for the start of our showcase, we found that they'd blocked the exit! Apparently, we weren't getting out until we'd had ourselves a taste of Dark Meat.

Imagine this: We found ourselves locked down with this craaaazy-evil wacked cacophony of a marching band, with like, a bazillion people in it, like the Polyphonic Spree meets USE meets an intensely musical hippy commune sorta thing. Literally, there were between 15 and 18 people on stage (with every count we got a different number, folks were coming out of the woodwork!). It was a crazy sort of Breakfast Club sitch where the band geeks, the cheerleaders, the stoner rocker dude, the jocks, and the freaks all got together onstage and rocked out. I'm glad we caught the start of the set, but was mildly alarmed at being locked into a venue. Excuse me sir, but what if there's a fire? I think violating fire codes and endangering the lives of children would be unwise at this juncture in your career.

And the Dark Meat piece de resistance?

When the sax player leaned into the microphone and requested more monitor. There were 15 - 18 people and their instruments on a stage the size of the Crocodile ladies bathroom, with audience members swarming behind the stage to grab a box of free sneakers and he is having trouble hearing himself in the monitor?

We actually caught Dark Meat again on Day 3, so you'll be hearing a more in-depth rundown shortly. Since we were now late to our own party, our imaginary pal Lucas Jensen from Team Clermont helped us out escape through the back door (thanks, Lucas! Yer a Georgia peach!) over to Lovejoys for the first-ever TIG SXSW party: an Indie-pop Hootenanny!!!

The Zebras kicked off our showcase! I'd heard a couple of their songs I found crawling the internet and knew that I was going to love their Australian accent, Lucksmiths-esque wispy guitar, and sunny disposition in person. I was all set to get my Lucksmiths fix via them... and then low and behold, a real live Lucksmith showed up to the party! Mark from the Lucksmiths was there! Seems that he's touring with Architecture From Helsinki and the Zebras are on his record label (Lost & Lonesome). It was quite a prezzy.

It was about this time, and correct me if I'm wrong, that I approached imaginary Liz as she was lifting a juice glass of Jager. It seems that our new KOOP friend supplied her with a big double shot (it was a heavy pour) of Jager. I suppose that cemented that it was going to be a ripper of a show.

True. SXSW and hootenannys are like that. It was a little past noon and I had already South By Squatted for imaginary sneakers, been locked in a room with a 15 - 18 piece band, hugged Mark Lucksmith, and done a double Jager shot (did I mention it was a heavy pour?). And, the Zebras hadn't even started their set yet!

The Zebras were the perfect kickoff to what turned out to be an amazing showcase. With their delightfully and fresh pop stylings and the clouds on the mural behind them, we could pretend we had booked an outdoor showcase and bask in the rays of their effervescent harmonies (note: last year Magic Marker did book an outdoor showcase and it got rained out. This year we booked indoors and it was 84 degrees and brilliantly sunny. Ahh, weather).

Those Zebras certainly didn't disappoint. It was no surprise that after we launched the imaginary podcast we had several folks email ask about them and were looking to buy the record! I guess everyone who has seen them on their very short U.S. tour has felt the same way. They had sold out of their CD by the time they made it to Austin so they gave away burned copies to folks who bought t-shirts. They don't have U.S. distribution yet... but I'm sure labelhead Mark Lucksmith is working on that.

Because it was a beautiful sunny day and we imaginary girls are pale Seattle things, we went outside between sets to catch some rays and realized that — lo and behold! — right across the street at the Found Magazine party at Bourbon Rocks, Austin band and longtime imaginary favorite Okkervil River was about to play!! And there were free drink tickets!! Powerless to resist, I raced over, grabbed drink tickets, and ran in ― leaving igLiz to man (girl) the fort at our showcase.

But before the show started, the editor of Found Magazine did a talk about the magazine. Basically, they find letters and notes in random locations and publish them, to much hilarity. He proceeded to read us a few samples and it was damn funny... but the funniest part was the last, when he read a couple of found receipts, leaving us to wonder what kind of evening the purchasers must have had:

RECEIPT #1:
Chicken Ramen Noodles
Chicken Ramen Noodles
Chicken Ramen Noodles
Chicken Ramen Noodles
Chicken Ramen Noodles
Chicken Ramen Noodles
Chicken Ramen Noodles
12 lubed condoms

RECEIPT #2:
Gun ammo
Gun ammo
Ski mask
Nerds

You know he was funny if I didn't mind him standing in times way between me and my imaginary boy friend Will Sheff and the other awesome fellas of O-River.

I've liked Okkervil River since igLiz dragged me to see them at the Crocodile back in 2002, where they dazzled the 20 or so of us who were smart enough to attend the show. igLiz is always way smarter than I am about this sort of thing. By the time I caught them at SXSW 2006, I knew I was hooked, lined, and smitten on Will Sheff's offbeat story-telling songs, brought to musical life by this jangly, crescendo-filled band. But it was on their latest live EP, Overdrawn and Down, they put me over the superfan edge: they covered the Big Star classic "O Dana."

I've spent my life surrounded by loads of Amy's and Michelle's and Jennifer's, but have known almost no one else named Dana. So when I hear someone say they name, I'm pretty certain it's being said to ME. And when it's being moaned by one of my favorite singers and followed by "c'mon!".... well, let's just say I'm inclined to follow! The cover has filled me with a special aching bond with the band and I'm at least 92.87 percent certain that, at some subliminal level, they covered it for me.

Well, it has been said that "you'd rather shoot a woman than a man. And you're always wondering whether this is your last life."

And Will, I was listening. And I know you can't help it!

Tragically for me (though perhaps fortunately for the band), they didn't play "O Dana"; lordy knows what I might have done, all dosed up on the drink-ticketed rum and cokes (thanks, Found!). They did play "The President's Dead," perhaps the greatest non-anti-Bush song that sounds like a political jam but is in fact more of a stream of consciousness tale of how a non-personal news story can throw a wrench into ones otherwise contented existence. They also announced that they've finished recording their next record (!!) and played us a few new jams, which were amazing. I'm already reserving a spot in my top 10 for 2007 for them.

Meanwhile back at Lovejoys, the Manhattan Love Suicides dark-rocked my butt off. This was the MLS first visit to the U.S. and I'd make a bet that it was also the first time anyone in the room saw them. After the carefree Zebras, the MLS took the vibe circa C86... specifically at an early Jesus & Mary Chain show. In true JAMC fashion, they were confident and unaffected by the audience reaction. Their fuzzy set floated from one song to the next as the band minimally interrupted the set with banter.

I was especially sad that imaginary Dana missed the bass player as he was a near replica of every guy she had a crush on in college. Between that and the echoey, enveloping songs, I found myself near hypnotized by the end of their set.

High on Okkervil happiness, I hopped back to Lovejoys for the double-whammy Seattle portion of our TIG showcase set with Tullycraft and BOAT. What a crazy cool thing, to walk in and see all those out-of-town folks digging on the BOAT! Newbie, out-of-tower BOAT fans were shaking signature BOAT handmade percussion instruments, bobbing their heads back and forth, and smiling away. Even the bartender at Lovejoys told me that he wanted their CD. Those BOATers can charm even the Southerns!

It was like I was on an indie-pop cruise! There were all these people I had never met before joyfully singing along with BOAT songs. It was awesome, comforting, and reminded me of the binding force of good music.

BOAT was sporting a couple new (familiar face) additions to their line-up. For the two Austin BOAT shows, Zach (original BOAT member who moved to Chicago a couple years ago) flew in to man the guitar and miscellaneous instruments. Jeff Fell from Tullycraft was handling the drum duties. The newbies certainly kept up with full-time BOATers Dave (lead stuff) and Mark (bass/vocals).

They wow'd the crowd with a majority of songs from their debut Magic Marker Records release, Songs That You Might Not Like, some new songs from their next album (recording's done... just need to release it one of these days), a Guided By Voices cover, and even an interlude of a Tullycraft song.

While the room was festively full during BOAT's set, it got positively packed for Tullycraft. Look at me, moved to alliteration by the mere memory of the event (there I go again!).

Not only was the band in finest form (I'm doomed here), but suddenly the space was full of all kinds of friends! Folks from Seattle, people we know online from other parts of the country, and even some friendly new strangers totally made it to our showcase, and mostly all during this set. We thank you all for showing up and rocking with us.

Tullycraft put on an incredibly cute and engaging show, despite some technical difficulties that I didn't even notice.

Besides playing some of their standards ("Stowaway," "Wild Bikini"), Tullycraft debuted a some songs from their next album (release date still unknown). All the while, there was a gaggle of underagers watching from the open front door. When frontman Sean Tollefson noticed that they were straining to see around the crowd blocking the view from the door, he asked the crowd to make a visual line-of-sight so they could enjoy the set as well. And they did, these >21ers were energetically dancing with ecstatic enthusiasm, putting us <21ers to shame. They were so CUTE! It was too bad the show had to be 21+, but I think they had a fabulous time. I had a wonderful time just living vicariously through them.

With the adorable dancers outside and the inside packed out with Seattle love, it truly brought the party up to hoot-hootenanny status.

Next up we had the Faintest Ideas. Like the Manhattan Love Suicides, this was the first time most of us (if not all of us) saw them perform, as they were also European (from Sweden). Their frantic Wedding Present-eque power guitars and fervent heartstring vocals sounded great live.

Halfway through their set we were the worst hostesses once again, racing back to the Under the Radar party to queue to see the Pipettes. I totally thought we were going to be dissed again, but we made it in for the last four or so songs and wow — even from the back of the packed room, they were something spectacular to see and hear. The three ladies had on coordinated navy and white sweet yet sexxxy ensembles and had this total Supremes-meets-Bananarama pop sensibility that was completely disarming. Damn if the British ladies have we American girls soooooo outclassed.

In my dreams, this is what TIG is like every time we go out to show: matching classy polka dot sexy-yet-cute coordinating outfits, perfect pitch pop voices, sex appeal, and confidence. I knew I would need to see a full set before the festival was over. And buy the record. And get all three action figures.

{imaginary note: I hate spoilers just as much as the next girl but... we saw a full set on Day 4. But you probably figured that already, right? Stay tuned for more Pipettes specifics and photos, imaginary friends...}

Then back to Lovejoys for the final band in our imaginary lineup, Palomar, a band with one dude (drummer) and three more ladies who are also hot (like the Pipettes) but so much more low-keyed. No matching outfits, no makeup even. They literally pulled up in their van from NY minutes before show time (how rock and roll is that)?

I was so excited when Magic Marker Curt arranged for Palomar to be on the bill. These three girls and a guy from Brooklyn wrote one of my favorite songs of 2004 ("Albacore") and I don't think they've been to Seattle since its release. They rolled in and provided a luster-filled set of playful new songs from their freshly released album, All Things Forest.

It turned out to be one humdinger of a hootenanny. It was a lot of coordinating, and it wouldn't have happened if not for Curt & Mark at Magic Marker Records (who supplied all the bands, equipment, wise advice, planning, and know-how), KOOP 91.7 FM (for the surprise food spread and locale), Seattle Show Posters (who designed and screenprinted a killer poster), and Music Nation (who furnished free beer!). Thanks you guys — you all ROCK!!

After our showcase, I staggered back up 6th, exhausted but so so so happy and minding my own business when ZOMG THERE WAS AMY WINEHOUSE STANDING ON THE STREET!!!!!!!! I stopped, stunned, and must have been obviously staring cause she looked over and WINKED AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AMY WINEHOUSE WINKED AT ME!!!!!

We even took a photos together!!!!!!!!

I don't get star-struck much but the good luck of meeting the very person I was most excited to see at SXSW (and indeed, the performer I've been most excited to see in years) on the first full day of the festival felt like a benediction. The indie-rock Universe hearts me.

I resolved to South by Stalk her for all the shows I could. Hey look at that: I just coined a new South by Vocabulary word!

And after calling Kaley and shrieking ZOMG!!!! at least 35 times, we set out for the evening. First stop was to see Get Cape Wear Cape Fly at Stubbs. *Yawn.* If you give yourself a wacked out name like that, shouldn't you sound a bit quirky and eclectic? GCWCF were nothing special, but at least the fried okra at Stubbs was delish. Bailing after a couple of songs, we joined some Seattle pals at a show they recommended, Washington D.C.'s The Cassettes, and had the sort of experience we were hoping to find at Get Cape Wear Cape Fly: something odd and unexpected and utterly delightful. With a name like the Cassettes, I was expecting a lo-fi cutsie indie-pop band. But the band reminded me of a post-punk gorked-out They Might Be Giants (I'm sure I was biased in that direction by the accordian), dark and strange, and they had the best thermamin player I've ever witnessed live; he played it like a percussion instrument and the strange-yet-beautiful sounds effortlessly extended from his fingers. I completely don't understand that instrument, but I sure did dig the hell outta watching him play, and fervently wished we'd been there to see the full set.

As for me, after the afternoon inside the lovely Lovejoys, my posse and I decided to explore a bit. Again, we passed by the packed places oozing with hipster cred, and headed towards the Co-op Bar. We walked in and found a band named Cut Off Your Hands who hail from Auckland, New Zealand.

It was like a General Foods International Coffee (TM) moment to just 'happen' upon a band of kiwis and basically have the whole place to ourselves. Sure there were some other people there making a happy discovery with us, but the small venue and intimate crowd was a great change of atmosphere. The band had the same influence-schooling as the Futureheads with a touch of fellow NZers Split Enz. And the interesting tie in to the Pacific NW is that seems they originally named themselves Shaky Hands, but were "threatened with legal action" by the Portland, Oregon band Shaky Hands (who we recently reviewed, and who's self-titled album I adore!). It's a small SXSW world!

Resolute that we would see Amy Winehouse that night at the Universal Republic at a small nightclub called Eternal, we arrived bright and early at 9:30pm and learned that she had been moved from the midnight slot to 1am. Curses! Undaunted, we entered and caught Kate Havnevik. She's from Norway and sounded like a perfect amalgamation of Bjork and Norah Jones — a bit too perfect and tidy for my tastes — all Mountain Fresh, very wide mouthed and wide-eyed and full of earnestness. If igLiz were there, I think she'd be having unhappy seizures.

Not that she was bad –- her voice was quite good and had nice accompaniment in a trumpet, bass, and lots of samples. It was all very nice, and very grown-up, too elegant. I think my Mom would like it. In fact, Kate seemed super nice and I bet she and my Mom would get along swimmingly! Me, I was just waiting for Amy. I will say that, unlike most of the other performers for the night, Kate was a good choice for an Amy Winehouse bill. I just prefer my chanteuses a bit more on the dark and gritty side.

With Amy's show bumped till 1am and we were pretty much bored stupid by 10pm watching Kate "I can't believe it's not Bjork" Havnevik, we decided to risk South by Skating over to the Barsuk Records showcase at Buffalo Billards to catch Seattle-based singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato.

After all, Rocky's brother Sony Votolato, who plays in TIG local fave Slender Means, stopped by our Imaginary Indie-pop Hootenanny earlier in the day and told me that he and other folks from Slender Means would be Rocky's backing band. So I stopped South by Stressing about the Winehouse show for long enough to catch most of the set, and I'm glad did. Rocky is always a dream to see live, and his earnest vocals and dreamy composition felt particularly spot-on tonight — perhaps because it was so nice to see (and hug) so many familiar faces throughout the set. Why is so much more exciting to see people from Seattle when they're in Austin?

I'm not sure, but you're totally right. For SXSW 2008, we'd better add another terms to the imaginary SXSW vocab for that. South by Socializing?

Ahh, that just might work! And speaking of our vocab, my South by Stress had kicked into high gear, so Kaley and I headed back to Eternal and prepared to South by Squat for hours.

We walked in during a set from U.K. pop sensation Mika. I know as a Serious Musical Critic I'm not supposed to like Mika. But then, as a straight female, I'm also not supposed to think that he's hot, with his namby pamby flailing dance moves and suspenders and all-things-effeminate style. Mika is like this crazy amalgamation of Freddy Mercury + Rufus Wainright + George Michael.... extra heavy on the Mercury. Perhaps I'm not supposed to admit this, but screw it. I have one more thing in common with Dan Savage: I *heart* Mika.

I would have expected a more flamboyant show from Mister Grace Kelly, but I suspect he was a bit encumbered by the small-ish stage and the less-than-optimal general acoustics in the room. And maybe those doofy suspenders held him back from some truly spectacular moves. I'd definitely welcome the chance to see Mika again headlining in a more fitting venue, like the Crocodile or the Showbox here in Seattle. He can stay in my house. That's how much I heart Mika.

After Cut Off Your Hands, the posse and I made our way to Northern State. It was a bit of a hike across town, but as a big fan of theirs since their 2003 release, Dying in Stereo, I was determined to see them, especially since I hadn't seen a Seattle date on their tour schedule. Rumor had it that they were working on their next album with (King) Ad Rock, so the thought of hearing new (Beastie Boys-infused) NS songs was enough inspiration to hoof it. Unfortunately a little bit of getting lost resulted in us missing openers the Trucks, but we arrived in time to watch Northern State set up, and to procure a seat in the swank balcony.

The set was flawless with songs from the old and the new.... with the new songs sounding spectacular! I've always secretly kicked myself that I didn't come up with the idea to form a female Beastie Boys. It is such a good idea. But after hearing these new songs, I'm convinced it's better that Hesta, Spero, and DJ Sprout are doing it (in addition to the fact that my sense of rhythm is sometimes suspect and I don't have the NYC vernacular down).

After Mika, the remaining blur of the next two pre-Amy bands passed in the worst South by Sucking session of the entire festival in the endless wait for Winehouse. We were so crammed in the venue holding our spots on the side of the stage, completely captive audiences. So I'd like to take an imaginary moment say FUCK UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC for that terrible bill we had to endure (minus Mika, of course).

After Mika came the latest UR signee from Long Island who were called The Most Boring and Uninspired Band I've Ever Seen. Wait, that wasn't it. They were called Straylight Run. They sound-checked for 30 minutes and played well over their allotted time, which bumped Amy to starting half an hour late (at 1:30). Other bloggers blamed Amy's late start on her being a drunk, but it wasn't for that reason. It was because The Most Boring and Uninspired Band in the World had to soundcheck. What is wrong with these labels — haven't they ever heard of a BACKLINE for opening bands? Sheesh.

I'm not even going to dignify the band with a write-up because I was so annoyed I had to endure their set. And did I mention their long sound-check?

As awesome as Northern State were, we had to leave 30 minutes into their set for the show that I'd been waiting the whole evening for: The Fratellis. Yes folks, it was time for me to South By Squat. At this point in SXSW, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to fit in more than one Fratellis show; they had about 72 on the schedule and, upon study I think that some of their scheduled appearances were even overlapping each other.

Even before we made it to the door it was destined to be a show at the top of the of my SXSW Favorites list. As we were waiting in line, who was behind us but David Fricke, Senior Editor at Rolling Stone! Waiting in the same line as us! Well, not for long... I think the door folks saw some special superhero wristband and eventually grabbed him and took him through the door ahead of us... which is fine, he's David Fricke!

We waited and waited and waited for them to allow people in... the whole time I'm thankful that we decided to start squatting early. Sure enough, there was space for our anxious-for-Fratellis-selves and we are able to find a spacious spot near the front of the state (those SXSW-ers wait in line and still gravitate towards spaces near the bar).

I'll try not to overwhelm you with too much gushing (spoiler alert: I become a *bit* of a South By Superfan), but the Fratellis did not disappoint. Their mix of Jack White vocals over their Clash-inspired authoritative guitars was stunning live. They didn't banter much, but they didn't need too (and given their think Scottish accent, it was probably better that way). The uninterrupted set was just under and hour long, but felt like only minutes had passed. It was pure Fratellis bliss.

That sounds awesome, especially because over in Waiting for Amyland, the most Uninspired band was followed by the band with the most spewing body fluids, Fair to Midland. The spitting. The snotting. The faux seizure dance moves. The screaming. Maybe for someone else this band was incredible, but myself I was displeased when at the end of the set we were left wondering if the lead singer actually had collapsed during an epileptic fit (or drug-induced one). But then he got up and was just fine, the big faker, and some roadie dude had the distinct pleasure of wiping up all his body fluids before Amy Winehouse and the Dap Kings could take the stage.

They only nice thing I can say about the show is that at least the band is from Texas, so I feel like I got a bit of local flavor. Rancid, suburban Dallas shopping mall flavor, perhaps, but local nonetheless.

The thing is, there might have been loads of people at SXSW show would have dug the shit out of Fair to Midland, people who are super into getting actual body fluid samples from their favorite rockstars. But this was a room full of peeps anxiously awaiting Amy Winehouse. Needless to say, not a great match. I'm sure many a Fair to Midland fan couldn't get in to see them because of the epic lineup for Amy. While I question their tastes, I empathize with their sitch, cause it blows. All around, what a sucky lineup. A pox on thee, Universal Republic!

Then came the glorious Amy Winehouse. And after all those hours of waiting, you know what? She was INCREDIBLE. Her band was incredible. Her backup singers were incredible.

The show was worth every moment of South by Sucking that came before it. It was worth all those hours of not drinking fluids for fear of losing my spot on the stage. It was worth it, despite the inferior song quality we had off on stage left, as the speakers all faced out the front of the stage.

At the time, I thought it was for sure going to be my favorite show at SXSW. But at the time, I didn't know what I know now, recapping the entire SXSW festival...

Now I know her show the next night would be even better.

A lot better.

So you're going to have to wait until tomorrow's recap to hear all about the Amy Winehouse experience. To tide you over, here are a few more photos from her Eternal showcase...

** Next up in the Imaginary SXSW 2007 Report, Day 3:
Matt & Kim, Dark Meat, the Twilight Sad, Paolo Nutini, and more Fratellis and more Amy Winehouse. We're writing as fast as we can!

The Imaginary SXSW mayhem continues, with our first imaginary showcase (featuring the Zebras, the Manhattan Love Suicides, BOAT, Tullycraft, the Faintest Ideas, and Palomar), plus Okkervil River, the Fratellis (!!), Amy Winehouse (!!), meeting Amy Winehouse (!!!!!), and more.

The Imaginary SXSW 2007 Report: Day 1

three imaginary girls — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 05:42:44 +0000

14 Mar 2007

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With Imperial Teen, Langhorne Slim, Jamie T., Lily Allen, the Broken West, Peter Bjorn and John, and Paper Moon

South by Southwest 2007 put another dent in our collective imaginary hearing losses, and also gave us another crazy lineup of new band crushes to tell you about. Join us while we take you through the four-day musical extravaganza that was SXSW with TIG.

And before we dive in, huge props to photographer Kaley Davis for shooting the event. She rocks for all the good photos you'll see in our SXSW coverage. All the crappy point-and-shoot ones were taken by igLiz and/or me. Check out the rest of Kaley's SXSW photos on her Flickr profile.

Even with the carefully crafted spreadsheets, highlighted printouts, and pocket map, it's easy to overwhelmed by the number of possibilities at SXSW. You can go from unknown South Carolina band, to NYC hip-hop, to NME heartthrob at any moment, and being a fan of all of the above only makes things more frenetic and exciting. During our adventure we coined a few new imaginary terms for navigating SXSW, which we will provide for you below to help you understand our ramblings:

South by Selecting: The balancing act between serendipitously finding the next great band and fulfilling the need to see the well-known rock 'n roll pioneer.

South by Stressing: When South by Selecting, you may experience South by Stressing about the bands you're going to miss. Or about how long you need to South by Squat in order to not miss a band you positively *can't* miss.

South by Squatting: Refers to camping out at a venue one or two opening bands ahead of time in order to secure a place in the venue for a certain band (likely super-hyped). Also, when there's any worry about getting someplace early enough to South by Squat effectively, that is called South By Squatting Anxiety.

South by Sucking: When South by Squatting and you're forced to endure a band that blows, said band is South by Sucking — as in, sucking the life out of you.

South by Skating: Everyone has a friend at SouthBy who South by Skates. He's the one who refuses to endure any South by Sucking by South by Squatting, leaves his staked spot at a key show, and then always manages to eek his way back into the club for the main act, no matter how close he cuts it. We envy the South by Skaters, but were never confident enough to try it ourselves for our favorite acts (and hence, endured our fair share of South by Sucking).

But enough with the vocabulary lesson. Let's talk about the shows!

As much as I believe in lexicon, I'm also a strong believer in omens and beginnings. I tell you this so you'll understand that the first show of SXSW was an important one for me; I felt certain it could make or break the festival for me. So imagine my dismay when I booked it across town for the Pipettes show at La Zona Rosa at 8:30pm, only to miss their closing notes by mere seconds. Curses!! Was this going to be a SXSW full of frustration??!?

Buck up, little camper! I wasn't worried.

I knew the Pipettes would be playing at least 27 showcases in the next 72 hours, so I was nonplussed. Missing the Pipettes just opened us up for more cross-town rock and roll adventures.

Really, our trip even before the first show (or lack of first show) was a sign of good things to come. Did you all hear about SXSW-sponsor Yaris and their crafty campaign to make us fall in love with them? They took reservations to give folks rides from the Austin Airport to their hotel. For free — tips weren't even accepted! I mean, who isn't already in love with a fuel-efficient car with that new car smell? (Me, falling for marketing?) But one that meets you outside baggage claim (on time!) with a sizeable trunk ripe for large luggage and a friendly driver that takes you to your hotel hassle-free? Nathan, my group's driver was a peach!

And then we looked at our schedules and realized there was a Yaris party to head to right off the bat, one with poster screenprinting and free drinks! Yeah, we missed the Pipettes (this time) and free food, but the Yaris goodwill and SXSW high hopes were still intact.

Yeah, I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say Liz was right: we had plenty of moments for Pipettes, and it didn't turn out a bad omen at all. Silly superstitious me.

Neither Liz nor I nor our respective posses stuck around for the next band at the Yaris party, the Rapture (I'm sure somewhere an indie-rock angel has lost its imaginary cred wings for admitting that), and Liz and I parted ways. She headed to see Langhorne Slim at the Beauty Bar, while Kaley and I headed a couple bars down to the Merge Records showcase at Antone's to catch Imperial Teen.
As a huge fan of all-things power-pop, I've always enjoyed Imperial Teen, but have never seen them live. Upon entering the club, the most immediately apparent and noteworthy fact was that drummer Lynn Perko was quite obviously expecting! Now that's something I've never seen before!

She was seriously the hottest pregnant thing I've ever seen, pounding her kit and singing along throughout the set, obviously blissed out by playing and not all encumbered by being with child. What an inspiration for all women!

Zow!

I wonder what power-pop sounds like through the amniotic fluid?

I know right?!? I have no idea, but I'm sure that if there's any truth in either the nature or nurture theories, that baby's a kicker!

This was Imperial Teen's first show since July of last year. "And we know we sound fantastic!" quipped the band, charmingly.

And they did. They have mastered the art of effortless power-pop. All members of the band chime in for gloriously bright boy-girl vocal harmonies, and they frequently enjoy a good game of musical instrument Chinese Firedrill. The band announced that they're working on a new record for later in 2007... I wonder if it's coming before or after the baby?

While we were enjoying ourselves immensely at the show, I was starting to feel panicked about the shows we weren't seeing (I had a big bad case of South By Squatting Anxiety). So after 4-5 pop gems, we headed on out and back toward 6th Street.

First off, we headed to Emos to try to get into the Beirut/Emma Pollack. But Beirut have gotten way bigger than their (barely of age) britches, and we were denied. Damn you, you music-blogger- hyped, incredibly talented, not coming near Seattle any time soon band, damn you!!! Ahh well. You know when a show has a mile-long line for badge holders even on Wednesday night that things are going pretty crazy well for said band, and from what I've heard from friends who did make the show, it couldn't have happened to a more talented group. I sure hope there's a Seattle show coming soon.

My South by Squatting Anxiety, reinforced by missing Beirut, made us decide to arrive at Stubbs early to catch Lily Allen. This was to be Ms. Allen's only official SXSW performance, so I wasn't taking any chances. Amazingly enough, there was no queue to get in — but as we came to find out, the price to pay for early admission was some serious South by Sucking while South by Squatting.

While all that was going on, I was at the Langhorne Slim show at the Beauty Bar. Last year's Jane Party at the Beauty Bar was a highpoint and has been oft recalled over the last year. So, it was exciting that the first live performance I see at SXSW 2007 was here. The inside is decorated in an ingenious hipster retro beauty salon motif that makes me feel fancy just walking through the door.

The Langhorne Slim show was in the backlot tent. It was poetic to have the cool Austin night breeze softly touching the crowd as Langhorne and band evangelized through song. In the same school of "Tom Waits Old Soul" as Two Gallants, Langhorne Slim rip through lyrics like they're tearing pages from a bible. Each line is drenched with the blood and tears resulting from a lifetime of heartache and despair. Sure, a little heavy for the post-Yaris high, but also a grounding reminder of the power of song and a stand-up bass.

Then, about three-quarters through the set, it was time for some South By Selecting. Imaginary Dana text messaged with "At Stubbs, no line!" I showed this to my companion and we knew what we had to do... jet over to Stubb's to South By Squat for Lily Allen. We'd agreed that seeing her at SXSW was a priority, so getting there before a line formed was an exciting prospect.

Of course, what did we find when we got there? The aforementioned South by Sucking in the form of opening act Jamie T. I had only read the Jamie T. headlines in the British music tabloids, so thought he couldn't be that bad (classic Anglophile defense technique). Alas, we were wrong. And the crowd surrounding us warned us as much. Other than the nearby group of four girls who were singing along the whole show, we were surrounded by heckling Brits throughout the set.

Yeah, just before the show started a overheard a Brit say, "The "T" stands for twat." I thought he was just being cheeky and British, but as it turns out he has a pretty accurate way with words (imaginary note: why can Brits say "twat" and "cunt" and it sounds completely charming, but on American tongues the words sound so crass and shocking?).

I could think of a few more selective "T" words for Jamie: why not start with "terrible"? Or tedious? Or totally tired? Or tinnitus?

Jamie T. was our first South by Sucking experience. He was like England's answer to Ben Kweller (physically) meets Sublime (the band, not the adjective). And because we'd staked our front-row claims for Lily Allen, we ended up standing next to the speaker throughout the set, which made my entire body vibrate (unpleasantly) and I'm pretty sure I was having base-induced heart palpitations. I'm going to send him my cardiologist's bill if I notice any lasting effects.

Jamie looked about 14 years old, and my friends and I were half-wondering if he the real-life version of Lily's brother "Alfie" who we'd heard so much about in song? It would at least explain what he was doing on this bill. I guess he's pretty big in the UK and I know KEXP has started spinning him a bit, but in my humble opinion, dude was very lucky to get to play in front of such an amassed crowd -– and what an uninspired waste of a great opening spot.

Overall, 'twas an uncomfortable and unpleasant show. Damn South by Squatting! But next up, LILY!! I was excited!!

Lily Allen was high on my list of things to see at SXSW. With her Seattle show sold out, I knew this was going to be the only time I was going to see her in any time soon. I had seen her on Saturday Night Live a month or so ago and found that performance to be lackluster — although, really, who actually comes off well as a musical guest on SNL? Bands give it their best but either nerves or a weird sound system steps in and makes them look fairly boring and off-tune. Which, in Lily's case, happened. During the SNL performance, she stood in one place (I blamed a poor footwear choice — high heals are scary!) and looked fairly indifferent (not to mention her dress choice wasn't all that flattering).

So, with that, I pretty much expected to see a stationary girl in not-so-sensible shoes/dress counting the minutes until her set was done. But Lily in full-set form was so much more. She came out and instantly charmed us toting a beer bottle and lit fag and calling the show's corporate sponsor, NME, names (not so nice ones). Anyone who has the balls to comment on the penis size of his/her show's sponsor is a great performer in my book. And, hmm, how odd that NME's recap of the show didn't catch that part?

And her live renditions of album favorites was spot on. With beer and cig in hand at all times, she effortlessly swayed with the ska-influenced rhymes.

Halfway through her set, she lovingly introduced her backing band, the Lilettes. Do you think it is coincidence that the back-up band was staffed with hunky models dressed in a rainbow of pastel golf shirts?

I liked Lily, but I didn't *heart* Lily by any stretch. Maybe it's because I missed the SNL appearance and had higher expectations? I think her debut record Alright Still is remarkable, with stellar sampling, fantastic and saucy lyrics, and Lily's dulcet voice providing the perfect sweetener to hold all the schadenfreude and naughtiness together. The simple sophistication of the pop songs seems wise beyond her years.

After seeing Lily live (I think I get to call her by her first name since we were so close throughout the set), my hunch is she likely just got very lucky when her cute poems were set to music by some folks who were way more musically talented than she is.

Lily was cute and obviously drunk — and in case anyone in the audience didn't notice, she made a point of proclaiming just how drunk she was. Her performance was nice enough (she could still hit her notes and recall the lyrics), but overall, it was a bit uninspired. Her band was great: three horn players, a bass player, and a drummer sounding their Dancehall best. But I got the feeling they were all bored, wondering how they ended up backing up this silly white girl.

On the fashion-side of things, taking the stage clutching a bottle of Bud and smoking a fag is one thing, but wearing quite possibly the least flattering mumu sundress ever is another. I've taken final exams in more flattering outfits. She doesn't need to be a supermodel or anything, but geesh, she could have made some effort. For a moment I wondered if I was seeing my second pregnant performer of the evening, but with all the Buds, I'm hoping no.

Then Lily bemoaned how bored she was with playing her hit-single "Smile" (this Aversion article about Lily's ennui is hilarious and says it all). To which I say... L-A-M-E. And unlike most of the US-based audience (and imaginary Liz) who seemed titillated by her calling NME — the sponsor for tonight's showcase — a bunch of C-Bombs, I was underwhelmed. As I said, I think it's cute when Brits say "cunt," and Lily has said it so many times in reference to NME that there's simply no shock value left. Besides, NME should have known better than to stick her on their bill without telling her (as she alleged), she's slagged them so many times. But then I'm sure they love it when Lily calls them a bunch of cunts.

All in all, I enjoyed the set alright (still), but left feeling increasingly suspect of how much she had to do with the actual writing and crafting of her songs.

We might have had different impressions of the show, but at least Lily Allen united our two posses. Another SXSW tidbit: it's hard to wrangle 10+ people who all have different show-going needs and levels of South by Stressing.

Totally! After Lily Allen we parted ways, and Kaley and I went across Congress Ave. and back to the Merge Records showcase at Antone's where the Broken West were playing. They've been a new power-pop fave of mine since I first heard "Down in the Valley" on KEXP a few weeks back and proclaimed it as one of my favorite new songs of early 2007 (along with Nicole Atkins and the Sea's "The Way It Is" and Sleeping in the Aviary's "Gloworm").

The band satisfies a musical void that falls somewhere between the Long Winters and Wilco, which is particularly fantastic since they'll be touring with the Long Winters this Spring (Seattle readers, look alive for their Showbox show on 4/14).

The rest of the songs I heard during their set had a bit more of an American / roots flavor in their pop tones. Their debut full-length release on Merge is called I Can't Go On, I'll Go On and it's highly delicious. While I had to leave this set early to ensure I could catch Peter Bjorn and John, you can bet that this imaginary girl will be at the Showbox on 4/13 to watch the Broken West play with the Long Winters.

On the way out to the next show we saw Imperial Teen unloading their gear. I think I proclaimed, "You guys were AWESOME!!!!" or something equally lame and dorky as I walked past.

Imaginary Dana is nothing if not a good superfan. I'm sure you made their nights!

Did you take a photo?

Nah, I didn't want to be that girl. Even though I am that girl.

Instead we booked it to La Zona Rosa where I was again shocked not to see a queue, this time for Swedish pop heavyweights of the moments Peter Bjorn and John, who were headlining the Yaris party where we'd started the night (by missing the Pipettes). I must confess I had my doubts as to how Peter Bjorn and John would translate to a live setting. I of course know "Young Folks" inside and out, as any KEXP listener in January 2007 would, and have liked the other tracks I've heard from their latest, indie-star making release, Writers Block {review}. But I thought their live show might come across a bit tepid, without the benefits of studio magic. Boy, were my worries unfounded.

Peter Bjorn and John were great showmen. They oozed class, decked out in fabulous (sweat-soaked) outfits, and transformed the large venue with a huge sonic dance party. No lo-fi fest here. Their sound so much more lush and satisfying than I even expected it to be.

This was not the performance of a one-hit wonder band. They have loads of substance and class. They were even better than Cats. I want to see them again and again!

Later in the festival, I heard from Kevin Cole at KEXP that the band had their bass guitar stolen after this show. People, c'mon! It's not nice to steal, but there's an especially warm sub-level in hell for peeps who steal band gear. So uncool!

After the fairly sizable Lily Allen production at Stubb's (which I think is the most arena-like of the SXSW venues), we decided to kick it low-key and began the hunt for something unknown. Our South By Selecting lists aside, we wandered 6th Ave in search of something unexpected.

After a couple stops at packed parking lots and some nearly empty metal shows, our friend Curt suggested Paper Moon. The Winnipeg-based band has members of the mildly indie-cred'd B'ehl and they are quite hot on the Manitoba music scene; they recently beat folks like Justin Timberlake and RHCP in a notable Winnipeg radio top 10 countdown. Yet, tonight at SXSW, the band performed an intimate set for us and friends (and heck, by the last song, I'd say we were kin!). Paper Moon's sweet That Dog vocals overtop Cardigan pop licks made for a light, soothing set of pop songs. Their keyboard overtones stayed away from hipster moog and veered towards the more mature spectrum. The intimate setting was just right to round out the night.

Then we headed back to the hotel, exhausted and already excited to start it all up again on Thursday...

** Stay tuned for the Imaginary SXSW 2007 Report, Day 2:
Featuring our first-ever Three Imaginary Girls SXSW showcase. Plus igDana meets Amy Winehouse, igLiz catches her first Fratellis show, free Sauconys save our lives, and much more. We're writing as fast as we can!

And so it begins... our first day of SXSW 2007 coverage, with Lily Allen, Peter Bjorn and John, Langhorn Slim, the Broken West, and much, much more.

Kill Rock Stars Party at SXSW 2007

ChrisB — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0000

17 Mar 2006

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This SXSW showcase celebrated one of my favorite record labels, Kill Rock Stars, and the two different artists I caught (Macromantics and Marnie Stern) shows just how eclectic its lineup is.

A few years ago, being the best white, female rapper was a lot like, to borrow a line from the once-funny Dennis Miller, being valedictorian of summer school. Hip hop just has never really been a welcoming environment for women in general and Caucasian women in particular. With the ladies from Northern State, Lady Sovereign, Princess Superstar and Australian rapper Macromantics being the latest, the talent pool is getting much deeper and these women are becoming harder and harder to ignore. Macromantics may yet be the best lyricist and MC of the group.

Her songs came almost exclusively from her album Moments in Movement, which was released in the US on KRS earlier this year and on an Australian label last year. She was also a guitarist for Ben Lee’s band Noise Addict when they were both teenagers in the 1990s and branched off into hip hop much more recently. She is socially aware and expresses that through her rhymes. Her MySpace bio even name-checks both Kathleen Hannah and the Wu Tang Clan as influences. Despite a mostly indie rock audience (it was a party for Kill Rock Stars, after all), the crowd was very receptive to her sound, and many were even [gasp] dancing. I guess that's what I get to see for leaving Seattle and heading to Texas!

Accompanied only by a DJ with turntable (and even then the beats were secondary to rhymes), Marcromantics spent almost half of her time rhyming a capella. She’ll bring her tour to Chop Suey Thursday night (March 29) and is definitely worth checking out.

Following Macromantics was the new guitar goddess, Marnie Stern. If her biography is correct, she’s a self-taught guitarist who pursued indie rock after being blown away by Sleater-Kinney when she was 23. She reportedly practiced enough until she had enough songs for a demo and was quickly signed to 5RC, a division of KRS.

This night she took the stage with just a guitar and an iPod Mini on her belt (which provided a drum track for her songs -- Zach Hill of the band Hella played drums on her record) and absolutely shredded. Her set lasted about 25 minutes, but what a glorious 25 minutes! She seemed to be channeling Jimmy Page when she was on stage and getting sounds from her guitar that sounded surreal. Her debut album is called In Advance of the Broken Arm and is easily one of my favorites thus far into the year.

This party celebrated one of my favorite record labels, Kill Rock Stars, and the two different artists I caught (Macromantics and Marnie Stern) shows just how eclectic its lineup is.