Forty-one bands in 41 hours over three days, including a country-western band from Austria! We heard some great music, ate some great food, and met some great people. Not having badges (and not wanting to be amidst the evening hordes anyway), we enjoyed the numerous day shows--almost all of them free--starting at, no joke, 7 am. So much talent, so little time...
Off we go!
melat (austin)
naked giants (seattle)
david ramirez (austin)
nathaniel rateliff and the night sweats (denver)
It was a Misty morning...
second hand rose (china)
Just loving the new Fareground downtown (designed by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture). Elegant space with great local chef'd up restaurants. We came here every day for lunch to try a different place!
Tacos from Dai Due Taqueria. Delice!
The big fancy new hotel in town (opened just a week before SXSW!) is The Fairmont:
bifannah (london and madrid)
liz brasher (memphis)
the fish police (london)
Interesting band in that they are lead by a dude with autism.
the urban renewal project (los angeles)
Lots of fun live!
planet booty (oakland via indiana)
Off the hook live!
We end each day at an official SXSW event at a hotel where a couple-few artists perform. This is a great way to take a load off, enjoy a drink and a snack, and hear a couple more acts.
But first, a word about the Fairmont. WTF were they thinking on the decor? This is purportedly the most expensive hotel in the city now, and it is low-rent cheesy-cheesy-cheesy inside. Immensely underwhelming. But their chicken balls were fantastic!
chelsea williams (santa monica)
non canon (bristol)
Prolly the coolest thing about the hotel is the bridge connecting it across the creek to the convention center:
duncan fellows (austin)
jade bird (england)
dessa (minneapolis)
lukas nelson and promise of the real (maui)
Another day, another lunch at Fareground!
Lunch at Easy Tiger:
uslights (maryland)
sego (utah)
Really liked these guys: tight and catchy.
melt (new york city)
magic bronson (los angeles)
*repeat repeat (nashville)
jared and the mill (phoenix)
swimming with bears (austin)
jukebox the ghost (new york city)
?
states and capitals (los angeles)
striking matches (nashville)
Fantastic live!
lola marsh (israel)
vita and the woolf (philadelphia)
liz cooper and the stampede (nashville)
lido pimienta (toronto via colombia)
clara-nova (los angeles)
bekon (new york city)
ghostland observatory (austin)
Terrible photos (these guys live in darkness), but holy-moly, what a show! First time we've seen most of the KUTX crowd out of their chairs dancing and asking for (and getting) an encore.
Lunch at the Fareground, this time at Henbit:
los coast (austin)
soccer mommy (nashville)
joshua hedley (nashville)
u.s. girls (toronto)
sunflower bean (new york city)
Saw these folks a few years ago, and then bumped into them at our hotel in Utrecht when we were there to visit the Rietveld-Shroeder House. Amazing how they've progressed over the past couple of years!
prinz grizzley and his beargaroos (austria)
Country music from Austria!
