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Glen
Phillips was first to take the stage. He played some selections off of
his beautiful new record, Winter Pays for Summer, along with some
older solo material and the dutiful Toad The Wet Sprocket re-visit. It
was Glen’s first outing with a full band other than the occasional
friends he’d bring with him to Largo in L.A. But this time, it was the
real deal and the result magical. Bloc Party was obviously the buzz band of the festival, the Kings of the Prom if you will. They played multiple shows to maximum capacity crowds. This made it more difficult for the band to find their appeal. It's challenging to live up to the kind of hype they have been receiving. While they do bring an individuality and a great record into the arena, their live show failed to live up to the hype. I’m still waiting to see an actual show though before formulating a definitive opinion.
The silent victor of SXSW came in the form of an oversized group of musicians from overseas called Go! Team, an experiment gone right when funk, 80's dance and cheerleading collided in a once in a lifetime musical meteorite. They brought the house down and contributed to creating one of the best shows I saw during the entire festival.
There is a reason the Go! Team performance rates so highly with me. SXSW is a very industry driven experience. Don't get me wrong. There were music lovers in the midst, but the mounds of industry folk could sometimes pollute the pure joy of taking in the music without critique or ego. Go! Team's performance was one of the first times I felt like I was really at a rock show. The crowd completely gave themselves over to the band. It was rejuvenating.
But then there was my personal favorite, Embrace, a little band from Leeds who rose from the ashes to a second rebirth last year with the hit, Gravity, (Written by their friend Chris Martin of Coldplay.) Their story, personality and energy were pure and complete magic. Frontman Danny McNamara is a charismatic, endearing performer. He's sweetly and humbly engaging.
I
saw Embrace perform twice. The first time was in a small tent, (a UK,
industry showcase) with probably 50 people inside and more on the
outskirts not realizing what they were missing. After that, I wanted to see them play again and see what kind of rock show skills they could
deliver. Well, they successfully lived up to the challenge. Even though Danny was
sick and struggling with his voice a bit, he was standing on the edge of the stage with his feet dangling
halfway off so he could be as close to the crowd as possible. He even
threw the mic out at one point to give the audience a chance to sing
along.
Another artist I really enjoyed was Cary Brothers. He is the ideal example of a guy everyone would root for if this were a movie and he were playing the seemingly average main character aspiring to win the head cheerleader. Only in this script, he is vying for the attention of those precious music fans that will 'get him.' Whoever he might be, because exactly who he is, is difficult to say. After all, he has reached a respectable level of success before even releasing a full-length record. It was only a month and a half ago when he attended the Grammy Awards with college buddy Zach Braff, (Cary's song Blue Eyes appears on the Garden State soundtrack.) But if four songs on his EP, All the Rage, are any indication, then the door should be opened upon his official arrival. (Check out our upcoming feature that includes an exclusive interview with Cary.)
If you’ve been searching for a UK equivalent to Adam Levine, (and be honest, who hasn’t?) then your search is over. Military crusader turned singer/songwriter, James Blunt, is a TRL favorite waiting in the wings. His songs are catchy with an adverse sensitivity; a favorite attribute of Top 40 radio. I just had a flashback to the classic movie All About Eve. Watch out Adam Levine.
Even with all of the careful planning, there were several great bands I missed. It's inevitable. With so many events combined with spontaneous suggestions coming along, you're nearly guaranteed to get diverted, (or you might have chosen not to wait in a mile and half long line.) Either way, I wish I would have seen Doves, Kaiser Chiefs, Martha Wainwright, Ben Lee and Kasabian, just to name a few. Although, I did catch Kasabian in Seattle the week prior. They were great live, (Special note to all bands; when playing in Seattle, please try to refrain from giving a shout out or dedicating a song to Kurt Cobain. Cliché anyone?) South by Southwest is not for the light minded or early setters. If you attend, (and really, why wouldn't you?), be ready to go full throttle. But don't feel bad when you leave regretting the acts you missed or the nights you forgot to see the band that was on your list, because it's nearly guaranteed to happen. With so much incredible live music, choices can be difficult to arrive to easily. Oh, and watch out for the hangovers, (an inevitable mark on the course of the experience.) It's that rare event where strangers speak to one another with defenses down. You never know who you might meet, (Robert Plant and Jerry Hall, if you're reading this, call me.)
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