Wednesday

The mayhem of SXSW Music Festival officially began on Wednesday and the easiest way to tell is the mob of men with shoulder length greasy hair in skinny jeans, v-neck t-shirts,  and neon sunglasses. My favorite "ensemble" so far has been a red haired guy in a sleeveless tunic style kids nightgown over his skinny jeans. I am not kidding, it was a neon orange nightgown, scooped at the bottom with a picture of a kitten on it. I know that rock and roll is all about "rebellion", but he just looked silly. And I'm sure his lil' sister is tired of him raiding her wardrobe.

OK, back to the Music...


The Trishas - 5 women & 1 man, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, drums, lots of auxiliary percussion. But the real story here is the beautifully blended powerful vocals. They don't have an album out yet, but Jamie promised to send it to me as soon as they did.

Trespassers William - Shoe-gazer duo from Seattle, their music isn't necessarily something you have to see live as much as something you'd hear playing in the background on Grey's Anatomy when someone dies. That's not supposed to be an insult, just a fact. The mellow and haunting vocals and guitar lines would also be perfect for your meditation at the beginning of yoga class.

Benjamin Rose Band - From Cologne, Germany this up-front rock band isn't doing anything new, but they are doing it well. The front man has an amazing voice. The keyboard player is a bucket of energy and even wandered around the audience playing the accordion on one song, which was entertaining. Their cover of Radiohead's High and Dry was way too literal and strangely misplaced for a SXSW showcase, unless, of course, they're trying to get gigs at weddings.

Jenny Owen Youngs (pictured) - My friends know I'm a huge fan of this woman and it was great to hear some new songs from her. Jenny's lyrics are filled with self-deprecating realism and humor, her guitar work stays on the beat while her vocal lines push and pull in front and behind it. And of course, her stage banter is entertaining, "how's everybody doing?" *audience cheers* "yeah, I find most shows everyone's doing really woooo". The only sad thing was that she didn't do her cover of Nelly's Hot in Here.

Nneka - Afro-beat and soul from Nigeria, I caught a few songs from this group at the day stage inside the convention center. I hope that I can go to one of their club shows later, because my assumption is that there will be a crazy dance party. 

Minor Mishap Marching Band - I closed out the night on East 7th St. and caught the beautifully dressed in black and gold community marching band at the East Side Show Room... a fun bar and a fun band.

Thursday I'm looking forward to the Americana Music Association showcase which starts out with Jim Lauderdale and ends with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Should be a blast.

Oh and here's some chickens for Echo, she wanted a photo of a feather. The ladies belong to my dear friend from Rice, Amanda Mortl.