Anathallo +5 - Radio Room
Anathallo were a perfect way to open SXSW - they sounded great, the crowd was really into them, and I was happy to hear some of their new songs live, especially my favorite track "The River."

The River from this show:

Samantha Crain +4 - Radio Room
A bit sad I missed Greg Laswell, as he started late and played at the same time as Anathallo. I hadn't heard of Samantha Crain, but she sounded pretty good. I'd like to listen to some studio stuff from her.

From this show:

Amanda Palmer +5 - Radio Room
I was excited to check out Amanda Palmer's solo stuff, as a so-so fan of the Dresden Dolls. I'll be honest, I like her solo stuff more! Apparently Ben Folds produced her album, and even sang backup on a fun track about abortion! She ended the set with an unplugged and un-microphoned version of Radiohead's "Creep" on Ukulele, which ended up as a crowd sing-along. Amazing!

Here is a video of that Creep performance:

Port O'Brien +3 - Radio Room
A pretty unmemorable set, in my opinion. Not bad, I just wasn't super into it.

Here is a song from that show:

Heartless Bastards +3.5 - Radio Room
The Paste Party was the place to be today, so I just kept sticking around. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed what I heard of the Heartless Bastards.

A song from that show:

Loney Dear +4.5 - Radio Room
Loney, Dear is one of those bands I have been meaning to check out (both recorded and live) for quite a while. They were quite a bit weirder than I imagined they would be, but still but on a fun show!

Cut off Your Hands +4 - Maggie Mae's
I hadn't heard of this group, but enjoyed them! They were pretty loud, screamy, and crazy live, but I liked the melodies. Their recorded stuff sounds quite a bit smoother from what I've heard, and I like it quite a bit!

The Pains of Being Pure Of Heart +4 - Red 7
One of the big buzz bands this week - they were EVERYWHERE this weekend. I definitely enjoyed them and think they are worth checking out more!

From the show:

Beach House +3.5
I like Beach House - the low score here is because they started so late (they were apologetic). By the time they had started, I really only had time for two songs before heading out to see the next band I wanted to see (who, in fact, weren't scheduled for that time apparently, although it wouldn't have mattered as my RSVP didn't go through.) So, I could have stayed to seen more. Bummer. And I didn't get around to seeing them again the rest of the week. Double bummer.

From the show:

Toy Horses +3 - Latitude 30
Tonight's line up was a bit sparse for artists that I was interested in hearing, so I decided to chill for awhile at the showcase of my personal hero, Nic Harcourt. Toy Horses' live performance didn't do much for me.

At the show:

bonus: a montage of Toy Horses at SXSW

Fin +3 - Latitude 30
I can't comment much on Fin, as the lead singer had lost his voice and was only able to sing one song.

Rokhsan +3.5 - Latitude 30
Rokhsan stepped in for Fin and played a few songs to fill the hole. She sounded pretty decent - an artist who may have some potential as she hones her craft.

The Von Bondies +3.5 - Vice
The Von Bondies are a band whose name I have heard a lot but didn't know anything about. I popped into Vice and checked out 4 of their songs. Two of them I really enjoyed, and two I was not so fond of. I was thinking about staying for their whole set and checking out some Peter, Bjorn and John, but instead decided to take off and see some other things. Good thing too, PB&J's set was probably the most talked about blah show (technical problems) of the week - anyway, they are coming to Chicago soon. (P.S. I also went to check the line at the M Ward/St. Vincent/Camera Obscura show - yikes. Impossible to get into)

From the Show:

What Laura Says, Thinks, Feels +3.5 - Radio Room
or shortened to What Laura Says, for short. This was a band on my list about a million times last year, who I didn't see. I thought they were okay, but not as good live as the clips I had heard.

Red Cortez +3.5 - Radio Room
While here, I stuck around and saw Red Cortez, who was playing at the same time. I enjoyed what little I heard - I liked them just as much as What Laura Says, if not a little more.

Stoney +4.5 - Latitude 30
Back at Nic Harcourt's party, Stoney I caught some of Stoney, which was possibly my favorite totally random band of the week (ie. I didn't have them on my list to check out). They put on a really good live show, and I liked their sound. Side note: at one point during the show I noticed the lead singer of Aqualung standing next to me. I KNEW it was the lead singer of Aqualung My brilliant comment: "you look kind of familiar. Is there any reason for that?"

From the show:

Laura Marling +5 - Latitude 30
I had every intention of seeing Laura Marling on Friday, but wanted to catch at least a couple of songs of her here, just in case something came up and I didn't make it to that show. I stayed for four songs, which included two of my faves - Ghost and Alas I Cannot Swim.

From the show (sideways):

The Decemberists +5 - Stubbs
Leaving Laura early was hard, but I wanted to make sure I got into the main event at Stubbs. Lucky I did too, there was quite a line. Sadly I didn't get in for any of the Avett Brothers (nor did I get around to seeing them the rest of the week. Sigh.) The show was amazing. The Decemberists played their new album, The Hazards of Love, in its entirety. The album was released for digital download the day before, and I had listened to it on the flight to Austin, so I had a slight familiarity with the songs. Seeing them live unlocked them for me. They were no nonsense as well - there was no commentary and no stopping between songs. The Rake Song, their first single, was jaw dropping live, with five people on stage banging on drums during the song. As an encore, Colin came out and played the Raincoat Song (one of my faves off of last year's EPs) and I Was Meant for the Stage. The show was nothing less than epic. You can check it out (as well as the Avett Brothers show, which I missed) at on the NPR Website.

From the show:

Dear and the Headlights +4.5 - Spiro's
Stopped in and checked out one of the song from Dear and the Headlights. I really really liked it. Sadly I missed them the other billion times they played this week, but the taste I had was enough to make me a fan.

Echo and the Bunnymen +4 - Emo's
Surprisingly, it was easy to slip into Emo's for the last few songs from Echo and the Bunnyman. I really wasn't familiar with them (shocking huh?) but I could definitely hear from their music the influences they passed down to a number of my favorite bands. A good experience.

From the show:

+1 = I hated it. I would do anything in my power to avoid having to endure this again
+2 = I adamantly didn't like this. I would be disappointed if this band were opening for a band that I wanted to see.
+3 = I was pretty neutral about this band. If I must see them again it wouldn't bother me, but it wouldn't tip the scales in a positive way either. I won't be looking the band up when I get home Also known as the "my mind is wandering" rating
+4 = I enjoy this band. I will check them out online, and if they were opening for another +4 or +5 that would be exciting.
+5 = I loved it. I will be buying their CDs and going to see them live again.

Compare to 2008, day 1, below break

This is a tough call. I saw more people who I was previously familiar with in 2008, as well as more full sets. 2009 featured more "one or two songs" from more people I was less familiar with. A lot of truncated sets. I think over all 2008 may have won, but the Decemberists push this into the win category (just slightly) for 2009.

Wednesday 2008

Headlights +5 - Emo's
Last year Champaign's Headlights were a big highlight at SXSW. Their new album, "Some Racing, Some Stopping" came out recently and at first I didn't like it as much as "Kill Them With Kindness" but after repeat listens I have to say it is a must buy. Some slight sound issues couldn't ruin this performance.

Foreign Born +3.5 - Red Eyed Fly
Pretty good live sound - I think this LA band is the kind that I'd need to consume their album before being able to connect live.

Two Gallants +5 - Red Eyed Fly
The Saddle Creek signed Two Gallants rocked with their great strained vocals - I had been listening to a couple of their tracks for a while, so I was excited to see them live. The bartender at the venue agreed - he asked me enthusiastically what the band's name was, and then scribbled it down on a piece a paper.

Joseph Arthur +4.5 - Creekside Lounge
I've seen Joseph play before, and was a fan of some of his older hits - "In the Sun," "Honey and the Moon" and such. I hadn't checked out his most recent CD(s), but the new stuff seemed pretty good. Plus, the venue suited him pretty well.

Why? +5 - Emo's
I hadn't heard of Why? but caught the end of their set while waiting for The Blow. What a treat - very catchy music. This is what SXSW is about - stumbling onto great bands you haven't heard of.

The Blow+4
I was really excited for the Blow based entirely on the power of the song "Hock It." The Blow is Khaela Maricich from Portland. She was a bit more awkward on stage than I had figured - I had assumed she would drip sex. Regardless, she was amusing in her banter, if not awkward. In the end I think I prefer her recorded to live.

Spinto Band +5 - Creekside Lounge
Delaware's"The Spinto Band" has been one of my favorites since I heard them softly playing on a radio in Scotland and then bought their CD in South Carolina. Their new songs sound great, and some of them even have a Weezer b-side vibe to them, at least live. Can't wait for the new album to come out.

Jesca Hoop +5 - Buffalo Billiards
The first showcase band I saw at SXSW was Jesca Hoop, at the KCRW.com showcase. I got to see one of my personal heroes, Morning Becomes Eclectic's Nic Harcourt, introude Jesca, who was also his choice for number 1 CD last year. She was lovely - and while she has a voice you have to get used to a little bit, she was definitely a winner. Jesca ads to my collection of LA bands that I've seen so far.

Carlis Star +3 - Smokin' Music Lounge
After seeing the crazy line at Antone's for the Domino showcase - the place to be apparently - I headed over to make sure I had a good spot for Ed Harcourt, one of my most anticipated shows of the week. The band playing was my first UK band of the week, Carlis Star. I thought they sounded okay, but I wasn't really that into them... they had a very special episode of One Tree Hill feel. Like, maybe a band hired to play a sitcom Prom. Maybe I just wasn't digging the fact that the venue was sponsored by a cigarette company and had cigarette selling kiosks everywhere.

P.S. The Domino show featured - Simian Mobile Disco, These New Puritans, Lightspeed Champion, Sons & Daughters, The Kills and White Williams.

Ed Harcourt +5 - Smokin' Music Lounge
One of my most anticipated shows of the weekend - Ed is a London bloke, and despite some sound problems and the fact that I think the drummer got in a fight with the sound guy, I was really happy with the show. He played one of my two favorite of his songs (played Visit from the Dead Dog, didn't play This One's For You)

Walter Meego +4 - The Parish

Chicago's Walter Meego put on a great electronic pop show. Plus, it was nice to sit down on the Parish's benches.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? +3 - The Parish
This UK band did less for me... I was fading fast by this point in the evening, and the music wasn't engaging enough to keep my attention. If it were in the background at a club, or my soundtrack to a cleaning spree, I think I'd have liked it more. Let's Make Out is a pretty hot song though.

Duke Spirit +4 - Buffalo Billards

I started out the evening at the KCRW showcase, and ended the night there as well, for the UK's Duke Spirit. By this time I was falling asleep at the wheel, despite my near front row spot. While it sounded pretty good, it wasn't good enough to keep me from drifting. What an exhausting day!