Dive assistant editor Chris Powers is stationed down South in Austin, Texas for the 2014 South By Southwest Music Festival. Follow his travels here on the Dive blog.
Day three of SXSW began with an unfortunately somber morning. Following the previous night’s tragedy, in which a drunk driver plowed through a blocked-off street, striking numerous pedestrians and killing two, a noticeably solemn air hung over Austin. I won’t stand on a soapbox and spout a sermon about the dangers of drunk driving. Nor will I offer some verbose sentiment about the role of live music as a distraction in dark times. In short, what happened that night was truly a tragedy and one that never should have occurred.
While I had originally intended to park myself at The Mohawk for the day for Stereogum’s eclectic day party, I had to adjust my schedule as that event had been canceled after the previous’ nights tragedy. I made my way back to the French Legation for the second installment of Pitchfork’s day party series. I caught an impressive set from Roosevelt out of Cologne, Germany as well as a mellow offering from Mark McGuire. The latter’s strong guitar playing offered a dynamic range to his meandering samples.
Next, I was able to catch of glimpse of North Carolina ex-pats Future Islands, who have been riding high coming into SXSW. The band easily drew a substantial crowd and one which relished front man Sam Herring’s intense stage presence and mesmerizing dance moves. The addition of a drummer to the band’s live setup is a welcome one, supplying driving grooves to compliment William Cashion’s thick, distorted bass lines.
I then hurried across town to catch the tail end of The Orwells’ set at Waterloo Records. The band’s frenzied garage rock culminated in a feedback-inducing conclusion to its set. I stuck around for Charli XCX, who supplied spirited but forgettable pop in the vein of British teen idols of days past.
After a much needed breather, I ventured to the sanctuary at St. David’s to catch a jam-packed showcase featuring Sea Lion, Perfume Genius and former Girls’ leader Christopher Owens. Sea Lion’s charmingly introspective sounds came by way of a lone electric guitar and voice combination. Perfume Genius, the project of confessional songwriter Mike Hadreas, left the stage with a standing ovation after a delicate set of tunes with heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics. Owens’ set, which was anchored by classic pop that nearly veered into gospel territory, felt right at home among the sanctuary’s stained glass windows.
Following the conclusion of Owens’ set, I booked it a few blocks south for New Madrid at The Velveeta Room. The Athens, Ga. band has been on my radar for some time. Though its recorded output is hard to categorize, its live show offered a pleasing blend of southern rock and creamy psych. New Madrid provided one of the better sets from a young band I’ve seen thus far.
Keep your eyes peeled to the Dive blog, there is much more coverage to come!
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