i am going to archive my impressions here.� but, of course, i cannot do it right now, as i only have two hours to get ready to go to Waco, and i have not even got out of bed yet.

i will say this right now, however.� the best act i saw in Austin this year was Wildbirds and Peacedrums out of Sweden

i would describe this music as primal gospel.� as i was wandering around last night i kept wondering why this music affected me so much- and the only thing i could think of is that it is "roots music" in the truest sense.� before humans had electric guitars- before they had saxophones- before they had lutes and flutes-� they had their voices and percussion.� that is what this is- it is music from the spinal column.� it arouses something ancient in me.

having said that, y'all can go on and hate it!�

i had more time than i thought, so i thought i would quickly chime in here on wednesday's activities.
that whole day was kindof a blur for me, as we had show prep that day, and DM Stith got cold feet about adding an extra player with a showcase performance on tour- which was fine.

Wax Fang at Spiros. they were kind of a combination between Richard Thompson and the Pixies, without the qualities that make both of those acts endearing: humility. they played well, but i didn't find the show very memorable.

Fol Chen at Beauty Bar. plagued by technical difficulties (power lost on lead guitar amp for five mins), a hostile (but packed) crowd, and a late start, this was not this bands best performance (see Thursday's log). Fol Chen picked up where Bedroom Walls left off- performing mostly the same material that they used under that name before jumping label last year. the material was unreleased and looser last year, and was now fully realized and swingin. Adam's quirkyness on lead is notable- he plays a children's guitar that is run through heavy fuzz, and his stature (he can't possibly weigh more than 120 lbs, and is maybe 5'4" on a good day) gives him an amusingly anti-frontman presence.

Rafter at BB. ok, i am biased, right? but this was i think his best show ever. even though the crowd was smaller than FolChen, he worked them well. he was not his usual chatty self at the outset, and got right down to business. with me roaming the audience playing sax, and his fiance shaking her ass and singing backups while Adam flailed madly on drums- they put together a very energetic, lively, entertaining, and most of all appreciated set. if you can find this one on YouTube, highly recommended.

DM Stith at BB. i don't think this show worked very well for a lot of reasons. first of all, his support is undisciplined and mostly lost in these songs, which are extremely intricate and delicate, and don't work well if not performed that way. second, his guitar sound (accoustic with pickup) was, in a word, shitty- which is a disaster for his music, as it very much hinges on his heavily arpeggiated guitar work. his voice was lovely, and easily heard over the PA. and his meekness in person is not bourne out in performance- he was confident and engaged. unfortunately, the same could not be said of his audience. i think the tenor of his music is not well suited to late night performances (this was after midnight), especially after ass shaking sets from FolChen and Rafter.

_end wed_

2PM No Kids at Iron Gate. this was a keyboards and drums band. nerdy, sweet and nice people- they played a pleasant and innocuous (sic) set which failed to register as memorable for me.

3PM Grampall Jukabox- two drummers, one of whom sings, seems like a not so good idea for a band, but it actually works for these guys. WHAT makes it work is the energy of the performances and the quality of the drumming, both of which were excellent. the music is sort of a tribal soul/hiphop- but it really delivers. they are fun to watch. recommended.

4PM FolChen at Iron Gate- this show was much better than the Wednesday night showcase. the audience was almost as hostile (there were two drunk hecklers who were eventually won over when FolChen did a disco cover), but there were no equipment problems, and the set moved briskly and tightly. their sound was beautiful, and the background noise was not nearly as distracting as it would become later on. the band itself said this was their best event, and i could find no fault in it. terrific show. at this point the shows were almost 1 hour late from set times, so i went to see.....

6PM Themselves DJ-ing at Smokin Music. i am not that interested in DJ work, so i left- but not before talking to Dose and Jel (Themselves) about where they were playing. they were not listed at the official SXSW site, but they were playing the SideBar on 7th at 3:45 Friday, which was an open spot in my schedule.

6PM (7PM) Rafter at Iron Gate- this show was NOT Rafter's best show. he had a disagreement with the sound man at the outset, and then the DJ event next door overwhelmed the quiet portions of the set. the band just never quite got into the groove, unfortunately.

9PM Dirty Projectors at EMO's ampitheatre. this is the ONE show that i was not able to just walk into with my wristband. i had to stand in line for about 2/3 of their set. i caught the last 1/3- and it was very cool, because i got to stand behind the keyboardist from FolChen, and we struck up a mutual admiration conversation which is always nice. the show was great, of course. i don't even know how to explain what they do- it is like YES, but way lighter to the touch. lots of weird time signatures, intricate vocals, and wild drumming. but it all has a feel to it like the Talking Heads- playful and odd, rather than serious and forboding. wonderful stuff- certainly one of the ten best alternative bands at the show.

10PM- i went back to talk to Themselves again, with similar results, then ate dinner on the way to

11PM- Balmorea at Club 115. this is very much Post Rock, if you know that term. another term that is more descriptive is Alt Chamber. Balmorea is a string quartet with guitar and drums, and i had my misgivings about this show. first of all, the guitar competes for space with viola and cello. i thought the banjo was particularly not good. i kept wishing that the lead guy would just stop playing, since there was more than enough going on without him, but that was not going to happen. other than that, they were really good. except the quiet parts could not be heard. this type of combo needs to just stick to the churches (there are about four of them in the SXSW roster).

12AM- Radioclit at Beauty Bar Backyard. this was another DJ event, but it was really good. the DJ in this even was from Africa, and his set was uniquely flavored with music from that continent. so, it was dance music, but done with a very hard line african mix- very energetically performed by a man that could actually sing. reminded me of the really amazing DJ music that came out of Jamaica during the 70's, in that it borrowed directly from indiginous content. the party was raving- the DJ invited everyone on stage- i could see that the staff was getting nervous. they turned off the power. i thought the crowd would riot, but it didn't. the show restarted, but eventually, the crowd was up on stage again, and the private security shut down the event for good. i could not tell what happened after that, because i got the hell out of there. behind me i could hear the crowd yelling/cheering as i walked the six blocks to my car.

eight bands that day. very very hectic. but the best was still to come....on FRIDAY.

Rafter, 2:30 Ms. Beas- this is one of the free parties that is given at SXSW- some of which are better performances than the showcase. this one did not disappoint. it was Rafter's loosest performance (he was drinking tequila on stage during the show), but one of his best. i got to do the roving sax thing, and it all went wonderfully.

Here We Go Magic, 3:00, Sidebar- this band went on 45 minutes late, or i would not have seen them. and they were totally amazing. it is basically folk/post rock but with very intricate vocal arrangements, and tight playing. kind of a quiet version of Dirty Projectors. i loved the show so much i bought their CD, which turned out to be a major disappointment. the vocal mix is so muddy on the CD that you can't hear the beauty of what they are doing at all.

Themselves, 3:45, Sidebar. this was one of the five best shows i saw this year. DoseOne and Jel put on a fantastic, sprawling, intricate, emotional, and powerful set of contemporary hip/hop DJ work. when i say that Dose is one of the five best rappers in the country, and that Jel is one of the top five drumpad guys, i am understating the matter considerably. i happen to think they are the best out there. highly recommended.

Wildbirds and Peacedrums, 4:30, Sidebar. i had planned on seeing this band at 9PM, but decided to stick around for the early show, and i have to say that it was the best show i saw in Austin. as the thermometer pushed 90F, this duo of drums and vocals exploded into the crowded venue with a set that was probably the most uplifting performance i have ever personally witnessed. forceful, passionate, and soaring- they delivered a tour de force of primal soul that was so drenched in emotion that it actually brought me to tears. ecstatic music- lovely and tender. best of show.

-it was now 6PM, and i needed a break, so i went back to my car and rested.

at 9PM i took in a second showing of Wildbirds and Peacedrums and bought her CD's after the show

Tricky at Austin Music Hall 11PM. former member of Massive Attack, trip-hopper extraordinare Tricky delivered a predictably good set at AMH. worth seeing- especially for the uninitiated.

DEVO at Austin Music Hall 12AM. this was probably the second best show i saw. it is impressive enough seeing a bunch of guys pushing 60 rock this hard, but to deliver a flawless performance with no breaks in 80 minutes is a lot to expect of anyone. DEVO delivered. i can't quite express how much fun this show was- knowing every song may have had something to do with it. it is strange to hear that much of one band, and to remember that you have heard all of it over the radio. i wasn't prepared for a nostalgia moment, but i got one. but moreover, it was done with such energy that it was remarkably entertaining. highly recommended.

after 19 shows in three days, i could hardly keep my eyes open. one more day, this one with no performances, and no company to keep.

this day was mine, after i dropped off a friend at the airport at 2.

Colormusic 3PM Victory Grill- this band was very dramatic, and pretty impressive. and pretty weird. they were all dressed in white miniskirts. they all had beards. they all screamed a lot. good fun. recommended. kind of a punk/progressive/avant band- strike that- they were "post punk". i happen to like that genre.

i wanted to see a bunch of bands at a place called The Compound, but that did not work out. it was pre-registration only, and i did not register in time. bummer. so i wandered around and found a wonderful bookstore, an ATM, and ate some food after finding my next venue, a party called FourSquarePunk on Ceasar Chavez Ave, from 6-8 PM.

the four bands i saw at this venue were all really good. there was PonyTail, Pterodactyl, TheseArePowers, and DD/MM/YYYY.

i really dug the way they organized it. all FOUR bands set up at once, and then played one song each for two hours straight. Pterodactyl showed up late, and TheseArePowers left early, but PonyTail and DD/MM/YYYY played more than their 30 minutes each to make up for it. of the four bands, i found Pterodactyl the most conventionally progressive and immemorable, but still worth hearing- though probably not as a headliner. they reminded me of any number of European progressive bands that are roughly in the Krautrock tradition. Ponytail was way more punk, and more fun. the lead singer looks like she is about 14 years old. squeaky high voice very reminiscent of Japanese punk, and could not have been much taller than 4'6". adorable, charming, energetic, and entertaining. TheseArePowers reminded me of what Selecter might have sounded like had they gone from Ska to Electronica. dark and sinister, with a wonderful and charismatic lady on lead vocals (tall, attractive) and two goofy looking guys backing her up, this trio of keys and drums hammered through their set with confidence and skill. but the real thrill of the four was DD/MM/YYYY, who were very impressive at every level. they were extremely well organized, their sound was very hard, edgy, and progressive, they handled odd time signatures deftly. some of their material sounded like Jane's Addiction, owing to the vocal doubling, and the range of the singers, some of it sounded like a very edgy Dirty Projectors or This Heat. harsh, driving, manic, tight, and deeply entertaining. i bought two of their CD's- i recommend the one with the black and white cover. highly recommended.

PJ Harvey, Stubbs 10PM. she was great. recommended. if you don't know her work, it is easy to track down and outstanding. simply put, she is one of the five best brooding songbirds out there. yes, i like the number five.

i took a bike taxi to the Elysian Quartet at 11PM at the Tap Room at 6. this is an avant garde noise string quartet from the UK. they started about 15 minutes late, and got into their set, but then suddenly stopped. the viola player said "is it just me, or does anyone else hear that horrible throbbing sound?", and indeed we could. the Tap Room has a trendy disco upstairs, and the music had gotten very loud starting at about the time the EQ began their show. unfortunately, their performance could not be heard over the bass upstairs, and so they folded up shop after about 15 minutes of performance. nobody blamed them.

i stuck around because it seemed like they were trying to figure something out, and indeed they did. and the something turned into the third best thing i saw in Austin- Laura (sic) Moody, cellist and vocalist, performing two of the three songs from her first EP. i can't quite explain this music, which is equal parts rock, blues and cabaret. she sings alternatively like Dagmar Krauss, Laurie Anderson, and a chicken. and her songs are so intricate and varied that they sound like medelys. she totally freaked me out and overwhelmed me with her alternately whimsical and powerful performance. highly recommended.

Health 12AM at the Mohawk- thrash music from LA, very primitive and fantastic. bass player just stands there plunking away while the band goes wild all around him. recommended.

Monotonix 1AM at the Mohawk. i was told to stick around for this band. they did not disappoint.

musically, they were boring thrash. but that was not what this band is about. they are about the anarchy that surrounds their music. the lead singer climbed the scaffolding, speaker stacks, and roof trusses of the venue (singing the whole time). the drummer broke off various parts of his set to float around the audience (eventually the whole set was floating around, with the lead singer riding around the bass drum and playing the snare while doing it). and, as a finale, the band played out in Red River Blvd, blocking the street and causing a police incident. it was a perfect way to end the day.

my feet were so sore that i was doing toe ups during this show, with the result that everything below my knees hurt. but it was worth it.

the next day i went and saw my pal Bob in Waco, then came back and saw Krista Muir play her baritone uke at Emo's Jr. very amusing.

total: 30 performances seen.

my friend Rafter called me on Sunday and said "aren't you totally thrashed?". i told him that i could do another week. i wasn't kidding.

i love you Austin!