sxsw 2010: the recap

bands we saw:

terror pigeon something something revolt (interesting, but not worth remembering)

sleepy sun+

frightened rabbit+

everest+ (they played at the Palm Door Beauty Bar location...great place & enjoyable music)

sondre lerche+

oh no ono+

the very best+ (I loved that they had back-up dancers...the very best back-up dancers)

man miracle

the walkmen

she & him

the antlers

the temper trap

dawes+

delta spirit+ (super fun crowd at Lustre Pearl)

broken bells

the soft pack+ (a favorite mainly b/c of the venue)

body language

+denotes favorites

performances that will have to wait for another day:

1. bone thugs n harmony (praaaaaaay...and we pray and we pray and we pray and we pray....everyday everyday everyday everyday)

2. major lazer  (if it hadn't been freezing...we would have stuck around for his set)

3. jukebox the ghost (a fun band that I'm determined to see....eventually)

4. snooooooooop dogg (although I'm honestly not disappointed that I missed the perez hilton party...I'm not a fan of super long lines...but I am a fan of snoop dogg)

I've seen this band before but would have LOVED to see this performance...I mean, seriously band of horses rocking out in a church...just doesn't get any better

sxsw sneak peek

from the bands I know, here are some of my sxsw picks for 2010:

sleepy sun
frightened rabbit
major lazer
jukebox the ghost
dawes
anya marina





catch their shows at these parties:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/sxsw10

http://www.lustrepearlaustin.com/

http://www.banyanbranch.com/sxsw/

http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/rsvp/sxsw/

http://thebayareatakeover.com/wp/

http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/03/12/update-cos-sled-island-sxsw-venue-change-set-times-announced/

http://sxsw.com/music/shows/auditorium_shores

ps - port o'brien is not actually playing sxsw this year...but they were a favorite of mine from last year, so I included them on the mix anyway. :)

road revelations...

On my solitary road treks to and from Austin, I seem to have several [minor] epiphanies that would not take place otherwise...most of them are inspired by my playlist [simply that hearing something leads me down a rabbit hole of thoughts]. My mental notes from this trip were as follows:

1. My mixed cd's should come with an 'explicit content' warning [or at least a heads up of 'don't listen to this in the presence your parents and/or children']. I could arbitrarily blame this on my love for rap, but I think that would be a lie [ie. track 5]. It also made me think about my workout mix, which features a certain Buckcherry song that is completely inappropriate...YET my favorite song to get me through a workout...and still I blush at the mere thought that anyone might possibly overhear this particular song blaring loudly out my iPod [considering that I do crank it up quite a bit as I pump through my time on the elliptical]. I guess sketchy music is my vice.

2. I've finally made peace with Regina Spektor. For the past several years I've avoided her music, because it brought up bad memories and just made me angry in general [especially when I started thinking about how an artist I liked got hijacked by circumstances]. I included one song of hers on this mix to specifically test if I could make it through without angry feelings brewing...and I found that it didn't make me want to break things...which I count as a success.

3. Watching the video for 'Kids' by MGMT may have permanently scarred me....enough to where I almost shouldn't listen to the song [which would be tragic since I really like the song...which is why I emphasized almost]. I even had strange dreams that I feel were inspired by the video. In one trippy dream, I was living with two other girls and a guy...but the guy was some sort of a mutant, because he could transform into a snake. Once I found this out, I no longer wanted to live with the guy [which I thought was justified...considering he = epitome of my worst nightmare]...but one of the girls insisted that we would be okay. She explained that when she was younger, she knew a boy who could change into an alligator [cut to grainy footage of kids in playpen, little boy pops out then jumps back in the pen as an alligator...catches little girl in a headlock using his massive jaw]. Creeeeeeeepy.

4. Maybe I misjudged Patty Griffin's 'Flaming Red' album. I used to think she tried to change her sound/image too much with this cd in particular...but I'm slowly coming around to various tracks...especially "One Big Love"...

5. I recently saw "Whip It"...which influenced me in my Tilly and the Wall selection. LOVED that movie...not surprising since it was filmed in Austin, features the sarcasm of Ellen Page and has a great soundtrack. Definitely made me want to be a roller-derby girl...for like a day [because, let's face it, one day would be enough to hospitalize me]. But seriously, it hits a nerve with another wish of mine...I reaaaaaallly wish I could tackle someone [like football-style tackle, not jokey-fun tackle]. BUT not with the force of my tiny-little-lady self...but with the power of someone like Ndamukong Suh [with the appearance of my little-lady self]. I think it would be awesome to do that just once!.....or twice....

6. Dang Miley Cyrus song...makes me all teary-eyed every time! [I directly associate it with the movie preview for "The Last Song"...and since I read the book already, it makes me get all emotional].

7. With the combination of realizations #1, #2, #3 and #5, you might think that I'm a slightly disturbed person....but I promise I'm not! Jamie Foxx may blame it on the [ah-ah ah-ah ah] alcohol, but I blame it on my song selections.

'ghost of good' mix:
1. Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas
2. One Big Love - Patty Griffin
3. On Top - The Killers
4. Graces Amazing Hands - Dave Barnes
5. Keep Yourself Warm - Frightened Rabbit
6. Pot Kettle Black - Tilly and the Wall
7. Blame It (feat. T-Pain) - Jamie Foxx
8. When I Look At You - Miley Cyrus
9. Just One Look - Doris Troy
10. Love Me Through - Port O'Brien
11. That Time - Regina Spektor
12. Kids - MGMT
13. Today Was a Fairytale - Taylor Swift
14. Got 2 Have U - Color Me Badd
15. Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) - Janelle Monáe
16. WTF? - OK Go
17. On to the Next One (feat. Swizz Beatz) - Jay-Z
18. Wish You Were Here - Incubus
19. Roll Over Beethoven - The Beatles

As for right now, 'i guess i'm taking my chances...'