SXSW

The Strange Boys are all right

Monday, March 23rd, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

South By Southwest is over. Good bands left their marks. Other bands are already looking forward to next year. Austin’s economy is fat and happy. Matt Pinfield’s totally awesome coverage for Direct TV is already a distant memory. Four days of music and sin are being picked up, swept away and hosed down by someone who’s happy to have a job. Yes, life in the hipster mecca has returned to normal. Sort of.

The four kids that make up Austin’s The Strange Boys are still there making rock ‘n’ roll in its purest form. The band’s debut full-length And Girls Club is out on In The Red and is shaping up to be one of my favorites of 2009. It would be quite easy to dismiss them as just another band in a long line of garage rock throwbacks—if the songs weren’t so damn good. “Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up” is cut right from the blues bone. Essentially, the young-ish (early-to-mid 20s) Strange Boys know early rock ‘n’ roll, and play it as if they’ve never been exposed to anything post-1970 (I actually have a few friends who I’m convinced this is the case). It’s not so much garage rock as it is early Beatles if Dylan and the Fab Four smoked that joint and immediately went into the studio together.

“Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up” - The Strange Boys

“Should Have Shot Paul” - The Strange Boys

Tags: , , ,

The Murder mystery

Monday, February 2nd, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

Murder is an unpleasant yet intriguing word. Apparently it’s also quite a sought-after band name. A metal band from San Diego has been linked to Murder, as has a metal band from Serbia. So has a Ukranian crust-punk band. A deafening pop tandem from Chico, Calif. And a Danish folk two-piece. I’m sure there are others who are connected to Murder as well. I’m going to focus on the Danes, because … well, I’ve had my eye on them for some time.

Murder from Copenhagen is made up of Jacob Bellens and Anders Mathiasen. The duo has released only a pair of records—2005’s One Year From Now It’s My Birthday and 2006’s Stockholm Syndrome—but continue to tour using different lineups “depending on the venue, country and artistic needs.” And yes, like every band under the sun, Murder will perform at SXSW.

These guys are the last thing you’d expect from anything having to do with Murder. It’s gorgeous. Sad. Acoustic guitars flit over Mathiasen and Bellens’ stark harmonies. Drums shuffle gently. Live they incorporate a number of stringed instruments. Pay special attention to “Telegraph Radio Session” and “When the Bees Are Sleeping” on the group’s MySpace. Now you see; a good murder Murder can be nice.

Murder, video for “Applejuice”

Tags: , , , , ,

SXSW by ABCD

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

Those who can’t afford to go to Austin, Texas for SXSW go to the SXSW Interactive Networking Party in chilly downtown Portland, Oregon. The announcement for this Interactive Networking Party was Tweeted on my Twitter. All I had to do was RSVP by e-mail. Done and done.

Why would I attend an Interactive Networking Party for a music event I’m not even attending? I figured at the very least I would a) get a couple of free drinks out of the deal; b) maybe some snacks; and c) meet a few like-minded creative types who were looking to get a), b) and c). And we did get a) b) and c) … I got d) as well.

I walked up the stairs to the third floor of the Fez Ballroom to a dimly lit room with a DJ and clusters of smartly dressed patrons milling about with drinks in their hands. I got my name tag and a couple of drink tickets. I saw a table filled with trays from Baja Fresh … ooh, is that a plate of taquitos?! They were also having a raffle for free tickets to SXSW—all you had to do was drop a business card into a basket. I dropped one of my handmade handbills into the basket, because that’s how we do things here at The Days of Lore.

“Will this work?” I asked.

Uh, sure,” said a man with a chuckle.

I moseyed. I mingled. Met some nice people, many of whom do Web-based work. I ate some taquitos. Ordered a beer. Ordered another beer. I was all but ready to leave when the event’s coordinator, Tammy Lynn Gilmore, introduced herself and thanked me for attending.

“It looks like you could use another drink ticket,” she said knowingly.

“You are absolutely right.”

I thanked her, made more small talk and headed back to the bar. I was feeling sassy—rum and Coke it is. I was sipping my cocktail, not recalling telling the bartender to put absolutely no rum in it, when a nice gent—probably early 50s—came up and introduced himself. His name was Bill. We started talking about music. I told him I had played in some bands. He said he played in a couple of bands in Los Angeles, still likes to play music, had a hit in 1985 … wait, wha?

“Which song was it?”

“It’s called ‘Obsession.’ I smiled and slapped on the arm. “Yep, I’m the singer.”

So, aside from the anticipated a), b) and c), I also got d) I met the singer for Animotion. Bill Wadhams. In Portland. You won’t get that in Austin, but it looks like you will get it at an Interactive Networking Party in the frigid Pacific Northwest. I wonder if he still has that cuirass from the video … always wanted a cuirass.

“Obsession” by Animotion

Tags: , , , ,

Search

Topics of Destruction