The first day of SXSW is like the first day of school; you’re excited, nervous, and seemingly prepared. Unlike school, however, SXSW is never boring. After my first ever flight through Detroit and an early morning dash to registration at the Austin Convention Center, I scampered off to Rusty Spurs for Deli sponsored Music Tech Mash Up party, where line-up improvements kept me corralled. The event spanned two days and squeezed in fifty bands at Rusty Spurs, a tri-room gay saloon (how cool is that?) decorated with cowboy boots and Texas trinkets. The Mash Up party celebrated the collaboration of various industries, music, merchandise, and new media technology. Upon arrival, sound spewed from every corner of the venue as bands performed on the main indoor stage, in the lounge, and on the outdoor patio. Mid-day, the barbeque was fired up to feed South by South West goers with free burgers and chicken while they enjoyed the second day of the extravaganza’s hefty line-up. Some of the early-morning performers included LA-based, disco-influenced pop-rockers, Foster the People, dancey R’n’B from Toronto, Curtis Santiago, and Las Vegas’s new-wave, electro-pop, Imagine Dragons. Pleasant surprises added at the last minute, such as Brooklyn’s Black Taxi, and Washington D.C.’s alternarockers, Hotspur, caught the ears of those passing by and reaffirmed excitement for SXSW.

Following a quick Tex-Mex bite and nearly sun-burning in a line for the Paste Magazine Party at The Galaxy Room, I witnessed the last of the Suckers’ (top pic) set and the first part of rock-meets-singer/songwriter Austinites, Roky Erickson with Okkervil river (bottom pic). The day pushed on as I went off the beaten path to Hyde Park Bar and Grill(South) where The Whiskey Rebellion’s evening of music and literature featured NYC’s The Shake who enlivened the venue’s calm St. Patrick’s Day. Due to overcapacity venues back on 6th Street, my night was curtailed. Tomorrow would be a new day with much music to hear. – Meijin Bruttomesso

The way we see it, productive artists have more chances to be successful than the ones that let the temptations of over analyzing (or simple lack of inspiration) stretch the time in between releases. Brooklyn psych folk group Woods is about to release their 5th full length in 3 years. Each release it’s an opportunity for growing and explorting, and the distance between 2007’s At Rear House and 2010’s At Echo Lake represents a move from a kind of informal back porch jam ethos to a fully-committed vision of the infinite possibilities of group playing. Over the past few years Woods have established themselves as an anomaly in a world of freaks. They were an odd proposition even in the outré company of vocalist/guitarist/label owner Jeremy Earl’s Woodsist roster, perpetually out of time, committed to songsmanship in an age of noise, drone and improvisation, to extended soloing, oblique instrumentals and the usurping use of tapes and F/X in an age of dead-end singer-songwriters. Recent live shows have seen them best confuse the two, playing beautifully-constructed songs torn apart by fuzztone jams and odd electronics. The band will play 3 shows at SXSW on March 19 and 20 – more details about the dates here. The new album is scheduled for release in May.

Nicole Schneit wears the folk tag very liberally on her sleeve, dabbling in country, pop, punk and rock in Air Waves. The familiar, basic folk structure underlies Schneit’s songs, but the music isn’t fragile; it’s raw in a good way that feels comforting at the same time. She draws listeners in with her deceptively simple songs with memorable melodies and swinging vocal lines. Building upon 2009’s popular surf rock trend, a rolling, coastal sound seeps through Air Waves’ music. There’s also a bit of The Moldy Peaches in Schneit’s songwriting, especially in the Dan Deacon-approved “Shine On,” a tune perfect for a spring bike ride. This entrancing EP warrants repeat listens to get completely caught up in the beautiful soundscapes. Air Waves have 5 dates in Austin during SXSW – for more details go here.

Our January CD of the Month band Inlets just released this video of their single "Bright Orange Air" on Pitchfork.com. Mark your calendar for April 23, the date of their CD release party at Union Hall.

Well it seems like the sounds from the 80s are back in vogue, right? All the cheesy blips and the "housy" synths and the gasping vocals and the campy clothing and so on and on and on… Well you won’t find all this in The Secret History‘s debut CD "The World That Never Was". You will find references to to great artists from that decade which followed a more personal and sincere musical path though. We are referring (for example) to the melancholic, beautiful and supremely blip free tunes of 10,000 Maniacs, or the daring, electric songs of The Throwing Muses, and their spin off super-dreamy project Belly. Besides the songwriting, what really hits you here is Lisa Ronson’s voice – warm and strong, it confers character and personality to the band’s elegant tunes through melodies that are never banal nor foreign. We also recommend you to check out the band members’ previous project, "My Favorite", which probably failed to emerge because of an unfortunate name choice in this "Google Age", but that has recently garnered some post-mortem attention from music scene fat cats Pitchfork.com. Don’t Miss The Secret History’s CD release party at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on March 18.

Hey discerning eared people,

The Deli this year will sponsor two parties during SXSW:

MUSIC-TECH MASHUP PARTY!

The Music Tech Mashup Showcase is a two day/three stages event during SXSW’s transition from Interactive Week to Music Week. Featuring a ton of great bands, brands, and emerging new technologies, the Mashup party celebrates the opportunities presented through the convergence of these industries.  Hosted by Shinobi Ninja and Coast to Coast Models & Events and presented by GreenShoeLace, HunnyPot, The Deli Mag and Planet Ill, this showcase will assemble the movers and shakers of these converging fields.

Artist shortlist: Shinobi Ninja, Vaxhaul Broadcast, McAlister Drive, Bamboo Shoots.

MORE INFO HERE!

The Deli Magazine NY and CitizenMusic have teamed up to bring some of the best Alt Rock bands from New York to Austin for South By Southwest 2010! "NYC in ATX" will take place on Thursday, March 18, at Hyde Park Bar and Grill (South Location).

Music will begin prompty at 6pm!

Here’s the kick-ass line up! 6.00: Blackbells
6:50: New Madrid
7:40: The Shake
8:30: Deadbeat Darling
9.20: Black Taxi

And, to make it rock even harder, it’s FREE and ALL AGES. So, if you’re heading down to SXSW or if you’re already in Austin, come experience some of the greatest rock n roll, and best french fries [so we’ve been told] New York City has to offer!

MORE INFO HERE

Fan-Tan’s origins lie in the college town of Chapel Hill, N.C., which has sparked the musical careers of the likes of Superchunk and Archers of Loaf and more recently, The Love Language. The quintet’s distinctive “city” sound – dark, mysterious and alluring – probably disoriented the town’s residents and sonically clashed with other local musicians. Now based in Brooklyn, Fan-Tan is comfortably playing shows with artists that compliment its synth-pop sound such as Cale Parks and Led Er Est. On the band’s second EP “The Age of Discovery,” the urgent vocals compel the vivid guitar and looming bass with an overlay of atmospheric, subtle synths. The music is full of dramatics and tension, and it has an unyielding ability to remain in listeners’ heads for days. To celebrate the release of “The Age of Discovery,” Fan-Tan will be playing with New Zealand’s Surf City at the Mercury Lounge on March 26. Tickets are $10. – Nancy Chow

Brooklyn based post-hardcore/metal outfit Descender returns to CakeShop on Friday March 12th along with fellow local heavyweights Clean Teeth (members of legendary Detachment Kit) and Heks Orkest (members of Sparta, Avail, Denali, Kepone) for a night of explosive face-melting loud rock. While acknowledging the likes of 90s staples Unsane, Helmet, Snapcase and Quicksand, Descender has been making a name for itself by expanding upon those references to become a fresh new voice in the local heavy music scene. Their latest EP can be downloaded on their myspace page. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Kidrockers organizes shows targeted to a very specific niche: the hipster parents and their soon to be hipster children. This is why they promote their events by saying that "every adult must be accompnied by a kid between 3 and 13 years of age". Their next show will be on Sunday March 21 at 92YTribeca (11 AM) and will involve two interesting local bands – and also two comedy acts.

STEEL PHANTOMS is a recently formed, four piece band based in Brooklyn, named after a roller coaster in Pittsburgh (where they hail from). Featuring the ex drummer from Islands Steel Phantoms uses many of the same pop sounds that defined the Montreal music scene, with a punkier approach in the attitude and vocals. 

DYNASTY ELECTRIC is a electro-rock duo also based in Brooklyn, NY, with a rather sexy live show (I’m sure your 13 years old will appreciate that!). The band features vocalist/theremin player Jenny Electrik and multi-instrumentalist Seth Misterka who plays saxophone, electric guitar, and programming. The band will soon be releasing its first album on BluRoc Records, the latest venture of hip-hop mogul Damon Dash, and recently collaborated with Brian Chase of Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Luke Temple was honored with our CD of the Month title back in 2007, when he was a solo artists singing folky tunes dressed electronically. In 2008, what appeared initially to be a side project involving a bunch of friends – called Here We Go Magic – gained momentum thanks to an ecstatic Pitchfork review (of course); since then the band has become Luke’s main project. They spent much of 2009 on successive North American and European tours with bands such Department of Eagles, Grizzly Bear, and the Walkmen, before retreating to a house near East Branch, NY to record their second full length LP, which is scheduled to be released in June on Secretly Canadian. If you can’t wait to get this record, we recommend you to check out Luke’s solo material – it’s absolutely stunning.

Calling a woman “ballsy” probably isn’t going to get you anything more than a handprint on your face, but Brit Boras is just that – the confidence with which she sings and plays in her band, Brit and the Cavalry, is astounding. Clearly unafraid to fuse styles and sounds, it appears as though her one goal is to force the listener to challenge the expected. She succeeds in this mission not by forcing messages on you the way mom shoved cough medicine down your throat, but through a mix of sincerity and self-assurance. The Cavalry, Alex Beckmann on drums and Dan Krysa on bass, provide soulful grooves on nearly every track, regardless of style. Musical arrangements and accompaniments – often strings and horns – are smart and warm, never overdone. Of special note is the modern-folk tune “Cassandra,” with its undeniable Dylan “Desire” quality right down to the violins, creepy high-pitched harmonies, and calm oceanic waxing and waning of the lead vocals – hypnotic. After a productive 2009 and with a new EP in the works, Brit took some time to answer a few questions… – Read Paul Dunn’s interview with Brit Boras here.