Technically the second day of SXSW 2011’s music week was my first day (although Tuesday is kind of a half Music day realy), and I certainly made up for lost time. My third SXSW, the festival’s 25th anniversary, I celebrated with eleven bands and a huge dose of venue hopping.
After being rejected by NYC’s Shilpa Ray’s show at the Austin Convention Center (“badges only, no bracelets!” – "WTF?!?"), I meandered down 6th Street to the “British Embassy,” where a Welsh showcase was beginning, and I was privileged to see synth-rockers, We//Are//Animal (top picture ), and dance-y electro-pop trio, Bright Light Bright Light. Only steps away at The Parish were Brooklyn’s quirky alt rock quartet, Black Taxi, and Austin’s synth rockers, The Frontier Brothers, and wacky dance-rockers, Bright Light Social Hour. A long walk to the Buzzbands LA Party and an extended sound check ended in a short sample of orchestral Other Lives.
A coffee break and pedicab ride were followed by Washington D.C.’s indie-pop Jukebox the Ghost at the Empire Automotive Shop. Back to back, I explored LA’s alternative electro-pop/rock foursome, Hell & Lula (picture above), at Emo’s Annex, New York’s retro-rock outfit, Blackbells, at Fado’s, and my favorite new band of the day, Oklahoma City’s hard rock showmen, The Pretty Black Chains (picture below), at the Oklahoma showcase at Friends.
The day came full circle as I was denied entry to The Black Angels and Queens of the Stone Age at La Zona Rosa, but I closed my first Austin night right with the soulful sounds of NY’s Kendra Morris (pictured below, who also played the Deli sponsored Music Tech Mashup Party earlier in the afternoon) at the Scoot Inn before heading home to prepare for an even bigger second day!
