Hooves on the Turf

Day 2 in Austin for me was March 18, 2009, which was the first official day of SXSW. After much determination that I wouldn’t make my daily plans around bands I already like, I went to see Drink Up Buttercup’s 2PM set at Beauty Bar anyway. Pretty & Nice were playing when I got there.

Farzad Houshiarnejad of Drink Up Buttercup was found taking a nap.

At this strange place:

But he woke up to set the stage with the rest of the band.

He got on his knees and got right into it. This was one of my favorite shows I’ve seen in Austin so far.

These guys are known to get crazy on stage, but they do so without trying. An “instrument” like a trash can easily come across as a gimmick, or a prop, but when Drink Up plays it, the sound of smashing tin makes complete aural sense. That’s probably because unlike a lot of bands who’re great at putting on a memorable show but don’t have songs you’d want to listen to at home, the inherent design of Drink Up’s songs define all the signature qualities of their live shows. Nothing feels out of place or like an afterthought.

Ben Money has one of my favorite stage presences ever.

I love Mike Cammarata.

And James Harvey’s opera-influenced voice.

Then I headed out to the DCist party to see These United States at Friends Bar. Middle Distance Runner was playing when I got in.

After their set we stepped out to catch Joe Pug down the street at Paradise. There was music everywhere.

Joe Pug is from Chicago and he’s fantastic.

Back at Friends Bar, US Royalty was playing.

Then came These United States!

Middle Distance Runner watched intently.

We were back on the streets.

Musicians everywhere.

We headed to Ms. Bea’s for another of Todd P’s patio parties.

This time around, it was a New York Noise get-together. Box Elders were playing.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart was already there, in anticipation of their 9:00 PM set, but mostly to relax, I’m sure, since Ms. Bea’s seems perfect for a little break from all of the downtown madness.

I was there to see The Beets, from Jackson Heights, Queens, but it was impossible to judge. The sound at the venue was too washed out and muddy.

Someone hated haters:

Still Flyin’ played next.

Their guitar was broken in the course of their flight, so they played a borrowed one. They had a fun presence, and a lot of people were digging their music, but it’s not my thing.

Some people drew on the ground with chalk.

Let’s Wrestle played next.

Then we headed to Club 1808 to catch Suckers. Our cab driver told us that we were getting off at “crack central” and that he couldn’t believe we were being asked to come to this place. I don’t know where he was getting his information from. Club 1808 had a pleasant backyard with a nice stage, and the only person mean was a clean-looking white boy in a baseball cap who exited the premise yelling, “If you ain’t from Austin, you’re shit!” He was furious.

The Chap was playing. They’re British. They were really into poses that were synced with the lyrics and the music. Like this one:

And this one:

Or this, which they froze in at the end of their set for a full minute I think. Their songs were silly but their performance was really tight.

The schedule was kind of all over the place. Dark Meat wasn’t even supposed to play, but they did.

Their band members were sprawled all over the lawn and the stage.

Slow Club came on next.

They started with acoustic songs and tried out electric ones.

They ended with an unamplified song amongst the audience.

Casio Kids from Norway played next. Even though their music isn’t my type, their sound was crisp and every detail was a fine cut. They were dorky in that Norwegian dance band way, but they were fun.

The Mae-Shi were supposed to be the headliners but they played before other bands. To put on an unforgetable and engaging show is their practiced art, even though they’re a little show-off-y for my liking, and sometimes some things can feel like tricks being pulled out of a bag. But if you’re looking for an amazing concert experience, you should see the Mae-Shi.

Rebecca of Slow Club, who performed her version of The Mae-Shi’s “Run To Your Grave” later on, watched on.

There were more guest performances.

The band I went to see was Suckers, even though I’d promised myself to not run after bands I already like, let alone bands I already like that are from Brooklyn. I’m glad I went to see them though, they provided much-needed nourishment for the overworked musical sensibilities. They also played a song they’d just written on their 3-day-old tour, which happens to be their first tour ever.

Quinn Walker’s voice isn’t quite fully back yet, but he was fearlessly pushing it, and it sounds awesome even in its injured form.

After this I headed back to Paradise to catch The Tallest Man on Earth, who was set to go on at 1AM, but he never showed. I found out the next day that the schedule was all backed up, and he would’ve had to go on at 3AM if he were to catch up, so he cancelled his performance. Instead of his goodness, I was stuck with this band from LA. They played pretty good and they seem well-intentioned, but most LA bands live in a world I can’t relate to, so I was extremely bored.