With SXSW upon us, we know you have tons of options available to you of shows you can go check out. Clearly, though, we hope that you’ll carve out some time on your busy Tuesday to come by Guero’s on South Congress and see some of our showcase, co-presented by The Boxing Lesson, who put together this great line-up of bands. To help persuade you to come out, we figured that we’d do a run-down of all the bands involved so that you know what awesomeness awaits. Below we provide links to the artists we’ve already covered in the past, and brief synopses of those we have not. Enjoy!
12:10p – Melogrand Said Dan: “You’ll hear dreamy pop punctuated by progressive musical elements like throat singing and drippy guitar effects. Melogrand frequently build up multi-layered soundscapes that make for a huge backdrop for their soaring vocals.”
Melogrand - 'Modern World'
1:00p – Strawberry Jam Here is a live video from Antone’s for “Wasting Time” from their 2011 debut LP, strawberryJAM. This Austin six-piece recalls my jam-heavier high school days back in New England. They’re from Texas A&M and are all pretty good musicians who stretch out ably on some mostly mellow songs.
strawberryJAM - 'No One But You'
1:50p – Quiet Americans This is a quartet from Fresno, California. I have been to Fresno, California, and I swore I would never go back. But if this is the kind of music being made there, I may just have to go back on my word. Old-school, lo-fi, psychedelic pop. They recorded their debut EP, Medicine, on a reel-to-reel from the 1980s, so you know these guys are legit.
Quiet Americans - 'Selia'
2:40p – Tiger Waves Said Dan: “With multiple effects, harmonized vocals, percussion layers, and some synth thrown in the mix, Tiger Waves definitely have an expansive sound that goes beyond the typical surf rock of yesteryear.”
Tiger Waves - Slow Loris
3:30p – The Harms They are from Austin and this is going to be their first show. That’s about the extent of what we know. We’ll be discovering their sound right alongside the rest of y’all. But word on the street is impressive.
4:20p – Sorne Dan’s review of seeing Sorne live: “Through the rest of the set, Sorne played their breed of electronic tribal fusion while video of 3d shapes, naked ladies and space travel was projected onto the wall. All the while, the crowd danced along and shouted their approval.” And I must add that Sorne is one of my favorite live performers in Austin. This set will definitely not disappoint.
Sorne - 'Overtones'
5:10p – The Couch I don’t really have a pithy pull-quote from this article, but the Couch are a great soulful rock band whose star is definitely on the rise in our fair city. If you like the Black Keys and/or Free Energy, this should be just up your alley.
The Couch - 'New Roman Buffalo'
6:00p – Fresh Millions One of Austin’s hottest acts will take the stage right as dusk kicks in, and they’ll bring the energy level up for the nighttime. An electronic-rock hybrid, they produced one of our favorite tracks of last year, “Hot New Jam From ’73.”
Fresh Millions - ‘Hot New Jam from 73’
6:50p – Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor This Detroit psych-rock band sounds like Jim Morrison fronting the Black Angels. They fit right in with the side of Austin that supports an event like Psych Fest, and their second full-length, Spectra Spirit, has received love from all over the globe.
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor - 'The Hole In Your Brain'
7:40 – The Hi-Tones It’s a shock that we haven’t officially reviewed the Hi-Tones yet, as they’re one of the most dynamic groups in town. Singer Johnny Flores is one of the most engaging frontmen around, and their brand of psych-rock is a bit brighter than the darkness of SOYSV. These bands should go well together, and the Hi-Tones will leave you utterly captivated.
The Hi-Tones - 'Way Out'
8:30 – The Good The Bad It’s more understandable that we haven’t covered this Danish instrumental surf-rock band, because they are from nowhere near Austin. But their music is universal, as this totally NSFW music video for their song “030” will demonstrate. This band rocks, and really, how often do you get to see a Danish instrumental surf-rock band? The Good The Bad are what SXSW is all about.
The Good The Bad - '001'
9:20 – The Great Nostalgic “[Their first album] introduced a sound that harkened back to the theatricality of some of the all-time great British bands like Roxy Music and the Smiths. Yet the band remains remarkably contemporary with the stilting rhythms of Wolf Parade and the mellifluous delivery of Wild Beasts.” I can’t say enough about the Great Nostalgic, who topped our year-end Austin albums list. I haven’t seen them live in months, and I’m thrilled that they’ll be finishing off our SXSW show.
The Great Nostalgic - ‘Wilderness’
