Under the Radar Party @ Flamingo Cantina
Thursday, March 13
Flamingo Cantina (515 E. 6th St.)
Free, All Ages, 12pm-6pm
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Thursday Flamingo Cantina takes a break from bringing in bands like The Skatalites and Israel Vibration. Instead, for this free day show they will host the shimmering and sentimental, Swedish alt rock of the Shout Out Louds. You’ll also hear the catchy California rock of Rogue Wave and the love song sing-alongs and quirky experiments of Akron/Family. Sub Pop’s Portland drums-and-guitar duo The Helio Sequence come prepared with spacey indie rock prettiness, and Fleet Foxes are set to impress with charming guitars and melodic tones. Expect a thrilling display from Athens’ psych-folk collective Elf Power.

Whether or not you’re a fan of the opening act, in the interest of swag you may want to make your way down to the Cantina a little earlier to make sure you don’t miss out on the Jansport giveaways, free copies of Image Comics’ PopGun and complementary subscriptions to Under the Radar.

Image courtesy sxsw.kut.org

NPR Music Party @ The Parish
Thursday, March 13
The Parish Room (214 East Sixth Street)
Free, 12:30pm-5pm
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Or, if the only performance that excites you from above is Swedish import the Shout Out Louds and you’re the kind of guy or gal that loves supporting public radio, then head down to the NPR day party at The Parish. If you crave music from the All Songs Considered podcast and you need your daily fix, then this is where you want to be.

Expect quite a crowd for indie rock rising stars Vampire Weekend who have graduated from playing parties at Columbia University to making it on the cover of Spin magazine. As many people will most likely be there to be charmed by the indie pop of Swedish singer songwriter Jens Lekman and hear him sing story-songs about the time he pretended to be the boyfriend of his lesbian friend to take the heat off her during a dinner with her dad. But, if coming to check out those bands gets bodies in the door to hear intimate, soulful, acoustic folk acts like Bon Iver, then it was all worth it. Also in the lineup is English soul singer Adele, who is also the first recipient of the Critic’s Choice at the 2008 Brit Awards, and Brooklyn’s Yeasayer with their experimental rock that turned heads at last year’s SXSW.

The entire day will be webcase on KUT's SXSW site, as well as other live performances from SXSW like R.E.M. and Yo La Tengo. Most of these concerts will be streaming online at KUT 90.5 FM as well. Check back at NPR Music or KUT for video, from the event and much more.

Photo by Shervin Lainez courtesy of MySpace

The Onion & Saddle Creek Party @ Emo’s
Thursday, March 13
Emos (603 Red River St)
Free, Most likely 12pm-6pm
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Looking for a common thread for all three of these parties besides the fact that they’re all happening on Thursday? Probably not, but the Shout Out Louds are playing this one too. Thursday is officially Shout Out Louds day! If you’re at one of these shows and you see the band play on stage, maybe you should poke them with a stick to make sure its not just their clothes propped up with the CD playing. It’s a little suspect how they can be in so many places at once unless they’re using magic or have overcome physics and perfected teleportation.

The Onion’s A.V. Club, Saddle Creek, Canvas Media, and Arts & Crafts have teamed up to bring the fine folks of Austin and beyond a day full of various incarnations of rock and comedy, and they’ve thrown in free beer while it lasts to grease the wheels. Todd Barry, Mike Birbiglia and others are going to be making your cheeks hurt and sides split in between a barrage of Saddle Creek indie acts like the fuzzy pop of Tokyo Police Club, the acoustic duo of Georgie James, the bright sounds and keys of Son, Ambulance, along with Ladyfinger (ne) and Neva Dinova. Tapes ‘n Tapes are back again this year with a new album following a few weeks after their South by performances. The Constantines and The Stills are bringing down the Canadian rock. Also, hear from Los Campesinos! and The Most Serene Republic.

Pro-Tips: After enjoying that amazing line-up at The Parish, a quality Cajun dinner can be enjoyed right below the venue at Roux. There are a host of sit-down-dinner options all along 6th St. -- Iron Cactus or the brand new Parkside may tickle your fancy. One always has the pizza, bratwurst, and fajita options on 6th St. while Casino El Camino and The Jackalope offer quality burgers and free Wi-Fi. Interested in some of the evening Official Showcases, check out The Hourly Radio and The Black, two extremely talented Texan acts, at the Dirty Dog Bar on 6th. Some European flavor can be found at Maggie Mae’s (Rooftop) with sets by The Wombats and Ungdomskulen. The latter two shows require a Badge or a Wristband, or you can pay a cover charge to check out the music.

If you’re a metal fan, don’t forget Motörhead, Napalm Death, and High On Fire will rock Stubb's on Thursday during the afternoon (RSVP).

If you veer west and head towards the Warehouse District, The Onion on 5th St (between Colorado and Congress) provides more pizza options. You can then check out O'Death, Deer Tick, No Age and more at JellyNYC Texas Garage (RSVP). Or go Official with the Billy Bragg, DeVotchKa, and Man Man show at Cedar St. Courtyard (Badge, Wristband or Cover Charge).

Want to take a break from downtown proper? The Auditorium Shores Stage hosts another set of live acts this year; Spoon, Del The Funky Homosapien, and Grupo Fantasma make for a mouth-watering Thursday evening line-up, for free. Hole in the Wall on Guadalupe and 26th St. has a solid 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. show with Peel, Cry Blood Apache, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, David Garza, Manejo Beto, and Cavedweller being just a few of the acts on the bill. Or head further north towards North Loop where local talent like Ringo Deathstarr and La Snacks will be on display at The Parlor.

Wrap up your night at The 301 with Justice, MGMT, and Moby (DJ set) providing the beats for an all-night dance-party. But only if you are fortunate enough to have an invite to the Playboy Rock The Rabbit 2008 bash!


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