March 27, 2009 1:58 PM

Mess With Texas @ Waterloo Park: For a band with ear-shredding dissonance and sometimes emo-induced lyrics, it's amazing that Cursive's sound still manages to remain sweet, yet, powerful. The Nebraska natives performed to a sizable group at Waterloo Park Saturday afternoon, considering this is a venue oft considered "too north" to trek during South by Southwest. The group accommodated to their long time followers by mostly playing tracks from their albums The Ugly Organ and Domestica. While we appreciated the old time hits—especially the hauntingly poignant track "The Recluse"—it would have been nice to hear more from their latest release, Mama, I'm Swollen. Overall, the boys flawlessly nailed carnival-esque keyboard rhythms and soaring guitar riffs. Walking through Waterloo Park was briefly reminiscent of our favorite Fun Fun Fun Fest, and the spacious outdoor venue was a nice departure from the jam-packed sullen streets of downtown. Those willing to step outside the downtown realm, found a free and delightful performance from a timeless alt-rock themed group that could rival most headlining acts of the festival. -Candace Birkelbach

Israeli trio Monotonix is fast acquiring a reputation that precedes them. The band’s recent shows in Austin have wreaked havoc on Red River St. They brought all their usual tricks to Waterloo Park for Mess With Texas 3 on Saturday the 21st, disrobing and parting the crowd in half right off the bat. Singer Ami Shalev then jumped into the open space in the middle of the audience, rolling around on the grass with his fellow band mates much to everyone’s amusement (or was it bemusement). The raucous racket this band generates is almost an afterthought as they essentially ignored the stage for much of the show and delivered their messy garage rock from within the crowd. Shalev sang while immersed in a huge trash can, guitarist Yonatan Gat floated above the many hands that held him up, and we couldn’t even see drummer Ran Shimoni (correction: Haggai Fershtman is the current drummer -ed.) from our spot. It was quite the spectacle, a ridiculous rock show, something we’ve come to expect from Monotonix every time they take the stage (or not). -Adi Anand

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March 27, 2009 11:15 AM

Austinist music writer Tom Thornton recently went back on Andy Langer's show on News 8 Austin to discuss how the economy affected SXSW, the secret performances that everyone seemed to know about well in advance, and the role that Twitter played during the festival. [News8Austin]

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March 26, 2009 7:00 PM

• Vanity Fair is calling El Paso the next Brooklyn, citing Tony Rancich's Sonic Ranch (recently used by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Conor Oberst) as ground zero for the new movement. Al Jourgensen agrees.
• Obey Giant and Obama stoker Shepard Fairey was indeed in Austin during SXSW, and he chose Room 710 as one of the spots he'd apply some wheat paste. Meanwhile, Austin artist Sam Sanford railed against the Fairey drama today at Studio Journal, saying, "Let Fairey make his terrible art and let the zombies keep snapping it up - I don't care if he gets rich. His disengenuousness [sic] and the vacuity of his artworks betray a deep spiritual illness - he is already punished."
• The UT Department of Radio, Television and Film recently published an article about Pitchfork, hipster culture and Andy Samberg at Flow TV, the department's forum for popular culture and television. "Pitchforking Andy Samberg’s Hipster Appeal" only glosses over Armisen's Trenchmouth days, but does assert that the relationship between Pitchfork and SNL is an ethically questionable one, as well as a (asserted) sexist one.
• Heartless Bastard Erika Wennerstrom took the Black Book Pop Quiz. Amidst other mind-numbingly half-ass answers, the band's songwriter and lead guitarist mentions that her desktop wallpaper is "Whatever my Mac came with." and the place she'd eat at every day if she could would be Whole Foods, because "They always have a good variety of food at the hot and cold bars." People should really stop sending musicians email interviews. Ed. note: Note to self
• Could we have a mayor that's cooler than Wynn? McCracken hopes so, and he is hoping Dazed & Confused will help. Put on your jorts and head down to the Drafthouse to find out if he can pull it off. Bring your bongos.
• MTV has a disgustingly predictable list of SXSW highlights.
• Steve Earle's upcoming album will be a full length tribute to the late Townes Van Zandt. ("Fort Worth Blues")
• Want to go see Gavin DeGraw & Angel Taylor? Follow the jump for a chance to win.

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March 25, 2009 3:01 PM

The Wrens' Noon Performance at the Hot Freaks Day Party: The Wrens are a band who hit the scene just early enough to have their career screwed up by record company bullshit, but, thankfully, that’s all over now: the painfully-postponed follow-up to the thoroughly badass Meadowlands is on its way. So though it’s been years and years and years since their debut (back in the days when Live was one of the world’s most relevant bands), they’ve recently brought their practically-mythologized live show back on the road, and the early bird crowd at Mohawk on Friday was damn lucky for it.

Despite an unthinkable noontime slot, the seasoned vets proved stunning—it’s a rarity that any band can stir up much energy at such a (musically) unforgiving hour, let alone a band made up of people who’ve been making music since before half the audience was born, yet these guys had little trouble owning the venue. Lead singer Kevin Whelan rocked like a twenty-two year old, standing on amps and sweating and shouting and clapping—he was virtually furious with passion—and the band’s catalog, both old and new, came alive. There was even the obligatory shout-out to Jersey, the oft-maligned home of the band. And for this show, the audience itself was a point of entertainment: it was peopled with a few fantastically-excited individuals long familiar with the band, and a bunch of sprouts who were wondering why the hell these old guys on stage were so excited. But, regardless, it was made very, very clear that the Wrens are back, and just as captivating as ever. -Nick Courtright

Dim Mak & Constant Artists Showcase at the Parish: Despite the debauchery of SX, few sights could compare to watching electro pop superstar Gil Mantera prance around stage in his underwear. The man dances unlike anyone we've ever seen, operating like a ballerina and leprechaun hybrid. Although his act may seem over the top to someone who's never witnessed the live spectacle, Gil Mantera's Party Dream kept the crowd engaged at the downstairs section of The Parish Friday night.

Mantera, his just-as-eccentric-brother Ultimate Donny and subdued drummer A.E. Paterra make up the Party Dream, and lived up to their honorary title. After a few decent but low-profile opening acts, the men fired up some atmosphere into the dimly lit, intimate venue. Forgoing their usual spandex attire and opting for black leather suits, Gil and Donnie delivered some spicy tunes, full of synth-voco deliciousness. And oh yeah: the ladies of the crowd absolutely adored them. With girls screaming "I love you" and jumping on stage, it was obvious that this is what the Party Dream is all about—getting lost in the music and not giving a flip who sees you dance drunkenly on stage. And the fact that the cover was only $5 for general admission made it all the sweeter. We heard that their show the following night at Emo's was pretty similar—same songs, same outfits—but with a lot more banter between songs. Apparently Gil discussed his somewhat complicated relationship with Big Bird. While we're not sure what kind of insane dreams these guys have, we sure are happy they've translated them into addictive music delivered with confidence and originality. We're just hoping they haven't packed away the spandex for good.
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March 25, 2009 2:06 PM

Paste and Brooklyn Vegan’s Party in Austin: Another one of those “stick around here all day because every band is awesome” shows, the Radio Room was home to this event on the 19th. The crowd enjoyed sets by Cursive and The Avett Brothers, but the top highlights had to be an intimate set by Daniel Johnston and a blistering set by The Wrens, both clearly proving that the magic is still there.

C3 Presents & Playboy’s 10th Annual Late Night Party: Very coveted, extremely well policed, and always prime for a rumor or two, C3’s Playboy Party took place at the warehouse on East 12th and I-35, formerly utilized as Barack Obama’s local campaign headquarters. As we entered, we encountered questions about Mötley Crüe’s impending arrival on stage, but it was all too clear during Bassnectar’s hypnotic set that only one set of legends would perform this evening. Jane’s Addiction had everyone smiling from ear to ear as they tore through classics like “Three Days,” “Been Caught Stealing,” “Mountain Song,” and “Stop.” It was unfortunate (for us) that Dinosaur Jr. was on at exactly the same time at The Mohawk.

The Jagjaguwar + Secretly Canadian + Dead Oceans Showcase: You know you're at a good showcase when the opening act is throwback soulman Richard Swift, and throughout the night at the Mohawk, we found it hard to balance between the indoor and outdoor stages. Julie Doiron (former Eric's Trip and current Mt. Eerie collaborator) cooed her way through an unbelievable set, Bishop Allen rocked and rolled a dancing crowd, South African noise rock specialists BLK JKS demonstrated their well-earned hype and Akron/Family put on as moving a set as they're able in an abbreviated SXSW setting. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the evening came to those patiently waiting for the late night surprise guest: Dinosaur Jr. With little fanfare, J Mascis & Co. (including a surly Lou Barlow) barreled through both new and old material ("Freak Scene", anyone?) and fans were particularly pleased when Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew took the stage for "The Wagon." -Paige Maguire

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