Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top gets his jam on at Rachael Ray's party
(Credit: Scott Sterling)
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(This is the fourth and final installment in a series of daily accounts of South by Southwest written by several Metromix editors and contributors.)
12:15 p.m.
I’m at the French Legation Museum to interview Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, and I must say, it might be the most pleasant venue in all of Austin—all rolling green lawns and historic architecture. I watch a little of Emmy the Great, a British folkie, but I’m so distracted by the sheer pleasantness of my surroundings that I couldn’t really tell you what she sounded like. – AH
1:15 p.m.
English duo F*ck Buttons are what happens when two kids with a collection of thrift store keyboards and effects pedals decide to base their entire sound on Underworld’s “Kittens.” Thunderous, gorgeous, heavily distorted beats and electronics—nothing fancy but totally mesmerizing. By far my favorite noise of the week. – AH
1:55 p.m.
Still in line for Rachael Ray’s party. Thank god I have the new Breeders album to listen to on my Shuffle—so good! The Vitamin Water girls are passing out free drinks and a kind soul brings out a plate of mini-burgers for some of us. – STS
2:15 p.m.
I’m in! Rachael’s menu includes ribs with apricot glaze, mac and cheese, seven-layer burgers and bourbon-orange barbecue chicken. Lots of free booze and one really great celebrity sighting (Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top). – STS
2:30 p.m.
Val Emmich made a nice pop-rock soundtrack for my morning taco and tequila brunch. – KM
3:00 p.m.
The Levi’s/Fader Fort might be the most interesting venue in town: lots of little rooms—including a Jam Master Jay tribute room playing vintage hip-hop—leading to a giant courtyard in which DJ A-Trak is throwing down some dope beats in between a completely random list of acts. I just miss rapper David Banner, but get there in time to hear Scandinavian popster Lykke Li, who occasionally sang through a megaphone and was just generally a good time. – AH
3:40 p.m.
I’m late to Chromeo, but I get there in time to hear an encore set that includes vocoder-sung, synth-pop covers of Journey, Fastball and other classic rock favorites you’d be embarrassed to sing in public if they weren’t so irresistibly awesome. The crowd is going nuts. – AH
4:00 p.m.
Man Man and their klezmer punk and oddball costumes confuse and excite me—and are more enjoyable than A Place to Bury Strangers, whose dissonance was lost in the sunshine and 90 degree heat. – KM
4:10 p.m.
Metromix’s own Rob Perry, ace photographer, is sitting in on drums with his band Blondsai and he’s truly amazing. – MO
4:30 p.m.
Singer-songwriter Freddie Stevenson is competing with a punk band in the back of Spiro’s; he’s in the front room with only an acoustic guitar to defend himself. “F--- SXSW,” he snarls between songs, obviously frustrated by all the noise. “I’m gonna play a ballad and it’ll just have to be a really f---ing loud ballad.” – AH
5:45 p.m.
After their set at Spiro’s, we walk across the street with Connecticut indie rockers Saint Bernadette and interview the band inside a liquor store. I sense a future theme for Metromix’s music coverage. – AH
6:00 p.m
The Wombats are trashed and do a karaoke break halfway through their set. – KM
7:30 p.m.
At the Mess With Texas outdoor festival in Waterloo Park—a free and open-to-the-public alternative to the badges and wristbands of SXSW. Waiting for the Breeders and they’d better be worth it. – MO
7:50 p.m.
2 Live Crew and Spank Rock: the sound of white people dancing. – KM
9:00 p.m.
Breeders totally worth the wait. Never been this close to the Deal sisters and they always impress. They played “No Aloha”—very nostalgic. – MO
10:00 p.m.
I think my official theme for SXSW 2008 is “noise.” The Raveonettes bring guitar feedback to another level; every song sounds like Phil Spector on heroin. – AH
11:00 p.m.
At the Perez Hilton party: Robyn is killing it and I’m three feet away from her. – STS
11:15 p.m.
The line for Kid Sister’s showcase is a mile long so I bail and head to Buffalo Billiards for Tally Hall. I saw them a year and a half ago and their shtick is exactly the same—color-coordinated ties, dorky white-boy raps and a YouTube-friendly video that they use as an intro. But my girlfriend loves them so I’m not allowed to talk smack about them. – AH
2:45 a.m.
I’m so tired I can barely stand up, but I decide to join Scott at the Perez Hilton party anyway. Katy Perry is amazing, Chester French is lame (but the crowd loves them, so what do I know?) and N.E.R.D. are L.A.T.E. I suck it up and stay for the first ten minutes of their set—yup, there’s Pharrell, in the flesh—then crawl off in search of a cab. – AH
Metromix's SXSW day three recap. —»
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