“It’s the afternoon, you’ve had seventeen beers, your heads
is sunburned, you’ve just seen four bands at the same time and you think…this
might be too much of a good thing.” – Tim Kinsella
For once Tim Kinsella and I are in complete agreement. SXSW
you are a cruel mistress. Beckoning the masses in with a plethora of corporate swag, like free Magic Hat that Paste gave away in an attempt to distract us from their showcase. Factors like that give the false impression that this whole SXSW thing might be
the best thing ever…until realization hits that the only thing consumed
that day are five of those said Magic Hats. On top of that your earplugs are lost,
everyone around you is sporting ironic mustaches, and it is only two hours into
the first day of this clusterfuck.
Regardless, early missteps are key experiences to guide you through
the remainder of the nearly weeklong assault on your liver (although I’m
clearly a bit behind on the learning curve as I still ended up traversing the
side of I-35 at 3am on Friday).
But SXSW isn’t about how much free Lone Star you can consume,
or snagging the most complimentary tote bags. It’s about the music[1]. D.C. made a gallant showing in Austin with a scattering of bands trekking in minivans and
station wagons to perform in a handful of showcases such as the pride
filled D.C. Does Texas. Held at Lovejoy’s
on Wednesday when we were all still fresh-faced and sanguine, seven D.C. metro
bands put forth a strong showing with sounds ranging soul tinged garage rock (Carol Bui, Tereu
Tereu), indie pop rock (Deleted
Scenes, Typefighter, The Caribbean), electronic dance
(True Womanhood), and alt country (These United States). Special thanks
goes to the drunk Austonian who broke it down during True Womanhood’s set; you
gave me my second (or fourth) wind.
[1]
Humor me
