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This year's SXSW Music Festival was a complete blast. I experienced more live music this year than I can ever remember in a four day span. Even though I experienced 23 different bands in those four days, at 2 a.m. early Sunday morning it was sad to realize I was going to wake the next morning with no more bands to see. As always, the number of badge holders and venues made it impossible for me to take in all of my top priorities in every case. However, I still made the most of my time as my second choices in all cases were still amazing experiences. Here are short summaries of each of the shows I attended. In the coming weeks, I will provide more in-depth reviews of some of these performances along with more pictures I took along the way.

8:00 PM - Band: Price (Miami, FL) - Venue: Latitude 30

Impression: Band is young but gave a surprisingly tight live performance. Songs were standard rock with a soulful feel. At times, the vocalist reminded me of a very young Daryl Hall.

9:00 PM - Band: Quien es, Boom! (Austin, TX) - Venue: Latitude 30

Impression: They provided a great groove and original sound. Unfortunately, the lead vocalist lost his voice Wednesday morning. This forced them to cut the set to four songs. This was a bummer. I hope I get to see them under different circumstances.

10:00 PM - Band: Fionn O'Lochlainn (London, UK) - Venue: The Ale House

Impression: An amazing musician who was equally impressive with his guitar and mandolin playing, songwriting, and vocal ability. He was joined on stage with two string instruments, a violin and a cello, played by two slightly nervous women in little black dresses. His afro-laden female drummer played simple drum patterns on only some of the songs. I got the feeling she was holding back to not overpower the other instruments. The cellist began one of the songs with an unusual staccato bowing technique which provided an interesting rhythm to start the song.

Highpoint: As if he hadn't already impressed the crowd with his vocal range, Fionn treated the audience to an a cappella version of "War Pigs" as an intro to his last song.

11:00 PM - Band: Forro In The Dark (New York, NY) - Venue: Club 115

Impression: This infectious Brazilian-style pop band convinced David Byrne and Bebel Gilberto to be guest vocalists on their latest album. David Byrne was in town, but didn't show. The band still managed to create some new fans with their distinctive sound. The band provided an interesting mixture of African rhythms paired with melodies produced from a flute and trombone.

Highlight: "Far West"

12:30 AM - Band: Peter, Bjorn, and John (Stockholm, Sweden) - Venue: La Zona Rosa

Impression: These three proved they were experienced live performers with their showmanship and stage presence. Peter (guitar) and Bjorn (bass) went beyond the call of duty by showcasing their soloing abilities on their respective instruments. Peter in one solo threw his guitar on the ground and tap danced on it as it filled the room with distortion. This was an odd sight from a guy who was bobbing side to side as he sang only a few songs before. Peter and Bjorn also shared the responsibility of lead vocals with Peter singing the majority of the time. All three band members combined for the harmonies. Missing from the vocal equation was the female voice from the album, Victoria Bergsman. However, the band still sounded solid on every song. Even live, the songwriting seemed like a compilation of pop masterpieces.

Highlights: "Amsterdam" and "The Chills"

Thursday, March 15, 2007

5:00 PM - Band: The Walkmen (Washington D.C.) - Venue: Bourbon Rocks (FOUND Magazine party)

Impression: The lead singer sang with intensity. The horn section added a nice touch on some of the songs. However, the band was not as overwhelmingly impressive live as I was told. I didn't feel the same emotion was present in their live performance as on the album.

8:00 PM - Band: Kid Beyond (San Francisco, CA) - Venue: Elysium

Impression: He performed an unusual and inspiring one-man show only using sequencers and a microphone. Pedal based triggers were used to sequence his live vocal sounds including beat-box style drums. He progressively added more layers of sounds, compiling them in a series of laptops and a sequencer rack located next to him on stage. Vocal parts were rapped and sung through vocoder effects which were formed over the top of the repeating musical mixture. No one present was questioning the origin of his name as they remained in awe throughout the performance. After the show, he was selling CDs at a table in the back. A long line of people formed to provide accolades and asked him questions about his performance.

Highpoints: He dedicated a song to a young human rights activist who died in car accident in Iraq while on a peace mission. Her last words were, "I'm alive."

9:00 PM - Band: Thomas Dolby (San Francisco, CA) - Venue: Elysium

Impression: Thomas Dolby's equipment consisted of a Mac computer, with a sequencing program up on the display, a bevy of different types of keyboards all plugged into a central rack of effects processors and sequencers. He appeared on stage dressed like a futuristic mad scientist. The show began with him alone on stage but he was later joined by Jazz Mafia Horns. His ability to build the song with live loops and sequenced keyboard effects was amazing to witness. I felt as if, I was watching a mad genius at work through every song. After I left the Elysium, the performance hit me like a shot of liquor at the start of the evening.

Highpoints: "She Blinded Me with Science" with Jazz Mafia Horns. The encore was "Hyperactive" with Jazz Mafia Horns.

11:00 PM - Band: Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hearafter (Seattle, WA) - Venue: Buffalo Billiards (Barsuk Showcase)

Impression: This was a typical singer/songwriter performance. She and the band provided a sixties style mood with melancholy lyrics of love and loss.

12:00 AM - Band: Aqueduct (Seattle, WA) - Venue: Buffalo Billiards (Barsuk Showcase)

Impression: This band is truly underrated. They gave a humorous performance with lots of personality and some great songs from their catalog of albums. I felt guilty during the performance of not owning any of their music.

Highpoints: They opened their set with a rendition of the theme song from the TV show Walker, Texas Ranger. "Hardcore Days and Softcore Nights"

1:00 AM - Band: Menomena (Portland, OR) - Venue: Buffalo Billiards (Barsuk Showcase)

Impression: As expected they pulled many instruments from cases off stage and arranged them in a strategic fashion around each performer. The ability to recreate the many components which make up their songs live was remarkable. Drummer Danny Seim gave one of the most amazing percussive displays I have ever seen. Justin Harris and Brent Knopf switched between instruments continuously while flawlessly executing their vocal duties. They blew the roof off the joint.

Highpoints: Every song was remarkable but if I have to pick... "The Pelican" was a disturbingly great launch point for the set. After being told they had one song left, they chose, "Rotten Hell" which provided me yet another level of appreciation for the song and their performance.

Friday, March 16, 2007

8:00 PM - Band: Dirty Fuzz (London, UK) - Venue: Blender Bar at the Ritz

Impression: This was a straight up rock band which kicked off the night with a bang. The band is comprised of typical drums, bass, guitar, and an atypical front woman who really reminded me of Tina Turner. Lead singer Elida Zulu really brought it home that the bands' sole purpose was to show people the true definition of rock ‘n roll "because James Blunt isn't rock ‘n roll."

Highpoint: The set began with "Love Is A Gun To My Head" which proves the band was not their to play nice.

8:30 PM - Band: Pete and The Pirates (Reading, UK) - Venue: Stubb's BBQ

Impression: Only got to witness the last few songs performed. After hearing those, I felt the need to seek them out. They reminded me of "The Killers" at times without sounding generic to the modern rock landscape.

9:30 PM - Band: Andrew Bird (Chicago, IL) - Venue: Stubb's BBQ

Impression: This low-key act didn't seem to win over any new fans, but had plenty of loyal fans present. I was a little surprised to see the number of people who knew every word to his songs. The song structure and sound was typically indie. However, after the third song it was easy to understand how he gained his fan base. On some of the songs, he exhibited his songbird abilities with his whistling accompaniment.

10:30 PM - Band: Perry Ferrell's Satellite Party (Los Angeles, CA) - Venue: Stubb's BBQ

Impression: I didn't know what to expect from Perry Farrell this time. The only thing I knew about his new band is what I've read about their upcoming album. As rumor has it, the album consists of contributions from everyone in rock music including Jim Morrison. Perry did manage to show off his latest wares and his wife (Etta contributed as stage candy and backup vocalist). Nuno Bettencourt (from Extreme) provided the only recognizable face besides Perry's. However, the music I heard was a daring conglomeration of international and inter-genre styles from middle-eastern to hip-hop. The talented composition of studio musicians gave us a brief glimpse in to what to expect on May 15 upon the release of the new album.

Highlight: He performed one throwback crowd pleaser amongst the set, "Ain't No Right." For a moment, I felt like I was at a Jane's Addiction show.

11:30 PM - Band: Badly Drawn Boy (Manchester, UK) - Venue: Stubb's BBQ

Impression: I was surprised at Damon Gough (a.k.a Badly Drawn Boy) at first. Perry Farrell gave such an energetic live performance; the transition was almost a let down. However, after the first few songs I found myself fully engaged in what was being presented. His manner and style is unmistakably British. Everything about the band sounded like the recordings except for some of the stuttering starts which he claimed his fault by pointing a finger at his knit cap. The crowd was obviously more excited about his earlier work, than songs off his new album, Born In The U.K.

Highpoint: He closed his set with a surprising cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"

12:30 PM - Band: The Good, The Bad, and The Queen (London, UK) - Venue: Stubb's BBQ

Impression: The members of the band walked out on stage like New York mobsters in a Martin Scorcese film. The stage was set with a mural painting of late 19^th Century London with a predominant blue color, unlike the album. Damon Albarn was dressed in a tuxedo with an open collar, no tie and a top hat. Former Clash bassist, Paul Simonon was wearing a black pin-strip suit with a black fedora. After acknowledging the crowd only with a brief dapper smile, the band started into "History Song" the initial track off their latest album. They proceeded to play through the rest of the album in order. Seeing those songs performed live revealed many of the albums amazing hidden elements. Joining the band throughout their set was an extra keyboardist who relieved Damon of his piano duties at times. Also present was a string trio, named Demon Strings, consisting of two violins and a cello. For the encore they invited a rapper from Syria on stage for a non-album track.

Highlights: Paul Simonon carried the bass like a "Tommy gun" throughout the set to add to the gangster persona. "The Good, The Bad, and The Queen" ended the pre-encore performance as it did the album with an amazingly definitive tone.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

4:00 PM - Band: Menomena (Portland, OR) - Venue: Mohawk (Hot Freaks! Party)

Impression: After the Buffalo Billiards set list was truncated due to time constraints, I was left wanting so much more. This opportunity was granted with a longer setlist including two songs from Friend and Foe which are some of my favorites. Once again, the band surprisingly pulled off what seemed impossible after hearing the albums so many times. The stage was slightly smaller than before. I was afraid this might present a problem after seeing what it takes to recreate their songs live. However, they juggled the duties of playing their gamut of instruments with precision. This being their last performance of the festival, the band seemed more relaxed which added to their appeal. Even though the set was longer, I still left wanting more.

Highpoints: The two tracks they didn't play on Thursday were amazing on Saturday; "Wet and Rusting" and "Evil Bee."

8:00 PM - Band: Mohair (Watford, UK) - Venue: La Zona Rosa

Impression: This band toured with Razorlight previously. The band gave a great performance accentuated by tight harmonies and disco influenced modern rock. Lead vocalist, guitarist Tom Billington offered a surprising piece of trivia about the track "Keep It Together" going to number one in Bosnia. The show was filled with infectious melodies and catchy lyrics. The band is definitely worth exploring further.

9:00 PM - Band: Mew (Copenhagen, Denmark) - Venue: La Zona Rosa

Impression: After discovering this band shortly before the festival, I had them on my main list of priorities. I feel extremely privileged to have witnessed one of the most amazing performances of the festival. The band performed while cloaked in almost extreme darkness at times. Other times they were backlit by a sequence of strobe lights and video of freakish dolls lip-synching along with the backup vocals. Fortunately, I was close enough to witness the intensity of each band member as they stood entranced in the mood created by their collective performance. Their music is tough to classify but my best attempt would be Yes meets Radiohead.

Highlights: "The Zookeeper's Boy" and "Special" were phenomenal.

10:00 PM - Band: Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Shreveport, LA) with Special Guests (Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Brian Lee, Buddy Flett) (A Tribute To Clifford Antone) - Venue: Antone's

Impression: As a fan of blues music in general, I was drawn to the opportunity to witness some blues legends, Hubert Sumlin and Pinetop Perkins, grace the stage with the talented young axe man. They did not disappoint. Kenny Wayne also brought along some more of his musical influences, a blind New Orleans based guitarist Brian Lee and Buddy Flett from his hometown of Shreveport. Each bluesman got at least two songs to trade solos with Kenny Wayne during the extended time slot. Then they all joined together on stage for a combined performance with each guest getting his turn to impress with a solo. The song list was comprised of familiar blues standards like "How Long" and "The Things I Used To Do". After the combined performance, all of the musicians (except for the 93 year-old Pinetop Perkins) took a bow and left the stage to Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his band. Then, perhaps as a salute to Stevie Ray Vaughn, whose picture was located on the wall just to the right of the stage, played Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) the way Stevie always did - with lots of Wah pedal.

Highlights: All of the great blues musicians lined the stage with grins as they played together. "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)"

12:00 PM - Band: Gasoline Cowboy (Auckland, New Zealand) - Venue: Latitude 30

Impression: This unfamiliar band had a stripped down and raw sound typical of generic indie bands. The lead singer/guitarist, Jolyon Mulholland, sang with distinctive vocal style. The rest of the band's sound was not as distinctive but pleasant to hear. The small venue lent well to the band's "happy to be here" mood.

1:00 AM - Band: Youth Group (Australia) - Venue: Latitude 30

Impression: Being familiar with Youth Group's albums, I was expecting them to perform a series of goodnight songs to end my time at the festival. However, the band shocked me with playing what seemed like up-tempo versions of their best tracks. Each member of the four-piece was impressive musically. Toby Martin seemed like he was feeling every note as he belted out the lyrics to "Skeleton Jar" and "Catching and Killing." Singing mostly with his head tilted back and eyes closed, I got the eerie feeling he was reaching from past experiences to convey emotions which were somehow interwoven within the songs. Like most bands witnessed at the festival, they were impressively tight but they really took the intensity up a notch with their performance.

Highlights: "Shadowlands" and "Catching and Killing"

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