Day 2 started bright and early at 10 am (which is early if you went to bed at 5:30 am). But the weather was fine and the schedule was brimming with bands I was excited to see. So the boys and I decided to start the day off by checking out the Brooklyn Vegan/Paste Magazine day party at Radio Room with reportedly-free Magic Hat beer.
Paste Magazine typically has a killer lineup for their day parties and this year was no exception: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Bishop Allen, Daniel Johnston backed by the Hymns, The Wrens, and The Avett Brothers, so the plan was to make that ground zero for the day, and start with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
Only The Pains of Being Pure had a scheduling conflict so they weren't performing. But The Wheel, who had just finished a set inside, was going to do another hour as a fill-in. I had no love for The Wheel's take on noodle rock and the Magic Hat wasn't, in fact, free, so I cut out for a caffeine fix and tthe Filter Magazine day party across town.
I was typing texts as I walked from the east side of town to Filter's location on the west, but I did look up long enough at one point to discover that I was walking next to someone who looked a whole lot like Craig Finn, lead singer of The Hold Steady. But Finn looks like a lotta indie guys too, so our exchange went something like this:
Me: Excuse me, are you who I think you are?
Indie-looking guy: My name's Craig.
Me: I thought so. I love your version of "Atlantic City."
Indie-looking guy I now knew was Craig Finn: Thanks.
Me: I think we'll be seeing you guys later, you seem to be playing 908908 times this year.
Indie-looking guy I now knew was Craig Finn: Well we're playing four.
Random stuff like this is definitely one of the things I love about Austin during SX. There's no rock-star attitudes or anything because everyone-artists, attendees, people handing out things, locals, everyone-has to move around through the same quadrant of streets to get from place to place.
And the irony is that I really never cared much for The Hold Steady prior to SX. But my, how all that was about to change (more on that in a bit).
Upon my arrival to the Filter party, bands were...running behind (shocking). But this glitch works to one's advantage at times. I caught Other Lives, a cool band out of Oklahoma, and downed what would turn out to be lunch that day, a few Lone Star beers.
(Oh, and Other Lives is one of those bands on a free download card at Starbucks so pick one up if you see it.)
1) Great Northern
Great Northern's music has a crunchy, fuzzy franticness that I just love. It's also got a maturity padded with a dark underbelly; lead singer/guitarist Rachel Stolte doesn't sing so much about "baby, baby, baby" as she does "Pick up your stones and go to work on my bones." Many bands of the shoegazey-vein wear their emotional words on their sleeves, but often it feels false. Great Northern is not one of these.
Plus, they gotta be one of the most attractive looking bands in Los Angeles.
Stolte has this powerful and soaring voice that conveys 12 types of emotion when she sings Great Northern's dark, hook-filled lullabies that are scorched around the sides. That strength you hear on the record isn't studio tricks, this woman has some serious pipes.
A combination of fuzzy guitar/synth/tribal drum pounding backs her, creating a great dirty and desperate sound. Guitarist Solon Bixler shares vocals with Stolte, and the two voices together are tightly cohesive.
It was pretty darn hot by this point in the day but the audience could at least head inside to grab a beer. The way the stage was set at Cedar Street, bands played facing the sun. It's possible Stolte wore her boots like this as a fashion statement, but given the rivers of sweat pouring off of everyone, I'm pretty sure it was more because leather boots get pretty damn hot.
Great Northern's sophomore release, Remind Me Where the Light Is, is due out 4/28 and is really solid. Many of the bands I saw play this spot last year have blown up since (including The Airborne Toxic Event). So maybe playing Cedar St. will be Great Northern's good luck charm as well.
Give a Listen: Houses-Great Northern
I tried to get back to the Brooklyn Vegan/Paste party in time to catch the Avett Brothers again, and, hopefully, get some better photos, but the stage schedule was running mighty behind. So much so that The Wrens, who were to play the previous hour, were just getting ready to go on. The Wrens hardly ever play live, so that, plus the great lineup, plus the Radio Room venue being the size of a broom closet, plus an already-ginormous line outside, meant that the chances of my getting in were looking slim to none.
However, when cutting through an alley in back of Radio Room, I found there to be a back entrance to the tent and The Wrens were just taking the stage...
...but my 5'5 self didn't feel like wading through the throng of people for a proper picture-takin spot (plus hot day+tent in sun=too hot for me). So I decided to head over early to secure a spot at the Found Magazine/Quack Media day party with Lucero and The Hold Steady.
2) Great Lakes Myth Society
The Red 7 venue hosting the Found Magazine/Quack Media day party was awesome in that if you had already been there and were stamped, you didn't have to wait in line (venues varied on this policy which became a GIANT pain in the ass). It's also kind of large and sprawling place and the stage I thought would house Lucero....wasn't. However, I did get to catch the end of a band I had on the list last year, the Great Lakes Myth Society. Definitely one of the better-dressed bands I saw this year...and man, does the guy in front rock that accordian!
Give a Listen: Heydays-Great Lakes Myth Society
3) Lucero
I thought it was odd that there wasn't a bigger crowd given the one-two shot of Lucero being followed by The Hold Steady. It was then I realized, ahhh, Red 7 had an outside stage too.
If you know anything about Lucero, they're known to be a band that loves a few drinks when they play, whenever and wherever that may be. But for this 4 pm show, lead singer/guitarist Ben Nichols hit the stage and thanked the crowd, then said he wasn't sure how good the show would be as he had been up since 4 am and was stone cold sober.
I've seen Lucero a few times now and it always seems like the set list is made up as they go along, not beforehand. They seem to decide on a song amongst themselves in the moment or take one of the many requests always shouted from the audience. But they always do a top-notch job....or make you laugh along with them if they fuck one up. As I'd said about their Ottobar show here in February, You never know what you'll see or what you'll get at one of their shows, but dog-tired or not, Lucero is a band that makes sure you walk away from it a convert.
This show was no exception. They tore through older tracks like "Hold Fast," and set favorites like "That Much Further West" and "Kiss the Bottle." Their playing was so raucous and ripping throughout, it was like watching a Memphis version of the Ramones.
I gotta say, if Lucero tears it up that hard when they're that tired and sober, here's hoping they never sleep or drink again.
Give a Listen: That Much Further West (Live at the Cats Cradle, 2004)-Lucero
4) The Hold Steady
I'm going to admit a dirty little secret to y'all: I never understood why people were so blown away by The Hold Steady. I mean, I liked a couple of tracks ok, but not enough to see them live. But now that I have, I understand: The Hold Steady live is a Category 3 hurricane.
To say this was a band with energy would be an understatement. The lead singer, Craig Finn, was like a 5 year old Jerry Lewis who was off his Ritalin. The entire set, he never stopped moving. And the other members were right there with him, oftentimes pogoing in unison, and, in the case of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, cuttin' some smooth dance moves behind his keyboards.
This was the first time I'd seen The Hold Steady live, and frankly, I was floored. This wasn't a band of teenagers who just put out their first record, wanting you to like them; this was a group of guys in their 30s, who just put out their fourth record, and have a national following. But they weren't jaded, they weren't just going through the motions-this was a band who wanted their audience engaged and swept up in what they were doing just as much as they were. To them, clearly, a live performance is a group experience, and everyone in the place was part of the group. You felt compelled to join in with Nicolay's rapid hand clap urges to the audience, or imitate Finn's crazy dance steps, even if you normally loathe that kind of thing.
This sort of wild abandon isn't really something you see at shows too much anymore, let alone from a band who's achieved the kind of success that The Hold Steady enjoys. It was utterly refreshing. And what's interesting is that my travelmates who'd seen The Hold Steady quite a few times previous to this show, said this one wasn't even one of their best!
The only way it could have been better for me would have been if they had dragged Lucero's Ben Nichols back out for "Sequestered in Memphis." (Nichols and his raspy growl sing backup on the album version of this song.)
Another beauty thing about SX: there's really no backstage areas. So after the show, the boys and I were milling around, trying to figure out our next moves when I happened to see bass player Galen Polivka chatting with some folks. I asked if could grab a photo of him as I'd been unable to get a decent one the whole show. He said, "You mean right now, smoking, sweating, and drunk?" And I said, "Yeah, that will make a great photo caption." So here it is, Galen Polivka, smoking, sweating, and drunk...
Overall, I can't believe I didn't get around to seeing The Hold Steady earlier. Now that I had, I couldn't wait to see them again. And I wouldn't have to. Watch for Day 3 posts coming soon...
Give a Listen: Sequestered in Memphis-The Hold Steady
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