Andrew Bird headlined NPR's Stubb's showcase Wednesday night. Photo by NPR.
The first day of SXSW 2012 in Austin closed out with performances at Stubb’s by Andrew Bird (and broadcast live by NPR); Titus Andronicus at Bar 96; Lower Dens at ND; We Were Promised Jetpacks at Easy Tiger Patio; Built to Spill at IFC Crossroads; Neon Indian (DJ Set) at Red Eyed Fly; Blondes at Barbarella; The Spinto Band at Karma Longe; Cults at Red 7 Patio; Cage the Elephant at The Main; Paper Route at The Velveeta Room and on and on. See more artists performances and venues below.
That partial listing there is just a sampling of dozens and dozens of sets that any one person will miss while at SXSW; it’s simply humanly impossible to be in more than one place at a time – so when it comes to SXSW, because there are so many great artists playing different venues at the same time, hard choices have to be made. Even music sites and blogs with a large contingency of writers and photographers at SXSW cannot cover everything they want to in a given day.
Andrew Bird and band perform at Stubb's Wednesday night. Photo by NPR
Not surprisingly, Andrew Bird put on a brilliant performance at NPR’s showcase at the Austin institution, Stubb’s. Bird and the band, with its amazing proggy, indie folk style, played a number of tracks from his band’s latest album, Break It Yourself, including the lead single, “Eyeoneye,” as well as plenty of songs that made him and the band legendary, like “Plasticites,” “Effigy,” “Dark Matter,” “Desperation Breeds,” “Fiery Crash.”
“Eyeoneye” – Andrew Bird from Break It Yourself via Mom + Pop
The band also appeared on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central Tuesday evening.
And then it came time for the Birdman. It’s fair to say that while his roots were indie-based, Andrew Bird has, in recent years especially, grown beyond that demographic to attract people who may not necessarily listen to indie predominantly. It was pure exhileration when Andrew Bird and the band took the stage at Stubbs last evening. While a thunder and lightning storm was threatening, Bird performed like the professional live performer he is. The performance of “Dense Caribe” was simply stunning. For those who have never been, SXSW is a truly magical experience. One of the many wonderful things about SXSW is that is geared towards music lovers (and anyone who just wants to have fun) – especially indie and alternative music – who can see more bands in five or six days in one fairly centralized location than they may be able to see in an entire year living in a city.
Listen to Andrew Bird’s performance last night at Stubb’s via NPR
Sharon Van Etten on stage at Stubb's Wednesday evening. Photo via NPR
The showcase started out earlier in the evening with Sharon Van Etten, who has quickly become one of the top female indie singer-songwriters, and biggest attractions at various festivals in the past 18 months . On stage, her performance seems effortless, her voice is soothing and poignant, and her lyrics are touching and heartfelt. Despite a bit of a late start, the crowd received Van Etten and her band with enthusiasm and love. It’s apparent that Van Etten is a rising star in the folk art rock realm.
Listen to Sharon Van Etten’s set at Stubb’s Wednesday night
Dan Deacon, who put on a typically tweaked out set of high-octane electro-dance chaos, sat down with NPR before Bird’s set, noted that he had never performed with two drummers before, but decided to for his NPR SXSW performance, which he pointed out was special because this year is the 25th anniversary of South By Southeast, the country’s premiere music marathon.
Note: Dan Deacon said his new album (title unknown) had to be remixed and will be out in September via Domino Records.
Stream Dan Deacon’s set at Stubb’s Wednesday night via NPR
The rising band, The Alabama Shakes, debuted at SXSW during the NPR live cast, and we think it’s fair to say, mesmerized a lot of folks. Lead singer, Britanny Howard, may be one of the best ‘new’ female vocalists to perform at SXSW, and the band are fantastic. The crowd absolutely loved The Alabama Shakes, and via social media as well.
In fact, at one point, the crowd tried to get the band back out to play another song – but SXSW is not an encore-styled event due to the tight schedules. The band’s mix of groove, soul, rhythm and blues, indie rock and blues really make them standout in the very crowded current music scene. We’d say, based on that performance, and some of the band’s previous releases, The Alabama Shakes are a Band to Watch in 2012. Their popularity is also evident by the fact that they opened for the Birdman.
Credit also needs to go to the mixing engineer for NPR, Kevin Wait. Definitely one of the memorable performances of Day Two.
A rising solo artist, Youth Lagoon performed Wednesday at SXSW during IFC Crossroads showcase. Photo by Pitchfork
Since it is impossible to highlight every show, here’s just a sampling of some of the artists and bands that we’ve covered and which venue they performed at on Wednesday. Here are just a few with some tracks to make it real.
IFC Crossroads – Youth Lagoon
“Montana“ – Youth Lagoon from The Year of Hibernation Full post
The Stage on Sixth Patio – We Are Trees, Young Man, Suckers
“Black Sheep” – Suckers from Wild Smile Full Post
Beauty Bar Backyard – Royal Baths, Natural Child, Turbo Fruits
“The Jungle” – Natural Child from Scion A/V Garage 7″ Series (2011) Full Post
Club Deville – Choir of Young Believers
“Next Summer” – Choir of Young Believers from Choir of Young Believers
Red 7 Patio – Thee Oh Sees, Tennis
“I Need Seed” – Thee Oh Sees from Castlemania Full Post
Trinity Hall – The Soft Swells, My Jerusalem
“Every Little Thing” – Soft Swells from Soft Swells Full Post
Haven – Band of Skulls, Oberhofer
“Light of the Morning”– Band of Skulls Full Post (Summer Songs)
Buffalo Billiards – Sleepy Sun
“Open Eyes” – Sleepy Sun from Fever Full Post
Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room – Princeton
“Remembrance of Things to Come” – Princeton from Remembrance of Things to Come Full Post
1100 Wharehouse – Tribes, fun.
“We Are Young” – fun. (featuring Janelle Monáe) from Some Nights Full Post
512 – Lightouts
“The Cure For Shyness” – Lightouts from The Cure For Shyness Single Full Post
Controversy of Ad Agency Using Homeless People as 4G Wi-Fi Hotspots Gets Wide Media Coverage
Of course we can’t do a fair coverage of SXSW without mentioning the media-wide controversy regarding the use of homeless people as literal 4G Wi-Fi hotspots. Homeless people were hired for $20 each to wear small Wi-Fi routers so that so-called hipsters, press and general SXSW attendees could get a Wi-Fi signal on their mobile phones, tablets and laptop computers in more locations along the famous 6th Street corridor.
Most notable of all of the criticism was the segment on The Daily Show Wednesday evening in which iconic host Jon Stewart mocked the move as “I think we all can agree that this is a terrible idea that no one is OK with, right?” Watch The Daily Show segment about the controversy. The decision was not one that was apparently made by SXSW organizers, but rather an advertising agency. We also think it’s a stupid and insensitive idea, but again, we’re talking about advertising agencies.
