As an East Coast kid raised in New York, there was little I ever thought I’d envy about being from the Southwest. Sure, they have great Tex-Mex and it never gets too cold, but what’s all that compared to the busy, condensed, booming center of culture that is Manhattan, right?
Wrong, apparently. The Southwest has a lot more to offer than tacos and warm weather — it’s a center for outdoor music festivals, most notably the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.
Despite all the indie coolness of New York spots like the Williamsburg Hall of Music and the Bowery Ballroom, there’s something about the Northeast that just isn’t conducive to music festivals. Bamboozle lands in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., for two days every year, but getting jostled around in a Hellogoodbye mosh pit gets tiring quickly.
Austin, however, is the perfect location for a festival like SXSW. As Texas’s cultural center, the city is littered with venues, party spots and streets just waiting to be lined with hipster kids for the annual music, film and interactive event. What sets SXSW apart from other music festivals — besides the film and interactive components, which precede the five-day music event — is the fact that there is no one location dotted with stages; instead SXSW is a city-wide affair that centers its events around the downtown Austin Convention Center and takes over the whole city.
So for any of you lucky enough to somehow be excused from classes from March 12-21, here’s your guide to SXSW 2010. For the rest of us stranded music fans, here’s the chance to live vicariously through our Southwest counterparts.
When it comes to venues, Stubb’s is Austin’s jam. Kicking off the first night of music and uniting the coasts are New York City’s the Walkmen and Austin’s own locals, Spoon. Formed in 1993 in the golden era of alternative rock, the four-piece Walkmen have released seven albums, their most recent being “Transference,” released in January. “Written in Reverse,” Spoon’s latest single is a piano-laden bar-rock song with a tinge of old-school swagger offsetting lead singer Hamilton Leithauser’s bluesy vocals. They’re kicking off their nationwide tour at Stubb’s, so anyone bummed about missing them in Austin can catch up with them on the East Coast.
Hitting the Encore Patio the Saturday of SXSW are San Francisco rockers Sleepy Sun. Before hitting the road with Arctic Monkeys, the boys are stopping by Austin to deliver their vintage brand of psychedelic rock to SXSW-ers. Fans may look forward to a performance of their nine-minute epic “Sandstorm Woman,” which rolls over listeners in a slow-motion haze of guitar licks and harmonica solos.
Anyone looking to venture out of the genre of alternative rock can look forward to Los Angeles boy-girl folk duo She & Him. Comprised of folk guitar legend M. Ward and Hollywood darling Zooey Deschanel (don’t let the singer-slash-actress label throw you off), She & Him bring a chemistry and charm not common to the jaded world of indie music. The two combine the sounds of rock and pop through the eras, even including throwback covers like a slide-guitar rendition of The Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better.” She & Him are playing the Auditorium Shores Stage on Saturday, March 20.
Capitalizing on the trendy Austin scene are several music publications, including “Under the Radar,” who is throwing an all-ages party at Emo’s East Annex. Their latest addition to the lineup is Norwegian golden boy Sondre Lerche, who recently released his latest album “Heartbeat Radio.” Lerche’s dainty vocals float effortlessly over intricately laced melodies, making him a perfect choice for an after party event. And he looks pretty adorable in striped sweaters, meaning he’ll fit right in to Emo’s sceney vibe.
SXSW lands in Austin on March 12 and leaves March 21. With any luck, maybe next year’s event will line up with spring break, allowing for a potential temporary mass migration to the Southwest.
You can reach this staff writer at kcasino@theeagleonline.com.
