First full day at SXSW, and it was one band after another from lunch on. The day, according to bands:
Contact High Five. Friend’s band that was playing a 1:30 show at the Dog and Duck. Can’t be impartial, but I can say that this was one of those “holy shit” moments you have at SXSW. The band before them was a competent and enjoyable rock band full of kids. Like too competent for their ages—-the lead singer and lead guitarist looked 17-18, but the bassist looked 12 and the drummer 14, tops. They rocked the house and looked cute preening in their black suits, black ties and caps. I’m sure they’d die if they knew I thought they were “cute”.
We Are Scientists. I was thoroughly prepared to hate this band, who I saw as pretentious as fuck. In addition, they kept up a stream of inane chatting between songs that they clearly thought of as witty banter, due to the white guy privilege of never having to prove you’re funny to get accepted as funny. But they pulled it out during the second half of the set, and I had to begrudgingly admit they were good.
The Hounds Below. Due to a traffic jam, I missed half their set at wine bar on the east side. Working out daily at the gym is paying off, however—-I was able to run for nearly a mile to catch the second half and was a teeny bit sweaty when I got there. (Yeah, warm weather!) But it was worth it. They were fucking awesome. Lead singer Jason Stollsteimer (of Von Bondies fame) has an amazing voice, and they just generally kick ass. I want to see them again, and they play like a million day shows, so I have a good shot at getting my wish. Wish me luck. Marc told me they played a rockabilly version of “Where Is My Mind”. That alone makes it worth it. Stollsteimer expressly requested that people download all their stuff for free at Last FM, so have at it.