Several of my friends have gotten together to form Austin's newest super group, Fosskit No. 5, who recently released their first CD at Cherrywood Coffeehouse on May 7. The group includes Neal Mehta (The Recliners and Halloway), John Bush (Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians), Joon-Yee Chuah on keyboards and fiddle and Bill Walter on bass. Clemency is the new CD(produced by Bush), with pop influences like The Killers and Pete Yorn, with the occasional somber touch of The Smiths and more recently, The National. The fiddle and keys add a lot of texture, bringing a modern sensibility like that of Arcade Fire. Check it out.
I'd been holding my Pete Yorn/Ben Kweller tickets for months, and it was the perfect excuse for me to crawl out of my post-SXSW malaise. It was a beautiful night for music with two fantastic performers on the bill. The opener, The Wellspring, was also pretty fantastic. Both Yorn and Kweller are two of my favorite artists. Kweller played solo, and had the enthusiastic audience in the palm of his hand, playing hits and a few new songs, announcing an upcoming release that will be on his own label. Yorn has matured so much, and the songs off the now 10-year-old debut Music for the Morning After, still hold up and remain some of my favorite songs. Enjoy these photos and videos from the night.
SXSW wrapped up for me with a bunch of favorites - an afternoon party with Okkervil River, then showcases with local bands SPEAK, Electric Touch - closing with surprise set by Soundtrack of our Lives playing acoustic in St. David's Church. SooL is a rockin' band from Sweden who I've seen several times at ACL and SXSW. They have a big sound and performance, but this set was subdued and pretty. It was a great way to see them in a different light.
SPEAK won Best Indie Band at Austin Music Awards last night, and Electric Touch and Okkervil River both have new albums, which they showcased during their sets. Check them out.
So, that does it for me. It was a crazy week. There were some mishaps and some injuries, but mostly a fantastic, exhausting, surprising, ridiculous and inspiring experience. Until next year, folks!
Check the Interactive coverage from my Texas State students at sxtxstate.com.
Liz Phair is one of my all-time favorites. I was so excited to hear that she'd be at SXSW. However, she ended up not having a showcase (as far as I know), but playing a few special things, like this at the IFC/Crossroads House. It was a weird setup, a big camera rig in the middle of the room, and a dude in the crowd with another giant camera. And, it was hot. But it was so worth it. Got to hear lots of my favorites. She plays the Perez Hilton party tonight, so I may try to catch her again. BTW, Perez was there, standing next to me for a little while before the show. I tried to surreptitiously snap the photo below, but don't think I was all that stealth. It's a terrible photo, but I think you can tell it's him.
I felt a little guilty about calling it quits early, got home around midnight. But then I realized I had been out since 9am. For Saturday, I'm going to try to catch Okkervil River, Soundtrack of our Lives, some Electric Touch and SPEAK, if all goes well. Might swing by the Rachael Ray Party. See you out there.
Perez was cool. He had his pic taken with lots of people. I snapped one for some kids with their camera.
Sondre Lerche was a nice break from the mayhem outside. He played at Central Presbyterian Church. He's a great artist, such a beautiful voice and lovely songs.
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