fridayPICKSALL SHOWCASES SUBJECT TO CHANGETHE LOVE LANGUAGE8pm, Habana Bar Backyard Last SXSW,MTV declared, “Lo-fi is all the rage.” ThisRaleigh, N.C., septet brings out the genre’ssofter side, burying irresistibly rich pop melodiesand Motown soul beneath a layer ofdistortion and tape fuzz. <strong>The</strong> band’s self-titleddebut sounds like the logical continuation ofSpoon’s A Series of Sneaks, custom-made forghetto blasters.– <strong>Austin</strong> PowellT BIRD & THE BREAKS8pm, Momo’s Tim Crane, aka T Bird, mastermindsthis 11-piece local soul ensemble.Joining the soul revival from the direction ofblue-eyed shouters such as Mitch Ryder andDelbert McClinton, Crane does it with a youthful,winning touch. 20<strong>09</strong>’s Learn About It containsnine originals that match Wilson Pickettand Roy Head and give the Dap-Kings a runfor their money.– Jim CaligiuriLZ LOVE8pm, B.D. Riley’s Love’s brand of gutbucketR&B has been a welcome additionto <strong>Austin</strong> from her Chicago/Louisiana/California upbringing. Her soulful, funky,righteous vocals decorated Michael Franti &Spearhead’s acclaimed Yell Fire!, but nothingbeats the baptismal fire of Love live.– Margaret MoserWales in 18 AdjectivesToy Horses (Wed., Latitude 30, 8pm)Dual-powered, indie, melodic, Beatles-esque,charming, bright.Amy Wadge(Thu., Creekside at Hilton Garden Inn, 10pm;Fri., Stephen F’s Bar, 12mid)Lingering, earthy, thoughtful, warm,passionate, inviting.Christopher Rees(Sat., Stephen F’s Bar, 10pm)Orchestral, soulful, countryish, cautionary,mournful, satisfying. – Margaret MoserAMAZING BABY10pm, Emo’s Main Like the bastard childof fellow Brooklyn buzz bands MGMT andYeasayer, newcomers Amazing Baby dabblein flamboyant psych-pop and freak-folk jams.<strong>The</strong> quintet’s tantalizing debut EP, InfiniteFucking Cross, featuring cosmic trip “PumpYour Brakes,” dropped digitally last July, withan LP reportedly close to completion.– <strong>Austin</strong> PowellBLACK TUSK10pm, Red 7 Volcanic highlands in BritishColumbia blow worlds away from Savannah,Ga., home to metal coven Baroness,Toy HorsesWovenhand12mid, SpirosOver the course of a dozen LPs since the early 1990s, first leading16 Horsepower and now Wovenhand, Denver’s David Eugene Edwardshas preached a gospel of raging, post-punk Americana antique.Wovenhand’s career high gothic, <strong>2008</strong>’s Ten Stones, weighs biblicallyhardcore. Here’s why:Grandson of a preacher man: “Of course we weren’t allowed to listento rock & roll. We didn’t even really listen to the radio. We just heardthe m<strong>usic</strong> from church. He had four or five records, and one of themwas Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. Of course I latched on to JohnnyCash right away, and so we kind of had that as a common interest.”Ring of fire: “Bob Dylan directed me, and then Angus Young wasa huge, huge influence. I loved his sound; I loved his style; I lovedthe aggressiveness. I liked that about AC/DC and Motörhead, bandsthat were serious about what they did, even if I didn’t necessarilyagree with what they were saying. <strong>The</strong>n I heard punk rock, and frompunk rock I got into bands like Joy Division and the Birthday Party,people that were really original and also very serious about what theydid and dealt with serious subjects. <strong>The</strong> first time I heard JoyDivision, I hated it. I just thought it was the ugliest m<strong>usic</strong>. Literallythe next day, I was hooked.”Redemption: “We have a lot of people that come to our shows thatobviously don’t believe the same way I do, but they love the m<strong>usic</strong>.<strong>The</strong>y love its mood, and they love the energy of the show. <strong>The</strong>n thereare people that love what I’m saying more than the m<strong>usic</strong>. I’ll havepeople in their 60s and 70s coming to a show, or three generations:father, grandfather, and a son. I hear from a lot of kids, ‘This is thefirst band that I’ve been able to listen to with my dad.’ <strong>The</strong>n we getpeople from the black metal scene, the punk rock scene, the alt.countryscene. So our audience is extremely diverse, and it’s not a scene –you know what I mean? – which I find really interesting and I’m veryhappy about.”– Raoul HernandezSkeletonwitch, and Kylesa, but this trio’sBlack Tusk moniker has everything to do withthis brutally lithe band’s Southern discomfort.<strong>2008</strong>’s Passage Through Purgatory, liquidrhythms, riffs, and shrieks, preps a split withHoly Mountain and another LP in 20<strong>09</strong>.– Raoul HernandezPILAR DÍAZ10pm, Fuze Chilean rockera Pilar Díaz emergesfrom L.A.’s Los Abandoned, once signedto Neil Young’s Vapor imprint, but rather thanWest Hollywood punkette, she’s channeledJulieta Venegas and Lila Downs into a mouthwateringeight-song EP that came out inDecember and still doesn’t have a label. Takethe hint, gringo. – Raoul HernandezMICKEY FACTZ10pm, Beauty Bar Backyard <strong>The</strong> remixhappyGFC movement that includes FKi andStalley has a clear ringleader in Mickey Factz.<strong>The</strong> Bronx rookie, whose Leak mixtape seriespicked up the pace on Vol. 2: <strong>The</strong> Inspirationand continues in the spring with Vol. 3: <strong>The</strong>Achievement, is part 808’s Kanye West andpart <strong>The</strong> Grind Date Posdnuos in the studio.Onstage, he’s his own party. (Also: 12mid,Back Alley Social.) – Chase HoffbergerZEALE10:30pm, Back Alley Social Since addinggigs with Latin hip-hop players LosBad Apples and Lucky Lounge mainstaysBoomboxATX, Zeale’s local live sets havegotten as flashy as his high-top Nikes. He’srefined in the studio, too; January’s RapidRic-mixed Haterz and Robotz is the most completecollection yet from the Bat City native,who cut his teeth on the battle-rap circuit.– Chase HoffbergerTHE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT11pm, Aces Lounge <strong>The</strong> ATE has what ittakes to kill off the Killers. On last year’s selftitleddebut, the California quintet (Los Feliz,anyone?) comes across like the U.S. answerto U2. Frontman Mikel Jollett, a would-bewriter and journalist, has clearly done hishomework.– Dan OkoRWAKE11pm, Red 7 Rwake is the sound of the newSouthern trend-kill. Emerging from the murkof NOLA sludge, the Little Rock, Ark.-basedsextet crossbreeds bestial black metal withthe ominous ambience and technical proficiencyof Neurosis. <strong>The</strong> group’s third LP,2007’s Voices of Omens (Relapse), proved anapocalyptic soundtrack for backwoods ritualsand sacrificial offerings. – <strong>Austin</strong> PowellMC FRONTALOT11:15pm, Prague Straight outta Brooklyn,nerdcore rapper Damian Hess rhymesabout goth girls and Margaret Thatcher.Nonetheless, his celebrity was enshrined withthe SXSW Film 08 debut of Nerdcore Rising.With his 15 minutes about up, Hess stillcame on like a lost Beastie Boy on his FinalBoss (Level Up) last fall.– Dan OkoCONTINUED ON P.4442 THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE SXSW MUSIC SUPPLEMENT MARCH 20, 20<strong>09</strong> a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o m
<strong>The</strong> FireantsSXSW Underage Day PartyNoon, Momo’s So just how widespread is this teen scene bubbling in and around <strong>Austin</strong>?1980s pop queen Debbie Gibson, better known today as Broadway star Deborah Gibson, isshowcasing her wunderkind, Casey Lee Smith, at this first-ever official SXSW day party forteen acts. This isn’t aw-aren’t-they-cute-li’l-darlings. This is rock & roll at its most authentic,written, performed, and sung with teenage heart. It’s also hip-hop, blues, electronica,indie, emo, psych, roots, pop, and original. Smith joins Texas teen talents such as ChiefRival, Edison Chair, the Diving Captain, Avenging Poor Yorick with guest Jenny Wolfe,the Nouns, the El Guapos, Aftermath, the Fireants, Anarchy on Mars, Team Next,the O’My’s, Carson Brock Group, You & Me, Blankberry, and Blues Mafia. You think<strong>Austin</strong>’s boast about being the live m<strong>usic</strong> capital of the world is hype? Wait ’til you hearwhat the town is breeding.– Margaret MoserPonderosa StompSilver Apples7pm, Continental ClubIf you can’t make April’sPonderosa Stomp in NewOrleans, check out thisfringe-dwelling blast fromTop 40’s golden age. <strong>The</strong>Excels are best knownfor 1963’s Metroplex hit“Let’s Dance,” while DFWcontemporaries the Eliterule the Fort Worth teenscenereissues. <strong>Austin</strong>’sEve & the Exiles deliver R&B-spiked garagerock to set the stage for Dallas’ FloydDakil Combo and its 1964 regional smash,“Dance Franny Dance.” Big D’s HuelynDuvall influenced young Robert Plant withthe 1958 rockabilly summer anthem “ThreeMonths to Kill,” while Waco-based guitarwhip Classie Ballou backed Boozoo Chavison 1952’s “Paper in My Shoe.” Houston’sLittle Joe Washington plies electric bluesiconoclasm with a wail to match, followed byBeaumont southpaw guitarist Barbara Lynn,whose “You’ll Lose a Good Thing” wentTop 10 in 1962. Memphis soul revivaliststhe Bo-Keys feature Stax session guitaristCharles “Skip” Pitts and original Bar-Kaystrumpeter/vocalist Ben Cauley. LongtimeClifton Chenier guitarist “Lil Buck” Senegalbrings a dose of Acadiana R&B, then it’s“Treat Her Right” time with Roy Head.Finally, NOLA-bred Simeon Coxe fronts1960s electro-psych machine Silver Appleson a mechanical mind warp to put the Stompto bed. Sweet dreams, baby. – Greg BeetsBloodgroupThree Icelandic Acts ThatStill Had Enough Moneyto Visit <strong>Austin</strong> After <strong>The</strong>irCountry Went BankruptBloodgroup(Sat., Karma Lounge, 10pm)Good to know that even an insolventcountry can still generate enough electricityto power synthesizers.Sprengjuhöllin(Wed., Opal Divine’s, 8pm)<strong>The</strong> fivepiece released Bestu Kvedjur lastNovember. Our guess at the translation: “Welike hand claps and Britpop.”Steed Lord (Wed., Elysium, 9pm)All the depth of a Roxette song, and youcan dance to it. – Michael BertinSHELLEY HIAMUpscale sports bar • Executive chef • Group events300austin.comLocated along I-H 35 south of Braker 512.834.7733a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o m MARCH 20, 20<strong>09</strong> THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE SXSW MUSIC SUPPLEMENT 43
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