SXSW MUSIC FEST FRIDAY FROM P.47Asobi Seksu<strong>The</strong> Cocktail SlippersLittle Steven’sUnderground Garage/Wicked Cool Records8pm, Red Eyed Fly “Silvio Dante” himself hosts thisshowcase, which kicks off with Montreal psych-pop quintetthe High Dials. S.F.’s Magic Christian features guitaristCyril Jordan (the Flamin’ Groovies), bassist Eddie Munoz (theSkunks, the Plimsouls), and drummer Clem Burke (Blondie)grinding out harmonic power-pop, while Copenhagen’s theBreakers mix Faces-era Rod Stewart rasp with a pelvicbackbeat. Dublin’s the Urges nail the acid-daubed spiritof mid-1960s garage rock on <strong>2008</strong>’s Psych Ward. All-girlOslo quartet the Cocktail Slippers balance that out withsugar-pop paeans to love. <strong>The</strong>n it’s time for the Woggles,Georgia-bred purveyors of the hottest garage rock stageshow around. L.A. indie quartet the Shys deliver steinswingingsing-alongs such as “She’s Already Gone” from lastyear’s acclaimed You’ll Never Understand This Band the Way IDo. We end where the revival began as Rochester, N.Y.’s theChesterfield Kings preach the fuzz-tone gospel just as theyhave since 1979.– Greg BeetsPolyvinyl8pm, Habana Calle 6 Patio Topping the Champaign, Ill., indielabel’s showcase is Japanese-American dream-pop duo AsobiSeksu, which dimmed the lights for its third shoegazed kiss,Hush. Well-respected Swedish solo indie popper Loney, Dear isa new addition to Polyvinyl’s roster, releasing his fifth full-length,Dear John, in late January. Champaign’s own Headlights, acheerful indie pop quartet that made a splash with Kill <strong>The</strong>m WithKindness in 2006, preps for its August release. Brooklyn-based,prog-influenced percussionist and composer Cale Parks droppedSparklace in November and plans a follow-up later this year.– Melanie HauptHeavy Metal Islam10pm, Club 115 “We play heavymetal because our lives are heavymetal,” remarks a Moroccan metalscenepioneer in Heavy Metal Islam:Rock, Resistance, and the Strugglefor the Soul of Islam by Mark Levine.<strong>The</strong> book explores undergroundcounterculture from Morocco to Egypt,including punk, hip-hop, and metal. Adocumentary of the same name is inthe works, and the m<strong>usic</strong>, repressedin much of the region, comes alivein <strong>Austin</strong> for this special showcase.Tarantist has been called Iran’s bestdeath metal band, whilePunjabi war-core punksthe Kominas (newalbum: Wild Nights inGuantanamo Bay) areBoston-based, Lazywallimports Moroccanmetalheads, andPalestinian Rapperzcelebrate frontmanMohammed Al-Farrafinding political asylumin the States. Levine wonders if heavymetal can transform the Islamic world,Tarantistand while that’s up for debate, it willcertainly have heads banging onthis night. – Thomas FawcettPOLKA MADRE12mid, Copa You can’t be a wallflower whenthese crazy Mexico City kids get their polkapunk on. <strong>The</strong>y’re not that nice little combofrom your abuelita’s back yard, either. PolkaMadre is full-body polka, dowsed in surfercool and klezmer-slapped, with some circustinkles thrown in. Todo loco! Todo wacky! Todomust see!– Belinda AcostaDAVID TAMAOKA12mid, Submerged Tamaoka is a singersongwriterfrom Honolulu, blending the acousticconfessional poetry of Damien Rice andJeff Buckley with songs ready for any givenyouth-oriented TV serial drama. Tamaokawon the BMI songwriting contest at the KauaiM<strong>usic</strong> Festival in 2006, which afforded himthe opportunity to lay down tracks for his yetto-be-releasedsolo debut. – Melanie HauptASHER ROTH12:30am, Club de Ville A suburbanPhilly white boy whose first CD was DaveMatthews Band, Asher Roth is in many waysyour typical frat brat. Except, of course, forthat major label deal he just signed. <strong>The</strong>Eminem comparisons are unavoidable notbecause Roth’s a white rapper but becausehis voice is eerily similar to young Marshall.(Also: Sat., Vice, 10pm.) – Thomas FawcettFive Down Under Acts for PeopleWho Fear the UnknownBirds of Tokyo (Thu., Friends, 10pm)Well-produced post-skater-punk not fromSan Diego.Rodney Fisher (Sat., Wave Rooftop, 9pm)Check his passport; Fisher couldn’t sound moreAmerican singer-songwriter.Hell City Glamours(Fri., Smokin’ M<strong>usic</strong>, 10:30pm)Throwback to 1970s AOR.<strong>The</strong> Temper Trap (Wed., Dirty Dog Bar, 10pm;Thu., Latitude 30, 1am)Too polished to be garage or indie but not slickenough to turn off.Midnight Youth (Sat., Wave Rooftop, 12mid)Coldplay, Travis, and Keane.– Michael BertinAMY LAVERE1am, Habana Calle 6 Although Amy LaVerecurrently calls Memphis home, the bassplayingpixie is a native of Bethany, Texas. Herjazzy folk, as perfected on Anchors & Anvils,possesses an intoxicating Waitsian smokeand-whiskeyvibe.– Jim CaligiuriBirds of TokyoAU REVOIR SIMONE1am, Maggie Mae’s Rooftop This trio oflong-haired, synth-playing brunettes fromBrooklyn takes its name from a farewell salutationin Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Formed in2003, ARS released <strong>The</strong> Bird of M<strong>usic</strong>, itssecond full-length, in 2007 and specializes inreflective, subdued fun. – Melanie HauptMAGIC LANTERN1am, the Hideout <strong>The</strong>re’s something aboutLong Beach and druggy psych rock thatmakes perfect sense. Unlike its more upbeatLBC homeboys Crystal Antlers, fivepieceMagic Lantern comes from the Comets onFire school of winding jams, as heard on newLP Underwater Dynasty. – Audra SchroederPTERODACTYL1am, Radio Room Pterodactyl’s jittery,freaky punk sometimes comes across like anUnwound LP played at the wrong speed, butthe skronk hides a curious pathos. BassistZach Lehrhoff also played in the Seconds andEx Models, and drummer Matt Marlin recentlyserved as a stand-in for Zach Hill in MarnieStern’s touring band.– Daniel MeeBOXCAR SATAN1am, Habana Bar Beefhearted guitarist/vocalist Sanford Allen leads venerable SanAntonio art-punk trio Boxcar Satan on a teethgnashingexcursion into the darkest nightsof film-noir soul. While Pere Ubu and ScratchAcid define the surface, Boxcar’s sour-mashmojo is distilled from deep in the MississippiDelta. Its fifth album, <strong>2008</strong>’s Trouble All ItsOwn, gathers no moss. – Greg Beets48 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
a 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 49
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