Image Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images I wanted to snark on the massive warehouse party hosted by gossip lord Perez Hilton last night in Austin. I really did, if only because its timing conflicted with the Big Star/Alex Chilton tribute show I’d hoped would close out my SXSW 2010, and because corrosive snark is after all Perez’s own stock in trade. (That and doodling on photographs of famous people.) And yet, when I made it past the insane lines into his shindig — which journalists were asked to identify as SWAGGSM Presents. Perez Hilton’s “One Night In Austin” — I found said warehouse reverberating with huge beats that JD Samson was throwing down from a laptop. I had no choice but to admit it: Say what you will about Perez and his blog’s role in our culture, any party where a member of radical feminist icons/terrific musicians Le Tigre is the between-sets DJ is legitimately awesome.
Archive: March 2010 (31-40 of 106)
Perez Hilton brings Snoop Dogg and more to his wild SXSW party
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Alex Chilton remembered as Big Star SXSW showcase becomes joyous tribute
Image Credit: Andy Sheppard/Getty ImagesUnlike this afternoon’s panel, the participants in the SXSW Big Star showcase — turned tribute since the sudden death of lead singer Alex Chilton from a heart attack on Wednesday, reportedly during his preparations for this week’s trip to Austin — didn’t spend a lot of time telling stories. Music was the vehicle used to celebrate Chilton’s life, and the dozen-plus artists who gathered at Antone’s did it with a level of ease and familiarity that honored the man’s talent in a way no freshly-composed words could: They played his songs, because they knew them by heart.
The night began with the reading of a revealing letter written by Chilton’s wife, Laura. She told of his love for “old rickety houses” and homeless people; of the way he gave time and money with no strings attached; of his listening skills and compassion. He was a fan of classical baroque music, Scott Joplin, Petula Clark, and Teenage Fanclub. He loved riding his bike. While old friend Heather West read Laura’s words aloud t0 the hushed room, her voice cracked. Reggaeton came blasting through the walls — SXSW doesn’t stop, even for grieving. “He had a blase attitude towards death,” West read. “It didn’t interest him. Same goes for sleep. Life was too interesting and he didn’t want to spend it sleeping.” Safe to say the memorial gathering at Antone’s, as it pushed close to the 2 a.m. hour, was in full agreement with that sentiment.
The wonderfully endless parade of singers who stopped by the club to pay tribute was the expected who’s who: Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets, M. Ward, Chris Stamey of the dB’s, John Doe of X. Chuck Prophet stepped in on “Thank You Friends,” Mike Mills of R.E.M. plastered “Jesus Christ” with happiness, Evan Dando of the Lemonheads lent pathos to “Nightime” and the harmonies of “Try Again,” alongside folkie Amy Speace. Sondre Lerche was the night’s biggest hit — he had maybe the best song in “Ballad of El Goodo,” and delivered a vocal befitting the material. The house band was anchored by original Big Star member Jody Stephens behind the drum kit, with occasional appearances from initial bassist Andy Hummel; replacement frontman Jon Auer – who declared the night to be “really hard” — and bassist Ken Stringfellow (both of the Posies) held down the rest of the fort as they had ever since Big Star reformed in the ’90s, with Auer’s reedy voice fitting into Chilton’s lines in sometimes eerily similar ways. Song after song, the music radiated joy, and despite the conspicuous lack of Chilton solo material, it served as both a starter kit and a trip down memory lane for the capacity crowd.
Susan Cowsill and the Watson Twins — alongside Auer, Stringfellow, Stephens, Mills, and Hummel — closed out the night on “September Gurls,” after which Stephens took the mic for the first and only time. “You’ve wrapped your arms around us, and we appreciate it,” he said. It may not have been the ideal ending for SXSW 2010, but coming after a showcase spent focused on music over hype, and history over buzz, it was perhaps the most welcome. R.I.P., Alex.
More on Alex Chilton:
Alex Chilton: Friends, bandmates remember the late Big Star singer at SXSW panel
Big Star drummer Jody Stephens says he is ‘just feeling numb’ about Alex Chilton’s death
Alex Chilton: The House of Representatives pays tribute
Alex Chilton, R.I.P.: Paul Westerberg, Patterson Hood, and Craig Finn share their thoughts
Alex Chilton: SXSW mourns Big Star singer
Alex Chilton: An appreciation
Alex Chilton dies at 59
SXSW: Rachael Ray showcases She & Him, Andrew WK, Jakob Dylan with Neko Case and more
Stubbs BBQ today was a sea of polar-fleece parkas, wooly hats and shivering hands: Thousands of fans lured by the promise of big-name headliners and free TV-chef treats, despite atypically icy and un-Austin-like temperatures. (My fingers are almost too cold to type this report, no joke).
The weather actually proved to have a real effect on Rachael Ray’s Fourth Annual SXSW party, beyond attendees’ red noses and hunched shoulders—several acts struggled with technical difficulties due to the low temperatures and single-powered generator on-site. But an already-packed house surged to the main stage to see She & Him, the sunny folk-pop pairing of actress Zooey Deschanel and Portland singer-songwriter M. Ward.
Deschanel, in a wide-brimmed red hat, looked and sounded the picturesque warbly-songbird part, cooing Volume One’s “Change is Hard” like Linda Ronstadt’s little sister, on into the just-released Volume Two‘s swoony opener “Thieves,” below:
Freddie Gibbs: Talking with SXSW's rap breakout
Hip-hop seems to have a bigger presence in SXSW’s mix each year, and this week has seen no shortage of new rappers plying their trade in Austin. Many of the most talented were concentrated at the unofficial showcase that rap blogs Nah Right and the Smoking Section hosted at Peckerheads all Thursday afternoon. The standout of the acts I caught that day was Freddie Gibbs, a sharp lyricist with force-of-nature flows who originally hails from Gary, Ind. and now resides in L.A. (Honorable mentions to the artists who immediately preceded and followed Gibbs: Atlanta’s Pill, who fired off rapid tales of criminal life, and Pittsburgh’s Wiz Khalifa, an unflappably cheerful party animal.) I caught up with Gibbs in a hotel bar today.
Unlike many up-and-comers at SXSW, Gibbs isn’t particularly looking to catch a major label’s eye. He’s been there already — signed to Interscope for a time a few years ago, he says he was dropped after being told his music wasn’t commercial enough. “I’m not no pop dude,” he now says flatly. That’s an understatement. His lyrics are uncompromisingly dark, trafficking heavily in menacing attitude, graphic content, and profanity. Yet for a growing number of rap fans and critics, the level of verbal craftsmanship he brings to free online mixtapes like last year’s midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik has proven impossible to ignore. (Watch the gritty black-and-white video for “Womb 2 the Tomb,” a song he and Pill recorded for that mixtape, after the jump; lots of NSFW language.) “I mean, I’m street, I’m gangsta, and everything, but I’m intelligent at the same time,” Gibbs says. “Once people understand that, then they’ll know where I’m coming from.”
Miley Cyrus vs. Jon Bon Jovi: Who will this adorable baby choose?
A baby watches video clips of Miley Cyrus and Bon Jovi from her high-chair, while her vaguely Scandinavian father watches with his camera. Crazy-adorable in three, two, one…
I know how you feel, sweetie. I know how you feel.
Alex Chilton: Friends, bandmates remember the late Big Star singer at SXSW panel
“I Never Travel Far Without a Little Big Star,” the SXSW panel that just ended at the Austin Convention Center, was blurbed as follows on the festival’s website: “Celebrating last year’s phenomenal box set Keep Your Eye On The Sky, Big Star band members, friends and admirers gather for discussion and performance.” That sentence is still posted at SXSW.com, a testament to how Big Star frontman Alex Chilton’s death on Wednesday took everyone by surprise. And so today, instead of celebrating Keep an Eye on the Sky (which is indeed phenomenal), eight Chilton friends and Big Star experts shifted their focus to a 90-minute-plus wake of sorts for the late genius. I don’t think anyone would have blamed them for canceling the panel, but as a fan I’m glad they decided to go ahead with it despite the circumstances.
Smokey Robinson: SXSW's best all-around entertainer?
Image Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Walking across town to Smokey Robinson’s concert at Austin Music Hall last night, I was anticipating something like chapter two of the SXSW keynote interview he’d given the morning before. Another opportunity to stand in a room with the man who penned some of Motown’s — all popular music’s — most enduring hits. A second chance to pay my respects to a 70-year-old veteran. The kind of show where you clap thoughtfully after each song, not holler in ecstatic appreciation. My mistake. I hadn’t even realized I’d been underestimating Robinson, but man, last night is the last time I’ll ever do that. What he gave us on that stage was a master class in no-gimmicks entertainment that would put artists a third his age to shame.
Muse, Metric scald faces with giant rock show Friday night at SXSW
Image Credit: Whitney Pastorek/EW.comOne of SXSW’s newer and more questionable traditions is the giant rock show from the giant rock band that’s supposed to be a “secret” but everyone knows is coming because there’s a big gap in the schedule at Stubb’s. Last year’s big ticket was Metallica, sponsored by Rock Band; this year, the Twilight-inspiring Brits of Muse stepped up for a thunderous performance, sponsored by MySpace. We could argue all week about the value of allowing an established, globe-trotting group to suck audience (and journalists) away from the 2000+ up-and-coming acts performing in tiny clubs all over Austin, but the show Muse put on last night was pretty inarguable. As for opening act Metric: best set I’ve seen all week. So I won’t argue with that, either.
I’m new to the Muse-verse, having recently purchased Black Holes & Revelations under some duress only to discover that I kind of really like it. It brings me back to my keytar-loving 8th grade dance days, in the best possible way. My knowledge of this group being spotty at best, however, I was extremely pleased to walk out of the photo pit and bump square into Ann Powers of the L.A. Times, aka Ann Powers, Knower Of All Things Muse. This was an amazing coincidence — the backyard was so packed that rumors of Kristen Stewart’s presence at Stubb’s were only coming in via texts from people in venues across town. READ FULL STORY »
SXSW Friday day-parties: Miike Snow, Foxy Shazam, Marina and the Diamonds and more
Friday in just-heating-up Austin, and what did I have for breakfast? A big, fat slice of banana-nut bonkers, courtesy of Cinncinati’s possibly certifiable Foxy Shazam. The soul-punk sextet—whose “Unstoppable” recently earned prime Super Bowl airtime—treated their opening slot at Spin’s annual Stubbs party like a headlining victory lap, bringing barely-awake badge holders to rapt attention with their tent-revival brand of Cinn-city rock and roll.
Before I say more, let them sell themselves, below:
Courtney Love brings Hole back at SXSW, plays actual pretty good rock show
Image Credit: Whitney Pastorek/EW.comIf the best thing that can be said about Courtney Love’s return as the frontdemon of Hole is that she didn’t fall down, fall over, or fall apart — well, that’s actually quite something. The SPIN@Stubb’s day party hosted what was long anticipated as the biggest train wreck of SXSW 2010, but Love’s re-coming-out party was more professional than anyone could have hoped for. Did that make it good? Depends on what you were after.
After a terrific series of sets from Rogue Wave, Sharon Jones, Miike Snow and more (stay tuned for our coverage of those acts later), the main event was introduced by comedian Margaret Cho, who told the crowd, “When I first saw Hole it changed everything for me.” The pressure was on. And at times, it felt a little bit like we’d put our collective kid on stage in a beauty pageant, expecting the worst; indeed, wrapped in a gauzy black blouse, tattered gray tutu, a beaded tiara, sporting orange “BEWARE” tape as a sash, Love looked the part of Miss World, waiting for someone to kill her. With a monitor at her feet (presumably for lyrics), she seemed a bit frozen at first, smoking a cigarette, tossing off her sunglasses, and opening with the wink of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” as she strummed a blood-red Rickenbacker. First single “Skinny Little Bitch” followed, and Love began to warm up: her foot went up on the monitor, easing the fears of some in the photo pit who remembered shooting her in her underwear-free early days. She launched into “Miss World.” The place went nuts. Love cast a sidelong smile. Her voice sounded great. “Hey kids, we’re Hole,” she said. READ FULL STORY »
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