About Last Night: Friday at SXSW

We’re full on in the mix of things, moderating sessions, planning for our parties on Sunday and Monday, but trying to catch as many acts as we can cram into our lives. Was a super busy day, with all of us stretching across town between panels and house parties, so hit the jump to see photos and thoughts.

Nathan.Lankford Favorite Bands:

Zastava and Honey I’m Home. Think of Detroit’s Zastava as an American answer to Ought, but instead of delving into post-punk, the group is more likely to dive into a heavier, driving rock…something that would make Steve Albini proud. I caught Honey I’m Home, and they played to a packed house at Chess Club. It was one of the best sounding sets of the week for me, not to mention they’re songwriting is tops. You can catch them at our part of the 29th Street Block Party tomorrow!

Nathan.Lankford Thoughts:

There aren’t a lot of really huge names this year, other than that one band whose panel I moderated…and their take away…invest in the community. That’s what SXSW is and was always about for me…making friends from around the globe, making plans to meet up in other cities to catch our favorite bands. Sure, it’s got its faults, but all you folks posting about the sins of the festival on Instagram and FB might want to check your receipts. Go see bands, go make friends, offer folks kindness and a drink…and we’ll all be better for it.

RayRay’s Top Bands:

Agree with Nathan that Zastava was great inside at Chess Club. Happy 313 day to all who celebrate. I was also into:

The Family Battenberg – Hell yeah this band can play. Garage and classical rock with great showmanship and truly expert guitar leads.

Sam Woy – I am always looking for something a tad different as we get in the dregs of post-punk and shoegaze all week. Sam has some great beats he plays behind his self depricating lyrics. Though he is solo, he had the backyard party on the east side absolutely captivated and emotionally invested in his set.

Swapmeet – As mentioned yesterday with similar band Horsepower, I love a good play on the mellow moments mixed in with the heaviness of a distorted guitar. It has an almost emo feel to it, which you know this dude is all about. Really loved them.

RayRay’s Thoughts:

You have to love seeing the DIY element still going strong and thriving when some old timers like to say it’s dead. BGray and I had a great time at a house show with a communal feel and pay what you can vibe. It’s always a nice break from the madness of downtown. Official nighttime shows still feel a little sparse in the bigger venues, and clearly bars are letting folks in for an “under the table” door fee just to fill the space. I’ll be curious to see the discussion around this after the fact.

bgray Thoughts:

Since I’d just be echoing the band recommendations, I’ll stick with praising Nathan on a job well done moderating the panel where All American Rejects talked about the impact of the house parties, rebooting their touring priorities to focus on fans helping fans be fans; bowling alleys, corn fields, student housing and more became host to the band and showed massive dividends for organic fan engagement. Can that scale own for new bands? Anyway, good chat about how to do things going forward to counter a near monopoly on the concert-going experience. I also found it cool that we left the JW Marriott to go stand in a yard for BYOB, two stages and great bands. So, point proven. We finally saw some one-in/one-out at Chess Club, but that was a sick lineup in a small space. People cycled in and out, front to back. All good.