This is fine.
Your ATH crew made it out once again into the madness of SXSW festival for a whopping 6th straight day out and about. We cut things a tad bit short due to the incoming weather issues, but we still managed to fit in a solid day of music and fun. As we’ve been doing, each of us will offer a few highlights plus our overall thoughts on what went down. All of that plus some fancy photos after the jump.
Another day, another bunch of bands to talk to you about. The ATH team hung together for a bit, then splintered to go fall in love with our own favorite acts. It was a late night, but definitely worth it as a few of us caught the Zombies and wrapped up with Sweden’s Girl Scout. Hit the jump to find what we loved.
I find it strange that there’s so much complaining in the “industry” about SXSW. Sure, the payment issue is a real thing, and I stand with the artists on that issue, but that LARGE fact aside, it’s a pretty unique experience. Almost every performance feels more intimate than your average festival, and you get a chance to run into friends from all over the world who you might never otherwise see. Oh, and you never know when you’ll stumble into your new favorite band, so I call that a win! Anyways…here’s some photos and stuff after the jump!
Sure RayRay and I have been out and about at this SXSW thing, but coming home to a fresh Cindy track is a right up there with that New Order show I caught. Honestly, I want to study the band’s execution; they remind me of Bedhead in a strange way, as they’re able to captivate with pure emotion, although the movement on the surface seems minimal. Slight little touches like layering piano in the closing moments build this beautifully textured swell of dense pop music. Going to die on this hill that this might be one of the best group’s in Indie Land at the moment. Their new album Why Not Now will be out April 14th via Mt. St. Mtn.
Amid the inescapable ramp up of impending SXSW insanity, on a balmy and foggy evening last Tuesday, our Capitol City welcomed yet another legendary guitarist in Bobby Weir to the esteemed Moody Theater stage. As is typical with all things “Dead“, the bright-eyed, tie-dyed masses of all ages were lined up in full throated spirit in anticipation of an early 5:30 door opening, jockeying in place to get a shot at the front row. Custom shirt and glass pipe vendors were sprawled out along 2nd St., each with their warring psychedelic playlists creating an echoing corridor of weirdness. It was the picture perfect backdrop for Weir, who was on his first full-fledged solo tour since his 2020 pandemic-shortened concert run. Lucky for us, he was treating his loyal Austin deadheads to not just one, but two sold out evenings in our fair city. Read more
Funny how I spent the night watching Manchester acts only to come home to a track from another band from the area: Sumos. The group just announced Surfacing, their debut LP for Meritorio and Safe Suburban Home, with this new pop ditty to entice you to give it a listen. For me, this song embodies almost a classic alternative rock feel; it’s got just the faintest hints of noise fuzzing out the edges, but with this core that just seems breezy and euphoric. I was easily hooked by the teasing intro, switching from a lo-fi vocal to something brighter and more emphatic, building in that sweet hook for my ears. If you’re enjoying what you hear, Surfacing is out on May 12th.
Outside in Austin at the moment, the weather’s just a bit cool, though the sun’s already poking its head out of the clouds, but putting that all together makes John Andrews and the Yawns new single quite fitting. There’s a cool vibe running through the vocals, both Andrews and the backing vocals; it’s like sun hitting your skin to give just the faintest warmth. Behind the vocals, there’s a nice bounce, like riding on a nice crisp breeze, moving you to tap your toes or perhaps shuffle those feet just a wee bit. You’ll be able to grab this single on the new LP, Love for the Underdog, out on April 28th via Woodsist.
Wanted to ease you into your Tuesday morning with something that feels like waking up out of a deep slumber, which is where we find Day & Dream on their latest single. The ambient wash blankets the tune with the disorienting textures of dream pop, but its the movement beneath in the mix that really has me enjoying myself. Subtle drum rolls fill in the empty space as ethereal vocals spread out across the song’s vast landscape they’ve created. And, if you let the song drift with you, there’s this bombastic exit as the song draws near, allowing the band to illustrate their musicianship as they top of the tune with a little punch.
Your friendly neighborhood ATH staff kicked off our SXSW yesterday with the recently reborn ATH vs. Side One Track One party at Hotel Vegas in East Austin. We had a packed house from the time doors opened until things closed down a little after 1am. Hopefully everyone stayed safe out there and got home without incident to start off the week on a high note.
After the jump you can find a few quick thoughts and photos from our team.
I loved listening to last year’s Thieves LP from Austin’s Alex Dupree, so I quickly penciled him in to catch at this year’s SXSW festival. But, seeing as Keeled Scales (his label) had already hipped us to his work, we wanted to make sure everyone else was aware, so we reached out with our set of questions and got some answers back.
