Out of Austin

In the days following the South by Southwest music convention, several of the two dozen or so local bands who performed around Austin reported on their experiences.

Drew Andrews: “It’s hard to describe the insanity at SXSW, the thousands of drunk onlookers and industry folk, hunting down parties, on the make for free schwag, free beer, free food, free this, free that, lusty eyes darting throughout the streets and against the walls, drums from the left, emo bands screaming from the right, harmonicas above you, bouncers waiting below you in the underground sold-out show. It is A Clockwork Orange, strapped in your seat, eyes pried open, Disneyland parades and strobe lights left, right, and center, take this drink, here’s my number — it’s maddening. And it is amazing.” (sddialedin.com)

Dagart, of Writer: “Iron Gate, our first stop, was not in the chaos of the storm (6th Street) but in a more residential area that had two bars on every block, unlike 6th Street, which had about five on every block. The first band, No Kids (Vancouver), didn’t have all their drum gear, so they asked to borrow ours. In return, Writer got added to the Singing Serpent showcase. Only an hour into SXSW and [we] already got an extra gig.… Writer performed after No Kids and it was great to see crowd support from local friends Team Abraham, Lights On, and The Fling (Long Beach).” (myspace.com/dagart)

Irradio singer-guitarist Dan Dasher emailed the Reader to say “SXSW ’09 was amazing. How can you deny after seeing Quincy Jones walking around, Big Boi of OutKast blazed, Cursive, Sage Francis, Radio 4, Dinosaur Jr., and many more of our favorite musicians. Our performance was nothing short of one of our best performances ever.”

Mainstream media reports mentioning locals included RollingStone.com: “Way down 6th Street at Opal’s Divine Palace, San Diego’s the Soft Pack (formerly known as the Muslims) were dedicating ‘Come On,’ the first single from their new album, to their lawyer. The band unleashed perky bass lines over swift drumming, concluding their set of loose and limber garage rock with a stretched and fuzzed-out version of ‘Parasites.’ ”

The New York Times: “Crocodiles, a two-man band from San Diego so fresh that the head of their record label was seeing them perform live for the first time, have had an enviable streak of Internet attention.… ‘The Internet is taking all the romance out of music and art and replacing it with this revolving door that just revolves so fast,’ Mr. [Brandon] Welchez, 27, the duo’s singer, said before a 20-minute showcase on Wednesday afternoon [March 18] at Emo’s Annex.”

MTV.com (which listed Wavves’ March 8 performance at Red 7 among its Top 10 South By Southwest 2009 Moments): “22-year-old Nathan Williams, aka Wavves, [is] a San Diego noisemaker who rose from best-kept secret to most-blogged favorite in less than a month (seriously), thanks to his brand of lo-fi bedroom punk. He’s playing no less than ten shows this week, all around Austin, and at all hours of the day and night.… [At Red 7], Williams tore through blast after blast of raw, lightning-quick bedroom punk.”