Toronto – Matt & Kim is simply put, one of the most entertaining shows you will see. Their energy is immaculate and their enthusiasm is more contagious then H1N1. No matter how crappy your mood is when you are entering a Matt & Kim show, you will feel a hell of a lot better after the drum and synth duo hit you with song after song of energetic punk-pop tunes. Once again, Matt & Kim are playing SXSW, this time in promotion of their new record Sidewalks. They seem to be only playing large shows in Austin, but if you can find the time, do check them out.
Toronto – Easily one of the most promising bands that are on the verge of a massive breakout, Foster The People is an LA indie pop trio comprised of Mark Foster, Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius. They recently released a self titled EP that just oozed potential with two glorious a-sides. Houdini, the first track off the record contains inspiring melodies, fun synths and an outrageous gang vocal outro that takes the song to another level. The second track off the EP – Pumped Up Kicks has already been floating around the internet for awhile now and with it’s catchy chorus and lazy summertime bass lines I wouldn’t be surprised if the track gets taken to another level as more and more people tune in. The band will be in Austin to not only promote their EP, but their self titled debut LP Torches which comes out on May 24th. I will definitely be seeing them. Don’t be surprise to see them pull a Temper Trap, another band with an outrageously awesome single that just exploded after a few terrific turns in Austin last year.
Check out Houdini
Here are the SXSW dates:
Thursday 17th, 4:00 PM, Cedar Street Courtyard as part of Filter’s Culture Collide Party
Thursday 17th, 8:30 PM, Stubbs – Official Showcase
Here are some non SXSW dates:
3/8 Santa Barbara, CA SOHO
3/13 Santa Fe, NM Corzon
3/14 El Paso,TX Lowbrow Palace
3/21 Tempe, AZ Sail Inn
3/22 Solana, CA Belly Up
3/23 San Francisco, CA Independent
3/25 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
3/26 Seattle WA High Dive *SOLD OUT
3/27 Boise, ID Reef
3/29 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
3/30 Denver, CO Walnut Room
3/31 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
4/1 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
4/2 Chicago, IL Schuba’s
4/3 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
4/5 Montreal, QC Petit Campus
4/7 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
4/8 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
4/9 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory
4/10 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
4/11 Washington DC Red Palace
4/17 Indio, CA Coachella
5/30 George, WA Sasquatch
Toronto – With Lily Allen on the constant verge of collapse, it would seem that the door has been left wide open for many artists to capture the heart of the UK and indie nation with sharply written bubbly summer pop music. Enter Eliza Doolittle, a cute twenty two year old brunette whose pop songs seem to channel the good time vibes of 60s girl bands and motown while sounding somewhat modern at the same time. Eliza’s self titled debut record has already done extremely well in the UK charts and she is now ready to take her act to the shores of America. It looks like Austin, Texas will be her Normandy, only instead of blood and guns, she’ll be making a landing armed with a cheery voice and music perfect for spring.
SXSW Schedules:
Thu-Mar-17 Pure Volume House 504 Trinity Street – 3:00pm Capitol Idolator Party
Thu-Mar-17 Malaia 300 East 6th Street – 6:15pm Entertainment Weekly
Fri-Mar-18 The Belmont 305 West 6th Street – 8:00pm West Rocks
Sat-Mar-19 Tap Room 311 Colorado Street – 6:00pm Hotel Café / Official SXSW Showcase
Sat-Mar-19 Cedar Street Courtyard 208 W 4th Street – 8:00pm Steve Madden Party
Toronto – First of all, you know your band is doing something positive when someone does an oil portrait of you. Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr is a two man project composed of Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott. I had been receiving emails about the buzz that the band is generating since last June but because their band name reminded me of Dale Earnhardt, which reminded me of Nascar, I promptly ignored it. How stupid is that?
It was quite stupid. I rediscovered (or discovered?) this band whilst listening to a SXSW compilation. Amongst all the mediocre music you would expect from a compilation of a thousand or so songs, I was delighted to hear a catchy melodic track named Vocal Chords that evoked memories of jogging along the beach, buying a mango milkshake and eating an avocado sandwich. Of course, I have never done this before, but I can live vicariously through someone who has.
While it might seem like I’ve only been gravitating towards summery, breezy tracks that remind me of warmer times, one can’t deny this tracks overall quality. Many bands has done the whole “light folky pop backed by computer dance beats” tracks before, but few tracks come across as catchy as this one. The band’s debut album, It’s A Corporate World comes out April 26th and like all the other bands with albums out this year, they will be taking their show to SXSW. Here are the set time(s):
