Everything

SXSW Review: Earth Tongue, Vera Ellen, March 13, The 13th Floor

Posted on by Paul in Everything | Leave a comment

One great way to take in new music during SXSW is to check out one of the day parties, where one can often find a wide variety of acts across all genres in one convenient location. Oh, and there’s often also free food and/or booze – gotta get people in the door somehow.

On Wednesday afternoon, we took in the New Zealand day party, where two acts in particular stood out – Earth Tongue and Vera Ellen, both of whom dropped out of their official SXSW sets in protest of the event’s ties to the U.S. Army and military contractors. So technically speaking, this is not a SXSW review, just a review of a random concert, the month and day of which coincides numerically with a big festival which was also happening at that time in Austin.

Recognizing the importance of name brand recognition, indie/alternative singer-songwriter Vera Ellen took a moment to introduce herself and her band. “We’re Vera Ellen,” she said, pausing before adding, “I’m Vera Ellen. Vera Ellen, Vera Ellen, Vera Ellen.”

“Say her name three times and she appears,” added her bandmate.

Extra points for the Beetlejuice reference. I will also note that Ellen was wearing striped pants during this show so extra extra points for the bonus visual reference to Beetlejuice that was almost certainly unintentional. Extra extra extra points on the off chance that it was intentional. 

Playing mostly songs off her upcoming release, Ellen and her band put on an impressive show, making the most of their brief time onstage while also taking the time to voice their opposition to the festival’s military connections, a trend which has been common amongst many of this year’s performers.

Ellen noted at the beginning of the band’s set that they had dropped put of all of their official SXSW shows in protest of the presence of war profiteers at the festival, but that they were playing this set because they did support the New Zealand Music Commission, the presenters of this showcase.

A little later that afternoon, Earth Tongue would take to the stage and play an absolutely brilliant set. The duo plays a brand of heavy psych that I can only imagine would make the optimal soundtrack for when you want to drop acid and chill out with your local witches coven. So good.

SXSW Song of the Day: DE FACTO – Legend Of The Four-Tailed Scorpion

Posted on by Paul in Everything, Song of the Day, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

Today sees another announcement from SXSW highlighting the latest round of musical acts set to play Austin next month. And unsurprisingly for an Austin-based festival, there’s a fair number of acts from the Lone Star State on that list, including Austinites such as Blushing and Farmer’s Wife.

One name in particular that sticks out in the latest announcement is DE FACTO, the El Paso dub group formed in the late ’90s by Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (of At The Drive-In/Mars Volta fame). Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala will also be in town promoting Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, Nicolas Jack Davies’ documentary on the duo’s “artistic and personal relationship,” which looks like it should be a good one.

Check out “Legend Of The Four-Tailed Scorpion,” the lead track from DE FACTO’s 2001 album Légende du Scorpion à Quatre Queues, below.

SXSW Review: iLe, March 15, Radio Day Stage

Posted on by Ricky in Everything | Leave a comment

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For the most part, I think the Grammys are useless and pretty much a poor indicator of anything in terms of the music I particularly like. However, in the context of international music, where there are less yardsticks I am aware of that can be used to assess quality, The Grammys could be of moderate use.

When I saw that Puerto Rican musician iLe was playing the Radio Day Stage at SXSW, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when I saw that she was Grammy approved then I was like “sure, why not?” That was a good decision.

In Austin to promote her new record Nacarile, Ile put on a fun afternoon show that had the crowd moving inside the cavernous stage that is Ballroom A

iLe sang tracks that included ballads, synthy pop numbers and what I can only describe as tropical vibe tunes, all while dancing what I think is salsa or something Caribbean on stage.

A pleasant time.

Song of the Day: Benedictus, Requiem in D minor (WA Mozart)

Posted on by Gary in Everything | Leave a comment

I have not listened to Mozart’s Requiem in full for over a decade. It is an oddly morbid thing to have surfaced randomly… or perhaps it’s just on my shuffled playlist?

As it is wont to do, the internets is full of opinions on which is the most “definitive” version. I can’t fathom sitting down and researching, note for note, the different character and performance caliber of modern interpretations from Marriner to Karajan to Celibidache to Herrewghe, while faced with something so categorically assigned to call out a range of emotional instead of analytical reflexes. There is the requisite loss, anguish, march, and lamentation. But I’d argue it has sublimity sprinkled everywhere, as well.

One of my favorite sections is Benedictus. “Crowd pleaser” being a somewhat inappropriate term here, it may be the next best thing to having flights of angels sing you to your rest.

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