SXSW Review: Spain, March 13, Brass House

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Ricky in Everything | Leave a comment

I don’t know when I started liking the band Spain, I think it was in the late 90’s when the internet started really taking off. As with the case of most obsessive music nerds, I took to the web searching for a community that shared similar tastes and interests in music, in hopes of learning about new bands and expanding my horizons. I think one of the people I was friend’s with gave me the album She Haunts My Dreams and I was immediately hooked. Something about Josh Haden’s smooth voice and the laid back middle of the night drinking cognac vibe really clicked with me.

Judging by the small crowd assembled at the Brass House on Wednesday, I guess their fan base has dwindled throughout the years (I don’t know if it was that big in the first place). Playing the graveyard shift (1:00 am) on the first night of South By, the band was able to overcome some technical difficulties/poor sound guy to deliver a set that satisfied the fans that were there.

Working as a four piece band, the group played selected tracks off their entire discography, from their most popular – Every time I Try to some of their newest – I’m Still Free. While their sound has not swayed much from their original albums, the band exhibited solid musicianship and Haden’s voice remains as strong as ever. Their jazzy-lounge type of music might not be the type of music you expect in Austin, but sometimes the best things at SXSW are the things that come unexpected.

SXSW Review: El Vez, March 12, Flamingo Cantina

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Paul in Concerts, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

Sometimes it’s the unexpected surprises that are the most satisfying. Case in point: as i wandered along Sixth Street on a Tuesday afternoon just as the music portion of SXSW was getting underway, I noticed a sign outside of Flamingo Cantina announcing that El Vez would be appearing there later that afternoon. I was aware he was playing the festival, but did not know about this showcase. Figuring now would be as good a time as any to catch his set, I figured why not? It ended up being a good gamble.

I’ve been aware of El Vez (aka The Mexican Elvis aka Robert Lopez) for some time now and friends who’ve seen him have told me he puts on a great show, yet the closest I’ve come to seeing him perform before this show was his appearance in Dave Foley’s The True Meaning Of Christmas Specials alongside such luminaries as Jason Priestley and that other Elvis Stojko (aka the Richmond Hill Elvis). While I did enjoy his take on holiday music in that TV special, what was on offer here today was El Vez’s take on punk rock. And like punk rock, his “punk rock revue” did not always go 100% smoothly. However, while there were a few technical difficulties (a mic issue at the beginning of the set, a costume change that took a little longer than expected), El Vez and band were not fazed at all. With humour and a lot of showmanship, El Vez and his band plowed through a set full of punk classics reworked with his own political and cultural take added in. As he noted a couple of times, these songs could now be considered classic rock, adding that many in attendance were not even born yet when he first got into the punk scene.

And as I said, there were multiple costume changes, the best one being a punk-inspired take on Elvis’ Comeback Special jumpsuit with studs and safety pins included. All in all, a bizarre combination of old school showmanship, tongue in cheek humour, and a punk rock ethos, yet an effective one.

SXSW Review: f(x), March 12, Elysium

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Ricky in South By Southwest | 6 Comments

If SXSW is all about unique experiences, then clearly, there are few experience as unique as seeing f(x) in concert. The first K-pop band to ever play a showcase at SXSW, the five piece girl band packed the Elysium on Tuesday night. I think half the Korean population in Texas was there.

Formed by SM Entertainment (a record label), the five girls have been steadily gaining popularity in Asia with their take of electronic music, choreographed dance moves and well, let’s face it, good looks. With the hit single Electric Shock making some waves overseas here in North America, putting a show here seemed like a natural progression. Doing it in a dive bar in Austin during SXSW however, seemed like a risky move given the festivals tendency to lean towards the indie spectrum.

Personally, I thought the place was going to be half empty when I arrived. Instead, the Elysium was packed with a line that almost snaked around the corner. Once I got in, it became clear that this was no regular SXSW show. The stage had five lcd screens mounted on the walls and playing korean music videos. There was a smoke machine. The room seemed to be packed with K-pop fans with a small amount of actual SXSW music goers. These fans were quite rabid, as a stream of bodyguards was needed to block them off from when the band went from the truck to the soundcheck room.

Taking the stage to a rambunctious applause, the five girls danced around the stage to perform a song I can only guess is called “History”. As you would expect, the music was provided off a computer and the entirety of the stage was saved for the synchronized dancing. The show was about what you would expect if you have ever seen any k/j-pop videos, each singer gets their turn at the front of the stage and then the fans would cheer for whoever they liked the best, then they would get together to do a flirty dance that would immediately give any white guy yellow fever and then at the the end of each song, they would end with a pose.

The music itself was rather catchy, and I can definitely see the music being played at night clubs. It’s got that same turbo charged electronic vibe that made Psy’s track so popular. It seems like South Korea has gone EDM crazy. I was surprised that one of the singers, Amber, spoke perfect English. I don’t know if the others did, but it became pretty apparent she was the leader/JT version of the band. Always interesting to see the dynamics of a pop group when one person seems more talented then the rest. She might be the case.

In conclusion, a completely enjoyable night. The 15-20 minute set seemed a bit short but I guess that’s one of the tricks of the trade – leave them wanting more.

SXSW Review: Matt & Kim, March 12, Fader Fort

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Paul in Concerts, South By Southwest | Leave a comment


At this point, it almost seems pointless to write a review of a Matt & Kim show since we’ve kind of said it all before in previous reviews on this site – super energetic, super positive arbiters of good times. Oh, and there’s balloons and confetti. And booty dancing on Kim’s part. That’s pretty much the Brooklyn duo in a nutshell.Seriously, Matt & Kim, why do you have to be so goddamn happy all the time? Why can’t you just get all depressed and write some sad, drone-based jams about how life is terrible? At least then, I’d have something new to report other than, “Yup, it was fun.” I realize that’s a ridiculous thing to complain about but there it is.

Taking to the stage after a pretty underwhelming intro by some representative of show sponsor Dell (whose speech amounted to “I won’t stand up here and bore you, here’s Matt and Kim to do their thing”), Matt and Kim proceeded to bring the good times, as they are wont to do. These two seem to love performing at SXSW, telling the crowd a story of their first time at the event a few years ago when they decided that they could either give in to exhaustion or party harder than ever. They chose the latter and I imagine they never looked back. They certainly seemed to have had a few drinks already prior to their show and wanted the crowd to party along with them, with Kim asking the crowd if anybody had gotten laid, encouraging everyone to chug a beer along with her, and more shenanigans, all while still pretty much kicking ass on the drums. In that sense, Matt & Kim’s show at Fader Fort exemplified what SXSW is all about for that percentage of attendees who aren’t all that interested in attending conferences and networking – it’s all about the party.

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