Wed. March 12, 2014

Due to getting majorly sick — this is way more delayed then I would have liked. Ive been resting so often that I barely could turn on a computer. Cest la vie.

The evening was spent running around trying to find bands that sounded interesting. And here is what I encountered. Some good, some didnt care for and some who just werent there. Sadness.

Pagiins — I lasted a few minutes for their show at Holy Mountain Backyard. It was beyond painfully loud. They are a very guitar heavy garage-rock band. It didnt work for me, and even with earplugs I was dying.

Then it was off to my ONLY entry into Stubbs. I have no clue how that even happened as the place was packed. I was there to see England’s Eagulls. They were on my ‘must-see’ list and its too bad I saw them there. The mix was all off, and making out vocals and songs were impossible. On their more popular song, I could somewhat make out the guitar riffs enough to at least recognize the song. Needless to say, lasted maybe 3-4 songs before taking off. (Note: if youre at Stubb’s — the sound is way better just outside in line — go figure)

Then it was back to Holy Mountain Backyard to see Lost in the Trees. They were quite good and endearing to the crowd. They had some pleasant indie-pop songs and I feel that they are a band worth seeing again — esp in a better venue.

Later that evening (pre-Black Violin) it was off to see Papa. They have the potential of being a good indie-pop band, but it seemed the only thing special about the band is the obnoxious lead singer who must have thought it was funny swearing as every other word. I was so bored.

At this point I was supposed to hit up Rd Gld Grn (Red Gold Green) from DC who I was really wanting to see. I got to the Palm Door on 6th (avoid like a plague) and the line was INSANE!!! Thankfully I thought to check the schedule and saw their names crossed off — sadly, the band didn’t make SXSW as someone got sick 😦 And I had missed them in SF — Doh!

Instead I ended up over at Main II quite early and caught a bunch of rappers. I couldnt tell anyone who I saw (assuming schedules were right — which I dont think they were) I could prob figure it out. It wasnt totally my thing, but the crowd was so into it. Too much of the ‘ho’s and bitches’ and I just tune out.

Earlier there was Temples from England at the IFC Fairgrounds. It was a pretty cool spot and seemed like a small county fair (slide and all). A lot of food trucks were around, but having just had dinner it wasnt that appealing. I should have come here more often as the sound was incredible. Temples sounded great with an awesome 70s pysch rock sound and even the 70s vibe. The lead singer looked like he had stepped out of the 70s with platforms and a huge fro. He rocked it. The band was tight and so worth seeing again.

The day time set started out at The Blackheart and was one of my favorite spots. It was super low-key and so casual. It was totally my kind of place. The bands included Denmark’s very young trio Baby in Vain. These girls can ROCK!! Played some great garage rock. And they shred on their guitars. My friend and I loved them the most, and of course, they werent even on my list to see.

Australia’s Panama — sadly, very forgetful. They were playing some electro-dance heavy keyboard music, but they never even seemed that dance-y and were boring.

The High Highs from Australia as well were good. I loved their shoegaze music and the dreamy pop music was just right for the day. They have a very similar sound to Wild Nothing. Not a bad thing, and cant wait to see them again.

The last afternoon band was a band I had really been wanting to see. Filter — which was of course packed — had some great bands on their set. I only was able to catch Terraplane Sun and they were AWESOME!! They lived up to everything I wanted them to be. The band, from Venice, CA, has a really great garage rock, bluesy pop sound. Theyre infectious and have some great songs that you find yourself singing along to and dancing to. Thankfully, I already have tickets to see them when they come here post-festival.

Lastly, I should add that I made a HUGE effort to see some panels. Im a huge sucker to sit in and listen to ‘experts’ talk and maybe learn a thing or two. So today’s panel was the ‘Nerdy Music Panel’ which featured a bunch of nerd-core hip-hop artists. It was interesting to learn about the genre and besides Dr. Awkward was there as well as Mega Ran (Random). So if youre into video games, and like hip-hop but want it more interesting than what a lot of rappers are rapping about – check this out. You will LOVE it!!