2008 SXSW Report
by Joan Hathaway
3.21.2008

Film
2008 seemed to be the year of the nerd. The movie premier was 21, based on the Ben Mezrich book Bringing Down the House about a handful of MIT students who take millions from Las Vegas casinos. It opens nationwide on March 28th.

While walking the conference floor, I came across a young man playing a Nintendo Game Boy. It was director Paul Owens (pictured right) of the documentary Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet. The documentary looks at the chiptunes movement. Chiptunes creates new music using old video game hardware and has been percolating in the NYC area for a couple years. The Blip Festival was organized in NYC in 2006 and 2007 and the camera’s were rolling. The  Festival attracted performers from all over the world, including Tokyo, S. America, UK, US, and Hong Kong. Nine of these chiptuners performed a special showcase during SXSW week.  A 2008 festival is planned again in Manhatten in the November/December time frame.

Where The Blip Festival was about taking apart toys and repurposing them for music, the documentary Nerdcore Rising looks at nerd rappers by going on the road with the godfather of them all, MC Frontalot (pictured left - pretty much says it all). Frontalot, aka Damien Hess, a former Somerville resident, had for years posted his quirky rap songs on the Internet. An online audience grew, and Frontalot wondered if he took his band on the road, would his fans peel away from the computers to see him.

The documentary follows Frontalot and his band of merry nerds on a hilarious tour from their first sparsely attended show to the Penny Arcade Festival with thousands of fans. Fueled by geeky anxiety and the desire to boldly go where no nerd has gone before, there’s something charming about a man who puts it out there, even when he knows, he’s a dork. As Prince Paul says in the film, as long as he’s real to himself, then it is real. And if the positive response of the film and after party line around the block is any indication, Nerdcore may indeed be rising.

I must have been feeling my inner geek as I felt the need this year to troll the SXSW Interactive Festival. I got some lessons on Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and Guitar Hero. I quickly learned, I do not have that kind of time to learn these games, nevermind play them. I did come across a new start up, called Utterz that looked appealing. They allow you to post messages and images to your website and/or blog from your mobile phone. Maybe next year, I'll use them to do real-time updates at SXSW. In the meantime, you can check them out here. It's free.

OK, back to film. Historical music documentaries were plentiful this year. A sampling included The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scatch Perry, Wesley Willis’s Joyride, and The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice which looked at the career of Wanda Jackson (pictures right). Sweet Lady reviewed Jackson's early days with Hank Thompson and the Brazo Boys, where Thompson first heard Wanda on a radio talent show when she was just 15 years old. The documentary also covered her transition into rock-n-roll, her work and relationship with Elvis Presley, her gospel years, her rock and roll revival in the 90s to the present. The doc also serves as part of a campaign to get Jackson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which in big part is being spearheaded by her husband/manager and a few rock heavyweights including Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. Costello even wrote a letter to the hall of fame board saying he wouldn't give them a certain guitar until Jackson was inducted. Jackson, who recently was lauded by the National Endowment of the Arts said she's "not losing any sleep" over the oversight, if it happens great, if not that's OK too. You can listen to the full interview here (about 20 minutes in). The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice airs on the Smithsonian Channel on May 18 at 9pm ET.

The Night James Brown Saved Boston takes us back to April 5, 1968 when James Brown played the Boston Garden. The documentary is a fascinating look behind the scenes of the events that unfolded leading up to the concert. It was the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assissinated. Riots had broken out in Los Angeles, D.C., and civil disturbances were reported in Roxbury. Newly elected Boston mayor Kevin White feared the concert would increase unrest in the city and originally thought to cancel the concert. He was persuaded not to do so by councilman Tom Atkins, the only-African American councilman at the time. A decision to broadcast the concert live on TV was made and ticket holders were encouraged to stay home and subsequently get a refund. This didn't set well with the Brown camp and a lot of behind the scenes negotiation took place to make the concert happen. Additionally, the broadcast was a last minute set up for WGBH, who specialized in classical concerts and setting up a last minute rock show presented logistical challenges, which added to the tension. Brown was thrust into the position of peacemaker and rose to the occassion when emotions came to a boil. He calmed the crowd and called for peace and 'respect.' Brown later was asked to speak in DC to help that city stop the rioting and was able to convince the White House to entertain the troops in Vietnam. It's a period in Brown's career, and Boston's history, that isn't all that known and documentary shines a clear light on it at a pivotal point in our nation's and city's history. The Night James Brown Saved Boston airs on VH1 Classics on April 5, 2008 - to commemorate the 40th anniversay of this historic concert. I had the opportunity to speak with the director of the film, David Leaf. You can listen to it here (about 10 minutes in).

Music

My ears led me to many Austin artists this year, men and women were equally impressive, but I think the chicks won out this year. A big highlight was the discovery of Carolyn Wonderland (pictured right) who put on a blistering set at Antones. She had been recommended to me by many of my music comrades and I can see the comparisons to Janis Joplin, with her flaming red mane and ablity to belt it out, but Janis never shredded a guitar like Wonderland. Yowza! Her vocal delivery was fierce on songs such as Still Alive and Well and Miss Understood the title track to her most recent release. She also showed a playful side when she sang I'm the Man, from Alcohol & Salvation, even playing the hand trumpet. If you are ever in Austin, definitely seek her out.

Following Wonderland's set was Sue Foley (pictured left) with Cindy Cashdollar (lap steel), Sue Brown (bass), and Lisa Pankratz (drums). The set was a blend of Foley kicking it out on her signature pink paisley guitar trading licks with Cashdollar, then switching to the acoustic for some serious classical style guitar pickin' mezmerizing a late night crowd at the end of a very long week.

The patio was open and the stars were out at Momo's on a warm Austin night and Carrie Rodriguez was holding fort. When Rodriguez snarls Never Want to Be Your Bride well, she means it. Rodriguez didn't need the celebrity support of Lucinda Williams dropping by to sing back up, but it was a nice treat regardless, though Williams really just kind of moaned through it.

The Mother Truckers were another new discovery. They rocked the Continental with the one-two punch of Teal Collins (pictured right) and Josh Zee which reminded me of Southern Culture on the Skids with a little Johnny and June, with Collins sporting the ukelele and Zee ripping the surf licks. A lot of head bopping and hip shaking at this good time show.

The men of Austin were no slouches either. Former Faces keyboardist and long-time Austin resident, Ian McLagan continues to make great music and put on live shows. We always try to catch a set with McLagan & the Bump Band everytime we go to Austin. He's the real deal and his Bump Band is rock solid. They include Dan Harvey (Joe Ely, Ronnie Lane on drums), Mark Andes (Spirit, Canned Heat on bass) and Scrappy Jud Newcomb ( The Resentments, Toni Price on guitars). Ian closed the set with I Will Follow a rockin' new tune from his latest release Never Say Never on his own label called I Will Follow that conjure up the great groove of the Faces, but not a nostalgia trip just good solid vibes. This is music happening now.

Black Joe Lewis an up-and-coming R&B act channeled the moves of James Brown and the voice of Screamin Jay Hawkins. His band the Honey Bears brought the horns and funk to Emo's and kicked off the first night of SXSW with a bang. it was nice to get the dancing started.

I caught some of the Austin Music Awards and was pleased to see that Rosie Flores was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, along with the Skunks, Jon Dee Grahams earlier punk incarnation. Roky Erickson walked away with Musician of the year and Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) presented the award. You can see the glee in Roky's face in the picture above. Spoon walked away with seven awards in all for Ga Ga Ga Ga a (which apparently means win, win, win, win, win and then win some more). The entire band was on hand to receive them.

No sets were played by Flores, Spoon, or the Skunks (I would have particularly liked to have seen the Skunks), but Roky performed 3 songs with another Austin Music Award winner, this one for Best Indie Rock Band, OkkervilRiver. Roky played the elder stateman role, which seemed to work OK for everyone.

Other 3 Ring Circus faves to get a nod at the awards include: Stephen Bruton: Best Acoustic Guitarist, The Gourds: Best Roots Rock Band, Best Keyboard Player: Pinetop Perkins, Bad Livers: Hall of Fame Inductee, and Ruthie Foster: Best Female Vocalist. You can read the full list of winners here.

Memphis was there to represent at SXSW. "Where is began, it still is" was the motto of the evening and they ain't lying. A diverse bill was staged at Opal Divine's anchored by the North Mississippi Allstars. Luther Dickinson (pictured right) is still keeping things shaking as they churn that greasy dixie-fried soul. The BoKeys brought the funk and The Third Man some trippy psychedia. A highlight of the showcase was the girl with the big bass fiddle, Amy Lavere. At some points she was delicate and sweet and other times she punctuated a song with a snarl and swagger. The gal can hold her own the stage. It almost seemed to be a double showcase as there was some serious video taping going on. I imagine the performances were recorded for DVD. If the sound was as good as what I heard, I would seek this out. It was quite an affair.

Shelby Lynne delivered a smoky set at the Austin Music Hall reprising much of her Dusty Springfield tribute Just A Little Lovin’ (Lost Highway). Although a quiet set she picked things up with her reworked version of Willie & Laura Mae Jones which came out like she was singing about family.

I didn't get to see as much music from around the world as in year's past, but I did catch a few. A bunch of young lads by the name of Back Door Slam (pictured left) from the Isle of Man have certainly been listening to their Cream albums. Delivering solid blues rock heard by artists many years his senior, singer/guitarist Davey Knowles sounds road weary and quite the journeyman on the fret boards. Knowles surprised (and impressed me) by performing the John Hiatt cover Riding With the King and knowing it was a John Hiatt. I'm guessing he heard the Eric Clapton and BB King version first, but that's OK, the kid gets points for doing the research. Back Door Slam have been touring the states and we hope to see them in the Boston. This time when the Red Sox are not playing a Worlds Series Game so folks can see what they got.

From New Zealand, Liam Finn (pictured right) gathered an extra helping of buzz. I'm guessing part of it is his bloodline (he is the son of Neil Finn of Crowded House/Split Endz fame), but part of it is his shows. He mixes the rock form with loops and percussive natural sounds, provided by singer EJ Barnes, some may describe them as screams, but Liam adapted it into the current concoction he was brewing up and it was a musical delight. Not that Finn has made up the form, just he is able to modify it to his own musical vision. A sight to behold.

In the vein of mixing artificial elements, such as samples and loops into rock music, the UK's Carbon/Silicon brought one of the most sought after gigs at SXSW. Comprised of Punk legends Mick Jones (Clash) and Tony James (Generation X) and Leo "Ezeekill" Williams (Big Audio Dynamite), Carbon/Silicon delivered a punchy upbeat set at the Austin Convention Center. Jones and James were all smiles and the I don't really recall the use of samples, other than riffs of songs sprinkled within other songs, including Bob Marley's "Stir It Up," and "Oh Well" by Fleetwood Mac. Carbon/Silicon is playing TTs on April 5th, but sadly for those of us without tickets. It is sold out. Plan to have fun if you have those tickets. And take pictures, the guys love it!

SXSW is known for the day parties and there were plenty. I dipped into the usual parties. Bloodshot at the Yard Dog where Andre Williams started the day with a raucus set. Williams was backed up by the fabulous Allan Oldies band which included Wet Dog on the keys. A high point of this day's party was the acapella version of Hangman sung by Missouri's Ha Ha Tonka. It was lovely and brought a hush over the crowd. Not a common sight at a Bloodshot party. Seriously. The party was dedicated to the memory of Drew Glackin of the Silo's who died unexpectedly earlier in the year. You can see Drew pictured behind Andre Williams (pictured right). Drew's absence was duly noted. He was the guy I would see every year at SXSW. He'd either be on the stage or in the crowd exicited by the music whether he was playing it or watching it. For the fleeting times we hung out, his enthusiams was infectious. He was celebrated with several performances all week. Not surprising as I'm sure he touched many with immense spirit and talent.

Skipping along Red River I happened to stop by and check out Motorhead at Stubbs. It was sunny hot day, but that is not a complaint! There were lots of leather clad folks, long hair and lots of ink in the crowd. Me, in my kakhi shorts and t-shirt, was amused by my somewhat middle-aged mom attire. But I didn't care, I sipped my ice tea and smiled as folks pumped their hands to Ace of Spades under a bright afternoon sun. I love this town.

Another treat along Red River was an outdoor performance by John Doe (pictured left). X did a couple showcase gigs and this year's SXSW, which I'm sure were fun, but I really like Doe's solo work and to see him on a sunny day was just wonderful. Plus X is coming to Boston with the Detroit Cobras on May 20th, so I'm saving myself for a wild rock and roll night back in Beantown.

Every year there is the must-go-to party. This year it was the Rachael Ray presents shindig. OK, hear me out. I have two very good reasons to go to this party. I'll give you a hint (see right). If you are famous for food and you are throwing a party with free food. I'm going to show up. And if I get in, I'm going to make a pig of myself (I wasn't the only one, trust me). Kudos to Ray for actually being generous about the food and the amounts. The lines were relatively short and the food yummy. More than yummy, I have to say it was the best food at a SXSW party I've ever had. Seven layer hamburger sliders (pictured right), BBQ ribs, chicken and cornbread casserole... c'mon that's pretty sweet.

The second reason is that I wanted to hear her introduce/announce the band Holy F*ck. OK, not very mature, but face it if the opportunity presented itself, you'd be curious too. However, it was starting to get packed and I was getting pummeled by Ray's many fans, who seemed to track her like a pack of fleas. I lost patience and figured I could just find it on youtube (but I don't think it happened).

Sated by yummy treats and great music I skipped along to the next party, where I could easily turn my nose up to salsa and chips. Thanks Rachael, thanks SXSW, and thanks Austin for another great week of entertainment.