2009 SXSW Report
by Joan Hathaway
3.21.2009

Film
2009 seemed to be the year of comedy. Well at least that is what I was drawn too. Probably the recession or probably just the selection. There were lots of yucks at this year's Conference and Festival, starting with the opening film I Love You Man the "bromance" comedy by John Hamburg which opens in theaters on March 20 . But I didn't see it. However I did see these comedies that are worthy of your consideration.

Observe and Report

Jody Hill (East Bound and Down and pictured right) directed/wrote this dark comedy of a delusional ‘head’ mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogan) who takes his job, and himself, a little too seriously. They should have called it Observe and Do What You Want. Whether tracking down a flasher, taking on the local police, or pursuing the woman of his dreams (Anna Farris), he’s a Rambo in the food court ramming toward his desires with mixed results (mostly bad). Ronnie breaks more laws to protect and serve, but Rogan provides enough heart to Ronnie to keep you on his side, even though you would be appalled if your mall was patrolled by this lunatic.

Observe and Report opens April 10 nationwide.

ExTerminators
A group of women who have retaliated against their men in subtle to extreme ways meet in anger management class. They drink, bond, and accidentally get into the ExTermination business. Starring Heather Graham as a doe-eyed innocent-accountant who wants nothing to do with the biz after that first ‘hit.’ Amber Heard plays an angst-ridden, tattooed dental assistant and Jennifer Coolidge as a bitter divorcee with mounting debt on her real extermination business. Her debt and desire to protect all of womanhood justifies her decision to get into the ‘ex-terminator' business.

This is really Coolidge’s film as she illicits the funny within the context of a real person. I’m so glad to see her without those exaggerated botox lips! Sam Lloyd (Scrubs, pictured left, center) plays the skeevy IRS agent who stalks Graham and Matthew Settle is Graham’s love interest. Not dark enough for cult status, but this film delivers enough funny to overlook the plot holes and has a very satisfying ending.

ExTerminators is looking for distribution.

Bruno
Sacha Baron Coen’s upcoming release Bruno is as un-PC as it gets. Expounding on his gay Austrian TV journalist persona from Da Ali-G show, Coen introduced SXSW audiences, via video, to 3 scenes and explains proudly that Bruno goes to America “to be the most famous Austrian since Hitler!” Coen then delivered 3 excruciatingly awkward and hilarious moments. Without giving too much away, here's a quick description of each.

Bruno interviewing stage moms who appear to be missing basic maternal instincts.

A talk show segment that would make Morton Downy Jr seem like Ellen. Taunting a mostly African American audience with his adopted baby he acquired in Africa by trading an iPod for him, naming him O.J. and other provocative comments.

Lastly, stunning wrestling fans with his ‘Straight Dave’ wrestler persona. Dave reminded me of Ted Nugent with camouflage fatigues and a long flowing mullet. Straight Dave whips this crowd into a frenzy exclaiming “I hate all things homosexual” then proceeds to make out with his opponent, who may be his ex.

With Bruno, Coen continues to make one squirm and groan with delight. You gotta wonder though, how much money does it cost for his own personal protection? I have to think the death threats are real.

Bruno opens July 10.

Me and Orson Welles
Filmmaker Richard Linklater (pictured left) introduces the special secret screening of his upcoming release Me and Orson Welles to a packed Paramount Theater. The film covers one week leading up to Welles’ staging of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in 1937. A timepiece reminsceint of Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway, complete with hilarious backstage egos and antics of the time, here the plot is a coming of age story for a young aspiring actor (Zac Efron) who goes on a roller coaster ride with the mighty Welles when he is selected on a whim to act in this historic production. Actor Christian McKay delivers the heft necessary for Welles’ larger-than-life persona in both ego and charm. Whispering the words every actor wants (and needs) to hear at precisely the right time, he is warm, charismatic, and human, but those soft touches only get him what he wants. He’s a master manipulator and when crossed or even slightly challenged, he can spit humiliations that can belittle those with the thickest of skins. All of this makes him a joy to watch as he seems to play his actors both on and off the stage.

Me and Orson Welles opens October 2009.

Comedy on the TV and the Web
One of my favorite panels at the Conference, was Comedy on TV and the Web featuring BJ Novak of The Office (pictured below). It was a loose discussion about the variety of distribution methods available via online, TV, and DVD. Distribution is extremely important and those methods continually evolve. The overall take away was keep it funny and they will come, and yes, who you know certainly helps.

Pictured left-right: Ricky Van Veen (CollegeHumor.com), Meredith Scardino (Cobert Report), B.J. Novak (The Office), Avner Ronen (boxee.tv), and Keith Richman (Break.com).

Now I wasn't going to Austin and not see some film about music. Still Bill a documentary on Bill Withers (pictured right) was my favorite music doc. The doc included intimate interviews with Withers, his family, candid moments, and archival performances of Use Me, Ain’t No Sunshine, and Lean on Me. From his roots in Slab Fork, WV to installing toilets on aircraft in the Navy, to his unlikely entry, and rise to fame, in music at the age 32.

It's an amazing story and through it all, Withers is affable and grounded as he retells his experiences in the music business and vulnerable when disclosing his challenges with stuttering when visiting with stuttering youth. Filmmakers spent 11 years visiting Withers to compile this vivid portrait of a superstar who insists, he’s Still Bill.

Still Bill is looking for distribution.

Music

The music choices at SXSW are always overwhelming. You make a main plan, then create multiple contigency plans to allow for improvisation of your musical adventures. Bask in the beautiful Austin weather, eat tacos, and listen to Tim Easton or head to the convention center for an afternoon show with The Von Bondies? Hey, what does keynote speaker Quincy Jones have to say? How about seeing the New York Dolls on the patio while feasting on treats from Rachel Ray? All excellent choices, but you can't do them all and each must be approached with a specific strategy for success. Such is SXSW. Here are some of the places the Texas breezes, and improvisation that is SXSW, took me.

New*West Records Day Party
I made my plans (and contingency plans) and set my sights on afternoon parties as the weather was perfect and I needed to thaw from our wicked Boston winter. The New*West day party is an annual happening and this year was slightly scaled back. Perhaps a combination of the recession coupled with perennial favorite Buddy Miller's absence. Miller was not in attendance as he is recouperating from recent heart surgery. His new release Written in Chalk with his wife Julie is a stunner and I had the pleasure to give it a good listen while driving I-35 from Crowley, TX to Austin. We wish Buddy a speedy recovery and hopefully they’ll visit us in Boston sometime soon.

Tim Easton (pictured left) is always a highlight as he previewed tunes from his upcoming release Porcupine (due 4/28). I’m happy report to our favorite "Hurtin' Albertin,"Corb Lund (pictured right) has recently signed with New*West. Let's hope the US will finally get turned on to this Canadian cowboy. Corb is recording for New*West this spring and anticipates a fall release. Also Corb's tune The Truck Got Stuck may show up on an upcoming Car Talk compilation.

Bloodshot Records Day Party
Another day party of note was the Bloodshot party at the Yard Dog, an art gallery in South Austin. Bloodshot has gotten this whole thing down to a very well-oiled machine.   10 bands, 6 hours, and 23 kegs of beer… and everything went off without a hitch. Everything I saw was solid, starting with Charlie Pickett who played an early set and his only gig of the week. Well worth dragging my butt out of bed at 10 a.m. to catch his 11:30 a.m. show. From Miami, "the rock and roll capital of the world" joked Pickett, they kicked out the early morning cobwebs with the tune Jenny Instead. I'm not sure why the drummer was wearing a banana suit, but it was weird. Oh right, we're in Austin. Dex Romweber and sister Sarah followed up with a mix of fuzz, blues, and ballad tuneship. Dex's smoky vocals and rhythmic guitar stylings are both comforting and uncomfortable. I always feel a sense of teetering when listening to Dex. Always at the edge, but never falling. Missouri’s Ha Ha Tonka continue to impress me with their harmonies and ability to rock. From the delicate harmonies delivered on The Gallow's Pole to the rocking out of the Red Meat tune 12-inch 3-Speed Oscillating Fan. These young fresh-faced guys can play and sing. Look for their upcoming release Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South due out this summer.

Exene Cervenka did her set with the help of Cindy Wasserman (Dead Rock West). Cervenka was in a good mood and she kept the crowd mesmerized with a delicate set of songs that were more time appropriate. Currently, about 1:30 in the afternoon.

Detroit's Deadstring Brothers have a new line up and a new release due later this Spring (Sao Palo). Lead 'Brother' Kurt Marschke tells me singer Masha Marjieh has moved on to start her own band and its tough to get the UK contigent out for just a pair of shows, but they are still considered in. Regardless of the line up changes, their set was great and two singers have filled the spot for Masha and a fiddle has been added. They had all the glory and goodness of a Midnight Ramble.

Justin Townes Earle came to the stage accompanied by just a guitar player. He hunched his tall slender frame over the microphone and pulled the crowd in. His set was both intimate and raucus. And when he sang Mama's Eyes, I wish he took those shades off. Let me tell ya, he's got some pretty peeps.

The Meat Purveyors did a reunion set and all were present. Jo Walston is still up to her old tricks of taunting the crowd and we're told Cherlynn is sober. She looked and played excellent, so congrats to her. Jo was busting out the jokes (and out of her shirt) and generated the best quote of the week. "I was twattering earlier today, that's Twittering... for the ladies." That was just one of the many hilarious shots tossed around the tent as we all enjoyed an afternoon hootinanny. What I liked best about the afternoon is the diversity of music, loud, low-key, wild, and spiritual. Kudos to Bloodshot for another great party.

Doug Sahm Tribute
Doug Sahm was feted this year at SXSW with a panel on his 69 album Mendocino, and tributes at the Austin Music Hall and Antones led by his son Shawn Sahm, a slight fellow with boundless energy who was taking in every moment at the Antone’s show. Additionally, Vanguard just released Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm this week. The Antone’s gig samples much of the tracks on the tribute with Jimmy Vaughn, The Gourds, Dave Alvin, Flaco Jimenez and Auggie Meyes of the Texas Tornados, and Shawn and his band.

Shawn Sahm played Mendicino, The Gourds, Nuevo Laredo,  and Flaco Jimenz and Auggie Meyers got the crowd singing with Ta Bueno Compadres. Also playing a couple songs at this tribute gig was Boston’s own Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles performing I Wanna Be Your Mama Again which is only available if you buy the compilation digitally on Amazon. The iTunes bonus is Billy Bob Thorton and well, there really is one choice here and it ain't Billy Bob.

Boston in Austin

Speaking of Sarah Borges, she and her band, the Broken Singles, played a killer set at Mother Egan's and debuted a lot of songs from their new release The Stars Are Out (Sugar Hill). Will Kimbrough (Daddy) was also on the same bill and he joined the band to close out their set, including playin his tune Glory Be, which SB&BS have been playing live the past year or so. It certainly kicked up an already energized set, with Borges closing the night standing on Dulaney's drum kit and pounding the crap out of them leaving a shredded drum head in her wake.

Fellow Bostonians, the Eilen Jewell band also performed a fine set at the Velveeta Room. Yes, they have clubs names after cheese. Well maybe not cheese, but in Austin, I wouldn't be surprised. Jewell also debuted new tunes from her upcoming release Sea of Tears (Signature Sounds) due late April. Jewell seems to be moving into more bluesy territory with the performance of the title track to the new release and a sultry version of Johnny Kidd's Shaking All Over. Wow pass the whiskey around.

Chris Gaffney Tribute
Chris Gaffney’s loss is still being felt in the roots music community. His long-time partner in music Dave Alvin put a show together at the Continental Club with his new outfit, the Guilty Women (pictured below). The band included Cindy Cashdollar, Sarah Brown, Amy Farris, Lisa Pankratz, plus Bill Kirchen was along for the ride.  Avin introduces the tune Artesia with a story about how Gaffney came up with a song about that 'old cow smell' that the Santa Ana winds would deliver across the changing California landscape of their youth. Artesia will be part of Man of Somebody's Dreams - A Tribute to Chris Gaffney (Yep Roc) release alongside folks such as Joe Ely, Alejandro Escovedo, Big Sandy w/ Los Straitjackets, John Doe, Freddy Fender, and many more. The compilation is planned for a May release. Alvin also plans a May release of his new release with the Guilty Women who will play the Regattabar on July 15 and Narrows Center for the Arts on July 16. Make your plans now.

New Discoveries
This year I didn’t really come across too many new bands to me that I was impressed with, except for Peggy Sue (pictured left). A 3 piece from the UK, put an interesting twist on roots music. In the performance I saw they had to improvise on percussion with an empty Dos Equis case box and a table. There was a communication glitch and they thought a drum kit was going to be provided. No such luck, but the improvision provided for something fun and different. Peggy Sue has recently been signed to Yep Roc and a release is due in the fall, but in the meantime, Yep Roc is making their EP Body Parts available free as digital downloads on their website.

Another new band, is The Right Ons (pictured right) from Spain. OK, not totally new to me. I did happen to see them at the Lizard Lounge a couple months back and they were incredible. Their showcase at SXSW was no different, except for the custom moraccas and tamborines they handed out to a much larger dancing crowd. Coincidentally their new release, Look Inside Now! was recorded locally at Somerville’s own Q Division studios.

Comedy at SXSW
I mentioned that I was drawn to comedy during this year's film festival, but I was also drawn to it during the music festival. This year 2 nights at the Velveeta Room were strictly comedy. We got a few yucks on Saturday night and an extra bonus to be able to sit for an hour. We caught ex-Bostonian, Eugene Mirman's set and he was clearly a draw. The nano-second of screen time on HBO's Flight of the Conchords has boosted his popularity. However, that popularity hasn't translated to special, or even regular, treatment by Delta Airlines. Delta lost his luggage and much of Mirman's set spent on how they kept screwing up and how he has channeled his frustration into action - with our help, of course. He passed out postcards (pictured left) to the audience with a terse message to Delta's CEO in an attempt to start a letter writing campaign to bring down the company, or at least return the annoyance. To punctuate this point, he wrote a song with John Wesley Harding, who came up and sang it. I have to admit, I like the enthusiam in his advcacy. I won't be flying Delta anytime soon.

What The Hey?
It's official, Wayne Kramer has kicked out the jams. No jam left. Kramer of Detroit's legendary rock group, MC5 had a midnight show on Saturday. We went with high expectations of seeing a rock show, but Kramer enters the stage solo with an acoustic guitar. Hello?! I guess I missed the memo. I don't have anything against the acoustic guitar by any means, but Kramer? We stayed for a couple tunes, but when Kramer started whining about (file) 'sharing,' talking down to the crowd like these old farts (myself included) were stealing his work, it was time to leave. Geez Wayne, as Zappa would say, shut up and play your guitar.

Moving on, we needed to get that bad taste out of our mouths. So off to see King Kahn & the Shrines, that will surely sate our appetite for rock, but no go. The line to the special invite only performance was out the door, down the street, and around the corner. Oh we were invited, they invite *everyone.* But hey, we're pros and we have multiple contingency plans and it wasn't long before we were rocking the night with Jack Oblivian and the Tennesse Tear Jerkers (pictured right). No lines, no whining, just pure unadulterated rock and roll. The band is so much tighter than a couple years back and Jack O has a new release on Goner Records, Disco Outlaw, which is amazing. The crowd was digging it and so were we. The puncuation mark we needed to end a successful week in Austin. Thank goodness for contigency plans.