If you’re a music fan, musician, or industry person then you’re bound to have read or heard something about SXSW by now. That being said, we’ll keep this short and sweet.
SXSW is still an exciting event for all things music, but the festival also covers digital and film. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or creative mind – you’ll be sure to learn something in Austin. However, it’s not for the faint hearted. 40K global folks come into town to share their wares, music, gadgets and movies. So if you plan on making a statement down there – best start working on it now!
None the less, cutting through the noise is still very possible. There is still that crazy opportunity to perform in front of industry brass (see Lord Huron) or seeing an already developed group perform a pop-up show (Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Jack White all laid down not-so-secret gigs this year). Heck the only wack moment? Waiting in line to get into the Rachel Ray Party – just to see her introduce Das Racist: the band cancelled their set due to throat issues.
It’s a matter of how long you want to wait in line and have patience with drunken frat boys. Some highlights from this festival attendee’s experience – in no particular order: Puro Instinct,Curren$y, James Blake, The Sandwitches, Other Lives and Sheep Dogs. Links are provided for you to go explore.
And one last tip. For food, Stubbs BBQ is amazin’. And the insider info: go to bar during lunch hours and get served pulled pork sandwich pronto. You did not hear that from me. SXSW is great time to tap into culture discovery with friends. It’s a festival built on building memories patiently waiting for a song.
While we’re eager to hear what Beck will come up with after the amazing 2008 album ‘Modern Guilt’, it seems we’re still going to have to be patient. After working with esteemed hip hop producer Danger Mouse on his last album, it appears that Beck has picked up on another staple of the rap world: mixtapes.
Mixtapes have long been adopted in the world of hip-hop and now it appears even singer songwriters are getting in on the action. Beck has shared his latest sonic influences on a series of mixes hosted on his Soundcloud page. Head here to check out his latest ‘Tropicália’ mix. Now you can enjoy the sounds of Beck’s living room in your own house!
Nothing beats a low-end, drop-out riff. Call it what you will – stoner rock, classic rock, or hipster freedom rock. We call it rock’n’roll. Black Mountain recently performed live on Jimmy Fallon’s late night TV show – who coincidently is a known Shazamer. (He booked Neon Indian by tagging music with Shazam: check the NPR post )
Anyway, back to the rock: ’Old Fangs’ has the charisma of a Pontiac GTO opening up wide, down a two-lane, desert blacktop. In short: Rad times. Catch them live with southern psych-masters, Black Angels. Both artists are supporting new releases on their up-coming tour. Tap in. Read more…
KanYe West recently posted another new track, ‘See Me Now’ from his forthcoming album on his blog. The song features his favourite video makin’ homie, Beyoncé along with Charlie Wilson. There is an obvious calm in his performance, you can almost feel the smile in his voice. His lyrical humour is spot on, see the line – “If you fall on the concrete, it’s your asphalt.” So true.
Get over to Weezy’s blog before he changes his mind and deletes the link (he has it up for download, for now). And for good measure, the rapper has recently signed up to the micro-blogging phenomena that is Twitter. Follow here for his crucial tweets and no doubt more information on tracks from his new album.
Janelle Monáe has been a well received by global music press elites such as Rolling Stone and is now poised to take on radio with her new single ‘Cold War’; a veritable genre’ bending pop machine. The tune wanders comfortably between pop, electro, rock and back again without ever disorientating the listener. Pitchork TV recently premiered the video above on Friday, and today named the song, best new track – quite an accolade from the notoriously hard to please site.
This one’s for real, a top tune from a fresh and exciting artist. The singer will embark on a clutch of US dates later this year, supporting the likes of Maroon 5, Kings Of Leon and Of Montreal. The track – taken from the album ’The ArchAndroid’ is currently available on iTunes,
The Entrance Band just successfully returned from their second trip to Japan in the last 6 months. They’ve been weathered road warriors for the duration of 2010, spreading their low-end rock’n’roll gospel across the United States. Entrance Band features Guy Blakeslee on guitar and vocals, Derek James on drums and Paz Lenchantin on bass guitar. If you’re a fan of Budgie, James Gang, Blue Cheer and other deep groove rock, than get with it. Best catch Entrance perform live for the true sonic crusher. Move forward with the now scene, and where it is happening. Check out the video for ‘Lookout!’ above and head to iTunes to download the track. Be sure to check out their MySpace and Facebook pages for future dates.
