SXSW: Afternoon dispatch -- Pep rallies and indie rock comedy
With the Lou Reed keynote at South by Southwest (SXSW) out of the way, it was time to hit 6th Street in Austin, Texas, and scope out the plethora of afternoon parties, in the hope of catching up on some bands that were missed last night.
Plans to get in the NPR party with Yeasayer and Vampire Weekend went nowhere, with lines stretching down the block, but an A&R exec had recommended San Diego's The Grand Ole Party with a Keren O comparison, and that was enough to sell them to this writer, even though it violated my rule of not seeing Southern California bands in Austin.
The trio follows the lead of singer/drummer Kristin Gundred with some wire-thin guitar lines and a surprisingly groovy bass, at times recalling "Bankrobber"-era Clash. Tied to the drum kit, Gundred's vocals only hinted at their full range, but she has a vampy punk bit down pat. With songs that rally against taxes and trust-fund kids, she could turn a chorus such as "We are all going to do" into a jubilant refrain, and when she shouted "I am s-a-n-e" for about 60 seconds straight, one would have been crazy to doubt her.
From there it was time to follow up on another recommendation to see U.K. rock duo the Ting Tings (pictured), a seemingly simple power-pop act that won the crowd at the Fader House over with a pep-rally cheeriness. The band's short bursts of high energy were colored with a hint of backing loops that made the band sound much bigger than it was, and all of it leading to shout-out choruses.
Then it was off the Onion party to find out what time Tokyo Police Club would be performing, only to find out drummer Greg Alsop would be turning in a brief stand-up routine. This writer stuck around for about five sort-of jokes about Stephen Hawkings' sex-drive, homeless models and playing sudoku after being buried alive. And it wasn't funnier if you were there.
