SXSW ‘10 Day One
Jon Pikus: Master of Wristbands
The first day of SXSW Music was lively as ever, falling on St. Patty’s day, 6th street was running wild… We started off the evening at the ASCAP party, where we caught impressive performances from HoneyHoney and Kopecky Family Band, but Josh Briggs’ hotdog suit was nowhere to be found. Feeling plenty good, it was a perfect time to catch a sweaty set from Scorpion Child at the World’s End showcase at Encore… Midnight saw Fitz & the Tantrums pack the tent at the KCRW showcase, where they played some songs from their newly finished album. Good stuff. We ended the night with friends new and old at the Driskill bar. Stay tuned…
03.15.10SXSW 2010: Party & Panel Picks
Here’s a quick look at a few of the parties and panels happening at SXSW this week worth putting in your calendar…
Wed (3/17)
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SXSW 2010: Who to Watch Pt. 2
Pat Grossi is Active Child: One to Watch @ SXSW
As the mass music migration to Austin for SXSW begins next week, we know many folks are scrambling to get travel and accommodations in order (e.g. booking last minute flights, hotel rooms, couches and floors to sleep on, etc..). But in between sending party RSVP’s and stocking up on Airborne, make sure to check out the LP Questionnaire/Pick 3 series over on SXSW.com. Some of our favorite tid bits include fun facts and recommended artist-picks from notable industry friends and artists such as Nic Adler, Matthew Mayfield and the DeSavia/Knoepfle/Briggs trio. Now on to pt. 2…
Expect to see lots of festival goers and industry folks checking out The Young Veins. The new Crush-managed act is comprised of two former members of Panic! At the Disco. Their upcoming tour with Boston’s Bad Rabbits, who are garnering a good level of interest as well, will see both bands making stops at the festival… Indie-pop songstress Meiko will play Thursday night (3/18) at The Parish and it looks like her sophomore album will see a summer release, most likely on Interscope. Expect to see publishers in attendance… Labels are keeping an eye on California duo HoneyHoney who play the ASCAP showcase on Wednesday night (3/17), while Obi Best, who also sings backup with The Bird and The Bee, will be playing the ASCAP’s Friday (3/19) show… Surfer Blood have a full dance-card in Austin, with lots of performances scheduled. The Florida indie-rockers will mostly likely be seeing a lot of attention from both domestic and international on-lookers… Pat Grossi, who performs as Active Child, will also be busy with a number of shows next week, including the Thursday (3/18) Filter showcase at Cedar Street; the L.A. local has recently received numerous positive nods in tastemaker press… Those sticking it out through Saturday (3/20) should catch electro-dance act Pretty Lights at La Zona Rosa. The group’s first two albums have over 300,000 downloads and they head to Austin on the tail of five sold-out dates in their home state of Colorado. Classixx is another electronic duo to catch, they play the Green Label Sound showcase on Friday (3/19)… Finally a little trivia: How many 90’s-era rock acts playing secret shows during SXSW can you name? The winner gets a limited edition signed 7″ from Pedro the Singing Monkey…
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Take Notice: Oren Lavie
Oren Lavie's "Her Morning Elegance" Nominated for Best Short Form Video
The nominees for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards were announced last week. Typically this occasion holds about as much significance to us as the seasonal return of McDonald’s McRib (and yes, it’s back), however buried amongst the many Gaga’s and Swift’s this year was a nomination that caught our attention. The video for Oren Lavie’s song “Her Morning Elegance,” is nominated in the Best Short Form Music Video category. The video has already received over 9 million views on YouTube, no SuBo numbers but damn impressive, and the song was used in a Chevy truck ad-campaign earlier this year. Lavie also won this year’s ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award. Labels and pubcos are sure to take note, particularly as we hear that he is getting back the masters for his full-length The Opposite Side of the Sea. The album was originally self-released earlier this year in conjunction with Chris Douridas via A Quarter Past Wonderful, before being licensed by a now moribund ADA-distributed virtual label. Checkout the video for “Her Morning Elegance” HERE
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