SXSW 2011 Recap

(archiving selected content from my old Wordpress blog!)

After spending the past few years enviously following along as hordes of music media types, photographers, and fans made their annual pilgrimage down to Austin for a whirlwind week of bands and beer, this year I was determined, to hell with my anxiety over flying, to join them. I thought that spending the past couple of years covering CMJ would constitute adequate preparation, but that was before I arrived in downtown Austin. Walking down Sixth Street on my first afternoon in town amidst throngs of hipsters and to the soundtrack of competing blasts of music from a dozen adjacent venues, I felt threatened with complete sensory overload. That feeling never left me entirely over the course of the week and as a result I spent less time out and about and more time at the hotel recharging my internal social batteries then I’d hoped to. Still, even as someone who’s less interested in being in the middle of some huge maelstrom of activity and more interested in finding interesting pockets of quiet on the sides, I had a great time, and I’m looking forward to doing it again next year. Below are some photo highlights and assorted thoughts a week later. A whole bunch more photos from the various showcases and day parties I went to are here there and everywhere on BrooklynVegan.

I got into Austin late Tuesday afternoon, before the music portion of SXSW officially kicked off, and spent most of the evening wandering downtown, trying to get my bearings, and people-watching.

Wednesday started off at the French Legation Museum for the Bella Union/Yours Truly Day Party, with a number of bands I was really looking forward to catching for the first time. French Legation is so lovely, with rolling hills and flowers and trees, and it was a slightly overcast breezy day which made shooting outdoors an absolute joy.

Lanterns on the Lake

BOBBY

I stood in line waiting for some free tacos after Lanterns on the Lake but gave up on that in favor of the granola bar in my camera bag and seeing BOBBY. Totally worthwhile decision, as BOBBY sounded sublime, so much so that I went up to Amelia, who also sings in Mountain Man, and told her so (please note I’m pretty shy and don’t normally do this, but sometimes you just have to). One of my favorite bands of the week, for sure.

Alessi’s Ark

I saw a lot of people with foxtails hanging from belt loops or bag straps over the course of the week. Apparently that’s a thing?

Marques Toliver

I got psyched for Marques Toliver’s set as I saw him soundchecking - with an autoharp, a violin, and a glockenspiel. Then he started to sing in his huge, soulful voice, and I was basically blown away. Another favorite from the week, I just don’t understand how I’d never heard of this guy before.

Still Corners

Normally Still Corners plays in darkness or near enough, with just projectors, so I was so, so happy to be able to photograph them in daylight.

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper

Next up on Wednesday night was the official BrooklynVegan showcase at Swan Dive, with a bunch of my favorites, and hangtime with some photographer buddies, so overall just a lovefest. Swan Dive is a lovely venue with great sound, but I vastly preferred it in the daytime with natural light streaming in through the curtains behind the stage, to at night, with minimal lighting coming up from the floor, casting all kinds of weird shadows on the performers’ faces.

Sam Amidon

Sam is so charming. The highlight of his set, of course, was when he did a cover of Walking on Sunshine with Ólöf Arnalds guesting on violin.

Sharon Van Etten

I’ve seen Sharon Van Etten sooooo many time but that never stops me from seeing her again whenever the opportunity arises. She is one of the sweetest, most sincere people ever, and I loved seeing the venue packed to the brim with people hanging onto her every note for her set.

Savoir Adore

I spent Thursday afternoon at the BV Day Party, spread out across 3 stages at the interconnecting Swan Dive, Barbarella Patio, and Barbarella. Going back and forth from one to the next all day sort of gave me whiplash from the widely disparate shooting conditions: dark with magenta LEDs inside Barbarella, harsh sunlight on the patio, and nice filtered backlighting at Swan Dive. Then there was fighting the crowds. My normal strategy for venues without a photo pit is to show up early, stake out a spot, and stay there, but when dealing with simultaneous bands on 3 stages that simply isn’t an option. Instead there’s a lot of going back and forth, apologizing to people as you wend your way up to the stage for a song or two, crouching down as to minimize how much you’re in anyone’s way, and wiggling back out again. So certainly not an ideal way to experience live music, all fragmented, but some bands stand out even amidst all the chaos.

Pete and the Pirates

Pete and the Pirates are really fun! I had a dream once that they were playing Mercury Lounge opening for Lykke Li, randomly, but I’d never actually seen them before.

This was what the lighting inside Barbarella looked like on the bright end; it only got worse from here!

Rural Alberta Advantage

Even though I’d seen Rural Alberta Advantage less than a week before SXSW, I had to catch a few minutes of their set anyway, love them!

Memoryhouse

I was unfamiliar with Memoryhouse going in but I really enjoyed the couple of songs I caught from them. Also photographically speaking the violet light worked really really well for them, upped the dreamy factor a notch. I wanted to grab them for a quick portrait but I chickened out, which, seriously, I need to stop doing.

Memoryhouse

Menomena

Screaming Females

Marissa Paternoster is a force of nature. I wish I’d gotten more/better photos from their set but short of breaking out a flash there wasn’t a lot to be done with the lighting inside Barbarella.

MellowHype

Generally I’m not interested in competing with a zillion other photographers and their cameras to get the same pictures from the same angles of the really buzzy bands, but when the spectacle is going on right in front of you you can’t help but be compelled. I had the idea that I was going to wade into the crowd up to the front for MellowHype, which fortunately I was unable to - close interaction with crowd-surfers usually ends with me getting my glasses kicked off my face. Instead I found a bench to the side to stand on and shoot out over the crowd, which had limited potential for angles but at least let me get a straight shot of some crowd-surfing action while not being in physical danger.

After the BV Party I met Rachel and we headed for Cheers Shot Bar, where Sea of Bees would be playing. I started to cringe as we walked through the dark narrow bar but was delighted to find that the stage was actually set up on an elevated patio in open air, and the setting sun was making everything look super dreamy. A couple of fairly forgettable bands played and I took sneaky crowd shots.

Sea of Bees

By the time Sea of Bees played the sun had just about set, turning the sky lilac, and it was so unbelievably pretty. The moral of the story here, clearly, is that more bands should play on rooftops at sunset, because it’s basically the best thing ever. (Also Sea of Bees are wonderful)

Friday during the day was stacked with amazing party options, but I wound up going with my first instinct and heading up from downtown to the Muzzle of Bees Backyard BBQ, where quite a few bands I’ve seen before and love would be playing. Unfortunately I underestimated how far up it was, and wound up walking the nearly three miles in the noon heat, which was a pretty poor decision. Even with some serious heat exhaustion, though, this was still one of the highlights of my week.

Yellow Ostrich

Yellow Ostrich

The Luyas

The Luyas brought along Sarah Neufeld of Arcade Fire to play violin, which brought an awesome extra layer to their sound - I’ve seen them numerous times, but never with the violin. Also Jessie’s moodswinger, not pictured here, is basically the coolest instrument ever.

The Loom

Lost in the Trees

As soon as I saw the treehouse in the backyard I knew I had to climb up in it and it felt perfectly appropriate to do so for Lost in the Trees. I know, sooo corny, but I was just so tickled by the idea of photographing Lost in the Trees from up in a tree through the branches. Also if there’s a tree around that can be climbed I’m probably going to wind up climbing it, it’s just how I am - and finally, like I said, the heat was getting to me.

Lost in the Trees

Josh T. Pearson

I had caught a few minutes of Josh T. Pearson’s set at the BV Day Party the previous day, but I didn’t have the time to spend to really listen or enjoy so it was a treat to be able to find a seat in the grass and listen at leisure. Josh is way funnier than you would ever expect given the somber nature of his songs, and dealt with a heckler with perfectly calm good humor, cracking jokes in his mellow voice. It loses something taken out of context, but my favorite comment was, “Y’know what’s better than a man with a beard? Two men with beards.” When Josh got down to playing it got so quiet that all you could hear was his voice and guitar and birds chirping.

Jonny Corndawg

After the BBQ I was so exhausted I went back to the hotel, collapsed asleep, and was dead to the world for a while. At least that meant I was well rested for an early start on Saturday, another marathon day across three stages at the final BV Day Party, this time paired up with M for Montreal, and a truly killer lineup. I started off even before that, though, with an invite to a brunch with Jonny Corndawg playing.

Misteur Valaire

Oh Land

!!!

Austra

Austra was another of my favorite new discoveries of the week. Katie Stelmanis is amazing. Once again, I wished I had more time to linger and enjoy their set.

Little Scream

Owen Pallett

Braids