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It's SXSW Time
It really snuck up on me but here we are - it's March 14 and I'm off to Austin tonight for four days of SXSW madness. I can't think of a better way to spend spring break. I thought about previewing all the shows I'm psyched about seeing, but that became an impossible task once I realized just HOW MANY unofficial shows are involved. Showlist Austin lists most of them, and here's the latest schedule (PDF) of official showcases. As for who I'm hoping to see - in no particular order: Saturday Looks Good To Me, Afrirampo, The Hidden Cameras, Tunng, Lavender Diamond, Nicolai Dunger, The Twilight Singers, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Au Revoir Simone, Tralala, TTC, Howard Hello, Camera Obscura, Dressy Bessy, the Happy Flowers, the Duke Spirit, Baby Teeth, Castanets, Wooden Wand, the Gris Gris, Rhys Chatham, and on and on and on.... And those are just the bands I haven't seen before!
Of course, I realize the crowds will create some impossible options (which is why I didn't even list Goldfrapp or Lyle Lovett or Echo and the Bunnymen), but enough of the bands are playing multiple shows that I'm hopeful I'll have a good hit rate. And even if not, I'm expecting my favorite moments from this trip to be the ones I never saw coming. If you have any recommendations - let me know in the comments!
I'm missing a great week of shows in New York though. If you feel like channeling me, here's what you need to do:
1) See the Bush Tetras tonight at CBGB's 313 Gallery (and see below for my review of their recent show at the Tonic). Check out "You Can't Be Funky" (MP3) for a taste.
2) Catch Carl Craig on Thursday at APT (and listen to his Beats In Space set (MP3) if you need convincing).
3) Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the Silver Jews at Webster Hall.
4) Top it off with Stereolab at the Town Hall on Saturday. I'm not convinced Fab Four Suture is the return to form that some are making it out to be, but the Lab set the bar very high with their early records. FFS has some killer tracks though, as does the oft-overlooked Margerine Eclipse, and I hear the band has beefed up their line-up for this tour. The reviews so far have been strong.
And before I come back with a whole new pile of shows to talk about, I need to tie up some loose ends on a few gigs I've yet to mention here. My thoughts on the Bush Tetras, Belle and Sebastian, the New Pornographers, and Kelley Polar are after the jump...