It is now Friday November 10th and it is time to play WTF Friday, the game where you tell us the first 10 songs that come up on your music player when you hit the Random or Shuffle button. At stake is a classic kingsnake.com T-shirt and a chance to win the monthly grand prize, a black 30Gb video iPod. Also we welcome Metal Blade Records as a contest sponsor this month, so everyone that wins a shirt or iPod will also get a copy of Metal Blade's 2006 Summer Sampler with 18 bands including Cannibal Corpse, Unearth and more! Congrats to Andrea Humm, October's iPod winner who just got hers Thursday!
1. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
2. Ramones - End Of The Century
3. Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks
4. Eric Clapton/J.J. Cale - Dead End Road
5. Ray Wylie Hubbard - Polecat
6. Nokturnal - I Remain Faithless
7. Slayer - Eyes of the Insane
8. Zico Chain - Rollover
9. MotorHead - Smiling Like A Killer
10.Madcow - Hangnail
Yes I guess its "official". We are now playing with video technology. You will have to pardon us for being late to the party, and if some of our first attempts are pretty basic, but we will get better as we improve our technology and our craft. We will have lots of local Austin bands featured, especially bands performing at SXSW07 showcases, as well as national touring acts. So far we are scheduled to shoot video at the upcoming Mower, Cattle Decapitation and Cannibal Corpse shows and I am sure that we will have lots of other interesting video treats like interviews and maybe even a travel adventure or two depending on who lets me tag along on their tour.
Now, that said, J.Price and the band were kind enough to volunteer to be my first real test subjects with video and hat's off to the Red Eyed Fly (again) for letting me shoot in their venue and plying me with soft drinks. This band has a poppy feel with an alternative rock background. Not quite hard, not quite soft, not quite emo, definitely indie and definitely Austin. With a couple of releases under their belt, they tend to not really fit into any particular genre, and incorporate a lot of different styles to their music. Best of all, I don't really think I can think of anyone that I can compare their music to, specifically, which is great because that means they leave unique footprint in my brainpan. I keep hearing "Star Light Star Bright" over and over in my head today. Definitely a band to check out around Austin if you get the chance and when they hit the road as well. The audio mix in these videos tended to lose a lot of the vocals, and really don't do absolute justice to the band, but check out their web site to listen to some of their studio cuts.
I fell in love with Sharon Osbourne when she was fat and relatively unknown. I fell in love with her when, in defending her husband on the Howard Stern Show, she threatened to beat the living shit (I assume that was the word due to the bleep injected) out of BOTH members of the Insane Clown Posse.
Here is this old, short, fat woman who is so in love with her husband that she is shooting fire from her soul because they DARED defame him. I knew little about her other than she had been with Ozzy forever and a day and well - she had balls.
Years later, much of the world fell in love with Sharon and the rest of the Osbourne clan. It was hard hearing people who couldn't name a song that he wrote, let alone like him musically as I did, say how cool he was. Ozzy was taboo. Now the world loved him. They fell in love with his family and their antics. Sharon was crowned one of the most beautiful people in America by People Magazine, foul mouthed, obscene, full of laughter and love for her family. When we covered Ozz Fest this summer, I wished for the chance to meet Sharon and tell her, "Hey broad, I wish I had balls as big as yours!" Sharon would get the broad. She would understand it was a compliment. But alas, it didn't happen.
When I heard she'd written a book, lets just say I RAN to the store and picked it up. Couldn't wait for shipping.
What I learned is Sharon, in fact, is a hard as nails broad who loves her family more than life itself. I still can't for the life of me understand why she forgave her father. I wouldn't have. I can't believe she forgave Ozzy. I know I wouldn't have. But she also gave him back as good as he did. One of the things I learned from her book is that my mantra in life is good. "Fuck em if they can't take a joke." Sharon has lived her life on those terms.
I knew the book was supposed to be Sharon's story and nothing more. I thought, however, I would hear more Ozzy. Yeah, there is a lot Ozzy, but this is truly her story. Her start as a child in a very unconventional household, where love was bought and then taken away. Verbal abuse and an emotional wasteland. Her start in the music industry as a woman in a time where women were not in charge of things. The way her father used both Sharon and her brother and, well, everyone who came near him to advance himself, rather than give a hoot about family. She took her lumps and moved on, not lingering on the past other than to learn from the mistakes. Yes, she had a hard life, but damned if I could find a single note of regret. I found another thing in common with her. Yeah you are going to make mistakes, shit is going to happen, but don't regret it. Move on. Start again.
This was the first book in a long time that actually had me laughing out loud. It covers her birth in England to present day, with flashes to her preparations for Ozzy's first anniversary of sobriety in present time. She takes you through the sordid history with her father, his ties with the mob, betrayal by her family, her struggles with her weight, her relationship with Ozzy and their children, and through her cancer. And she is very honest. This isn't a warm and fuzzy life, but it is hers, out there for all to see.
Being a fan of Ozzy made me feel close to the story. A lot of what she was talking about, I knew or knew of. I remembered the bat, the dove, Randy's death, her almost murder, the million trips to rehab. I remember it all. But I remembered it from Ozzy's side. I remembered what the press released. I also didn't realize how involved she was with band management. Some of the names both she and her father worked with were impressive to say the least.
I was enthralled with the entire story, to the point where sleep has been minimal. Staying up until I couldn't see the words, getting up early just to finish. It took me a day and a half. My only regret is the book was too short.
I can't say enough good about this book. If you want to spend a few days alone with a woman who is full of love and laughter, and has a great big pair of grapefruits, get this book. You won't regret it.
Man, Protest the Hero is a breath of fresh air! As I said in the premier installment of Canadian Bands That Don't Suck, "These kids can play."
In a world seemingly dominated by pop metal (which I have gone on record as liking as well) from the likes of Three Days Grace, Nickelback and Hedley, it makes me all warm inside to hear a band that can really rip and make some great thought-provoking music.
At first listen it's not completely original, and I immediately think of Avenged Sevenfold, Panic! at the Disco, and Alexisonfire, but as i dig deeper I find PtH has created something I have a hard time saying I've heard before. I feel like one of those wine snobs as I listen to the album (again and again and again) ..... I hear a hint of Yngwie Malmsteen, with a precocious smattering of Iron Maiden, a little Testament, with a whisper of King Diamond.
The pigeonholers seem to have a hard time pigeonholing this type of music. Is it metal, punk, screamo, emo, what is it? I guess "metal" today is the brutal gutteral beating put out by Children of Bodom and the like. Nope, PtH won't fit in that niche. Punk is easier to define as it hasn't changed a lot in the last 30 years. Quite obviously PtH doesn't belong there. I guess screamo and emo are close. I consider PtH Good Music. Plain and simple, 'aint it?
As evidenced in a blog entry, the band seems to feel this classification problem depending who they are touring with:
On a "metal" tour we are a pussy little emo band, and on an "emo" tour we are a heavy fucking metal band....
As far as music that's great to put on and rock out to, Kezia is fantastic. The real surprise comes when you pay attention to the lyrics and descend into the "concept." Kezia - sentenced to die, the priest and the prison guard/executioner all get equal billing on this dark journey.
One of the most surpsising moments comes at 4:20 into "Blindfolds Aside." The acoustic interlude is spellbinding.
Sin I didn't care for, but a sin that paid my debts
A sin that fed my children and burned my smiles and cigarettes
"The Soonest to the Sea," with its message about the position of women in our society, left me sitting and thinking for quite a while afterward.
The spoken:
So when you bled on the bed as you fed those expectations as a whore and not a human
You embraced with hesitation the very parameters of all you can be
Not a mother, not an aunt, not a sister that's not subdued
Because dignity's not physical and your flesh means more than you
and the outro/chorus:
Maybe someday when, when this bloody skull has dried
Know our city is in ruins when our greatest source of pride,
A monument of dicks and ribs and the gender crown we wore
Where underneath, a plaque will read, a plaque will read, No woman is a whore
Incredible musicianship, phenomenal vocals, and intelligent lyrics from a bunch of teenagers. Buy this album.
It looks like I'll be covering their December 9th show in Toronto. Keep an eye out for a review and photos soon after.
Snake Farm - Ewwww... Texas outlaw country & blues legend Ray Wylie Hubbard talks about the inspiration for his latest album, touring in Europe, and playing the great stages of the classic venues in Austin. Click below, visit our Podcast Interviews Page or download the MP3 and take it with you.
This week I have been mostly ... driving into lamp-posts.
Having just got my decrepit old 1971 MG Midget back on the road, I thought now would be the time. The car is a bit like my girlfriend - unreliable, expensive to maintain, makes too much noise, and smells really weird, but beautiful, and I love being inside it.
Anyway.
Now that I’m back on the road, I thought I needed some tunes. Shit! After an hour of shuffling and burning I only came up with my ultimate road rage album. If I’m dead soon you’ll know why. Strap yourself in; this is gonna be one hell of a ride.
1. Offspring – Bad Habit
Well, what else was this compilation gonna start with, you stupid, dumshit goddamned mother fucker? Even the intro gets adrenalin my pumping. Possibly the archetypal road rage track.
Drop a gear when you hear – “When I go driving I stay in my lane!�
2. Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name
The soundtrack to many a dance-floor punch up. Starts slow but makes your foot twitch as you feel it build up.
Drop a gear when you hear – “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!�
3. New Model Army – 125mph
Heavy and hard Heaton drumming at its best. When the boys played it live, you saw the pit swell, eyes grow wild and wide, and fists clench. Poor bastards didn’t now what hit 'em.
Drop a gear when you hear – “I’m heading North, I’m heading home. Doing 125!�
4. Prodigy – No Good
Oh god! This track just makes my eyes bleed! Each time the beat kicks in, I’m stamping on the pedal so hard I think it’s going through the floor pan! It should be against the law to play The Prodigy in your car. I’d drive better if I was drunk. Oh shit……..it’s building again!
Drop a gear when you hear – anything you like. It drops in so often.
5. Aphrodite – Heat Haze
An instrumental that takes you on a journey, whether you like it or not. A phat bass and frantic drum machine make you want to corner sideways. Try not to punch the windscreen with your face.
Drop a gear when you hear – “Yeah….yeah…..yeah….yeah…..YEAH!!!!!!!!!!�
6. Limp Bizkit – Take a Look Around
The theme to Mission Impossible II. I used a remixed version of this as my walkon music when I was boxing. The drum beats drop in like a heavyweight journeyman. Killer!
Drop a gear when you hear “Now I know why you wanna hate me. Cos hate is all the world has even seen lately.�
7. Pop Will Eat Itself- Not Now James, We’re Busy
UK’s Stourbrige grebo rockers. I used to roadie for these fellas, and they were pretty big on the UK indie/punk. If you missed out, you missed out. This one’s a spoof account of the godfather of soul’s famous police chase. At least you’ll be smiling on the stretcher.
Drop a gear when you hear “Mrs, Brown you got a lovely son, but he’s on the run on a shotgun mission!�
8. Motorhead - Ace of Spades
Where would we be without a bit of Lemmy? If I have to tell you why this is on here, you shouldn’t be here.
Drop a gear when you hear – the guitar kick in.
9. Dust Junkies – Nothing Personal
Gritty UK rock/rap, but they’d rob Linkin’ Park and then set fire to them. The lead singer looks like he wants to cut you. Think Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Think Lenny MeClean. Think about walking in the opposite direction if you ever meet these guys.
“Drop a gear when you hear – “l’ll cut you straight up and down if you think you’re hard enough!�
10. Soundgarden – Jesus Christ Pose
A religious theme seems to be developing. (See below.) No wonder I feel angry as hell when this tune kicks in. Chris must have been having a really bad day. So will anyone who cuts me up while this is banging out. I have a complete disregard for my personal safety when this tune kicks in.
Drop a gear when you hear – “But you're staring at me like I need to be…… saved�
11. Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod
Soon I discovered this rock thing was true. Jerry Lee Lewis was the Devil. Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet. All of a sudden I found myself in love with the world, so there was only one thing I could do, ding a ding dang my dangalong ling long.
Drop a gear when you hear…… too late!
So, what are you guys trashing cars to? I’m expecting a lot of thrash and the like but I wonder if there’s anything a bit less obvious that I have missed?
Let me know so I can add it on and take it for a test drive.
This is starting to get hard. We are starting to get more contest participants as far away as the U.K and Poland! This shot of Slash performing with Velvet Revolver at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in San Antonio in 2005 to the left won a T-Shirt in week 6 for longtime austin music photographer Gary Miller. Gary's work has appeared in so many places over the years it would be too numerous to list here, but he is the house photographer for a number of large venues in Texas as well as a photgrapher for the Austin Chronicle and his collection of photos goes back decades. We will be profiling a number of photographers that have submitted works once the contest has ended, hopefully Gary will submit to one of these profiles. It is far from over though. The photos from Poland will be tough to beat! Watch for week 7's winner to be announced later this week.
Slash is ALSO probably one of the most famous rock & roll snake keepers for all you reptile heads tuning in from our main site.
If you would like to enter the contest to win one of our weekly T-Shirts or a chance to win Nikon's brand new 10.2 Mp D80 DSLR camera kit for Christmas, a $1000.00+ value, upload some of your best concert pics to our Photo Contest Gallery. Enter as many concert photos as you like and as often as you like.
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(with a camera not a web browser thank you!)
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Entries must be posted before the end of the day on Monday midnight, C.S.T. according to the clocks on our systems. Posts made after this time will be left up, but will not qualify for prize consideration for that week, and will be coinsidered for the next weeks drawing.
You must include a valid email address on your post for it to qualify.
Staff and volunteers of OnlineHobbyist and its associated sites are ineligible to participate in the contest though they may certainly post their photos as well.
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I am really not trying to suck up to Les Claypool, I swear, I just really really like his music, and always have, whether it was with Primus, any of his other side projects, or even his session work. The things he can do with a bass are different and distinctive and set him far above the mean average for bass players, and I've always been a little awstruck watching him create his sound live. It is probably too much to expect an UNbiased Primus review from me, but I have yet to hear a bad record or see a bad live show Les has participated in.
That said, Primus' tour in support of their new greatest hits CD and 2003 tour DVD launched in Austin on Wednesday night, before heading off to Houston and beyond. Opening the tour at the Austin Music Hall, after touring all summer with his Fancy Band, Les and Primus just blew the doors off the place. Had Social Distortion not been playing Stubb's the same night I daresay the show would have sold completely out. As it was, the place was packed, as evidenced by the 300 or so people trying to squeeze into the outdoor smoking area between acts. (If I know some of you in a biblical sense now because of the porch, I am sorry, but I swear that really was my camera lens.)
Primus, consisting this tour of bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry Lalonde, and drummer Tim Alexander, as well as a huge inflatible spaceman and a set of lights that look like giant "bug zappers," started the tour off right in Austin plowing through such crowd favorites as "Seas of Cheese," "My Name is Mud," and "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver." With Les using the standup "stick" bass and playing it with a bow, they also blasted through Mr. Krinkle. Larry just shredded on the guitar and I don't think Tim missed a beat on his drum kit. Primus played a solid 75 minute set, Les expectedly and finally donning a pig mask for the last number, "Here Come The Bastards." They did not play "Wynonas Big Brown Beaver," but I don't think the audience even noticed. I would have enjoyed hearing "Southbound Pachyderm" again live, and I am still waiting for them to do "Mephisto and Kevin" live.
Opening for Primus, Drums & Tuba had me half-expecting to see some weird marching band based on their name, or maybe some avante garde experimental fusion group, but in reality they are a hard hard rocking power trio consisting of Brian Wolff on tuba, Neal McKeeby on guitar, and Tony Nazero on drums and lead vocals. From New Orleans, kind of like Tool with brass, these guys have a hard driving sound and Nazero's voice has an slightly rough, edgy sound, much like Shaun Morgan of the South African band Seether or Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs. Opening for Primus on a number of shows before handing over the reins to equally different Rasputina, this is a great band, well worth seeing as a headliner with a full set. Catch them if you get the chance.
Primus Set List - Austin Music Hall 11/1/06
To Defy The Laws of Tradition
Pudding Time
Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers
Seas of Cheese
Mr. Krinkle
Eleven
Is It Luck
American Life
My Name Is Mud
Jerry Was A Racecar Driver
Here Come The Bastards
As part of a triple body blow, Primus has a new tour, a new greatest hits CD, They Can't All Be Zingers, and a new DVD, Blame It On the Fish. As I already own all of Primus' released discs, as well as an extensive catalog of their live recordings, I limited myself to seeing the concert and buying the DVD, but if you only want to buy one Primus disc, or just want one to get you started, this is definitely the CD to get. But this review is about the DVD.
Welcome to the wierd world of Les Claypool and the band Primus. Not your ordinary average every day band, you wouldn't expect them to release a average ordinary every day tour DVD. And ordinary it is not. I knew the minute I saw the Zoltron logo on the opening credits that this would be "different." Immediately remminiscent of Koyaanisqatsi, the groundbreaking film of the 70s by Godrey Reggio, with score by Philip Glass, this is NOT a concert film. Its secondary name, "An abstract look at the 2003 Tour de Fromage," sums it up well.
In fact, "abstract" may not give it enough credit. Adjectives and phrases that came to my mind while watching were "random," "disjointed," and "attention deficit disorder." What you get are slices of songs interspersed with film from the 2003 tour, and interviews with the band tied together with colors and bizarre camera angles and wierd clips from other films. Lots of pics of the band in costumes and masks - I counted Les in at least five costumes just playing "Seas of Cheese" at different venues.
Coming in with the main video at just over an hour, this is a wild, colorful ride that requires no mind altering drugs to elecit the exclamation "Far Out Man - Look at All The Colors!" If you missed the psychedelic 60s, this is your chance to relive them with an updated soundtrack. A must for any Primus diehard, it, like Primus itself, is not really destined for the mainstream.
Extra footage is included in the bonus tracks as well as the complete "Primus 2063" interview that harkens back to an old Belushi bit from SNL that showed him over the graves of all the other cast members as an old man.
To refer to the Cactus Cafe as intimate would be an understatement. I think my high school football locker room had more space. It's amazing that this tiny venue, which only holds 150 people, attracts such eclectic and noteworthy artists to its tiny stage. Nestled into the back of the University of Texas' Student Union, the Cactus Cafe has had such performers as Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan, and Chris & Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes.
It was at there that guitarman extrordinaire Adrian Belew, former member of King Crimson, literally packed 'em in, standing room only. Playing such a small venue really did make it a very personal experience, with Adrian taking time out to interact with many in the audience. This audience was nothing but longtime fans and guitar heads, too; nary a person under 30 could be seen.
Ripping through his own songs such as "Dinosaur" and "Big Electric Cat," he also took time out to play many of the King Crimson songs as well like "Thela Hun Gingeet" and "Frame By Frame" and "Elephant Talk." Supported, ably, by a brother and sister drummer and bass player combo, Eric and Julie Slick, whose combined age was less than anyone in the room, this show was an event to remember for the few people able to squeeze in. I was able to go to the show with a bunch of my old music crew from back in the day and we all sat basically front row, passing my cameras around like some electronic doobie, each snapping pictures from our own perspective in turn. While my cameras were put to good use by the others, I managed to capture a couple of numbers on grainy video using my cell phone and these can be viewed to the right.
After the set Adrian and band hung around to greet fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. Our crew hung around as well, being the last to leave. I got to ask Adrian a few questions, focusing on his new disc and his work on it with Les Claypool. He said that working with Les was great, he had worked with him before, and that he is as just like you would expect, as crazy as his music. He took time to take a few pictures with my friends, then we all headed off to find our cars, as Adrian and crew packed up for their next tour stop.
Opening for Adrian was solo artist (sort of) Saul Zonana. I am not very familiar with his work, but he sounded great, and certainly had a knack for interacting with the audience. He brought along his band in an electronic format to provide his rythym section as needed. His most memorable song was a song about a blow-up sex doll named "Bette". Poppy, clean, he is less daring and more mainstream than Belew's music, but a good match for the venue.
It is now Friday November 3rd at 3:30am CST and it is time to play WTF Friday, the game where you tell us the first 10 songs that come up on your music player when you hit the Random or Shuffle button and then it's time for me to drag my tired concert weary butt to bed. At stake is a classic kingsnake.com T-shirt and a chance to win the monthly grand prize, a black 30Gb video iPod. Also we welcome Metal Blade Records as a contest sponsor this month, so everyone that wins a shirt or iPod will also get a copy of Metal Blade's 2006 Summer Sampler with 18 bands including Cannibal Corpse, Unearth and more! Congrats to Andrea Humm, October's iPod winner!
Oh - you might want to check out the latest photos of the Adrian Belew and Primus concerts in the gallery. Watch for reviews by this weekend.
Here is my list... .
1. Colonel Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade - Pigs On The Wing (Part One)
2. Primus - Mr. Krinkle
3. Ozzy Osborne - NIB
4. Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains - The Big Eyeball In The Sky
5. Buckethead - Coma
6. Sausage - Riddles Are Abound Tonight
7. Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel - Delicate Tendrils
8. King Crimson - Thela Hun Ginjeet
9. Adrian Belew - Whatever
10.Les Claypool - Vernon The Company Man
(yes there is a theme to this weeks playlist for me - Artists, songs, and covers that are connected in some way to Les Claypool of Primus. Call it my "Six Degrees of Les Claypool" playlist)
One of my secret addictions favorite music stores is PerfectBeat.com, and they got some hot alternative dance CDs in this week. The best and brightest is the sizzling six-song CD of Moby's "New York, New York" with Debbie Harry singing vocals. A song has to be really good to get me to spend twelve bucks on a CD with six different versions of it and nothing else. This one is.
Moby also released a CD with several remixes of "Slipping Away (Crier la vie)," featuring vocals by French-Canadian chanteuse Mylene Farmer. Same twelve bucks, only four cuts. Hey, it was number one in France. Perhaps my 80s roots are showing, but I liked the Debbie Harry release better.
Basement Jaxx got all screwy wonderful with six remixes of "Take Me Back to Your House," which kind of sounds like Jewel got high with the Scissor Sisters and then went into the studio with Basement Jaxx, I have no idea how else to describe it. It's bizarrely addictive and totally danceable.
After the harder "crunch" of the first Evanescence album, I eagerly anticipated this next release. I popped into my CD player in the truck on the way home from the store and almost turned around to see if they had slipped a Sarah McLachlan disk in the sleeve by mistake.
Wel,l I've driven around the block a few more times (it was in my CD player for a week) and unfortunately, it's not a mistake. There is no "crunch" to this album, not a single song with a hard edge. I don't even think I hear a radio single. Any "crunchiness" that this disk had was removed in the edits, or was added during the edits almost as an afterthought. While this disc might cut it at a Lillith Fair audition, it's not what I'd hoped for.
It is a tremendous solo showcase for Amy Lee, although again I don't hear a single, but I don't think its fair to label this an "Evanescence" disc. I guess I'll have to rely on Flyleaf to supply that "crunchy" female lead vocal.
Couldn't make it to the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC this weekend? You can use the time to plan for this year's South by Southwest in Austin.
If you don't already have your hotel booked, you'd better haul ass. Of the listed hotels, ten have already sold out and the rest are headed that way fast. Before SXSW starts, bands will be sleeping in parks and underpasses, so if you want comfortable accommodations you had better move quickly.
Club.kingsnake has a suite at the show's headquarters hotel, the Austin Hilton downtown, for the whole show, and staff members attending at this point include Jeff Barringer, Christie Keith, and Clint Gilders. Besides picking up interesting web knowledge and ideas at the SXSWi interactive conference, we will also be providing coverage of a wide variety of events during the music portion.
We will also be handing out 3000 FREE club.kingsnake T-Shirts to launch our year-long celebration of kingsnake.com's tenth anniversary, and club.kingsnakes first birthday. We don't know where, we don't know when, but sometime during SXSW you should see them popping up. We will definitely post something about it here so our readers will get first shot. So if you see someone wearing one during the event IT'S PROBABLY NOT ME!
What can you expect if you go to SXSW?
People - lots and lots of people. Industry people and civilians will pack Austin's downtown area. Last year, if I had tried to skip a stone across the crowd on Austin's 6th Street, it would have bounced off of six A/R guys, two producers and a bass player before reaching the pavement or a civilian. At times 6th Street was so packed it was hard to move.
You can also expect to see bands, lots and lots and lots of bands - with around 1500 bands last year performing in SXSW showcases and almost an equal number bands at non-SXSW showcases, most for free.
If you're driving downtown you can also expect to see Austin's famous traffic congestion and limited to non-existent parking, especially the later in the day you get there. You can also get used to waiting in other lines as well, lines to register for bands or badges, lines to be seated at restaurants, lines to get into showcases, lines to buy drinks, lines for the bathrooms.
Badges Vs. Wristbands Vs. Commando
So you've decided to attend the concerts at SXSW, but you're not sure what you want to do to get in. Do you need to buy a badge? Wristband? Going to risk it and go "commando"? Your decision will dramatically impact where you can go and what you can see.
Going Commando - While SXSW officially showcases around 1500 bands, estimates are that another 1000-1500 artists perform at unofficial showcases throughout that week. A few of these unofficial events are private parties, but most are not, and many of them are free. You could easily see just as many bands at non-SXSW events and not pay a dime in cover or ticket charges. Of course it's unlikely you'll see many of the "buzz" acts, but many big name performers do free shows, or inexpensive shows, as do untold numbers of smaller hungrier bands. Additionally many SXSW venues will sell individual tickets to non-SXSW badge or wristband holders, depending on the artist, the venue and how near it is to capacity. Take cash, prepare to wait in line to see "name" acts without guarantee, and just go for it. Heck, there are so many bands they have to play in parking lots and alleys.
Wristbands - A SXSW wristband will get you into SXSW events without paying a cover. Its not a guarantee that you'll see who you want, or that you will get in if it's full, but it will get you in ahead of people going "commando". It's best described as an "all show" ticket. It will also not get you into any of the music industry symposiums or seminars. Click here for info on wristbands.
Badges - Ah - now you're talking. Badges make you feel like a king (or queen). Seriously. You NEED these stinking badges. Last year I got a massage, free beer, invites to lots of private events, and tons (three canvas tote bags FULL) of freebie promo swag. It also allowed me to essentially "cut" in line ahead of wristbanders and commandos, or when waiting in line, to get first access to availability at full venues. Badges do not come cheap. Right now a regular music badge that will get you into the concerts and all the music seminars will set you back $425. If you wait to the very last to register, the walkup rate when the event starts will be $600. If you want to participate in the internet seminars and the film festival as well, you'ill want the platinum badge, which costs $650 now but goes up to a whopping $950 when the event starts, but includes some perks such as access to the VIP Platinum Hospitality Lounge. I didn't see any VIPs in there, but I didn't lounge long either. Click here for info on badges
Cameras - The policy is no cameras withought a camera pass, but enforcement seems to vary greatly based on venues, camera type and size, the artists themselves, and frankly, sometimes who is working security at the door. Professional gear does require a SXSW issued photo pass or you're likely to get chucked out on your ear. I don't at this point know the process for obtaining one of these, but it needs to be done before the music events start or you won't get one.
Just who attends? - Musicians, artists, politicos, and film and TV stars, and internet uber-geeks, at all levels of the industry, as well as thousands of locals and camp followers. Big names are always floating around in the crowds at SXSW, both at scheduled events and out just running around. Last year I had lunch with Owen Wilson, got to ask Henry Rollins a question during his interview, and spent time in the hallways chatting with Craig of Craig's List and Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia just throughout the "normal" course of my week. Music, film, internet, there is always someone buzzworthy just walking around.
Just who performs? - Well, this list would be shorter if we listed the musicians that haven't performed at SXSW, so we will describe them in generalities, with only a limited amount of name dropping to keep it spicy. Historically, SXSW has a home for just about every genre of music, seeming to outdo itself in obscureness. Genres including Japanese metal, Brit punk, emo, heck, literally even Finnish folk music (with wooden clog dancing!) have had their music showcased at SXSW in the past. Who knows what '07 will bring? Last year brought The Pretenders, Echo and the Bunneymen, Aimee Mann and 1500 other bands. Past years have showcased Beck, Matisyahu, the White Stripes, and others. One thing to keep your ears open for - secret, unannounced showcases. Last year, with little or no announcement, secret showcases included The Beastie Boys, the Flaming Lips, Roseanne Cash, and Gang of Four.
Just where does everybody perform? - With so many bands and so little time, virtually every club in the downtown entertainment district that can find a way to squeeze in a P.A. system becomes a SXSW venue. They even fence off vacant lots and parking lots, put up lights and generators and perform there. They also play over on Auditorium Shores. No joke, just about every where you go downtown you see bands
performing. And they play in some of Austin's classic music venues as well such as Antone's, La Zona Rosa,
Stubbs and Emo's. I think Emo's has as many as four stages going at once. One trip down the street can stock your closet with trendy Austin club t-shirts for eons.
How can my band showcase at SXSW? - One of the great mysteries is how SXSW picks bands to showcase from the thousands of applications it gets every year. If you want to showcase at SXSW 07 you're almost too late, but there is always SXSW 08. For details on showcasing your band at SXSW see http://2007.sxsw.com/music/showcase/.
What the hell is club.kingsnake going to do at SXSW 07? - Well, lots and lots of photos and concert reviews for sure, and handing out lots of those free trendy black club.kingsnake t-shirts as well. Really, we'll be doing a lot of networking, trying to set up interviews, establishing industry connections, and checking out a whole bunch of interesting new technologies to use here on the site. We'll also be doing a lot of pre-SXSW coverage, so if your band gets selected to showcase at SXSW 07, let us know, and we can give our readers a preview of what they can expect.
I hope this gets people thinking about it early, because this is one event where if you snooze, you definitely lose.