Strangers Family Band – The Strangers Family Band do not use computers. They are not the next Animal Collective nor a band biting off their style. This is more than we can say for a lot of other bands gracing the music scene this year. Strangers Family Band resurrect 70s style rock and roll and put on a fun and engaging show. Super psychedelic and full of expert musicianship these guys came as a breath of fresh air into a festival filled with computerized band mates.
A Sunny Day in Glasgow – A Sunny Day in Glasgow are a band from Philadelphia. Originally forming in 2006, the band has undergone many lineup changes since then. Since it’s incarnation the lead member has continued to be Ben Daniels. There music is a blend of dream pop, shoegaze and ambient sounds which sound beautiful and spacey on record but come across far more immediate live. This immediacy however adds too rather than takes away from their music’s sound unlike what we can say for the live performance for say “Memory Tapes” and many others of a similar nature. The band was a great exception to the ambient rule this year drawing their atmospheric sounds from actual instruments rather than electronic and/or recorded ones. A Sunny Day in Glasgow are surpassingly young and seem to be really getting off on each others fresh and eager energies. We’re sure that you will too.
These Are Powers – These Are Powers are an experimental electronic music group from Brooklyn and Chicago. The band mixes polyrhythm with samples and other electronic sounds and noise rock pushing their relatable sounds to far stretching regions. We saw them once early in the week and liked them so much that we saw them again at an official showcase of theirs. Both times they got crowds up and dancing with each other, which is a minor miracle even here in laid back Austin. The lead singer is an amazonian beauty and the bassist is cute and geeky. Truly something for everyone.
Those Darlins -Those Darlin’s are unlike any other band we know of. They are too country to be a straight up rock band, too punk rock to be straight up country and too talented, funny and charismatic to be just another band made up of girls with guitars. Each of these girls seem to try pretty hard to be bad ass, but the fact that they are actually funny, talented, playful and hot does away with any doubtfulness you may be feeling. They take novelty and make it seem darn right honest. Whimsical and bad ass at the same time…Awesome.
Toro y Moi -Toro y Moi is a one man electronic/soul project headed by Chaz Bundick of Brooklyn . We’re really on the fence with this guy. His music is hit and miss in our opinion but the overall atmosphere seems informed and right. The sound has enough space for you to climb inside of it but the truly memorable moments occur when he embraces his pop side. When these songs find their hooks they really stick to your bones, the rest of the time they may leave you glancing restlessly around the room. Seeing these songs live again we’re split. Everything sounds nice enough but the lack of live instrument incorporation again kind of bummed us out. It wouldn’t be as bad if he moved around a bit more, but the whole set seemed pretty stagnant. He seems like such a sweet guy and this is his first album, but for now we remain solidly in limbo on this one.
Total Slacker – We ran into the kids in Total Slacker all over SXSW. Almost everywhere we went there they were. They’re really fun to hang out with. I guess they live in Brooklyn, I’d recommend giving them your time if chance brings them into your life.
The Very Best – We saw The Very Best at a few locations but by far the biggest highlight involving them and the best party of the week was the party they threw at the Rockin’ Ranch in South West Austin. Everywhere they went their infectious energy got crowds moving, their re-working of indie pop samples and innovative hip hop/afro pop stylings are unlike anything else going on right now. Even though all their performances were stellar the party at the ranch was extra special. The seven bedroom ranch hall was full of booze and cute folks guzzling it, outside on the 30 acres surrounding the ranch was a big bonfire full of those of us trying to get warm and chug moonshine, on what was unquestionably the coldest night of the festival. In the barn was a rave that went on til the wee hours of the morning that featured guest DJ spots from members of The Very Best, Lemonade and The XX- we all lost our minds…
Vio/Mire -Coming from Providence Rhode Island and already being one of the sweethearts of minorprogression, one of the most anticipated moments of this years SXSW was getting to see Vio/Mire play his sweet, sad songs in person. ”January 2009″ was one of our favorite records of last year and was listened to more times than we can easily count. We did an interview with Vio/Mire after discovering that album and ever since then have been waiting for a chance to see him play. Taking over the precious and articulate folk crowns that Iron and Wine and Sufjan Stevens have put down for a little while now, Vio/Mire played an early morning show outdoors, with birds singing and children running around happily. It was the perfect start to a fuzzy and hungover morning. Two songs in, we were awake and aware that we were watching something special. We wish you cold have been there too.
Woven Bones – Woven Bones are an Austin based band with a brash, dark lo-fi, noisy sound that brings out the angry-seething-fag in everyone. We had yet to see them before SXSW so we figured it was a good time to do so, being in their home town and all. We started our day with them and a Lonestar and never looked backed…
SXSW this year was a lot different for us than last years festival. After this trip, we can safely say that we know the city a lot better than we did last march. This year we had a rental car so we were a lot more mobile, we even had beds to sleep on instead of a hard wood floor to crash on! In many ways, we feel that this year was more successful than last year for us here at minorprogression. We befriended bands, caught up with ones we were already friends with, got to explore the city of Austin far beyond the reaches of Sixth Street and shared in festivities and parties that made the official happenings of this year seem tame in comparison. Austin, we love you and next year, when we throw our first ever minorprogression related SXSW party, you will start to see how much.
Taken an hour and a half west of Austin in Fredericksburg Texas. Needless to say the folks in this town aren’t too excited about what’s happening nationally with our health care…
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