EVENT REVIEW: South By Southwest (SXSW), Austin, Texas,
March 15 -19, 2000 [Part 1]
- Joann D. Ball
For music lovers, performers and industry professionals, Spring signals the return of the South By Southwest (SXSW) music and media conference and festival in Austin, Texas. The fourteenth annual SXSW took place from March 13-19, and yet again the main draw at the extravaganza was the music. And this year there were even more live performances, with some 900 bands on more than 47 stages playing everything from local TexMex, straight ahead rock and roll, country and folk/roots music to techno/dance, hip-hop/rap and jazz. Similarly, the daytime music industry conference activities, held at the Austin Convention Center, were also expanded and more diverse.
The seventeenth annual Austin Music Awards kicked off the Music Festival on Wednesday evening, March 15th, and Steve Earle's well received keynote address kicked off the conference the next morning. With warm weather and a positive outlook, the stage was set for a wonderful SXSW 2000. But just before the post-conference music festivities began on Thursday evening, temperatures dropped so drastically that Austin felt more like a rain soaked, damp and cold New York City. But of course that didn't stop the dynamic Patti Smith and her band from treating a dedicated outdoor crowd to a rousing, heartfelt and high energy performance. Elsewhere in town, members of Los Lobos helped Joe Ely and others turn up the heat on a tiny patio stage behind a small unassuming Mexican restaurant at an invite-only VIP party thrown by The Baker/Northrop Media Group. It was very cold and dismal for the long crowd waiting outside, but for those lucky enough to attend the packed Columbia Records showcase it was definitely hot and sweaty especially during the sizzling set from Cypress Hill.
The weather cleared up significantly by the time of Friday night's music activities which included highly touted performances by buzz artists Shelby Lynne and Gomez. But the real place to be was he Sub Pop Records rock and roll showcase at Emo's. Living proof that Sub Pop is now the home for those who rock, The Yo-Yo's from London opened the showcase on the main stage with a Clash-inspired set. Vancouver's Black Halos threw more energy on that fire with a kick ass set so hot that lead singer Billy Helpless eventually stripped down to his black underwear. The Black Halos were certainly the highlight of the evening with Helpless performing with charisma, passion and moves that Mick Jagger in his prime would envy. Certainly not an easy act to follow, but Norway's newest musical export Gluecifer managed to keep the mainstage music loud, hard and heavy with a solid no frills set. On the smaller stage in a separate room, Los Angeles band Beachwood Sparks provided a melodic acoustic-based interlude, featuring soothing harmonies and easy going tunes that echoed the best of the Byrds, the Kinks and 60s psychedelic pop. After that much needed down time, the crowd was clearly ready to crank up the volume again and The Go didn't hesitate to honor that request. Fully embodying the rock lives on Sub Pop spirit of the showcase, the Detroit quintet channeled the energy of hometown heroes MC5 and Iggy Pop through their speakers. Several power chords into the set opener, the hungry crowd was in a beer throwing, dancing frenzy. By the time The Go ended its intense sonic assault, the audience was deliriously exhausted so much so that many were unable to stick around to hear Seattle's Love As Laughter.
By Saturday, festival goers had hit their stride and were already sharing stories of their major findings and enjoyable moments. Among those noted was a late night performance by the YoungBlood Brass Band from Madison, Wisconsin, an unsigned band that amazingly combines Mardi-Gras sounds with hip-hop jams and cooks up an irresistible gumbo of flavored sounds. Saturday night's offerings were equally satisfying with shows by Calexico, Sebadoh, Bernie Worrell & the Woo Warriors, and a previously unannounced appearance by Yo La Tengo receiving the most buzz and attention. And the night's unsigned surprise finding was the innovative VHS or Beta, from the unlikely locale of Louisville, Kentucky. The band continually pulled festival goers off the extremely crowded and music-filled 6th Street to join in their technodiscorock trance inducing set. Dressed in matching blue jumpsuits and wearing dark shades with red blinking lights on both sides, VHS or Beta recalled Devo fashion sensibilities and Yellow Magic Orchestra's soundscapes in a presentation that proved the future has indeed arrived. At the Night of Hop Hop showcase a few blocks away, host Guru made it clear that SXSW had also made room for a hip-hop and rap music vibe. Earlier at the showcase, Varunee Recording Group spoken word artist Corey Cokes slammed some message poetry and provided well received edutainment for the outdoor crowd. And later, following a few up and coming rap acts, hip-hop veterans the Jungle Brothers kicked it old school style and quickly had the audience along for the ride. Performing cuts off their new V2 Records release V.I.P., the duo accompanied by a DJ and drummer kept the rhymes flowing and proved that it was definitely a very important party.
While some old time SXSW attendees seemed to miss the smaller, more intimate music conference and festival, others reveled in the expanded and enhanced Y2K version. Certainly, the vast number of music performances were delightfully diverse and continued to provide unknowns and unsigned artists a chance to put their best sound forward. As the YoungBlood Brass Band and VHS and Beta proved, great music is very often made outside those places where record label offices and major market radio stations. For these bands, as well as others trying to be heard in music centers, SXSW is crucial. And for music lovers looking for something new and exciting and music industry professionals interested in more progressive approaches to promoting and disseminating diverse artists and genres, the annual Spring event is a one-stop market place. The Internet certainly makes getting pre-event planning easier and hopefully even more information about bands, schedules will be accessible in the future. And the fact that conference attendees and artists can use email and websites to develop and maintain those crucial contacts makes enhances the networking aspect of SXSW. Now, if only someone could figure out a way to clone oneself to hear even more of those 900+ bands in all those Austin venues...
