Tag: SXSW

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Festivals Interviews

Basia Bulat

I recently spoke with Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat for AOL Music and Spinner.com’s South By Southwest coverage. The site has a pretty ambitious goal of interviewing and featuring all 2,000 bands that will be attending SXSW in Austin, Texas, this March.

For my complete Q&A; with Basia Bulat, click here. Be sure to watch her powerful performance of “Gold Rush,” the first single off her latest album, Heart of My Own below. And those of you attending SXSW, be sure to check out one of her four showcases!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hANYD0_qQl4]

Categories
Contest Festivals News

Nominate You Sing, I Write to Attend SXSW!

Wednesday night at the SoundCtrl event I found out about the Flash Fwd endeavor they’re putting together with the help of Pepsi Music. It’s a campaign to honor people using technology, social and digital media to reshape the music industry. Basically, you vote for innovators in the music field and winners will receive travel and lodging to the SXSW Interactive Festival!

I know many of you loved my South By Southwest coverage last year and have been eagerly asking me about my attendance this year. Unfortunately, having five weddings coming up (including being in four!) I’ve opted against traveling to festivals since most of my money is going to my site relaunch and wedding festivities. But, if you REALLY want me to go you can nominate me to attend! Find more info below:

“You are invited to nominate and vote on individuals, groups and organizations for this award. Nominees are people you think are having a meaningful impact on the future of music through the innovative application of online and/or mobile technology. To become a finalist, each nominee must a minimum of 50 votes. Voting is now live and closes the last week in February. Do your part & nominate your favorite company or fellow innovator and tell us why their ideas FlashFWD. Five winners will be determined by an anonymous voting process by the SoundCtrl board members and announced the 1st week in March. Winners will receive travel and lodging to the SXSW Interactive Festival and will be recognized at the inaugural FlashFWD event on March 16th.”

I just need 50 votes to be in the running, so if you’d like me to attend SXSW you can enter me here. Be sure to list the nominee name as Annie Reuter, Web site http://yousingiwrite.com and Email atreuter@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Categories
Festivals Interviews

Dlugokecki

Their first trip to the States, Southampton, England-based sextet Dlugokecki gave Americans a taste of what’s to come on their recent performances in New York and Austin, Texas. While they realize their band name isn’t the easiest to pronounce (Der-loo-go-ken-ski), they’re hoping the music will speak for itself. With their debut album, Let This Be Right, released in March and a tour on the way, the band has no plans of slowing down.

Dlugokecki filled me in on their music, to which they refer jokingly as “rocky poppy” as well as discussed why they’re President Obama’s favorite band, among many tangents, which is only a glimpse into just how fun this band is to be around. While they explain they’re the least rock and roll band in the world, “We drink tea and have biscuits,” keyboardist Andy Wild said. “There are no televisions thrown out of windows,” Dlugokecki are truly a band worth checking out. Read on for plenty of laughs from the band who will prove to be the difficult name on everyone’s lips in no time.

How did Dlugokecki come together?
Ben: Well, I was a singer-songwriter on my own. Writing songs and singing into a mirror and hoping one day I’d be famous and have lots of women screaming. That wasn’t working out for me because I wasn’t a very good guitarist and didn’t have much confidence. But then I met Andy and we formed the Dlugokecki band. There was a lot of synergy and it all came together. Then we created the Dlugokecki sound, which is a bit rocky poppy. [Laughs].

Andy: On the plane, we hadn’t slept for a long, long time and someone was asking what style of music we were playing. It’s always so difficult to say, “Oh it’s that style or that style” and for some reason I said rocky poppy, which is rubbish. We did another interview today and I said we are rocky poppy and he took it completely seriously and was like, “So what’s rocky poppy?”

Ben: So now we’re our own genre, rocky poppy. We’ll be on iTunes. You know how they have all the different genres? Rocky poppy, there’s just one.

Boyd: Right in between rock and pop. And then someone will come up with poppy rocky.

Ben: Oh, I don’t like that. They’re scumbags. Sorry, we digress. So, yeah, the band formed in Southampton and we’ve just seemed to have lots of luck. It seems like every year something happens and it just gets bigger and bigger. Now we’re in Austin, Texas playing with The Proclaimers. It’s a bit of a dream.

Aidan: It doesn’t feel real.

Ben: We were in a limo two days ago riding around New York. Times Square. Just loving it.

Andy: We did pay for it, though.

Ben: No, it was paid for by Barack Obama. He knew we were coming. He thought, you know; smooth over relations with the British. If you can get in the interview somewhere that we are Barack Obama’s favorite band that might go down well. [Laugher].

Boyd: Let’s not do politics.

Ben: No, okay. Let’s keep out of politics. But Barack Obama rocks. We think he’s brilliant. We need a Barack Obama.

Is this your first time in the U.S.?
Ben: Yes. This is the beginning of our assault on America. We are going to take it by storm, bit by bit, state by state.

Aidan: This is the calm before the storm.

Ben: I like that. This is the calm before the storm. This is our relaxed, “Ahhh, there’s Dlugokecki. What’s that all about?” Then we come back and they’re like, “Wow, look at them. They’ve got a really weird name. And they’re Barack Obama’s favorite band allegedly.”

Why should we see you in concert?
Ben: We write positive love songs, which not many people do anymore. It’s very negative. A lot of the music around is, “You broke my heart, you stole my cat,” that sort of stuff. [Band laughs]. Well, maybe not cat. Maybe car or corn. We tend to write nice things of love and why it brings us all together. And every now and then throw in one that does rip your heart out.

Aidan: And cause tears.

Ben: Literally. We made people cry tonight.

Aidan: At least two people.

Ben: That’s sad. I feel really bad.

Andy: They were tears of joy.

Ben: No, they weren’t tears of joy. We want people to hear us. Every band wants people to hear them. We think we have something else. We write real songs, little bits of poetry. Come hear the difficult name on everyone’s lips. We should put that in fliers. That’s an idea.

What’s different from American music and the scene in England?
Aidan: The audiences are different.

Andy: The audiences out here have been amazing. Like, in there today they were so quiet. They were very respectful. Back home you have people chatting away. Sometimes you’ll have it complete silent. Really, really nice audiences that listen and think about what we’re trying to put out there.

Boyd: They want to hear the stories behind the songs. They want to know what it’s all about and Ben’s very good about telling people what they’re all about.

Ben: It’s all about the music really. All of us are big musicians, we love music. We are one band, but we’re also loads of different bands. The guys in Dlugokecki are in their own other bands as well. We live music. If I’m at home and I’ve got a spare minute I’m writing lyrics on the wall. I’m writing all the time. Instead of cooking the fried eggs or washing up, it’s all about the lyrics.

Would you rather someone hears you first live or on iTunes?
Andy: To be honest with you, I don’t think I would mind just as long as people are listening.

Ben: The best thing is when you’ve moved someone. They’re affected by the song. If someone says, “Your music’s good” and you go, “Which song do you like?” and they say “Ah, all of them,” you know they’ve got the CD and they’ve put it in the fridge. [Band laughs]. But then if they say, “
This song really touched me or really moved me in some way” that really gets you. I quite like it when someone sees you live and they get the CD and then they come back again and again.

Boyd: It’s always good when somebody sees you live, gets the CD, plays that to a friend, the friend likes it and then they see you and they’re blown away. For me, that’s better than a CD. There’s nothing worse than seeing a band that are amazing and then getting the CD and it’s like “Ehhh.” Either way, you’ve got to work at. You’ve got to knock them dead both times.

What is your ultimate goal as musicians?
Ben: I don’t think we’re dreaming of much. All we want to do is change everybody in the world’s lives forever. [Band laughs]. I know that sounds like a bit of a challenge, but if you don’t set your sights that high, you’re going to flounder in the sea like a stone skimming across the waters. We’re not just a stone. We’re a rocket flying to space.

Boyd: Space is the limit.

Ben: I’ve got another goal: First band on the moon. To be honest, no one has ever done it. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Yeah, first band in space and change everyone’s lives forever.

You can also read this interview posted on MarieClaire.com here. Watch the video for “Save My Soul,” Dlugokecki’s first single off album Let This Be Right. For more on the band, be sure to visit them on MySpace.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca6zW4Tnxtg]

Categories
Festivals

Stay Tuned: Interview with Anya Marina

I’m in the process of transcribing my interview with Anya Marina so I will definitely have that in it’s entirety for you tomorrow! I met up with Anya right before one of her SXSW showcases where we talked about breaking into the music industry, her music and how she felt when her voice doctor told her she’d never make a career out of singing.

Below is her new EPK video with snippets of an interview and some performances, so feel free to watch that in the meantime and check back tomorrow for the exclusive interview!

Categories
Festivals News

Follow My SXSW Adventures on MarieClaire.com

I know I’ve been overloading you with content from South By Southwest, so I’ll give you a break this weekend. I’m exactly halfway done transcribing all my interviews, so if you haven’t yet be sure to read my already posted interviews on Jason Reeves, Tyrone Wells and Meiko (click on each artist’s name and it’ll bring you directly to their interview).

In the meantime, you can also catch up on all my recaps on MarieClaire.com here. I still have to type up my interviews with Anya Marina, Dlugokecki and Parachute so be on the lookout for those next week.

And, to download some free SXSW music (yes, it’s legal) from Tyrone Wells, Anberlin, Paper Route and more click here. With all this SXSW coverage it’s almost like you were there with me! Any takers on attending next year?

Categories
Festivals Interviews

Tyrone Wells

With close to 2,000 bands playing in Austin, Texas for the annual South By Southwest music festival it’s hard to stand out as a musician. But Tyrone Wells makes it look easy. After seeing Wells perform, you won’t be able to forget him.

Known by many for his inspiring live performance, Wells talked to me about his most recent release, Remain, whether he’d rather someone witness his concert live first or hear his album, and the inspiration behind some of his music.

“Music to me is not a way to see dollar signs; it’s an honest expression of my soul,” Wells said. Now if only every musician felt that way. Read on for my exclusive interview with Tyrone Wells and be sure to download his song “More” as well as other breakout artists from SXSW for free on Amazon here.

Is this your first time at South By Southwest?
It is my first time officially, yes. A couple years ago I played for a distribution company as an independent artist that was distributing my record, but that wasn’t an official showcase or anything. So this is my first time really. I’m very excited.

Do you prepare for a festival differently than a regular tour?
Not really. I’ve toured so much that I look at it as any other show. The sets are so short so we have to do some thinking about all the songs we need to cut and everything.

How do you go about picking what songs to play?
That’s a really hard thing for me to do. To a certain degree, you play to the crowd and whatever you think will go over best, then you put your strongest forces in the front. It’s really only five or six songs is what it is.

Is there a different type of audience at a festival vs. your normal show?
This one specifically is. There are people that just come to watch, but a lot of it is industry people. They are very different than just someone who comes to listen to your music. This is different than when we play other music festivals in cities. That is great because there are people who are there to hear music and have a good time. But, I do love playing festivals, it’s great.

Are you more nervous at a festival like SXSW since there’s so much hype?
This festival, there’s a lot of buzz about it and people are like, “It’s so important.” But it’s been my experience that, realistically, everything in my career has just been one step at a time. It’s not like everything is going to change over night because of something that I do here. At least, that’s my perspective. I could be surprised and maybe my whole world could change, but for the most part I feel like it’s always a marathon and never a sprint and this is just mile 15 of the marathon.

So tell me about your latest record, Remain. This is your second major label release?
Yes, this is my second release on Universal Records, but I’ve done four independent releases. My fourth independent release got picked up by Universal and then my most current record on Universal was my second record that they’ve released. So, it’s my first time having a major label behind me when going in to making a record. It was a really great experience. I recorded some of the songs in London and worked with a producer named Martin Terefe who did Jason Mraz’s last record and James Morrison’s first record, and a lot of different artists that I really like.

How was the recording process different this time around?
I think the biggest difference is that for the first time I had more of a recording budget and therefore, I didn’t have to cut corners everywhere. In the past it’s been a shoestring budget so it’s really great to have a label behind me.

What was the inspiration behind the album? Did you do anything different on this release?
The last album I think I probably wrote 30 songs, but this current one I wrote 60 or 70 songs and tried to just pick the ones that I thought were the best, which was really hard. There are songs that I recorded that I’m so afraid are going to fall to the waste side, that I really love. In those terms, I wrote a lot more and I worked with three different producers this time instead of just one. This record was a lot more, I want to say epic or emotional lush in its production than previous works. My last record was definitely more sparse, this one has a more full band sound.

Would you rather have someone see you live first or hear your record?
That’s a good question. I guess I don’t mind how they hear me first as long as they’re listening. I think for me, the majority of my fan base has been because of live shows just because I’ve played a lot. Also, just word of mouth. Friends showing friends the music. It’s hard to answer. Either way, as long as they come and listen I’m grateful.

I love the lyrics in your song “More.” What was the inspiration behind it?
It’s funny. A little side note on that song, it almost didn’t make the record because I had written the chorus with a friend of mine. Loved the chorus but didn’t like the verses that we wrote. So when I was in the studio I was messing around with it and showed it to another friend of mine and we decided to take a crack at writing different verses and a different bridge. And we did right there on the spot and then recorded it that same day. So the verses and the bridge to that song were written the same day they were recorded, which lyrically and musically was a really cool thing that came together so quickly. It became the first single on the record, that’s the one that’s on the radio.

It’s really the age old search of mankind to find more meaning, whether it be faith in God or faith in humanity or hope for a better day and hope that we can see people loving each other in this world and coming together instead of always separating. Less selfishness and more togetherness. I think everybody who hears that song plugs their own life into it and whatever is more for that person is what they draw from it.

I met a girl who really wants to write screen plays and she adopted the song as her mantra. For me, it was the age old search for God and connecting to him and finding more meaning in that. I love playing “More” live.

What makes you stand out from the other bands at SXSW?
I’ve been asking myself that question. There are so many musicians here. Honestly, I’m doing my best to be really vulnerable and honest. Music to me is not a way to see dollar signs; it’s an honest expression of my soul. I think that’s true for a lot of artists, but it’s definitely true for me. I think something that’s unique about what I do is, I have people tell me all the time at shows that they cried or they were weeping or they were really moved by what I have to share. So, if you really want to cry come to my show. No [laughs]. People laugh a lot at my show too. I don’t know. It’s just an honest expression and I feel like it’s a good experience. I lot of people tell me that they walk away feeling really inspired and that’s the highest compliment that I could receive and I love that and I’m grateful for that.

What would you be doing if it wasn’t for music?
It’s really hard for me to say. I’m sure I could find several things that I would enjoy. I think maybe something in teaching or counseling. But, because there is music I guess I don’t have to worry that much about it. I would really like to be that guy that when he’s 70 he’s still writing songs because I love the process.

To listen to some of Tyrone’s music and find upcoming tour dates, be sure to visit him on MySpace.

Categories
Concert Reviews Festivals

Third Eye Blind Debut New Tracks at Packed SXSW Showcase

By midnight Saturday festivalgoers were getting antsy awaiting Third Eye Blind‘s set. Their first-ever performance at South By Southwest, 3eb didn’t disappoint. Taking the stage to screams around 1 a.m. the band debuted eight tracks off their upcoming release, Ursa Major, due out this summer.

After nearly two-minutes of instrumental, Stephan Jenkins took the stage at Stubb’s exuding energy. Jumping and dancing around throughout his 15-song set, often teetering close to the edge of the stage, Jenkins threw roses into the crowd while singing first single off the album, “Non-Dairy Creamer.” Not an entirely unexpected track, diehard fans sung along word for word. However, this wasn’t the case with most of 3eb’s set.

In fact, at points the crowd was almost silent bobbing their heads along to the heavy bass and percussion beats to new and unfamiliar songs. Though, from the look of the crowd around me, most were impressed with the new tracks. Known for his quirky onstage banter with the audience and unique lyrics, frontman Jenkins still has staying power after all these years.

Before introducing the audience to the new tunes, Jenkins told the crowd, “We have in fact finished our fourth album,” to which screams erupted throughout the venue. Some new songs included “Bonfire,” ballad “One in Ten,” a song Jenkins played solo and said is about a recent crush he had on a girl who was a lesbian, and “Why Can’t You Be.” While the new music isn’t a huge stray from what 3eb fan’s are used to, it definitely is more rock heavy than earlier albums.

The energy at Stubb’s was undeniable and when old hits like “Jumper” and “Never Let You Go” were played everyone was singing along. “We never got to play South By Southwest before,” Jenkins told the crowd. He seemed almost surprised at the turnout and positive reception of the new tracks off the unreleased album, which he told festivalgoers will be out sometime this summer. “To have you all put out your hearts and energy tonight is not lost on us and we are thankful.”

While many of the tracks are more politically influenced than showcased on previous albums, slower songs like “About To Break” sound refreshingly familiar. Last full-band song of the night was crowd favorite, “Crystal Baller” before the band ended the show with an acoustic sing-along.

Whether Third Eye Blind was playing their older hits or new tunes from their upcoming release, one thing is certain — their fan base is bigger than ever and they had the crowd screaming for more well after their 70-minute set was over.

For more info. on their album release and to listen to new tracks be sure to visit Third Eye Blind on MySpace and their official Web site here.

Categories
Festivals Interviews

Meiko

I caught up with singer-songwriter Meiko shortly after her Wednesday afternoon showcase at South By Southwest. From having her self-titled debut album hit No. 1 on the iTunes folk chart to being a featured artist on the SXSW homepage, 2009 is definitely the year for this songstress and she couldn’t be more content. “I’m really happy that things are being well received and I’m happy to be here again and I’m happy that I have fans. I’m going to keep on doing what I’m doing and keep on making music and hopefully I’ll have people to listen.”

Touring with the likes of Joshua Radin and the Hotel Cafe tour, Meiko appropriately describes her music as indie pop-rock folk. Read below for my interview with Meiko as she talks about South By Southwest, her music and adjusting from living in a small town in Georgia (population 808) to the busy city of Los Angeles.

Is this your first time at SXSW?
This is my third time. It’s been really cool. I don’t feel like a veteran really; I still feel confused as to where everything is. But I know that I really love Austin so it’s nice to be in the city and eat the BBQ and hang out with the locals.

Do you prepare for the festival any differently than your typical performances?
Not really. I just call around to all my friends and am like “Hey, are you in town? You want to play the show with me?” It’s just a cool time to get together with old friends and play music, which is pretty much what it should be.

What would your advice be for people who have never been to SXSW?
I would say get the wristband so you can go to all the cool shows that you want to and I’m sure it helps to be over 21. A lot of the places are 21 and up. Check the weather. I was packing all kinds of pea coats and big boots and stuff but someone told me it was so hot here and it was cold a couple weeks ago. So bring a lot of sundresses and girlie, cute stuff.

I read that you used to have stage fright.
Yeah. I don’t really anymore. When I started singing in public I was about eight-years-old and I was very, very, very freaked out. I always thought that people were against me. When I was singing I would think, “These people hate me” and “Why am I doing this to myself?” I hated performing in front of people, but it was something that I would make myself do. It was something I wanted to get over because secretly I enjoyed it, but I got so nervous.

When I moved to LA I asked a lot of people’s advice and they would say play as many shows as you can because that’s how you get over it. So, I took that advice and I played as many shows as possible — playing in somebody’s living room. Eventually things got better and I started really enjoying playing in front of people. I always take advice from my friends and one of them said, “Maybe you should say thank you after a song or try to say something and introduce a song” because I would just play song after song after song. That’s where it started that I was more comfortable and I felt like the crowd was on my side — when you have that open communication. I love talking to the crowd now.

Do you ever hold back as a songwriter because each song is like your diary?
If it’s anything super personal, I write in a way where the listener may take a completely different thing from it. I don’t give the whole story, but I give enough where it makes me feel satisfied that I have completed the song without giving too much away.

I love your song “Boys With Girlfriends.” What’s the story behind it?
I was really good friends with a guy. He was my best friend and he had a girlfriend that really got jealous and thought something was going on between me and him when there wasn’t anything. It was a very innocent and awesome relationship and she got in the way a lot and eventually she sabotaged my friendship with her boyfriend. I was very, very, very hurt by it. I don’t have my friend anymore, but I have a song. The even trade I say, which I don’t know if it’s that even.

You used to waitress at the Hotel Café in California and then eventually started playing there. How did that come about?
I played there once before I started waiting tables there and I met the owners and told them, “I love this place so much! One day I’m going to ask you for a job and you’re going to have to give it to me.” About a month after I said that to them I had gotten fired from waitressing at this Indian restaurant and I called the Hotel Café owners and said, “Hey, remember a month ago when I said if I needed a job for you to give me one? Well, I need one.” They were very cool about it and they hired me as a waitress and the rest is history really.

What’s your advice to people who want to make a career in the music business?
I always tell people to get a job. Get a job anywhere involving music and it’ll inspire you being around all that music and it really connects you with people. Not just networking and giving out your demos, but you actually establish friendships with these people and that’s what happened with me. When they needed someone to play or someone canceled they’d say, “Hey Meiks, can you fill in for so-and-so” and I’d be like, “Of course I can!” And that’s just the way it happened and it was awesome and I loved it.

One of your songs was featured on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Did you watch the episode?
I did! It was awesome! I’m a big fan of “Grey’s Anatomy” from the beginning so it was really cool. It is crazy to me how well songs are placed in shows like that. It was amazing at how good they are with what they do. I actually got to meet Katherine Heigl the other day. I didn’t have the guts to say, “My song was in your show.”

You’re signed on MySpace Records. Do you feel as an artist you need to be on a label?
No, I don’t think you need to be on a label at all. I think the cool part about these days is nothing is set in stone and there’s no exact formula for doing anything. I considered staying independent and not signing with a label. The reason I did sign with a label was because the whole reason I’m playing music and getting it out there is because I want as many people as possible to hear it. I figured I could only do so much by myself and it made sense to sign with someone that are marketing geniuses. MySpace.com has been insane for the music industry and so I went with them because I knew that that would help the awareness.

Do you have a dream collaboration?
Yeah. I would love to work with the guys from The Postal Service. It’s just so cool what they do and all that electronic stuff. That would be really cool.

Was there a moment that you thought to yourself, “Okay, I’ve made it”?
No, no! People are always like, “What’s it like? You’ve made it!” I don’t know if I really feel like I’ve made it. The moment that I do feel like
that is when maybe I can sit in m
y backyard by the pool or something and, not necessarily money wise, but just where I can be comfortable and happy and proud of what I’ve done and I don’t think I’m done yet. I feel like I’m still truckin’ along.

What motivates you as a musician? When you were waiting tables, what kept you going?
Seeing everybody else living their dreams — that was motivational. I watched a lot of really cool bands come through there. It was cool to hear the different songwriting styles and the different personalities onstage. It was really inspiring to me and it made me want to go home and write and it made me want to play more shows. And what still motivates me now is seeing as many shows as I can see. Definitely with South By Southwest that’s what I’m going to do.

What’s your typical songwriting process like?
I try to carry a notebook, but I rarely write in it. I sit in my house. I have a lot of guitars so I keep a guitar out and about in every room, which doesn’t say much because I live in an apartment. But I keep one in the living room, keep one in the bedroom and whenever I have an idea or I’m bored I’ll just pluck away at something and then I just come up with something. It’s not like a certain time of the day, so I don’t really have an exact way of doing it.

You’re originally from Roberta, Georgia where the population is 808 people. How big of an adjustment was moving to LA?
It was really difficult. It was pretty scary to come from a tiny town where everyone knows you and you feel really safe. There’s no crime. And then you move to LA. It was very overwhelming. I was really scared to leave my house for a little while. In a small town you grow up with all these ideas of how big cities are. I’m thinking, “Oh, I’m going to get mugged.” And eventually I got out and I did wake up in the morning and get a cup of coffee by myself and I started meeting people and it got a lot better. It has taught me that these ideas that you grow up with aren’t always right. I go back home and I talk to my friends and they’re like, “I could never live in Los Angeles, it’s so crazy!” and that’s what I thought, but I did it and I love it now. I’m a big cheerleader for LA.

Be sure to give Meiko a listen on MySpace and catch a show when she’s in town!

Categories
Festivals Photos

SXSW Mobile Updates

Have to be honest, it doesn’t feel great to be back home when the weather is seriously 40 degrees colder than it was in Texas! While I’m working on typing up my 3eb review and Meiko interview, I thought I’d post a few pictures I took with my cell phone while attending South By Southwest. Everything from the plane shot (above), to my first taco and some bands I saw.

My first Texas taco platter at this cute little joint cleverly called Taco Shack. If you’re thinking about planning a trip to SXSW next year this is a must eat.

Anya Marina playing at the Filter showcase a short while after my interview with her.

One of the guys from Virginia based band Parachute rocking Stubb’s Saturday afternoon.

More of Parachute. For some reason my cell phone pictures came out a lot better than my digital camera . . . I think I need a new camera.

White Lies’ set Saturday afternoon at Stubb’s right after Parachute. Again, ditto on the cell pics.

White Lies again.

Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind ending the festival Saturday at Stubb’s around 2 a.m.

If that’s not enough for you, be sure to read the rest of my blog as well as MarieClaire.com for my SXSW adventures and I’ll type up these interviews as fast as my fingers will let me so stay tuned for more in the upcoming days!

Categories
Festivals

SXSW: Day Four Recap

Yesterday went much faster than I had wished. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and Saturday was definitely bittersweet. As much as I didn’t want to leave Texas and the music heaven that is SXSW, I really don’t think my body could have lasted another day of 10+ shows and endless interviews.

By Saturday I was feeling the stress of too much sun, standing endless hours for multiple shows a day and lack of sleep, but I didn’t mind because I knew I’d be catching Third Eye Blind later that night. What better way to end SXSW then a 70-minute set by 3eb?

I barely made it up by 1 p.m. yesterday and spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for two interviews later that night. At 6 p.m. it was time to head over to Stubb’s to catch Virginia-based band Parachute. With infectious pop melodies and heartfelt lyrics, the five-piece band have been making a splash in the Virginia music scene and it’s only a matter of time until they’ll be in heavy radio rotation. With a mix of pop rock gems and jazzier saxophone-infused songs, comparisons include Maroon 5 and an older, more mature Jonas Brothers. In fact, the band has played with the Jo Bros., most recently in Times Square for New Year’s Eve.

Having their song “She Is Love” featured in a Nivia commercial and their debut full-length album due out later this year, Parachute is a band to definitely keep on your radar.

White Lies was up next at Stubb’s and wowed the crowd with their atmospheric rock and heart thumping bass and percussion beats. A band on most festivalgoers’ must-see list, White Lies reminded exhausted SXSW attendants what live music is all about.

Once their set ended I rushed back to the hotel to catch UK band Dlugokecki perform in the lounge. Playing emotional pop-rock songs, the band’s set was nothing short of impressive with frontman Ben Dlugokecki’s quirky onstage banter. The rest of the band proved to be just as comical when I interviewed them after their performance. A lot of talk about being President Obama’s favorite band, wanting to be the first band to travel to space, and the difference between American and English audiences, each member was definitely a character. Stay tuned for the full Q&A; soon.

After the interview I headed back to Stubb’s where there was quite a line outside the venue to see 3eb. Indigo Girls were performing by the time I walked inside. Playing a nine-song set including new tracks from their upcoming independent record dropping next week, it was evident much of the crowd were fans as they were singing along word for word. I’ve never seen a band change guitars as much as this two-woman band did, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Playing classic American folk, they had the Stubb’s audience’s attention.

At the airport about to board my plane back to Jersey, but I’ll be sure to fill you in tomorrow on Third Eye Blind’s solid 70-minute show last night as well as the songs they debuted off their upcoming release — due out later this year. Hope you can take the suspense until tomorrow to find out!