South by Southwest can be more than a little overwhelming, so we did the work for you this year. By our powers combined, the Paste staff compiled an hour-by-hour schedule jam-packed with our suggestions for the must-see acts visiting Austin this week.
(Yes, smartypants, we realize that some hours have more than one act listed. But frankly, there is just too much great stuff to choose from. Also, you'll notice that sometimes a bigger group in a particular slot is backed up by a lesser-known band as an alternative. If you've ever stood in a SXSW line that wraps around an Austin block, then you understand.)
Of course, we suggest you stop by one (or all three!) of the day parties we're hosting with Stereogum, but we'd be foolish not to highlight some of the countless other acts playing this year.
We've already started our ongoing SXSW blogging—complete with Paste's first MTV celebrity sighting of the week!—in earnest over at Festivus, with much more to come both there and at 1,000 Words, Paste's photo blog.
Speaking of the b-word, if you're at SXSW and would like to trumpet your picks for favorite festival performances, drop us a note at news@pastemagazine.com. We'll be compiling the responses in a future Festivus post, so be sure to make it snap. Or clap.
Without further adieu, behold! The official, hour-by-hour Paste music recommendation guide for SXSW 2008:
Wed. March 12
12:45 p.m. - Anathallo (Mohawk) - Awesomely quirky and soul-searching orchestral-rock with lots of cool instruments—especially bells and velcro—from this Chicago-by-way-of-Michigan collective that lives on the border where folk rock meets post-rock. You might recognize the song "Yuki! Yuki! Yuki!" from a recent Vicks commercial.
1:45 p.m. - Headlights (Emo's Jr.) - In a word, Headlights are "charming." Think dreamy, nostalgic road trips at night, like Broken Social Scene in a good mood. The Illinois-based group recently stopped by the Paste studio to play a few songs; watch for the clip on our Video of the Day blog.
2 p.m. - Curumin (Emo's Annex) - Brazilian "samba-funk" artist Curumin creates electro-pop music that amalgamates a varied blend of styles, and his last album, Achados e Perdidos, has some sharp mixing and a plethora of Portuguese lyrics (check out his website for English translations).
3:20 p.m. - AA Bondy (Creekside Lounge) - This is one of those names that we've heard whispered here and there, popping up in the strangest places. Now on Fat Possum and scheduled for tour dates with Dr. Dog and The Weakerthans, Bondy seems intriguing. His lyrics swirl with Southern consciousness, religious imagery and smoke ("Sweet, sweet devil / Won't you be all mine / Set this tired land to flame / it ain't worth a dime").
3:45 p.m. - Phosphorescent (Mohawk inside) - Phosphorescent spills worlds of oil and watercolor from its earthy sonic palette—fuzzy, droning slo-rock soul with Otis Redding horn swells, drunken mariachi waltzes, and pedal steel cascading like the feathery hair of some sad-eyed princess time forgot. All quivering, daydreamy vocals and scattershot charm. Read our BOTW piece for more.
4:30 p.m. - Akron/Family (SESAC Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center) - In the absence of Animal Collective, we suggest you give these bearded weirdos a try—the Brooklyn hippie-sters put on an explosive show and play more instruments than you can count. Watch out, though; they sometimes literally crawl up the walls.
5:05 p.m. - The Blow (Emo's Outside Stage) - Witty, literate and heartfelt synthpop from Portland-based Khaela Maricich. Plus, she’s adorable. We really can’t recommend this girl enough.
6 p.m. - Blue Mountain (Mother Egan's) - These sultry Mississippi blues-rockers recently reunited for the first Blue Mountain shows since the '01 dissolution of band leaders Cary Hudson and Laurie Stirratt's (sister of Wilco bassist John Stirratt) marriage. But as the band's website says, "the past is water under the bridge."
7 p.m. - Van Morrison (La Zona Rosa) - It's always a marvelous night for a moondance.
8:30 p.m. - Bear in Heaven (Maggie Mae's Gibson Room) - We strongly recommend checking out the entire Hometapes showcase. These guys are good people. Plus, according to our research, it's a good time to be a bear.
9:15 p.m. - Shellshag (Elysium) - One man + one woman + one guitar + one minimal drum set + true love = an unbelievably fun amount of noisy, straightforward punk rock. The husband-and-wife duo of Shellhead and Jen Shag compellingly perform standing up and facing each other; think The Ramones, but at a house party—and with a lot more smiling.
10 p.m. - Mahjongg (Emo's IV Lounge) - This recent Band of the Week has gone through some line-up shifts in the last couple years, but its live show is reportedly still mindblowing. Calvin Johnson loves these dudes; you should too.
11 p.m. - Okkervil River feat. Roky Erickson (Austin Music Hall) - Two of the the town's finest songwriters—Roky Erickson, the reclusive frontman from the 13th Floor Elevators, and Okkervil River's Will Sheff—will unite for "Rokkervil" (nice one, Austin Chronicle), turning their collaborative headlining slot at the annual Austin Music Awards showcase into a slightly unhinged but decidedly cathartic explosion of raw rock 'n' roll.
12 a.m. - R.E.M. (Stubb's) - Don't know if you've heard of this group, but apparently it's about to break into the bigtime.
12 a.m. - The OaKs (Wave) - It's refreshing to come across a band that wants more out of its music than just MySpace friends. This Orlando sextet writes thoughtful alt-folk tunes heavily indebted to the lush, multilayered work of Sufjan Stevens. Lead singer Ryan Costello spent several years in Afghanistan doing humanitarian work and that global-consciousness greatly informs his songwriting (but in a way that's not nearly as pretentious as the phrase "global-consciousness" implies).
1 a.m. - Dark Meat (Spiro's) - Drawing inspiration from the free jazz of Albert Ayler, this over-the-top 20-plus Athens, Ga., ensemble will celebrate its recent signing to Vice Records with some serious freak-rock.
1 a.m. - Shearwater (Club de Ville) - Almost impossibly beautiful songs led by the high-flying histrionics of Jonathan Meiburg's ethereal voice and grounded by the band's impeccable timekeepers, upright bassist Kim Burke and drummer Thor Harris. Shearwater's second Matador album will arrive in June; trust us, you oughta catch this band now.
[Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday/Sunday]
Thurs. March 13
10:30 a.m. - SXSW Keynote: Lou Reed (Austin Convention Center) - Reed is best known as the guitarist and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground. He began his solo career in 1971, and has continued ever since. He's at SXSW to promote a screening of Lou Reed's Berlin, a documentary film by Julian Schnabel. (Fun fact: Austin's own Okkervil River is one of Reed's favorite bands!)
11:45 a.m. - SXSW Interview: Seymour Stein (Austin Convention Center) - Legendary record honcho Seymour Stein co-founded Sire Records, the label where he signed pioneer artists such as The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Madonna, Depeche Mode and The Smiths. He's still the President of Sire Records and is also Vice President of Warner Bros. Records. Stein's wisdom (not to mention his thoughts on the future of the rapidly-changing music industry) should be more than worth dragging yourself out of bed before noon on Thursday.
12:10 p.m. - The Builders and the Butchers (Yard Dog Gallery) - This Portland collective has been stacking up the blog raves for its crowd-involving, revival-tent neo-gospel. The band regularly passes out fun percussive gewgaws to the crowd, and drummer Ray Rude sports a tambourine on his ankle. If that description isn't doing the trick, perhaps it's time to ask yourself: do you hate fun?
1:30 p.m. - The Hood Internet (SESAC Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center) - Who needs lunch? Mash-ups are so much better than mashed potatoes. Especially when DJs ABX and STV SLV leave their respective New York and Chicago homes to unite for hours of mindblowing combinations (like last year's R. Kelly/Broken Social Scene masterpiece, "I'm A Flirt (Shoreline)"). Hipsters who secretly love cheesy popular music and bustin' a move, this is YOUR SHOW.
2 p.m. - Destroyer (Paste party @ Volume Night Club) - Dan Bejar is one of the most distinctive and mesmerizing songwriters in contemporary music, although damned if we know what he’s talking about half the time. (Well, other than girls, the music industry, and Destroyer).
3:30 p.m. - Yeasayer (The Parish) - These Brooklynites put on a frenetic show, rearranging their earthy, tribal songs (like last year's amazing "2080") to the point that they're nearly unrecognizable.
4 p.m. - Be Your Own Pet (Cedar Street) - Bouncy, girl-shrieked teen rock that gets the grown-ups jumping, too. Lead singer Jemina Pearl captures what was always good and destructive about the punk genre. Angst-ridden odes about the transition into the life of a twentysomething should make for an energetic show, regardless of whether or not audience members are still in that stage.
5 p.m. - Vampire Weekend (The Parish) - Don't believe the hype...or the anti-hype. Confused? So are we. Anyway, we like "Oxford Comma" and suggest any fellow grammar nerds with sweater fetishes get in line early for this one (or just head over to Waterloo for some furiously flying words, courtesy of Rollie Pemberton a.k.a. Cadence Weapon).
5 p.m. - Cadence Weapon (Waterloo Records) - Rollie Pemberton's latest, Afterparty Babies, is an early contender for best indie hip-hop album of the year. Catch him now, before everybody else finds out that Cadence Weapon spits the catchiest, most clever rhymes this side of the year 2000.
6:15 p.m. - Dead Confederate (Trophy's) - The Athens, Ga., band spoons out some Southern-fried Dixie grunge with a live show that's so Nirvana it hurts—but in the best way possible.
7 p.m. - Del tha Funkee Homosapien (Auditorium Shores Stage @ Lady Bird Lake) - Not only a great rapper, his live shows are especially crazy because of his swagger and moves. Del is a legend, show the man some respect.
8 p.m. - Shepard Fairey (Barcelona) - Fairey is the outsider-turned-insider artist behind, most famously, the "Obey Giant" stickers that first started appearing around the globe nearly two decades ago, in 1989. He'll be DJing at Barcelona, but maybe someone will have a few of his soon-to-be-iconic Obama posters up for grabs.
8 p.m. - Spoon (Auditorium Shores Stage @ Lady Bird Lake) - Britt Daniel returns from Portland, triumphant behind the massive success of last year's unstoppable chart- and year-end-list topper Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Minimalism, schminimalism—Spoon is fun and funky, so get to shakin'.
9 p.m. - Priscilla Ahn (The Parish) - SXSW can be hard on the ears. So go see Ms. Ahn, whose pillow-soft music will leave you refreshed, like an afternoon nap.
9:30 p.m. - Yo La Tengo (Austin Music Hall) - There is a reason this band has been around for over 20 years. Bonus: These folks are hilarious!
10:30 p.m. - Jay Reatard (Vice) - Do not be late to this Memphis punk rocker's set; he likely won't play for more than 20 minutes. But that's handy, because...
11 p.m. - Bon Iver (Mohawk Patio) - According to the world's #1 all-star Bon Iver fanatic, Paste intern Julia Reidy: "For Emma, Forever Ago is hands-down the best album of the year. It's only March, I know, but I challenge anyone to make me change my mind come December. If he can fill your car the way he does, imagine what he can do with the performance space in a bar."
11 p.m. - My Morning Jacket (Austin Music Hall) - Have the Kentucky barnstormers in My Morning Jacket ever put on a bad show? Logic and statistics may say yes, but we certainly haven't seen any. Thursday will be one of the first chances for fans to hear new jams from the upcoming Evil Urges.
12 a.m. - Mark Kozelek (Central Presbyterian Church) - The low-key, heart-piercing singer/songwriter behind Sun Kil Moon, Kozelek is touring behind the upcoming Sun Kil Moon release, April, out next month on his own Caldo Verde Records. With material spanning from the Red House Painters oeuvre to covers of John Denver to the present, this artist's great body of work is not to be missed. P.S. Bring a hanky.
12:15 a.m. - Zion I (Volume) - The best Bay Area hip-hoppers out there right now; the group's MC Zumbi is featured on the recent Amplive Radiohead In Rainbows remixes.
1 a.m. - The Drams (18th Floor @ Hilton Garden Inn) - Catchy and rewarding Springsteenesque rock from the remnants of Texas' Slobberbone.
[Wednesday] [Friday] [Saturday/Sunday]
Fri. March 14
12 p.m. - Port O'Brien (Urban Outfitters) - This Californian group, whose forthcoming debut, All We Could Do Was Sing, was composed primarily on the tiny Alaskan island of Kodiak, creates rickety, instantly engaging junk-shop pop.
1:30 p.m. - El Guincho/Ida Maria (SESAC Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center) - Spanish genre-buster El Guincho's chants-and-samples-filled debut, Alegranza, is one of '08's best, and Ida Maria's journey to Austin began in the tiny village of Nesna, Norway, but there's nothing quaint about her—she's absolutely crazy on stage, disguising heart-wrenching ballads as fifth-beer sing-a-longs.
2 p.m. - Fishboy (1024 East 44th St.) - The native Texan's show is a complete performance from beginning to end of his fantastic 2007 record release, Albatross: How We Failed to Save the Lonestar State With the Power of Rock and Roll. It's a twee rock opera (and a brilliant album). Apparently there's even more story inserted when they play it live.
2:15 p.m. - She & Him (Free Yr Radio Broadcast Corner) - This new collaboration between indie-folker M. Ward and vocally mesmerizing singer/actress Zooey Deschanel is gorgeous, sighing and innocent, as if plucked from a classic mid-to-late '60s pop record. Listening to She & Him is like talking to a really nice friend. Except that our friends don't make music this charming.
3 p.m. - Atlas Sound (Emo's) - Deerhunter may be on hiatus, but don't think for one second that Bradford Cox is resting on his laurels. This afternoon slot will serve as a perfectly relaxing zone-out.
4:30 p.m. - Jens Lekman (Club DeVille) - This skinny Swede conjures up both Jonathan Richman and The Magnetic Fields. He'll also crack you up with between-song banter.
4:45 p.m. - Cloud Cult (Emo's Annex) - A direct quote from Paste music sales director Nate Douglas: "Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) is the best album I've heard so far this year." This man listens to dozens of CDs daily, so we'll just let his opinion speak for itself.
5:30 p.m. - WHY? (Emo's Annex) - Because this indie-hop band is so damn good, that’s why.
6 p.m. - Tulsa (from Mass.) (Flipnotics) - Tulsa (one of two Tulsas at this year's SXSW) combine slinky, reverbified guitars and swirling vocals that land just on the safe side of hippie/indie folk drone. So which side is the safe side? Not sure, but Tulsa's definitely on it.
7 p.m. - Cut Copy (Salvage Vanguard Theater) - Distant Australian cousins of LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy is an indie electronic group that crosses synth-y dance beats with a pop sensibility.
8 p.m. - Eagle Seagull (The Thirsty Nickel) - If these Lincoln, Neb., emotive rockers aren't one of the most talked-about performers at this year's SXSW, we'll eat pigeon. Crow. Anyway, the first single from their upcoming album is called "I'm Sorry, But I'm Beginning to Hate Your Face"—a powerful mouthful, indeed.
9 p.m. - Basia Bulat (Antone's) - Bulat's music is a unique mix between Emmylou Harris and Arcade Fire that incorporates the use of acoustic guitar, pianos, harmonica, autoharp, bongos and many other instruments.
9 p.m. - Sera Cahoone (Bourbon Rocks) - Cahoone, the former drummer for Band of Horses and Carissa's Wierd, broke away from the snare with her excellent, melancholy, self-titled 2006 Sub Pop debut. Her second solo disc, Only as the Day Is Long, arrives March 18.
10 p.m. - Fuck Buttons (Prague) - Don’t be misled by the vulgar name, this duo’s music is actually quite beautiful. Sort of like late-'70s Eno with a stronger dance pulse, and the occasional burst of cathartic noise (of course). Bliss out.
10 p.m. - X (SXSW Live @ The Bar Bar at Austin Convention Center) - Legendary West Coast punk rockers X saw limited mainstream success during their heyday in the '70s, took some "time off" in the late '80s, regrouped in the early '90s and have been touring off-and-on ever since, though the band has not released an album of new material since 1993. The band's SXSW shows will feature all four original members of X (DJ Bonebrake, Exene Cervenka, John Doe and Billy Zoom).
11 p.m. - Plants and Animals (Maggie Mae's) - They were featured on "All Songs Considered" as one of Bob Boilen's favorite new finds...so we think they would be a good band to recommend to people. Because Bob Boilen is never wrong.
11:30 p.m. - Janeane Garofalo and Paul F. Tompkins (Esther's Follies/Super Deluxe party) - Garofalo keeps a low profile these days and rarely tours, but we're betting that time has only sharpened her already cutting wit. Tompkins, a Mr. Show alum (Showheads may know him better as "Champion: The Drinker"), does time on VH1's Best Week Ever and The Sarah Silverman Program these days.
12 a.m. - White Rabbits (Club DeVille) - These new labelmates of Radiohead employ tons of percussion, a pile of guitars and some excellent piano. You'll be impressed how they hold it all together.
12:10 a.m. - Man Man (Scoot Inn) - Everyone should go see Man Man at least once. It doesn't matter if you've never heard a song of theirs before. Circus waltzes, alternative percussion, squeaky toys, various brass, keys, switching guitars, a drummer that sits in the front, and matching white outfits (punctuated by the occasional sequined vest) never sounded so stunning.
1 a.m. - Clipse (Emo's Main Room) - After a long Friday, what better way to keep the party going than with one of hip-hop's most talked about groups of the last couple years? Here's hoping they play plenty of songs off the fantastic new mixtape, We Got it for Cheap Vol. 3 - The Spirit of Competition.
1 a.m. - Dalek (Friends) - Hey! Who put all this Einsturzende Neubauten in my Public Enemy? Inventive and out there, Dalek creates repulsively alluring industrial-rap collages for Mike Patton's Ipecac label.
[Wednesday] [Thursday] [Saturday/Sunday]
Sat. March 15
11 a.m. - Lightspeed Champion (Free Yr Radio Broadcast Corner) - Lightspeed Champion is a prime example of not judging a band by its name. Dev Haynes' folk rock inspired solo project is an endearing piece of Americana from across the pond (can we still call it Americana if he's from Britain? We think so). Now, judging a band by its sweater is an entirely different story. Come out to his show to see what fabulous ensemble he dons to rock South-By.
12 p.m. - SXSW Interview: Daryl Hall (Austin Convention Center) - Daryl Hall is the effing man. He’ll probably steal your girl, though. Watch out for that. We're going in the hope that he'll explain where Oates' mustache went.
1 p.m. - The Whigs (Mohawk) - No-frills, pretension-free gritty rock 'n' roll from our Athens neighbors and Paste perennial favorites.
2:15 p.m. - Tokyo Police Club (Free Yr Radio Broadcast Corner) - These young Canadians, fronted by precocious singer/guitarist Dave Monks, will explode the infectious power-pop of their to-be-released Saddle Creek debut LP, Elephant Shell, all over the crowd at the Broadcast Corner. And the crowd will thank them for it.
3 p.m. - DeVotchKa (Cedar Street) - Otherworldly under the weight of a myriad of instruments, DeVotchKa's "Eastern Bloc indie rock" sounds like it belongs on a street corner in Bohemia more than the burgeoning metropolis of Denver. Frontman Nick Urata's wrought delivery suits the backdrop of strained and heartfelt violins, accordion and tuba, channeling a Jeff Buckley of sorts. Check out the group's gorgeous and transportive Balkan smooth-jams and Brazilian bossas.
3:30 p.m. - Explorers Club (Lambert's Downtown BBQ) - This Charleston, S.C.-based sextet embodies the innocence of a simpler time—namely, the early 1960's, when the crystallized harmonies of the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean rang out across the country. Oh, they do the sunny five-part harmonies, all right, and they do them so well that you'll swear the sound of the surf is drifting into your ear canals along with 'em.
4 p.m. - Ola Podrida (Waterloo Records) - Ola Podrida is the stage name of Texan David Wingo, best known as the composer of the slyly sexy back-porch music that wafts through the films of David Gordon Green (All The Real Girls, George Washington). His self-titled Ola Podrida debut was released last year, and it's a sleepy stunner—check out "Photo Booth" for more concrete proof than we could ever offer in print.
5:30 p.m. - Gentleman Jesse and His Men (Beerland) - Jesse Smith is responsible for one of the finest songs of 2006, "I Don't Wanna Know (Where You Been Tonight)," and if he and his men ever get around to putting out an actual full-length, watch out. Modern day power pop at its absolute finest.
5:30 p.m. - Talib Kweli and Jean Grae (Auditorium Shores Stage @ Lady Bird Lake) - Watch Kweli spit some of the tightest rhymes around as he's joined by the most talented female MC in the game right now—yes, even more talented than Lil' Kim.
6:45 p.m. - Joseph Arthur (Home Slice Pizza) - Stones-y but sweeter, Arthur is a an eccentric freewheeler with some classic tunes and sharp lyrics.
7:30 p.m. - Jandek (Central Presbyterian Church) - Seeing Jandek is like seeing a UFO. He's self-released 52 albums over the course of 30 years. He's only given two known interviews in this time. It took him over 25 years to make his first live appearance, and he's only made a handful since. Who cares if this one will be packed to the gills? Jandek, the mystery, is worth the wait. You’ll wanna tell your kids about this someday. Assuming your kids are going to be into depressive, atonal hermit rock.
8 p.m. - Ice Cube (Auditorium Shores Stage @ Lady Bird Lake) - Ice Cube is playing SXSW. That's right, Ice Cube. He'll probably love it if you shout lines from Friday between songs. (He's an actor/director now, so who knows how many times he'll perform again?)
8 p.m. - Jaymay (Maggie Mae's) - She's a terrific up-and-comer, but not so buzzy that the line will wrap eight times around the block. Pretty voice and really great lyrics. Along the lines of Regina Spektor, but not quite as quirky, and, dare we say, more honest and heartfelt.
9 p.m. - M. Ward (St. David's Church) - M. Ward is rightfully famous for his simple, beautiful finger-picking and one of the most soothing gruff voices of our time. Even if you get shut out of the sure-to-be-packed She & Him showcase, Ward solo—in a church—will undoubtedly be worth a spot of line-waiting. Dreeeeeam, dream dream dream.
9 p.m. - David Bazan (Maggie Mae's) - Bazan, the voice and brains behind Pedro the Lion, may have dropped the moniker, but he continues to release dark and enveloping Northwest indie rock perfect for either casual moping or deep self-examination.
10 p.m. - Jim James - My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James is an extremely formidable performer even when he's all by his lonesome. Speaking of lonesome—James' expressive wide-ranging voice is truly goose-bump-inducing. Just listen to some of the sparse acoustic performances on MMJ's live EP Acoustic Citsuoca and you'll get the idea.
10 p.m. - Son Lux (Lambert's) - Ryan Lott, a.k.a. Son Lux, picks up where many classical crossover artists seem to jump off. His music on this project seems to draw equally from his days playing keys for funk-hip hop band Danagas and his classical compositions used for ballets in the city. Pick up his full-length Anticon debut, At War With Walls and Mazes, to prep for Saturday's show.
10 p.m. - TarantisT (Bourbon Rocks Patio) - They have heavy metal in Iran? Why yes, yes they do. These guys came a long way; help make their trip worthwhile.
11 p.m. - Neon Neon (Cedar Street Courtyard) - Boom Bip (Anticon) and Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) team up to make electro jams about the life of notorious automotive engineer/playboy/drug trafficker John DeLorean. This can’t be anything less than awesome.
12 a.m. - Clockcleaner (Scoot Inn) - These folks come about as close to the aesthetic of The Jesus Lizard as you can get without asking David Yow to sit in. Guttural, nasty and brutish, Clockcleaner will melt the walls.
1 a.m. - MSTRKRFT (Vice) - Made up of Al-P and JFK (half of pioneering, now-defunct bass-and-drum duo Death From Above 1979), MSTRKRFT (pronounced "mastercraft") have twiddled up some bangin' remixes for other artists (Metric, Bloc Party, Justice, The Gossip...to name a very few), but the funky beats are doubly dropped all over the group's own album, The Looks. We suspect they'll play a DJ set consisting of both originals and remixes, so put on those dancin' pants...
1 a.m. - The Tough Alliance (Beauty Bar) - ...and keep 'em on if you're planning to head over to the Beauty Bar for the ecstatic, shamelessly happy dance pop of Sweden's The Tough Alliance (or TTA, as the duo's homie Jens Lekman calls them).
Sun. March 16
12 p.m.-6 p.m. - Panache Day Party w/An Albatross, The Apes, Best Fwends, Mika Miko, The Mae Shi, The Show is the Rainbow, Monotonix - Michelle Cable, the creator and editor of the San Fran-based Panache magazine, has more enthusiasm than a room full of first-graders and far better taste in music, to boot. She's looking out for the SXSW stragglers, so if you're sticking around, make sure to stop by what will likely be one of the straight-up rockinest showcases of the weekend. (An Albatross - This band=total psychedelic/hardcore freakout gypsy-metal madness.) (The Apes - You know what’s missing from music today? Really long organ solos and lyrics about wizards. This band pretty much rules.)
10:30 p.m. - Tragedy, A Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees (Emo's Main Room) - Just try and explain to us how you could skip this one.
Midnight - Alejandro Escovedo (Continental Club) - Escovedo is a Texas legend who's been serving our ears his spiced-up sonic stew of glam rock, punk and country for over 20 years now. He and another legend, Green on Red veteran Chuck Prophet, cowrote Escovedo's new album, Real Animal (due out this June), and they'll unite for a SXSW-closeout preview performance of the entire record at Sunday night's show.
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