SXSW 3.13: Jens Lekman Has Nasty Feelings About Austin

Time for the rundown of Austin’ s parade of iPhones and ink-stained wrists, South By Southwest on Thursday, March 13.  Yesterday’s entry is brought to you by the fine staff in the press room in the Austin Convention center, who will constantly interrupt you while you’re working and remind you to sign up for free massages. To get the day started right, I swung by Lou Reed’s keynote address, which was out of the question for anyone still facedown on the floor somewhere at 10:30 a.m. CST. Lou was hanging out with and producer Hal Willner, who provided musical direction for the live filming of SXSW entry Berlin. Lou put out the album Berlin in 1973. ”Berlin was used in a lawsuit against me by management to show why I shouldn’t handle my own affairs because I would make an album like that,” he explained. They showed a clip of “Men of Good Fortune” from this concert film, directed by The Diving Bell and the Butterfly‘s Julian Schnabel and culled from five live performances at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y. Following, the talk, I checked out a screening of Second Skin, an excellent documentary detailing the lives of people who inhabit virtual worlds of online games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest.

After grabbing a bratwurst on 6th Street, I waited in line for what I thought was going to be a Fleet Foxes show outside Emo’s, but could hear Tokyo Police Club inside running through “Nature of the Experiment” and some new less Strokes-inspired jams from their upcoming debut LP, Elephant Shell. After finally receiving the first sloppy stamp of the day, I nearly regurgitated sauerkraut upon discovering the don’t-believe-the-hype-exhibit-A Tapes ‘n Tapes were actually next. It didn’t take long to find yet another spot called Emo’s that actually was hosting the hot Sub Pop signees Fleet Foxes giving a taste of Sun Giant. Well, mostly the “set” consisted of the guys, complete with vintage gear and haircuts, trying to get their monitors to work. All was mostly forgiven about 20 minutes later when their lush, four-part harmonies started humming from the stage—which explains the obsessive time spent checking the mics. The title track, which begins a capella was a soothing highlight of a set recalling the Band, CSNY and My Morning Jacket.

Fleet Foxes (sorry keyboardist!) @ Emo’s

After my birthday cake (28 is great!), I hopped to Islands at Cedar Street Courtyard, as part of the impressive Anti- showcase. Lead singer Nick Thorburn won’t have to worry about any Unicorns talk coming up anymore with the strides his band has made. The sextet got help from rapper Subtitle on “Where There’s A Will There’s A Whalebone” and a white-faced Thorburn gave thanks by throttling him with a drumstick. A cover of Sinead O’Connor’s “Red Football” closed the set.

Islands (photo by the esteemed Pat Curran) @ Cedar Street Courtyard

Getting out of downtown Austin was key to the next leg of this entry. Up until this point, hitting events in downtown made me think Bourbon Street with Joe Francis lurking with a camera and the promise of a Blogs Gone Wild sweatband. Crossing underneath the interstate highway meant seeing a seedier, and far more compelling part of Austin. The electro punk of the Death Set seems to be on the way to every show I hit. They were working a crowd of asymetrical haircuts into a lather despite multiple power outages and amid chants of “Depeche Mode, Jars of Clay, Dishwalla, Dishwalla, Dishwalla!”

Death Set (take my word for it) @ Ms Bea’s

I was on my way to Scoot Inn, which was more like a pavillion than the pay-by-the hour establishment I was expecting given the semi truck graveyard I had to pass to get there. Del the Funky Homosapien was in fine form, despite his admission that he was just as lit up as the audience, during a lengthy run through classics like “No Need for Alarm,” his Gorillaz collaboration “Clint Eastwood” and new track from 11th Hour “Foot Down.”

Del @ Scoot Inn

The reason I braved Austin’s unmentionable right side of the tracks, though, was definitely Devin the Dude. With the help of his Coughee Bros. crew, hip-hop halfpint legend Bushwick Bill, and about 50 people just standing onstage with blunts tucked into their Kangols, Devin controlled the crowd with a look back at his most ribald rhymes. Dude could definitely get into acting with the way he wears a golden grin and talks about the most unmentionable things a man can do to a woman.

Devin! @ Scoot Inn

Post-Devin trek back included stepping over a hipster lying on the sidewalk and wondering how much rent would be for a studio apartment in the area. Mohawk would be the final destination for the night. The venue is a great expression of what indoor/outdoor live music should be about. Lots of balconies and seating out back, and a gritty, no-frills experience indoors. Swedish kitsch-pop expert Jens Lekman, who I’m slowly warming up to, was more interesting to most of the rabid attendees surrounding me. “A Sweet Summer’s Night On Hammer Hill” and “Black Cab” were on point in part thanks to Marla Hansen’s mesmerizing violin. Jens mentioned that he got a lot of flak for saying nice things about Florence while he was in Italy. “I’m just gonna say ‘fuck Austin’,” he said. On a bathroom break, I could hear Parts and Labor playing “Fractured Skies” and “This Gold We’re Digging” through the floor, and I knew I should have been there instead.

Jens Lekman (from a comfortable balcony location) @ Mohawk

Among the assembled who stuck around for prog-stoner-droner rockers Black Mountain was Destroyer’s Dan Bejar. I was pretty sure I recognized his curly locks from afar, but a friend spoke of high-fiving him, so that’s that. Sludgy as hell, the crew made a convincing case for In The Future. In the present, that’s a night.

Black Mountain @ Mohawk

Tomorrow, She and Him!