SXSW 3.14: She & Him Fry On The Pavement

Festivus

Unlike Wednesday and Thursday, some scalding, dry heat descended on Austin for Friday’s slate of SXSW hits and misses. My love affair with this city is still strong, but we’ve had our first series of slight disagreements. The hot sun made it even harder to execute my careful photography technique of holding my pocket Pentax high, pressing the shutter button and praying that I was aiming toward the stage. So if the photos seem even less professional than usual, you know why.

A good idea

According to my blog-hype instincts, there’s a lot riding on the She & Him portion of the day. Actress Zooey Deschanel (Elf, All the Real Girls) is the “her” and folk-blues expert M. Ward plays “he” in this arrangement. They set up at a parking lot stage near the intersection of 7th and Red River, and since the performance was part of a daylong slate on a radio broadcast, it was mighty short (3 songs!). With only a handful of shows together before this one, Z & M. already have a strong rapport on stage. You gotta shake the tambourine a little more, though, Zooey!

She & Him @ 7th and Red Rock

The first real disappointment of the day came as the first real bite of Stubb’s barbecue was cut between my incisors. I’m a little disappointed that Carson Daly, who was leaving as we arrived, didn’t warn us. After a quick stop over at the spacious, and supremely useful press room in the Austin Convention Center, I let my spirits get lifted by the inspirational Bodies of Water. If only spiritual indie rock had nutrients for the stomach in addition to the soul. My cohort, who was equally pleased with their set, was hearing some “House of the Rising Sun” in their dramatic passages. Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink is their album and it’s not kidding.

Bodies of Water @ Convention Center

The last few songs of X‘s set seemed to pitch to a much older demographic than myself because John Doe proclaimed that only “45% of you will have hangovers tomorrow.” “Los Angeles” was among the set’s gems, but Doe’s comments won me over more. “Don’t forget to vote and don’t vote for the old guy he’ll ruin it all,” he shouted later on.

X @ Stubb’s

Aside from Z & M, Carbon/Silicon could have been the best moment of this backsweat-fest. Mick Jones didn’t seem to mind the heat, although he did remove his black jacket before launching into the poignant “The News.” Here’s to the former Clash-er getting some punk satisfaction.

Carbon/Silicon @ 7th and Red Rock

Obama! @ 7th and Red Rock

Satisfaction was in short supply when the massive Sub Pop showcase took over at Bourbon rocks. Although the Ruby Suns did fill the kazoo and board shorts quotas for the week, their beach inspired melodies got lost in the feedback spitting out the speakers. Ryan McPhun and his female cohorts were fun to watch as they took turns playing drums standing up, though.

Ruby Suns @ Bourbon Rocks

Pissed Jeans summed up the feeling I got about the rest of the Sub Pop offerings—due to the sound. I never thought I would say I’d walk out of a Handsome Furs performance, but now I can. The sound was slightly better inside for Sera Cahoone and Grand Archives, who were kicking it folk-school.

Pissed Jeans @ Bourbon Rocks

Back on the other side of the highway, further misses—as dehydration and malaise set in—entered my diary in the form of the noise fracas created by Knyfe Hyts at Ms. Beas and the bizarre proclamations about capitalism from World/Inferno Friendship Society at Scoot Inn. Good grief. I was almost ready to mix tears of joy with my sweat when Man Man hit the stage. Even watching Honus Honus and his tattooed pals set up their intricate stage was invigorating. Of course, so was my bottle of Music Mountain water. As the Rabbit Habits jams and the band’s face contortions intensified, so did the crowd—including a girl with a pierced spine and a dude flailing a beer bottle in the air. Maybe if I had wore some too-short white cutoffs, I would have had the ultimate night.