SXSW – A first timer’s tale | MuchMusic.com

SXSW – A first timer’s tale

March 25th, 2011

After many years of enviably watching friends ditch out on the dragging days of the Canadian winter for the sunny streets of Austin, Texas, I made the snap decision to check out South By Southwest for myself.

Armed with nothing but a few bucks, an iPhone and an appetite for all things rock and ribs, I booked a last minute flight, found a space to crash and left on a Tuesday morning. In the words of Patti Smith, it was the perfect day to arrive. No one was expecting me. Everything awaited me.

My adventure started the moment I stepped onto 6th Street in downtown Austin. The gentlemen of Bedlam Management & XM Radio were elbow deep in piles of crawfish at a joint called The Boiling Pot and invited me to join. Saskatoon rockers and Rolling Stone cover contest finalists The Sheepdogs taught me how to wiggle and suck the tasty meat out of those wee tails. It was Texas by fire and set the tone for the week.

The following days and nights were filled with friends, new and vintage, 30 degree temperatures, warm winds, free beer, free food and lots and lots and lots of music. You really didn’t need an expensive delegate badge or wristband to see anything as there were countless free concerts and parties which a simple smile or business card could get you into. Even Jack White played a free show outside of his Third Man Rolling Record Store.

Here are some daily highlights:

Wednesday: Catching up with Duran Duran backstage at Stubb’s before their big show. The famous group, with over 80 million albums sold, used the famously indie music fest to kick off their world tour in support of their 13th studio album “All You Need Is Now.” They riff about working with producer Mark Ronson, their live concert directed by David Lynch and exactly what motivates the band to keep creating new music instead of just rolling out a greatest hits tour.

Thursday: Kicked off with the Hollerado Nacho House Party. The DIY Canadian band fired up toaster ovens filled with yummy queso and chips while cool bands like Matador signees Esben and The Witch from Brighton, UK brought a dark gothic sound to the hot southern day.

By nightfall my friend Gillz and I were standing side-stage at The Strokes free gig at the Auditorium Shores Stage. Still one of the coolest bands out there, the set had all the hits plus a preview of the new disc “Angels” and the fireworks display to mark SXSW’s 25th Anniversary was by far one of the best I’ve seen this side of Canada Day post-1992.

By now I’m fully on the SXSW 24 hour party plan. The best place to find the late night jam was the PureVolume House. 40,000 people attempted to get through the doors where day in and night out you could see The Bravery, The Sounds, The Dears, Eliza Doolittle, Moby & more. The Tito’s was free pouring… and that is where this story ends ;-)

Friday: A testament to just how huge one of our hometown heroes has become as City & Colour took the Stubbs stage for a sold-out, sundown, super moon show for about 3,500 people and another 300 outside trying to get in. It was beautiful. That night I also saw Vancouver’s Mother Mother, Australia double-drum band Wolf & Cub, London UK’s Babeshadow, US/UK duo The Kills, and New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous.

Saturday: In a word, wild! It started with a sleepy breakfast of BBQ ribs, brisket and sausage at the legendary restaurant Iron Works. I noticed a tweet from @iamdiddy that he’d just arrived in Austin. I shoot you not, 15 minutes later Diddy rolls into Iron Works to get his BBQ on! He rocked his camera, got a tour of the joint, hung out with the kitchen cooks and even posed for this pic for us.

This chance encounter set the rest of the day in motion. The Vaccines, Wanda Jackson, Black Lips, Surfer Blood and OFF! But the real highlight for this girl was the surprise Death From Above 1979 gig. The recently reunited Toronto duo took the tiny backyard stage at Beauty Bar about 1 am and a few minutes later a mob of fans in the back alley, just trying to catch a glimpse, had taken down a fence and the cops were called. Check out this link for my flip cam footage.

The band did a great job controlling the impending mayhem, were able to finish their show and we all lived to tell. Talk about ending SXSW with a bang!

There are far too many bands, parties and moments to mention. SXSW is a music lover’s wonderland where it’s easier to get free beer than free water. But just to keep it real, the one place your fancy all access pass won’t get you in is the IHOP on the I-35 at 3am.
No line bypass for anyone at that place, no matter what your business card says.

Article and photos courtesy of Jessica Capobianco.

Tags: Death From Above, diddy, Duran Duran, sxsw, The Wedge