As the crowd gathers on the dock, the excitement is palpable.  A diminutive dance music pixie pogos around with her newly adorned wristband held high in the air while a group of British friends smile their approval.  This does not feel like the normal cueing up to enter a party vibe.  When everyone in attendance is a VIP, there is no struggle toward the front of the line.

We were given the opportunity to blow the minds of three of our readers when we included them as guests to one of the most exclusive parties ever.  And from the looks on their faces we were successful in that endeavor!

The deck of the Yacht is outfitted with a massive club-sized sound system and the artists’ rig is tucked into a corner of the massive dance floor.
There is no stage at this party.  Everyone is participating in their own way, some dancing, some playing music, some passing around a disco ball in
the middle of the crowd.  The dining room is serving prime rib and the captain is high-five-ing party goers.

An opening set by the awesome and irreverent Tommy Sunshine includes a personal favorite – Hall and Oates – remix, the dance floor is packed as we set sail.  Sasha and John take the reins next easing us into an ever-building music journey as the yacht powers through the canals of Miami
Beach, under several draw bridges and past some of the most ornate mansions in America.  As Sasha and John trade off on the decks, the sun begins to set, offering the best mood lighting we could hope for.  During several crescendos in the music there are hundreds of hands uplifted in the air as if to absorb as much of the music as possible.

As the yacht heads back to dock you can see from the smiles on the faces of our maestros that they too are having the time of their lives.  Like all
things this party must come to an end.  But we have excellent news – in anticipation of this article, Sasha and John’s entire set was recorded and
Mr. Digweed himself has designed an *exclusive* hour-long long live mix for all of us to enjoy.  When you listen, close your eyes, imagine an 85 degree breeze blowing over the railing of the Lady Windridge  and as the sun begins to set you can almost hear that group of beautiful girls next to you giggle in a state of absolute glee at their fortunate fate.  As our editor in chief said to me while leaning on the railing watching the sun set, “life is good my friend”.  Yes, it sure  is!

Congratulations to our lucky readers who joined us on this epic journey: Tammy Black, Monique Hauscheer and Ana Prieto. Maybe next year it could be your smiling face in these photos!

Feel free to pass this link to anyone you know who might want to hear this exclusive mix from Sasha and John Digweed Live from the Lady Windrige Yacht in Miami, FL USA 3/26/10.

Words by Mark Roemer, photos by Angel Tagudin, extra photos provided by John Digweed.

Every dish that was placed in front of us was examined, sniffed, tasted, analyzed in detail and then fully consumed.  It was a treat to see tacos, nachos and Austin’s famous queso appreciated anew and experienced on what was a culinary adventure for these Scotts.  For us SXSW vets, this food, while craved and appreciated, and devoured, is far short of adventurous eating.  It was truly fun to experience the band’s first margaritas with them.  You realize the complexity in everyday things, the beauty in the mundane, when you see/taste/feel those familiar things through the experience of someone else.

The conversation was fun, too.  We talked about the band’s origins in the city, their process for writing songs and the brilliantly quick pace at which they write what they write.  Double Dose, one of my favorites, came together faster than any of their other tunes, about 20 minutes start to finish – less time than it took our waiter to refill the queso. The band told an amazing story of how the Smashing Pumpkins specifically asked for them to open their show in Glasgow. These genuinely affable guys are standing at the precipice of great things and massive recognition.  You can feel it as they go on about anecdotal touring disasters, and their should-be-a-reality-show-made-about-him tour manager.  The potential energy is palpable around this band and they are so damn friendly you want to see that potential realized.  I am joining their street team as soon as one is formed.

Words by Mark Roemer, Photos by Zoetica Ebb

Twin Atlantic on Myspace

You could spend a week in Austin and never step foot south of Cesar Chavez and that’s exactly what most attendees of SXSW do.  Or is it – Don’t do?  Regardless, most out-of-towners spend their entire stay in the vicinity of 6th St.  And why not?  That’s where most of the action goes down, it certainly is where the majority of street meat is sold after the witching hour, where most of the Mardi Gras-esque amateur-hour mayhem B.S. takes place.

For those with a little curiosity and a little cab fare for that matter, South Austin is as rich with reward as its neighbor to the north.  No, not Canada.  South Congress Street has the best of almost everything important; the best boutique hotel, the best home made ice cream parlor, the best migas breakfast and the best thrift stores.

The only drawback to thrift shopping in TX during SXSW is the hipster tax that the vendors assess to everyfuckingthing in the store.  That said we were able to navigate temptation pretty maturely if I do say so.  We escaped the first store with only one $30 pearl-snap shirt and left the incredibly preserved $45 blue moon boots sitting atop their cowboy shirt rack throne.

Now, Than is a pretty fashionable man in his own right.  He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who looks to his girlfriend for what looks hot and what does not.  In fact, we found out the (relatively) easy way that the New York based multi-instrumentalist drummer pretty much looks great in anything.

Zoe, a true fashion maven (and our photographer for the story) had her fashion way with Than Luu right in front of anyone who wanted to watch (just me) and dressed him up and down and damnit if he didn’t rock just as hard in the gold dress as he did in the army jacket.  Must be something in the way he holds himself.

Words by Mark Roemer, Photos by Zoetica Ebb

First point of intrigue (and this is before I ever heard a note of their music) is that their debut album is being released on the newly formed TBD records.  “What’s in a label?” you say.  Well, normally I am with you on that but in this case we have something to actually take note of.  TBD has exactly one other release: Radiohead In Rainbows.  Yeah, holy shit is right.  So, theirs is the second release on probably the most lauded new record label like, ever – that’s some juice.  Oh, and the album is produced by Joey Waronker, a legend in indie music for his work with Walk Mink (which he founded in 1990), REM, Smashing Pumpkins, and Elliott Smith.  Interested yet?

The band comes from a town with exactly one music venue in the middle of Oklahoma.  Their instrumentation includes guitars, bass, and drums that you’d expect from a middle-America group.  Add to that the haunting delicate brilliance of the cello, layers of keyed instruments like harpsichord, harmonium, and mellotron, and you have yourself a sound like you’ve never heard.  Sonically, its parts symphonic, rock and roll, acoustic Americana, soul and bourbon whiskey.  Add to this the strong, sorrow soaked, and multiple personality-ed vocals of singer and songwriter Jesse Tabish and there you have a recipe worthy of the follow up release to In Rainbows.  This record has become a good friend over the few weeks that I’ve known it.  It gives to me something different every time I sit down with it.  My favorite records have always been like that, unfolding, each listen unlocking your ability to absorb what you take away from the next one.

I was excited to see how the band would attempt to pull of these album arrangements in a live setting.  Often times the album is delicate and understated as it pulls you through a full spectrum of emotions.  To pull this off at a festival, a band needs the help of the audience.  It’s a rare occasion these days that you find a completely captive audience, hanging on every pull of the cello bow.  Other Lives performance in the parking lot of the San Jose hotel in south Austin not only held the attention of those watching, it drew in dozens of people walking by on the busy sidewalk licking their ice cream cones, on their way to somewhere else and helped them get lost for a while.

I put this performance in my top 2 or 3 of the entire year thus far.  So, you missed the show in the parking lot.  They are going to be doing dates with the Decemberists and Elvis Perkins in the near future so not all is lost.  In the meantime, the album is highly recommended for a cloudy day and a pair of headphones.

Words by Roemer, Photos by Zoetica Ebb