ChinaShop was in the Texas town over the weekend for Austin City Limits, showing OUR support and soaking up the sun, the sights and documenting the adventure. Check out our photojournalism below and remember to “Keep Austin Weird.”

Words by Mike Bucher. Photos By Joe Gall.

It was Sunday afternoon and I set out to enjoy the last of the Northside Festival riches. Four days of music and art were drawing to a close and I was content with the events of the weekend. I fought my way through crowds, rubbed shoulders with indie music celebs, I saw more shows in four days than I have since SXSW and I’ve got a list of EP’s to download.

There were a handful of day shows but none to stand out. I stopped in at Spike Hill and saw Whale Belly and Clouder before making a trip to the Brooklyn Flea market to claim my free food item. Wee! Finally, a free thing at Northside Fest and in the shadow of a breathtaking skyline! I’m not gonna encourage Northside Fest to turn into SXSW ‘cause last year was so damn corporate that I couldn’t see a truly innovative indie band because Kanye’s HUGE EGO was blocking the way. At the same time, you guys gotta get some more sponsors. Sponsors that are willing to hand out free samples. Fred Water was one of the main contributors and I didn’t get one free bottle of water. In fact, they were selling them at the main stage for $2 a pop. Most people there had paid $35 or more to get into a hardly even half sold out show and they can’t even get a glass o’ water? Shame on you.

Maybe I sound like a mooch but three SX’s ago I picked up a sample of Old Spice’s ‘Fresh Collection’ Denali and haven’t bought a different stick of deodorant again. #justsayin

Later I stopped by Cameo Gallery and saw Christopher Paul Stelling pour his mother loving heart out on stage. Honestly, when the dude went on, I was thinking, ‘Oh, another singer songwriter. These guys are a dime a dozen.’ Then he started to pick the guitar. Then he started to wail. He wailed, whined, gritted and ground his way right into the existential conversation in my brain (its a reoccurring conversation, prompted when viewing great art, where I chide myself for not being a better artist). Stelling is a truly compelling artist. He lets himself feel everything and then pours it out into the songs he writes in an absolutely obtrusive manner. Listen to his music and you’re gonna get chills, you’re gonna wanna yell and you’re gonna be reminded that as much as you want to, you don’t need to listen to electro-pop dance remixes for every second of the day. Breathe a little. Sit down. Imagine you’re on a train. Broke down in Kentucky but you made a friend who shared his moonshine. Now you’re both drunk and raspy and hes schooling you on life in the country via his song. That is what listening to this guys music felt like.

I walked out of Cameo Gallery, squinting into the sun to find that, alas, I was still in Brooklyn. I needed a break. During every festival there comes a time when you just wanna get away and go see some music not festival related. Luckily I knew a couple ‘o guys playing a show at Southpaw so I jumped in a cab and headed down to see Elliot and the Ghost.

Lead singer Will Thompson is recently displaced from Austin, Texas but you can still hear the hill country in his voice. They recently added a keyboardist to their lineup which seemed to add some smoothness and depth to Will’s otherwise gritty sound.

I fled back to Williamsburg just in time to catch what ended up being my favorite performance of the weekend. Not surprisingly, the award goes to YACHT, who just launched a new album that is better than and different from their last but still gets your feet moving (remember what I said about not needing to listen to dance music all the time? I take it back.) and your body shaking. Oh and good luck trying to take your eyes off of Claire. The bands performances are always quite interactive (‘This one’s a singalong!’ said Claire before their hit, ‘Psychic City’)  and it felt much more like a meditative dance gathering than anything resembling a concert.

Then Northside Festival drew to a close and the people were happy because there was plenty of music to go around. I had trouble figuring out if this was a festival for the people or for the potential money-lenders. At the same time, if you didn’t know the festival was going on, you may have walked down Bedford Avenue thinking it was just any other day in Brooklyn. Nothing happened that doesn’t normally happen… it just all happened during one weekend and under one name. Anybody who lives in Willamsburg knows that the neighborhood is changing fast. We can’t stop it, nor do we really have any right to; this spot was someone else’s way before it was ours. So lets feel lucky that we have Northside Festival and continue to support the events that promote the uniqueness of the area. You guys can stick around and drink Starbucks, I’m moving to Greenpoint.

Words and photos by Courtney Dudley.

]]> http://www.chinashopmag.com/2011/06/justsayin-northside-fest-day-4/feed/ 0 http://www.chinashopmag.com/2011/04/andreya-triana-lost-and-found/ http://www.chinashopmag.com/2011/04/andreya-triana-lost-and-found/#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:07:13 +0000 Rich Thomas http://chinashop.designenginela.com/?p=54510 Continue reading →]]> As drab and predictable as much of today’s R&B is, soul music—the good stuff—is getting its due time in the sun, due in part to the popularity of artists like Adele, Cee Lo Green and Raphael Saadiq. These are powerful singers who understand the importance of the almighty groove; artists who know that a pocket is more than just something sewn into your pants to hold your bankroll. But what about what’s bubbling beneath the mainstream?

That’s where Andreya Triana comes in. The self-taught songstress from South East London released her debut full-length, Lost Where I Belong, at the end of last year to rave reviews from all sorts of critics. Though she’s quick to protect her pedigree as a soul singer, her tracks have received the remix treatment from electronic luminaries like Flying Lotus, TOKiMONSTA and Mr. Scruff, and her association with tastemaking label Ninja Tune has endeared her to a wide range of ears. We met up with Andreya to chat about her forthcoming album and perused some of Austin’s local fashion traders (Big ups to the cool kids at Process, champions of the dirty south, for letting us use their backdrop). In the end, I got a story and she got a fancy pair of black boots.

You’re in the midst of writing some new material, yes? What’s the headspace you’ve been in?

Andreya Triana: It’s just really this massive unknown, and I won’t really know until I can delve into that creative space and time. Of course it’s going to be soul music, which is fundamentally what I’m rooted in, but I’ve experienced so many things in the past year and traveled to so many places and been exposed to new music. You just don’t know. I’ll write a song, but when I actually get into the studio, it could take a completely different turn. It’s a bit of an open book, really.

Have you been to Austin before?

Andreya Triana: I think this is my third time here.

How does this backdrop inspire you? It’s a quintessentially American place.

Andreya Triana: I really love it, and it’s great to go to a place and be exposed to that culture. It’s a bit crazy. They’ve crammed music into every spare bit of space. You walk down the street and it’s just coming at you from every single angle, and I’ve never experienced that before. It’s intense but really incredible, and amazing to be a part of.

It’s a bit like spilling a beer in your car, then driving around town and changing the radio station every ten seconds.

Andreya Triana: Exactly! Like having ten different radios all playing different things at the same time.

Have you managed to see any bands?

Andreya Triana: I haven’t seen any. The best thing that’s happened to me was last night. I was in the main part of the strip and there was this massive samba band in the middle of the street playing in a circle that had loads of people dancing. They were just playing rhythms on drums, but everyone was going crazy. It was so good.

Do you get a lot of that back home?

Andreya Triana: Notting Hill Carnival, that sort of thing happens.

The last time we spoke, back in August of last year, you were still fresh to the Ninja Tune family. How’s that journey been so far. Have they gotten their electronic hooks into you yet? (Laughs)

Andreya Triana: I’m a solo artist, first and foremost, but it’s been great seeing the music coming out of Ninja, especially since they had their 20th anniversary and having a track on the compilation. I believe Del did a remix of “Eyesdown.” It’s great to be a part of that, but also great to have that creative space to develop more as an artist.

What’s your personal style? Are you a cowboy boot girl? This is kinda a cowboy boot town.

Andreya Triana: No, I’m a trainers and battered Converse kinda girl. I like to mix and max. I’m into cheap clothes, but that means thrift store stuff. (Points to her jacket) This was 50 pence from a thrift store. That’s like $1 here. Vintage is my main thing, really. Anything loud. What would I go for? (Starts going through the rack.) None of this so far.

Whoah. (I point to a large purple dress.) That looks like something my Mexican grandma would wear.

Store Owner: You’re really cool Mexican grandma, right?

That’s not what I meant! Now I feel horrible.

Andreya Triana: (Laughs) My style on stage is quite different to what I wear day to day. I’d probably wear stuff a lot more out there and louder. I might even rock that! (Points to the dress.) Mexican grandma on stage!

I can see the red carpet interview now. “What are you wearing, Ms. Triana?” “Oh, just a little something by this new designer, Mexican Grandma.” What about shoes? Apparently the rule in Austin is to have the most uncomfortable footwear possible.

Andreya Triana: I really like boots. (Points to some black boots.) Those are cute, they look quite classy. On stage I would go for wedges, quite high. Stupid things to wear that you might trip over.

Now that you’ve been playing them out for a bit, have any of the songs on Lost Where I Belong morphed into different versions?

Andreya Triana: I think they all have, but the one that took the biggest twist was “Lost Where I Belong.” That’s pretty acoustic and downtempo, but we changed it up so we end on the Flying Lotus remix. The original is still there, but it ends more like how the remix ends. It’s good to have the freedom to do that live.

Words by Rich Thomas. Photos by Dustin Downing.

I myself was headed to my hotel for a quick recharge of camera batteries and hopefully a little rest for my soul, but decided to see if I could hang and shoot considering the unique venue and impressed at how I wasn’t being dogged when found out to be press… ‘This definitely sounds like my kind of show,” I say as I could see no large speaker towers perched on the porch and no security looking to handle my “valuables”.

I ask, they agree.

I hung out and shot some images as Jordan explained they had just finished a grueling, 48 hour straight, 1,833 mi car ride from hometown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. This was his first trip to SXSW, but he had just finished a short residency at the Viper room in LA the month prior to support his new album.

Then the guys take to the steps to play a song off his recent debut album Seven Deadly Sins with only unplugged electric guitars accompanied by the inventive percussion of a plastic watering jug from the porch. I kinda roll my eyes, then wow! This acoustic a capella set was so impressive that it rivaled some of the bigger shows I’d shot all week. They dash off and so do I to find out more about this kid.

Bullets:

-Jordan Cook stunned the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland during a jam session with BB King and Van Morrison when he was only 15.

-At the age of 17, he stepped in for an missing Aretha Franklin at a House of Blues show in Florida and performed an entire impromptu set with her band.

-The debut album has been five years in the making and includes producers as diverse as the Matrix in L.A. and Howard Bilerlman (Arcade Fire) on the new album.

Remember kids, you can’t judge a band by it’s album cover.

Words and images by Dustin Downing

Last year, her self-titled debut reached #3 on the Billboard UK charts, and has since been certified platinum. She’s landed a Top 10 in three countries for her single, “Pack Up,” and earlier this year signed to a contract with the prestigious Select Models. She’s also performing at this year’s Coachella festival, a true rite of passage for those looking to make a significant splash in American waters. But before she hits the California deserts, best to pick up some shoes to match the occasion.

Is this your first time in Austin?

Eliza Doolittle: It’s my first time in Texas.

This is about as American as it gets.

Eliza Doolittle: Yeah, it’s really cool. I hear that Austin is kinda special within Texas, so I guess I’m experiencing a really good part of Texas, and I’m loving it. I’m a vegetarian, but I’m still appreciating all the other parts of the barbecue apart from the meat, like mac and cheese, coleslaw and mashed potatoes. It’s also good for veggies!

It feels like everything with this record has happened so fast.

Eliza Doolittle: For me, I feel like it’s been quite a natural progression, especially in the UK. Obviously I spent a lot of time experimenting with music and I took my time finding my own sound, and then once I did I got signed and it was really nice timing. A couple years later, I put the record out and there was no big “Check out this girl for next year” kinda thing. I just creeped up from behind and got people into my music. Over here, things are moving a little bit faster than I expected, but it’s great. I’ve experience some stuff in the UK now that I feel like I’m ready and I’m excited about it.

Pop music has bee co-opted by such a horrible cross-section of musical artists, but there’s no shame in creating timeless melodies and great lyrics that resonate with large swaths of people. I mean, the Beatles were pop music. Marvin Gaye was kinda pop music.

Eliza Doolittle: It’s funny you say that. I’ve always said that. I wish pop music would go back to being pop music again. It doesn’t have to be a genre. You get triple and quadruple names for a genre these days, when great music just stands on its own. That’s pop music. In the old days, you’d have Ray Charles and the Beatles in the same chat, and that was pop music. I think that should come back around.

Is the majority of what you write about autobiographical? I’m talking about all the romantic love stuff.

Eliza Doolittle: I don’t really write about love. Well, I haven’t on this album. There’s no love songs. Sometimes it’s a personal issue I’ve had, whether it’s with a friend or just something that’s bugged me or something I’ve seen on the news. Or just a random scenario I’ve made up in my head. “Skinny Genes” is completely made up, just because I thought it’d be fun to play with the words and play with the sexual innuendo with the whistle and everything. I kinda wish it was true ’cause it would have been fun. (Laughs)

Tell me how the cover art for your album is a reflection of your personality.

Eliza Doolittle: I’ve always been a fan of collages. I studied art in school and that’s where it started. Then I just carried on making collages after that. I didn’t actually make this one, but I came up with the idea and I worked with an artist to have it like a pop-up book. That was the reference for it, and all of the images are my world, basically. Obviously London is a major part of my world, so there’s my favorite London buildings. Then there’s random things that I enjoy.

What are your favorite things?

Eliza Doolittle: I’m a huge fan of poker. I didn’t want to put actual playing cards on there because I didn’t think it fit, but I’ve got dice on there. I kinda like the metaphor of me betting on my life and taking a risk. What else in on the cover? I’ve got Aslan. I love the Narnia Chronicles, and he’s got a daffodil in his mouth. It’s one of my favorite flowers. My cat is on the cover. I’m such a cat person, anything feline.

Do you play poker for money or just for fun?

Eliza Doolittle: To be honest, I haven’t played that much over the last year because of being on the road, but I’m trying to get the boys in my band into it. I play for money all the time, but not too much. Maybe like a tenner or a fiver, just with friends.

So, has Austin inspired any fresh innuendo?

Eliza Doolittle: On a fun level, don’t know whether it’s America or Austin or the festival, but there’s definitely some great energy in the air and I’m having a lot of fun.

That was a mildly noncommittal answer, but I’ll accept it.

Words by Rich Thomas. Photos by Dustin Downing.

What do we have here?
It’s the Urban Mobile DJ. So, I was at burning man a few years back and there is all of these amazing mobile art installations with music and sound systems. And I was like “I need to get one of those.” So I decided I would build my own, but make it really beautiful and street hard.

Street hard?
Yeah. Party people always get fucked up and wanna hit your shit. And then you got all this traffic, pot holes, rain, and crazy people everywhere.

Wait, Party people always get fucked up and wanna hit your shit?
Yeah, always, “Arrrggghhhh!” (screaming) but it’s kind of a compliment.

How did it come together?
Well I brought the idea to Beto Boggiano over at Pure Austin and he was into it. The idea was to bring the party from the club to all of these outdoors events as some sort of music movement. So we started working on funding to build it with sponsorships of all Austin money.

Did you buy it like this off the shelf?
No, as part of my research I discovered this guy named Paul from Rock the Bike. So I contacted him and told him I wanted a pedi-cab/chairiot type mobile DJ booth and we went to work sketching out some ideas.

Might I ask what the investment was in such a beautiful Trike o’ Sound?
Including bringing Paul in for the construction, which only took 3 days, it was close to $8,000. All hand and custom made.

How did you end up in the ATX?
I moved from Puerto Rico and to the states in 94’ and this was like a little city, with substance and an amazing art scene. Also, my brother really talked me into it.

How did you get involved with Red Bull’s MR.X?
In 2006 I went to a RB party and met a bunch of the gear heads that were setting up the show and got a chance to DJ. From there it was just a conversation with the right guy and now it is my job to educate local DJ’s on the aspects of the Red Bull Music Academy.

What type of gig do you typically get hired to DJ for?
Fashion shows, art shows, club gigs, I haven’t done a bat mitzvah yet, but I did a traditional Jewish wedding once and scratched over (Hava Nagila) and the crowd was like, “YEAAAH!” We are living in times where people don’t want your normal mobile DJ.

What does DJ Manny do when he’s not spinning beats?
Anything multimedia. I enjoy putting graphic design with audio, working in photoshop, doing some film editing in Final Cut. Basically anything art related that I am able to do with the tools at my exposure.

Do you play often with anyone? Like Diplo/Switch have with Major Laser…
I have this kinda Latin – Thievery Corporation meets Beck. I’m the singer, the song writer, but I do it all with this talented keyboardist called Claude 9. We’ve been working really hard and hope to have an album out soon.

[Manny is referencing his “Los bandidos” project, which I would beat describe as what music one would want to listen to outside a hip Cuban café in Paris whilst drinking Absinthe’. ]

Then I’ve also got Starlynx with Dj Bigface happening, which is a project with another DJ, three MCs and a band. It’s about time these things started coming together.

Words and images by Dustin Downing

This day found the Sun double parked upon the roof of a garage a couple blocks down on Red River St.

As so goes the story, I squeezed my way into this bar which seemed to have turned off the A/C and instead decided to pressure cook as many of us thirsty discophiles into a beer buying stew as it deemed fit. “Two servings please,” I plead as I stood and listened to the familiar grumble of blurry roadies as they hump gear to and fro. It seemed as though many a moon had passed and then, “Check One, uh, One-Two!”

Cue the band…

It’s odd to me how similar the gentle opening sound of a whisk on a drum head can be to that of a mother’s, “SSSssshhhh!” Not so much the snap of a Librarian but the bit more mellow, “Listen up and you might learn something” reaction akin to when Oprah brings Dr. Phil out. But, mostly for me it signals the time to lap up my last sip and high tail it up to the front to make the rent…

I’m not sure where I first shot these indie alt-rockers whom hail from Minnesota. I wanna say Tapes n’ Tapes in Detroit, as they can be a little gravely blue. But I’m not so sure, because the vocals which sometime leap to the photo pit from the mouth of this bearded front man can sound more like Arcade Fire en fueago at Bonnaroo. I can say with certain, certainty though, that they always play an excellent soundtrack to whatever dawn you might be racing.

The deck of Tapes n’ Tapes is stacked as so but sadly is not in current play. As they are on a reshuffle after spending the last month out on the road playing their newest album, “Outside!”.

Josh Grier (Tapes 1) – guitar : Matt Kretzman (‘n) – keyboard
Jeremy Hanson (Tapes 2) – drums : Erik Appelwick (‘n) – bass guitar

http://www.tapesntapes.com/

Images and words by Dustin Downing

My first view of said dance floor upon entering this gilded Tiki Hut of lust at Club Malaia, is that from below. I’m a bit confused as to what the reasons for suspending a couple hundred party goers on plastic sheeting above another hundred or so people is lost to me. Well, that’s until I see the mass of craning necks fixed skyward on Forever 21’s Spring line. But, I press on as I’m in need of a light.

Laser light that is. In the form of a ‘laser harp’ glowing from floor to sky just adjacent the booth. It reminds me of one of those lawn sprinklers you rocked ‘air piano’ on with your fingers as a kid. But these sparkly jets are semi-dangerous laser light which when blocked by the palm sets off samples and beats. Sounds like Hip-Hop if Stamped, ‘Made in Space’.

Maybe you’ve heard of this cosmic explorer Blaqstarr before? Although not in name, but hard to miss in his signature gun cocking production on multi-cosmic icon M.I.A’s last 2 drops. “Blaqstarr: The Mixtape”, featuring original performances from Lil Wayne, Talib Kwali, Diplo, Steve Aoki, and more, is much anticipated and will be coming this April to earbuds near you.

Words and images by Dustin Downing
http://www.blaqstarrmusic.com/

Blaqstarr – Kiss Me On My Lips ft. Mos Def by BlaqstarrMusic

But that didn’t stop people (and one zombie) from coming and it sure as hell didn’t stop Astronautalis from delivering a high energy, creatively passionate show.

‘I’ve seen him at least ten times… I’ve seen him do a show for four people and for a hundred people and he gives it the same energy and intensity every single time,’ one attendee said.

He raps about what is important to him– reading history books, listening to NPR, keeping up on current events– and whats not important to him– hype, chicks, and being a slave to the industry. His shows are theatrical, which makes sense because he has a degree in theater, and involve a lot of crowd interaction.

He sings, he raps and he growls as the veins in his forehead protrude. He raps about rejecting females liking him just cause he’s cute but, c’mon Andy, don’t get all hot and bothered up on stage and not expect a few ladies (or men, for that matter) to swoon. Everybody loves a man with ambition and talent. Those blue eyes don’t hurt either.

And oh yeah, his talent. At every Astronautalis show comes the ‘freestyle’ portion where Andy calls on the audience to suggest topics. At this show, topics ranged from the super moon (see pic)  to seahorses to things that don’t make any sense like ricochet kisses and walking backward with blindfolds on. He then begins to freestyle and attempts to fit each topic in a linear story-like rap that will absolutely blow your mind. He fires off lyrics and before the crowd can even comprehend the hilarious and genius way he just covered one, he’s off on another topic. I honestly don’t know how this man’s mind can work that quickly.

It’s as if SXSW isn’t the place for this man. I think he’d prefer his own planet where he never has to worry about record labels and where he can do his own thing and people will praise him for it because its uniquely creative and who gives a damn if its not a radio hit. This may have to do with one of Andy’s mottos, one that he spoke about near the end of his set.

‘The hardest job you do is the one you really care about because it usually goes wrong and when it does it sucks but when it goes right its the best fucking thing in the world and you keep doing it because, you know what? I get to rap for a living.’

By the time I showed up, 4th Street was littered with people who were unable to make it inside. Pedicabs were “off-duty” and parked, their drivers standing on top of the seats to get a better view, and every rooftop crowd for a one-block radius was trained on the stage. After Switch bounced the crowd around for a half-hour, DJ Qbert was up next to flex his mind-bending turntable skills. A true innovator and technician, Qbert is amazing to watch on the decks, and a lipstick camera routed to a full projection on the wall next to the stage provided a clear view of his dexterous hands. Like Switch, his set was a brief 30 minutes, but it captivated from start to finish.

Next up was the magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff, who opened his set with DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat” before dipping into a primarily old school set that featured cuts like “Jump Around,” “Seven Nation Army,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” a remix of Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You,” and a few gratuitous seconds of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Breakers got down on an elevated, linoleum-covered platform set up beside the stage, and an MC provided a little extra auditory lubrication. At some point in the middle of his set, Jeff dropped a dubstep tune. This opened up a small hole in the hip-hop space-time continuum, which thankfully closed when he lay down a brilliant blend of “La Di Da Di” and “Teach Me How To Dougie.”

Legendary trio De La Soul was next up, and ripped through a tight set that included “Oooh” and “Stakes Is High,” the title track off their 1996 album, which they dedicated to Jay Dilla. Headliner Z-Trip started promptly at midnight, executing his trademark, genre-jumping style that included a special West Coast tribute to the late rapper Nate Dogg, who had passed away earlier in the week. Z-Trip packed in a few dubstep records, a three-song sinsemilla interlude, and a hard drive full of club anthems. It was merely an appetizer for what came next: a cameo appearance by the one and only LL Cool J.

By the time LL took the stage, the crowd—on the premises, on the street, and on the rooftops—had swelled to well over 7,500 people. Looking rather swol himself, the G.O.A.T. prowled the stage like a lion, and dropped verses to three of his biggest hits, including a mash-up of “I Need Love” and the guitar riff to “Sweet Home Alabama.” (Dedicated to the Southern crowd, of course.) “Rock The Bells” was his opener and “Mama Said Knock You Out” was his closer, and both cuts were delivered with the same ferocity LL came with over 20 years ago when the songs debuted. It was, in a word, incredible, and before you could dial your homeboy and put your phone in the air, it was over. Three songs and the truth, with the hint of a possible reunion with Z-Trip sometime in the future. Hopefully Mr. Smith will make good on that promise. He’s fun to watch on NCIS: Los Angeles, but he can do far more damage with a mic than he can with a gun and badge.

Words by Rich Thomas. Photos by Dustin Downing.