Less than two years active and without an album or EP to their name, male/female duo Sleigh Bells may still be finding their groove sonically, but together, Derek Miller on guitar and synths and Alexis Krauss with her rap-esque vocals, brought a hefty amount of bounce to Carniville Austin. The hands were definitely in the air for this up-and-coming act based in Brooklyn.
One of the most interesting moments of SXSW for me so far happened not inside a venue but outside on the corner of 6th and Congress. Here, a duo of xylophone players from Africa are joined by a local clarinetist named Roy Coon in a completely unplanned collaboration. The mixture of raw percussion and melodic woodwind sounds evoked a number of passersby’s to gather round. And this street session was made possible initially because of the clarinetist’s curiosity.
The first hard rays of Austin’s afternoon sun were going to have to work a bit harder to beat back the crowd at Carniville on Thursday afternoon. As it was, the heat was no match for the lure of free beer, a wild musical lineup, actual carny rides and corndogs. Those assembled quickly formed the beer recyler line – that is getting in line for a beer, then getting to the back of the line, drinking it in time to get a refill. Surely not a great combination with the Tilt-aPuke spinning madly in the background. In the background, DJ Paul Devroe spun some slow southern fried rap cuts, perfectly made for such lazy sun drenched and immobile afternoons. The line started swaying and jiggling, and just waiting for something to really catch hold.
You can take the girls out of NYC, but you can’t make em blend in with the locals. We grabbed the always fashionable Gala Darling & Molly Crabapple, threw them in the “dirty” limo and had a crazy day exploring the small city charms of Austin TX. A little rain wasn’t going to get us down….we had a genuine riot of a good time!
For the tens of thousands of music heads who descend on Austin, TX each March for the SXSW music conference, the accompanying day parties have grown to equal the official night time showcases. And no place is this more true than this year’s Carniville—three days of music and mayhem presented by Mad Decent, Jelly NYC and IHeartComix. With headline acts Major Lazer, The Walkmen and Diplo, plus almost 40 other artists, rides, games…oh, and free booze, this is one fiesta not to be missed. Chinashop will be there and we asked IHeartComix head Franki Chan to get us psyched. Read the full story
The eHarlequin.com writing guidelines under the category of “Historical Undone”, suggest that stories be, “…hot, sexy and subtly explicit without the lovemaking being vulgar or gratuitous.” I will try and use these guidelines to describe the recent performance of Boston based Pop-punk five way, Four Year Strong, at Emo’s in Austin.
I had arrived expecting a simple pop performance and must say that I was hella surprised by the immediate formation of a mosh pit at first note and the sorties of kamikaze stage divers which came in close succession. It was akin to what one would imagine the experience would be of sitting court side during a conjugal visit between a Honey badger and a half-blind ninja in a Coleman camper.
Every year Jesse James has a birthday, just like you and me. Except he gets to be married to Sandra Bullock and party like a rock star with the likes of the good Reverend Horton Heat and some of the sickest toys you can create. Lucky Bastard. Check out the birthday event below with about 1,000 Rockabilly Cats and Kittens through the door and classic Rat Rods out the ying-yang!
Photos by Dustin Downing
I’m not for positive if your familiar with it, but on this 3rd rock from the Sun exists a form of musical expression simply termed, the Blues. It’s a genre based on 8,9,12, and sometimes 16-bar blues chord progressions made up of the blue notes. These are played or sung at slightly lower pitch and often incorporate a call-and-response lyrical form to convey a sense of sadness or melancholy.
Now, I for sure haven’t the slightest idea of what any of that shit I just wikigiarized means, but I know I loves me some blues music. And in Austin, Antone’s is the place to be when you’re a “Booze Crazy Man” and you wanna “Dance With Your Black Drawers Off” with a “Big Legged Sally”.
The first time I saw Jane’s Addiction was in 1989 in Pittsburgh. They opened for the Ramones and got boo’ed off stage. Needless to say, they quickly became one of the most influential bands of the following decade. Shows what you know 19 year old self.
Jane’s Addiction re-assembled to play the Playboy party in Austin and ChinaShop Cameras were there to catch the action.
Words by Barbie Brady. Photos by Mary Sledd.
Glasgow, Scotland’s newest musical export, Twin Atlantic, arrived in Austin, TX on their first trip to the good ole’ USofA. And you could tell, too, by the way everything seemed so damn wonderful to them. Having dinner with them was like having dinner with 5 musically virtuosic children in the way that children are sweet little sponges, eager to learn and experience everything around them. That’s about the only way these guys are like kids. Well that and the fact that they were drunk after two margaritas. We took time out of their busy gigging schedule to sit down for the lads’ first-ever authentic Mexican meal, which they absolutely relished. The venue was Austin foodie staple Gueros, home to the best Mole’ in TX.
Read the full story
