DUCK DOWN VS STONES THROW SOUND CLASH AT 2008′S SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST MUSIC CONFERENCE (SXSW):

On March 12th at this year’s SXSW Music Conference, two of the most highly respected Independent Labels will join forces for a legendary showcase, sponsored by V Tech phones.

The Duck Down VS Stones Throw Sound Clash will feature:
*Sean Price (Duck Down)
*Buckshot, of Black Moon (Duck Down)
*Kidz In The Hall (Duck Down)
*DJ Mister Nash (Duck Down)
*Guilty Simpson (Stones Throw)
*Percee P (Stones Throw)
*DJ Rhettmatic (Stones Throw)
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The new Breeders disc, Mountain Battles, sounds an awful lot like the very first Breeders album, Pod. Most of the songs unfold at a sluggish pace, with Kim Deal’s ethereal vocals often the heaviest component of the songs within. In fact. there’s very little here reminiscent of the pop leanings explored on Last Splash, although the bouncy “Walk It Off” could have fit in alongside any of that album’s tracks. And were this a Major Label offering I suspect they’d bring in another producer to scrape the grime off “It’s The love” to reveal the shiny pop tune underneath.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the “comeback album” Title TK, but I’m enjoying this return to form more than I thought I would. To be honest, when I first heard Pod, I hated Albini’s production and though the whole thing dragged, but after listening to the album over and over during the interminable wait the group made us sit through before finally recording Last Splash, I grew to appreciate the subtle intricacies Pod offered up. Mountain Battles plots the same path, and while it doesn’t outdo its almost 2-decade-old predecessor, it does prove the band is slowly marking a clear return to form.

Waterloo Records has posted their schedule for shows during SXSW.

And we finally have details for the Mess with Texas 2 event featuring The Breeders. As far as I know, this is the only event that The Breeders are playing. Keep reading for details.

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Legendary Reggae Producer and Engineer Joe Gibbs died of a heart-attack last Thursday. His unique style can be heard on the original “Uptown Top Ranking” by Althea and Donna, a number of Dennis Brown records and most-notably on Culture’s all-time classic LP, Two Sevens Clash, as well as dozens of his own dub records. He was 65.

Full story.

Photos By Danielle Kline

Cleveland often gets a rep for being a location of pure misery. But things may be looking up. About 4 Years ago it quietly the Land started standing out as the best city for graffiti in Ohio due to the efforts of the Droids, BHS, and TKO. William “Upski” Wimsatt predicted this would happen in his book, Bomb the Suburbs. More recently, Mick Boogie, Chemical Kickdrums, Chipper the Ripper, and Fat Al, have started an upswing in Cleveland Hip Hop. So when I heard Diplo was coming to Cleveland to redeem himself for the worse show experience in his life, I was mad curious. Do people actually have fun in Cleveland these days?

Detox, the roadtrip only homie William,myself and Dkline hopped in the whip, and headed up to see how C-Town Rides in 0-infinity.

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Amoeba hit me up to let me know that my favorite person to speak to at schools with—>Talib Kweli is featured on their website performing and being interviewed.

You should look at it:Kweli Live At Amoeba

The Austin Chronicle recently published this article about Houston/Pearland group The Judy’s, who plan to reunite for a show during SXSW at the Austin Music Awards on March 12.

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My buddy Jason hit me up via IM and told me about this “sick” band that he’s been listening to called The New Frontiers. “They kind of sound like The Damnwells,” he said knowing my weak spot. Of course, for every 10 bands I’m told sound like The Damnwells, maybe only 1 or 2 come even close. The Damnwells comparison is a good one – The New Frontiers play the same style of road-weary Americana rock wrought with emotion.

As I listened to their debut full-length, Mending, which was officially released by the Militia Group last week, I detected a hint of Brit-rock (ala Coldplay) in the sound from the band from Dallas, Texas. It should sound out of place on an album that rightfully belongs in the “alt.country” section of your favorite indie rock CD store, but it works and works well. Vocally, Nathan Pettijohn reminds me quite a bit of Scott Williams of Bel Auburn and anybody who’s been reading my stuff long enough knows that a band that mixes The Damnwells and Bel Auburn is sure to be a hit with me. Guaranteed.

I couldn’t find any MP3s to link to so check out The New Frontiers on their MySpace page and on Virb.com.

I’m not sure where on the bill The New Frontiers will be on Monday night (the bill also includes local band This is My Suitcase, John Ralston, and headliners Limbeck). I’m guessing they’ll play second (after the local opener). Doors open at 7:30. Show up early and don’t miss these guys.

In an interview with Gothamist, Matt Berninger from The National says they’ll be at SXSW this year.

DirecTV will be broadcasting sessions out of SXSW, limited live audience. Details and schedule here.

Songs Illinois posted a bunch of videos from SXSW’s of the past, dating back to 1993.

Thursday night at Stubb’s is the Body of War event featuring Kimya Dawson, Serj Tarkian, Tom Morello, Brendon Jenkins, and Special Guests. On the schedule they’re listed to perform for about 90 minutes. Body of War is a documentary that is also premiering at SXSW. Details on the film here.

So what about the Body of War special guests? I have no inside knowledge, but this article on Billboard discusses the soundtrack. Also on the soundtrack are Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Bright Eyes and more……

unoffocial sxsw music torrent exists. believe in it

For those unfamiliar, Nelsonville is an easy drive from Columbus and a REALLY easy drive from Athens, OH.

Headlining this year’s festival will be The Avett Brothers on Saturday night and Pennsylvania’s Akron/Family on Friday night. Other national acts include folk-legend Michael Hurley, New York City’s O’ Death, the Cajun swing of the Red Stick Ramblers, and Uncle Monk (Tommy Ramone’s bluegrass band!). The Nelsonville Art and Music Festival will also feature many local and regional acts including Southeast Engine, Woody Pines and the Lonesome Two, Silo Circuit, and Casual Future. Many more bands will be announced on the Stuart’s website in the next few weeks!

Full press release after the jump. (more…)

With the schedule released, we’re now focusing on day parties, band profiles, and other related SXSW links.

We’ve heard that SXSW is not releasing an official torrent this year. But that doesn’t stop the will of the people! Click here for a torrent that someone has put together featuring music from the 2008 SXSW Music Festival.

Besides hosting two official evening SXSW shows, NPR is also doing a day party:

As its third event, NPR Music is hosting a live daytime concert on March 13 from the Austin venue The Parish. The show kicks off at 12:30PM (CT) with a largely international bill: The Shout Out Louds and Jens Lekman, both from Sweden; British singer Adele; and stateside artists Yeasayer and Bon Iver. At 4:00PM (CT), celebrated indie rock band Vampire Weekend will take the stage, performing tracks from its debut self-titled release.

Okay, so maybe it’s my own personal UNOFFICIAL Donewaiting 5th Anniversary Show (it’s like a SXSW day party is to SXSW), but I couldn’t have put together a better bill if I had tried. The Dollyrots (number #2 on my Best of 2007 list) return to Columbus for the 4th (or 5th) time in the last 12 months as part of a co-headlining bill (The Love and Conquer Tour) with the rockin’ goodness of Suffrajett. The Chicago-by-way-of-New-York Suffrajett are no strangers to Columbus having played clubs all around town many, many times over the last 4 years.

Though they’ve been playing pretty much non-stop for the last month, The Dollyrots took a few minutes to answer some rather pointless questions I tossed their way last night.

Do you love Columbus yet?
You bet your sweet little Buckeye Arses we do!!

What’s the best meal you’ve had while on this tour?
We stayed with our friend Andrea in Birmingham, AL and we made a home cooked Mexican Feast! It was UNBELIEVABLE! Fresh Guacamole, Avocado, beans, and tofu crumbles with taco seasoning mix!! Check out the photo in our Myspace blogs! YUM!

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about Suffrajett on this tour?
Did you know that Simi grew up in Woodstock, NY and has a bit of a Hippie flair? ;)

What are the top 5 CDs or songs you’ve listened to in the van on this tour?
Well, besides our podcasts of “This American Life” (NPR), probably “Games” by TEENAGE BOTTLE ROCKET, “100 Locks” by GET SET GO, The new AGAINST ME record, “Sunny side of the street” by THE POGUES, and “Man Boy” by THE VASELINES. There’s a whole crap load of Ipod Shuffling as well!

Is there anything fans can bring you (clean socks? new music? bags of Cheetos?) to make the rest of the tour a little bit easier?
Yes Yes Yes!! We need black wool socks to keep our toes warm! Also, bottled water and Emergen-C packets are always cool! And of course some delicious flavored vodka or light beer would be cool too!!

So, Donewaiting community, how about showing your love for female-fronted rock and joining me front and center at the Ravari Room tomorrow (Friday, Feb.22) night? And don’t forget to bring along a little gift for The Dollyrots. 5 bucks will get you in the door for the show which starts at 10pm with upstarts Help is on the Way (featuring Gonzo on drums).

SXSW has posted the daily schedule!

Check it out and discuss in the comments, pronto!