http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=102501078
For those planning on attending SXSW this year (or for those just curious about who will be there), I’ve been sifting through the extensive list as something of a countdown until the festival.

Today’s video is from Los Angeles-based Local Natives, who will be releasing their record Gorilla Manor on Frenchkiss February 16th.

MP3: Doubting Comforts

While perusing the SXSW 2010 band list (yet again), I was reminded that Blue Roses will be playing. This is the project of singer/musician Laura Groves from Shipley, Yorkshire whose influences range from Tears For Fears to Debussy. Combining years of practice on the piano and guitar with days of interest on other instruments, she’s managed to compose some heartbreakingly darling folk tunes. “I like writing songs for instruments I can’t play yet and making choirs out of my voice” says Groves. She released her full-length Blue Roses last July and EP Does Anyone Love Me Now in December, both on XL.

Columbus band Six Gallery inked a deal with German label Superball Music (Trail of Dead). The label, along with label InsideOut, recently announced that they will be cooperating with Century Media Records and EMI Music to distribute their artists’ music worldwide. The official press release will be out soon, but I decided to talk to Six Gallery’s singer/guitarist Daniel Francis (former Pirate) first.

How did this deal with Superball come about and how much time has passed since the beginning stage?
The entire record deal probably took about two months worth of conversation. We emailed someone. He was completely disinterested. We kindly asked him if there was anyone he might know who would like it and here we are..

So I understand SG’s record Breakthroughs in Modern Art will be the first record released on the Superball in 2010?
As far as I know, that is correct.

And it will be distributed in Hollister stores in the US and Canada? What are your thoughts on this?
There’s no reason to not distribute your music as widely as possible. I’m too cool for Hollister? No, I’m not too cool. There’s nothing keeping people who shop there from being uneducated in music. People find bands they like in stranger places.

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Over the last few months, via the musical grapevine, the band Fanfarlo has kept reappearing on my radar. But it wasn’t until visiting the UK in October that I actually heard them for the first time. I was able to catch them at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, where I was initially only there to catch opening act First Aid Kit. After settling on the fact that I could walk away completely satisfied after their set, Fanfarlo took the stage. While on record they sound a bit harnessed and calculated, their live show illuminates their talent enthusiastically. Created by ex-Swede Simon Balthazar, the six-piece band is based out of London and has been actively touring Europe and the US on their debut record Resevoir throughout 2009. They also just played CMJ and have again been added to the SXSW 2010 roster.

Balthazar sings with a sweet and bold voice (similar to that of Beirut’s Zach Condon) and is backed by an amazing group who each play multiple instruments to form a big full sound, reminding me of the Arcade Fire. Have a listen, but more importantly, check out some live footage.

Fanfarlo has recently been recording a number of “Laptop Sessions” where they perform covers. You can find those here, as well as some music videos.

Picture this. You’re a musician. You’re in a local band that’s created a steady fan base. You want to test the waters of your talent, so you accept a challenge that matches you randomly with four other people to form a band. You then have 8 hours to come up with two original songs and one cover with these people whose musical limitations are potentially a mystery. Following the minimal time spent conjuring up and practicing these songs, you must perform them in front of a full audience of your Columbus peers. Oh, and on top of all that, this year you get filmed every step of the way. Nervousness ensues, the pressure’s on. Welcome to the Rock Potluck of ’09.

In its 5th year of existence, the Potluck continues its raw artistic event, boasting a roster of 41 musicians from 41 Columbus bands. Though both the challenge and combination of personalities thrown together seem like an equation for an explosive reality TV show, there is an underlying positivity. The Potluck’s coordinator, Bobby Miller, feels that the event “helps bring the entire Columbus music community together in a very unique and supportive way. Each band creates a bond and ultimately the experience they go through and the music they make together is something really exciting to hear and watch and something they can all be proud of.” More than one band created within the event has continued to play out after the fact. Sandwitch, born in the ’03 Potluck (made up of Ron House, John Olexovitch, Brett Burleson, Bobby Silver and Zac Szymusiak) has put out a 7”, played at last year’s SXSW and will soon be releasing a full-length record on Columbus Discount Records. (more…)

I’m no stranger to Joey Stevens’ music, I used to work with his cousin Arlene and she was always happily passing along burned CD-Rs full of his stuff to me. Not really easy to describe what he was doing then (or is doing now with Rumspringa) but it’s sort of a mix of roots rock and freak folk with maybe some hip-hop tossed in. The band’s debut self-titled EP can be purchased physically through Amazon or digitally through iTunes and eMusic (among many others).

DOWNLOAD: “Goldmine”

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Showcase info: My Jerusalem will perform at 11:05 p.m. on Friday, March 20 @ Karma Lounge (119 W.8th).
Other shows: KGSR Live from the Four Seasons, 8 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18 (98 San Jacinto Blvd); Guitartown/Conqueroo present Kickoff 2009, noon on Wednesday, March 18 @ Fado
Click here to add events to your SCHED*

Download: Sweet Chariot

One of the cool things about SXSW is seeing bands make their debut. My Jerusalem is led by solo artist Jeff Klein who recruited friends that he met on the road (Klein was a touring member of the Twilight Singers on the Powder Burns tour). Rounding out the band are guitarist Dave Rosser (of Twilight Singers), bassist Ashley Dzerigian (formally of Great Northern), drummer Cully Symington (formally of Bishop Allen) and multi-instrumentalist Rick Nelson (of The Polyphonic Spree and St. Vincent).

The band’s debut EP, Without Feathers, came out this week and can be found on iTunes. Their full length CD will be out this summer.

Jeff Klein answered some questions sent his way this week.

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Hit it!

Remember: this is subject to change and as we’ve seen in the past, it WILL change, but this is a good start to those hitting up SXSW next month.

Anything look incredible to you? Leave a comment.

Looking like another great year for the Aussie BBQ. This party is open to SXSW badgeholders (entry subject to capacity).

I’ll have to do some homework before heading to Austin as the only two names that I’m familiar with are Youth Group and Gabriella Cilmi, who could be one of the hits of SXSW 2009 if her live show lives up to her recorded material. (more…)

I caught this Australia band on my one and only trip to L.A. a little over 3 years ago and they were phenomenal. Youth Group just inked a deal with U.S. label World’s Fair Label Group and have announced that they’ve been invited to perform at SXSW 2009 in March.

A short snippet I filmed at the Spaceland in L.A. in 2005.

I’ll let my wrist do all the talking. Confusion is a virtue in Tejas.

For another exhaustive dispatch from the trenches go to World of Wumme.

Surprise of the Day >>>> The Kills (pictured)

What a fest. It never ceases to get me giggling with pleasure. We must first pour a bit of malt liquor on the curb for the dearly departed Chip Midnight and then report on the day that was…..

Go to World of Wumme for the full dispatch.

While we wait for the Donewaiting crew stationed in Austin to wake from their slumber and blog about last night’s festivities (sadly, I had to cancel my plans to go to Austin this year), let’s see what a few people had to saw about R.E.M.’s performance at Stubb’s.

Billboard: R.E.M. rocked unafraid last night as it previewed its next album with an energetic and politically charged South By Southwest concert at Stubb’s BBQ. read the rest of the review

Village Voice (Rob Harvilla): They’re not very good live. Maybe you knew this. Maybe you’ve chosen to forget. Tonight, we simply overlook. What is first evident, as they triumphantly take the stage at one of the bigger-name SXSW fetes (second, perhaps, to Motörhead), is that the dudes are looking a bit peaked. Wearied. Old, is what I’m saying. Five or 10 years from now they’ll play the Super Bowl halftime show (Browns 24, Vikings 13), and you will be just as alarmed as Tom Petty made you this year — alarmed for both their health and yours. read the rest of the review

Were you there? What did you think?

Allow me a few moments to show some Columbus love. I realize this here SXSW blog is being read by hundreds of millions of SXSW attendees, but it’s necessary for y’all to know that this week in Austin it will be hard to spit without hitting a member of the Washington Beach clique….and the largest concentration of those bands will be playing the second annual Columbus Discount Recording showcase. Last year the label was stuck with the bad luck of playing a place that more resembled South Beach than the skanky dives they’re used to, this year however, they’ve been assigned Lambert’s Patio (a new venue with a prime location and prime BBQ) and the stock couldn’t be higher thanks to vinyl collector scum the world around.

So they say what happens in Texas stays in Tejas (for months on end), that fabled proverb fits no band better than the Unholy Two, who make their SXSW debut this year. The Unholy Two revel in mythology. Is Chris Lutzko a neo-con? Did he support NAFTA from the beginning? Could he be accused of fear mongering? If you clicked yes to all of the above, you’re 100% delusional like myself. The trio should have a 7″ for sale at this event, a document that will no doubt have you at the free clinic for a herpes test (a document which I haven’t gotten yet?), regardless there are two strains running through their sound — pure cum-rock, pure fuck-you gimmick — the mind of a man.

The CDR showcase is also a time of remembrance, or to simply say “dude I wasn’t there, I had no idea,” as Tommy Jay, hot on the heels of the re-issue of his brilliant lost masterpiece Tall Tales of Trauma, will be playing alongside his confidant, and equally legendary, Mike “Rep” Hummel. These are the guys who will probably elbow their way to the front of any performance Roky Erickson might make in the next few days. Psych is not just a word, but a way of life.

I could go on and on — about how the Guinea Worms should’a been playing the fest way back when Mark E. Smith had teeth, how Necropolis could out angle any post-punk group in the tri-state area, how Night of Pleasure is now composed of two public school teachers, and the oncoming storm that El Jesus de Magico presents. I only know one thing, I’m starting my SXSW adventure swilling free PBR and having my mind fucked by the Magic Jesus’ mind fuck (at high noon, at the day show sponsored by this here site). Beware.

Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing Norway’s Marit Larsen, also known as the country’s top-selling recording artist (at least in her own country), stateside you might know her best as one half of M2M (yeah, you probably don’t know her). What I came away with most was the reserved nature of Norway compared to the bright, twee, pop coming from cultural rival Sweden.

Also from the humble coastal city of Bergen, Norway, Sissy Wish (not sure if the name refers to the girl or the band yet), craft an unassuming little kaleidoscope of sing-a-long pop, the kind that might get confused with the usual candy of eclectic female fronted folk (per ipod commercials). Beauties Never Die has yet to be released domestically, so it’s whimsical first single “Float” has more than flown under the radar. Maybe that’s why they’re headed on their virgin North American tour, which includes at least 3 (by my count) shows in Austin. Sunshine and sweetness are two things that define the SXSW experience, for fans of the Cardigans, Beck, and the Postal Service (with a bit more edge and sincerity), Sissy Wish are blessed with both.

Here’s a video for the enchanting “Float”.