Music & More

Started the day by finishing the band list and mapping out potential shows for day and night. It was another day of perfect Austin weather, and a great way to ease into the day's music turned out to be hanging at the Captiva Records party at The Troubador, and seeing two artists from the U.K. who are not released here yet. The day and evening included a number of additional unreleased artists (including two more from the U.K.) and ended with one of the most enjoyable sets of SXSW so far, by a group from Brooklyn called Via Audio; funny to come all the way to Austin to discover someone from home. Here are today's shows (links will go live with show photos and descriptions soon). SXSW - Day Two, Thursday, 3/19/09 Marli (London, UK) 2-2:30pm Honey Ryder (London, England) 3-3:30pm Amy LaVere (Nashville, TN) 4-4:30pm April Smith and the Great Picture Show (Brooklyn, NY) 5:30-6pm Kim Taylor (Cincinatti, OH) 8-9pm Laura Critchley (Liverpool, England) 9-10pm Amy Wadge (Pontypridd, Wale...

Going alphabetically through the list of 1,800 or so bands, I made it down to the V's by the time it was time to get the day rolling. It was another day of perfect weather in Austin, sunny and low 80's. After registering for SXSW and taking in the trade show, the next order of business was to find a day party with some good music and some good food. Almost all the venues on 6th Street had afternoon activities in full gear, with one band louder than the next. After sampling a number of these and escaping with eardrums intact, both objectives were ultimately met at the Canadian Blast, a party featuring a host of bands from Canada, with a delicious spread of Texas BBQ courtesy of the fine folks from the great white north, and the first full set of music of the day from a group from Vancouver, B.C. called Mother Mother. SXSW - Day One, Wednesday, 3/18/09 Mother Mother (Vancouver, Canada) 4-5pm Meiko (Los Angeles, CA/Roberta, GA) 5:30-6pm Jackie Bristow (Austin, TX/New Zealand) 8-9p...

SXSW 2008 was so much fun that I had to come back, this time armed with photo press credentials, ready to dive into 1,800 bands spread out over 80 venues in a four day total music immersion. Great also to meet back up with Dave from Direct Current for the fest. Winter in the north seems to have dragged on interminably this year (damn you Punxatawny Phil!), so stepping off the plane today to feel the 83 degree balm didn't come a moment too soon, as Bruce said, "roll down the windows and let the wind blow back your hair". Austin in the late afternoon sun is a beautiful thing, together with perhaps the tastiest Tex-Mex food ever at Ranch 616, catching up with some local friends not seen since last year, an evening stroll around town, and finally back to the band list. I've combed the list, now down somewhere in the T's, setting up a run that will undoubtedly have a wealth of options for every hour of the four days. The food wasn't the only cool thing about Ranch ...

Picking the all time best love songs is way more involved than it first seemed, mostly because there are so many great songs to choose from (might be a good topic for an XPN 885 survey/countdown). One song that would definitely make my short list of the all time best love songs is "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", written by Al Kooper and released on the very first Blood Sweat & Tears album in 1968. In the past year or so, I've run across three excellent cover versions which I am pleased to stream for your listening pleasure as the Music & More Minimix #2. Enjoy. M&M Minimix #2 - "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" First up in the mix is Marc Broussard's very soulful take from his 2007 release SOS: Save Our Soul, a loving tribute to the great soul songs of the sixties and seventies. As if we needed one more commentary on the sad state of the record business, this record is already out of print; however download and used cds are...

Listening the the 30th anniversary reissue of The Stranger this week, "Just the Way You Are" jumped out, sounding just as great now as it did thirty years ago; totally knocking me over with it's timeless beauty and the down to earth sentiment that is the core of the song. The Legacy division of Sony/BMG does a fabulous job respecting the legacy that lives within their vaults, and their reissues are of the highest quality; (the 30th anniversary Born to Run is another great one). This package includes not only the original album but two previously unreleased concerts, a CD recorded live at Carnegie Hall on June 3, 1977 and a DVD that includes an early 1978 concert filmed for BBC television plus two live promo videos. As good as "Just the Way You Are" sounds on the original album, check out this live version from the Carnegie Hall concert, the song was brand new, not even recorded yet for the album and he sings it with a freshness and feeling that he might not have...

Jef Lee Johnson played a great trio set tonight, as part of the Sunset Sessions at Chris' Jazz Cafe. Having seen Jef play exquisitely beautiful guitar many times as part of Lelia Broussard's band (had the pleasure to see him back Melody Gardot and Lizanne Knot as well), it was a treat to finally get to see Jef perform his own music. Listen to "Sizzlean" With a hot band consisting of Charlie Patierno on drums (Melody Gardot's band) and Tarus Mateen on bass (first time gig), Jef played a couple of wide ranging sets that moved from some intense improvisational jams to jazz, blues and funk. "Everything Starts Now" had some Hendrix style vocals by Jef and lots of great solos. "Sizzlean" brought the funk quite nicely. Jef is an incredibly artful player, never shows off but kills with his melodic and rhythmic sense and a beautiful technique and tone. I've seen Patierno play many times with Melody Gardot, the last time being last August at World C...