Rod Woodson and Wade Boggs each wore the number 26. A Rubik’s cube can always be solved in 26 moves or less. Jessica Biel is almost 26. Michigan was the 26th state to be admitted to the United States. There are 26 letters in the alphabet. What does this all have to do with the 2008 SXSW Music Festival?

 

Not a damn thing!

 

Well, the alphabet is kind of related. A few of our writers have done a little bit of research to let you know about 26 different acts that will be performing this year at SXSW. And yes, we’ve chosen one for each letter of the alphabet.

 

Some you might already know, some you might not. Regardless, there are hidden links of web pages and YouTube links all throughout the stories, so pay attention! Each week leading up to the festival, we’ll deliver a slue of artists on a hot plate.

 

This week starts off with letters A-I:

 

Air Traffic (London, UK)

 

 

Let’s kick start our preview with Air Traffic, a UK band that you will definitely be hearing more about as March approaches.  Chris Wall, the group’s main songwriter and lead singer, grew up in a musical family and learned to play several instruments by ear. Though the piano is often in the forefront, Air Traffic should not be confused for another Keane or Coldplay.

 

Sonically, they offer a diverse range of tracks.  “Just Abuse Me” and “Come On” are a couple of the highlights from their album, Fractured Life (Astralwerks/EMI). The album is currently available in the U.S.

 

 

 

Blitzen Trapper (Portland, OR)

 

 

Blitzen Trapper’s country-tinged tunes are catchy, full of energy and intensity.  The Portland band makes their way to Austin in the midst of a tour as well as working on their fourth album (their first on Sub Pop).

 

While fans look forward to new material, the band continues to add to their fan base through live performances.  Their free-form guitar and laid-back lyrics make for a solid combination.  According to the band’s Myspace page, they’ll get into Austin on Thursday for a show at Schuba’s. 

 

Check out their YouTube video:  “Sci-fi Kid”

 

 

 

Crystal Castles (Toronto, ON)

 

 

If you keep up on the latest remixes, the name Crystal Castles will be familiar to you.  They seem to have the golden touch at the moment. The duo is in hot demand as they have remixed for the likes of Bloc Party, Liars, The Little Ones and The Klaxons. 

 

Fawn and Alice actually met while performing community service. Since joining forces to make music, they rapidly gained a cult status and in March their debut album will be released. They have a knack for adding modern and retro elements to their electronic beats with a sense of whimsy. Add them to your list so you can claim you saw them first!

 

Descartes a Kant (Guadalajara, Mexico)

 

 

Descartes a Kant is here to remind you that the cheerleader is occasionally the serial killer. They also like testing what happens if you shift from first gear to fifth and back again. In your car, it destroys the transmission. Here, it’s brilliant, if incredibly disorienting. Calliope music, doo-wop, punk, film themes; nothing is safe here, and likely all appear in one song. They released their first album, Paper Dolls, in 2007 and have opened shows for Sonic Youth and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.

 

Music video for “My Sweetest Headache Waltz,” likely the single off Paper Dolls.

And here, making a tongue-in-cheek bid for Quentin Tarantino’s affections.

 

 

Ali Eskandarian (Brooklyn, NY)

 

 

It’s tempting to make Ali Eskandarian into a metaphor for the possibilities of cultures combining. After all, he was born in Pensacola, raised in Tehran and Dallas, and now lives in Brooklyn. This does him a powerful disservice. The easy comparisons to Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, while accurate, also manage to underplay his talents. Suffice to say that he writes good, thoughtful songs on love and politics without being sappy or clichéd. His voice has tones similar to George Jones minus the twang, and with a flowing cadence that reveals his Iranian background. It’s unclear whether his performance at SXSW will be solo or with a backing band, but it shouldn’t matter. His debut album is expected this Spring.

 

 

 

Fleet Foxes (Seattle, WA)

 

Sometimes, this five piece group does big, big, three and four part harmonies over well-placed mandolin, guitar, and banjo fills to create a sound you could lean up against. Sometimes they do wonderful jangley old-time loose-change rounds. Occasionally they descend into strange experimental noise. They are always obviously joyful in ways that both Handel and the Beach Boys would understand. This is church music for you, us, our dogs, our friends, and people on the cross-town bus. They too will be releasing a self-titled album this June.

 

Grand Ole Party (San Diego, CA)

2007 brought this band the award for "Best Alternative" band by the San Diego Music Awards. Rilo Kiley and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have given the thumbs up to guitarist John Paul Labno, and bassist Michael Krechnyak. Oh yeah, and we can’t forget about their multi-talented drummer/lead singer Kristin Gundred. Playing a drum kit while singing lead vocal is usually a pretty rare sighting for an indie rock band, and that’s part of the unique draw with this west coast trio. The word of their live show is quickly spreading all over the land in hopes of catching the lust-laden performance of Gundred and her boys.

 

In just two short years they have accomplished the things previously mentioned and they have been relentlessly touring in support of their debut album Humanimals. They’ll be in Austin for several days before they gear up for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Any fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Forget Cassettes should be pretty content with Grand Ole Party.

 

 

 

 

Last summer, San Francisco band Honeycut was one of our personal favorite acts at Bumbershoot. A quote of ours: “When was the last time you heard a band mix Renaissance flute sounds, hip-hop and pantie-dropping soul?” Yeah, it was a fun time.

 

Singer Bart Davenport and his crew have recorded some great sound blends and sporadic beats and you can turn to their 2006 release The Day I Turned to Glass to soak up a bit of that. They must be doing something right because in 2006 they won the SF Weekly music award in the category Best Soul/Funk Band.

 

Their live show is where they get it done though and the true art of a “performance” is laid about. Whether you like to dance or not, Honeycut is sure to entertain if you just give them the chance.

 

 

 

Do we really need to explain who Ice Cube is? Whether you know him from N.W.A. or maybe as “Doughboy,” you probably know who he is. Just in case you thought Cube was gone, he recently released the song Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It. It’s a brutally honest song where he spits his rage defending the music that he helped to establish. With lyrics like “Ice Cube is a saga, ya spit saliva, And I spit lava, I got the fearless flow,” he is still speaking his mind regardless of what people think.

 

Laugh Now, Cry Later (2006) was the last album from Ice Cube, so the audience can probably expect to hear a lot from that.  But like any icon of a music genre, it’s pretty safe to say that most of the people in the room will be waiting to hear “It Was a Good Day” so they can sing along. The man with the meanest grin in rap is going to drop it for one special performance at SXSW. Be there.

 

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