Japanther (Brooklyn, NY)

 

If you’re going down to Austin and want to get a little raucous, Japanther should exceed your expectations. Ian Vanek and Matt Reily are known for their outrageous performances. The noise-rock duo is bound to have something special in store for their SXSW gig. 

 

Call them “performance pieces” or “multi-media extravaganzas”, but Japanther never seem to lose track of the music at the core of their art. We think it’s safe to say there will be no shortage of antics and fun at this gig! Wednesday, March 12th

Fans of The Kills will be treated to a special SXSW appearance prior to a few dates stateside later in the spring. This will coincide with the release of their new album U.R.A. Fever (available in March.)  If you haven’t heard the title track, check out the video.

 

Much attention has been made of their new sound (that, and Jamie Hince’s love life as of late), but expect their live performance to showcase both familiar tracks as well as new material. The Kills can get down and dirty with the best of them and they are never lacking in self-assurance. Electricity is bound to fill the air when the band encounters the SXSW contingency at the Domino Records showcase sponsored by WOXY.COM on Wednesday, March 12^th at 12:00 am, at Antone’s

The best way to describe Los Campesinos! to someone unfamiliar with the band would be to say that they are a party waiting to happen. Their energy rubs off on all who hear their quirky tunes. A quick and snappy lyric put to a frantic beat is the Cardiff band’s personal signature. 

 

Granted, there will be countless parties in Austin over the course of SXSW but there’s only one Los Campesinos! See just how much fun they have in this performance. Saturday, March 15th 12:00 am, The Parish

Midtown Dickens is an anti-folk duo that is having the time of their lives making music. Any group that describes themselves as “adora-core” and writes laugh-out loud lyrics is worth a listen.

 

We’re not sure if childhood friends Kym Register and Catherine Edgerton ever drew long hopscotch patterns that went into the triple digits, but we’re willing to bet they did. In fact, given an infinite sidewalk, they’d probably be skipping still. Their songs are fun and blissfully imperfect.

 

It helps that between the two of them they can play almost any instrument, and that they sing like two Kimya Dawsons. They are a wonderful combination of substance, silliness, and smart-assery, all while being completely unfazed by fucking it up from time to time. Saturday March 15th, 10:00pm, Stephen F’s Bar.

The 1900s make bright, pleasant music. Possibly they’re inspired by the parks along Lake Michigan in their home city of Chicago. How can we describe them? Well, you know that day in mid-March when it’s unexpectedly warm enough to drive with the windows down but there’s still a little snow on the ground? This is what you want to be listening to on that day.

 

If multiple vocalists make you happy, and if big sprawling songs do it for you, then you will probably like this band. They do have a bit of an early 70s time-warp sound going on. Perhaps this seven-member group would be more comfortable hanging out with Fleetwood Mac than many bands working now, but that shouldn’t scare you off. It’s music to reconnect you with your parents!

 

Oh, and last time they played SXSW, Spin named them one of the “Artists of the Day”. Saturday March 15th, 10:00pm, Buffalo Billiards.

Think of O’Death as southern music, in the abandoned tobacco barn sense. They do make gothic music, not in the black lipstick way, but in the “underlying dreadfulness in modern experience” kind of way. The band mentions Bill Monroe and the Misfits as influences, and surprising as it may sound, both come through in their performances. Their sound features growls, banjos, hollers, and violins.

 

Seriously. Late Sunday night, we consumed a half-liter of Kentucky Gentleman while listening to their songs, and the ghosts of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Conner appeared in our living room and told us that O’Death is their favorite band. Like the headache we had the next morning, they are raw, pounding, and incredible.

The Petty Booka website states that they are “more than just another Japanese / Hawaiian / Country / Punk band.”

 

What else could a person ask for?

 

The ukulele duo does have some original material out there, but they are seemingly more known for their credible bluegrass arrangements of songs by Allan Jackson, UB40, and even the Ramones. Their Myspace page does have an impressive ukulele take on “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.” This seems like a show that needs to be seen as much as it needs to be heard.  Friday, March 14th 12:00 am, Elysium

Quartz-head 02  from Tokyo, JAPAN                   Electronic

The Quebe Sisters Band  from Burleson, TX         Country

Queen Majesty  from Brooklyn, NY                     DJ 

Question from San Antonio, TX                          Hip Hop/Rap

Singer/guitarist Parker Griggs has dealt with numerous lineup changes in recent years, but he always held out faith and believed in his music. Apparently Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys was into what Griggs had going on as well because he not only got them hooked up with ALIVE/BOMP Records, but he also produced and engineered the debut, self-titled album for Radio Moscow.

While the Black Keys are usually based around blues riffs, Radio Moscow reaches deep into the blues pockets for that old and gritty Delta sound and beyond. If the Greenhornes started pumping out originals with the sounds of the Rolling Stones’ famed album “Exile on Main Street” freshly on their minds, they might sound like Radio Moscow. Friday, March 14th, 11:00 p.m, Fado Patio