Austin is site for musicians’ summer camp, music fans delight

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By Kaiya Morrison

Regarding music festivals, simply put, South by Southwest (SXSW) is the reigning champion. Held in Austin, Texas annually for two weeks in March, SXSW originally formed its roots in 1987 as the Austin Battle of the Bands.

The festival consists of three parts, with the music beginning on the second week (between March 11 and 16 this year). Since its inception, the music portion has grown exponentially, and it is now ranked as the largest music festival in the U.S.

The entire music industry shows up, and labels utilize the event to showcase new acts. High on the top floor of the Hilton, I caught a showcase for Jeremy Fisher, a new act signed to the independent label, Wind-up Records (Finger 11, 12 Stones, Drowning Pool, Creed, Evanescence).

“It’s a throwback to a lot of the ‘60s and ‘70s music I like,” Fisher said when explaining his music. “I like blending the modern with a vintage sound.”

Although the massive event encompasses all of downtown Austin, there are few incidences.

“Most people are here to enjoy the bands and just have a good time,” Bill Flannery, Austin City Police Officer, said. “There are rarely any problems.”

Label showcases aside, for true music fans, the safe environment of SXSW provides the ideal opportunity to become exposed to every type of genre and discover new and untouched bands. Many of the bands performing at SXSW played in Baton Rouge the weeks before, or after, as a part of Gas Food Lodging, a loose collection of local bars that book bands traveling to and from SXSW for the entire month of March.

One band that performed at SXSW, and then the following week in Baton Rouge on Saturday, March 21 at The Spanish Moon, is the California-based experimental rock band, Run Run Run.

Run Run Run was formed five years ago by lead vocalist and guitar player Xander Smith. The band has existed with several different past members, but the current lineup is the most solidified it’s ever been. Including Smith, the band is Nic Speck (bass), Doug Palmer (lead guitar) and Francisco Decun (drums).

“It’s not like we’re all a bunch of hired guns,” Speck said. “It’s a real band, and it’s a collective effort. No one stands by their self, so it’s a great experience in that aspect.”

The newest member of the band does not play an instrument, but is just as vital a member as anyone else. That member is Alex Speck, Nic’s brother, and he operates as the lighting director.

“We can go to any dive bar, any big club, and we have the same light show at every place,” Nic Speck explained. “We bring the lighting rig everywhere we go, and when we got Alex to help us out, it became an all-new thing.”

“It’s about the experience,” he added. “People hear with their eyes. Because the music we play is good, the lights make it that much better.”

Many of the SXSW bands, however, have never made their way to Baton Rouge and have rarely found their way through Louisiana. This was the case for the Detroit-based band, The Silent Years. I stumbled on one of their performances by chance, and was blown away by their eclectic and unique sound.

“The band formed in 2004, and it has been a revolving set of musicians,” said Josh Epstein, lead vocalist, guitar player and founding member of The Silent Years. “We want to have a set band, but we try not to be bitter when people want to leave. This is the most solid the band has been, but when you’re starting a band and going on tours – asking people to not live lives – there are going to be issues.”

With the lineup solidified, The Silent Years traveled to SXSW this year to begin pushing their new, independent label, Biblical Bunny Records.

“That’s why we’re here – to get our business set up,” Epstein said. “We might add other bands one day, but for now, we’re going to be the only band on the label.”

Including Epstein, The Silent Years consists of members Pat Michalak (tambourine), Mike Majewski (bass), Cassandra Veras (piano, strings), Ryan Clancy (drums), Ryan Trager (guitar) and Fabian Halabou (guitar).

Run Run Run and The Silent Years both performed official showcases at SXSW. Over 1,400 official shows occur over a five-day period, with at least that many unofficial shows going down simultaneously. Unofficial showcases range from renegade street performances, to house parties, to a highly organized, professionally-sponsored collection of shows.

Red Gorilla Music proved to be the leader of the unofficial show sponsors.

“Red Gorilla is an opportunity for bands all over the world that are unsigned to showcase at the largest music festival in Austin, Texas,” Roger Martinsen, Partner and Marketing Relations Director for Red Gorilla and Dreamscapes, explained. “We started as four bands when they didn’t have a place to show. That was five years ago.”

“We decided to throw our own event,” he added. “It was so successful for the venue that more venues asked to be involved. We work with venues that don’t normally have music.”

In just five years, the Red Gorilla events have evolved from four bands, to over 300 performing at seven different venues. The process to become selected began in July, and over 2,000 bands were submitted for consideration through SonicBids.

The Official SXSW shows all began at 8 p.m., but music from unofficial parties filled the street during the day hours.

“Our music starts at noon and goes till 1 a.m.,” Martinsen said. “We are able to give bands who are not ready for prime time a chance to play during the day.”

All of the Red Gorilla shows are free, and most even offer free food or drinks to patrons – a great opportunity for fans on a budget to travel cheap. One of the best of the Red Gorilla acts I caught was Nashville-based indie rock band, AutoVaughn.

In the crowd of the AutoVaughn show was Rachel Vette, lead vocalist for the New-Orleans-based band, The Vettes. Other musicians primarily filled the majority of the smaller SXSW shows because at its core, SXSW feels like summer camp.

All of the bands that befriend each other through touring get a chance to relax and have a little fun on the streets of Austin. The RV Park, which was located far enough from the main road activity, was where the majority of bands parked and spent their nights. This, however, was not like any RV Park you’ve ever witnessed.

Equipped with a full stage, complimentary bar, 24-hour hot tub, and an Internet/technology bus, everyone from the legendary Martin Atkins (Pigface, Ministry, PiL) to our local boys in Meriwether and Oh Juliet, rocked the night away.

If you’ve never been to SXSW, make sure to add it to your list of things to do for next year. It’s certainly an experience all music fans should endure at least once in a lifetime.

To learn more about SXSW, visit SXSW.com.

Send your comments to editor@tigerweekly.com

Originally Published: Issue 601 - March 26, 2008

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