My Music Life: Music, Mayhem & Memories

On Friday March 8th I found myself making a musical pilgrimage of sorts. My destination: South By Southwest. I was heading from Spokane to Austin, Texas to immerse myself in a week of something I love more than anything else in the world: music. South by Southwest is arguably the biggest music festival in the world, and I was beyond excited to be a part of the madness this year.

There were two main showcases I was going to Austin specifically for. The first was The Outlaw Roadshow, presented by Ryan Spaulding (of Ryan's Smashing Life) and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. The Outlaw Roadshow was a two day event this year. The showcase was held at Rusty's Austin, a venue with three stages, so bands could be playing simultaneously.

I saw so many amazing bands over those 2 days. Some I had seen before, either last summer with the touring Outlaw Roadshow or last October at the Outlaw Roadshow at CMJ, and some were bands I had not seen, some that were new to me, but were excited to see nonetheless.

The Susan Constant

Day one of the Outlaw Roadshow, March 9, was opened by a band called The Susan Constant. This Boston based band was one I hadn't heard before. I really liked their sound. They have a sort of REM sound/feel to them, their record Shapes is a really good listen. I recommend checking it out.

Little Brave

Next up was a favorite of mine, Little Brave. She was playing outside on the patio stage. I have been a fan of Little Brave's music for a while, but had yet to see her live. As expected, she was fantastic. Little Brave (Stephanie Macias) was backed that night by Daniel Thomas Phipps and K Phillips (who would also play later that night with his band, The Concho Pearls.) One thing that I love about Little Brave is that her instrument of choice is not your typical guitar, but a baritone ukulele. Little Brave actually holds the record for "band I saw most during SXSW" with a total of four shows. Each show was great, each had it's own feel. Two of them were with the "band," one was just her and K Phillips, and the last was a solo show, just Steph and her ukulele.

Roem Baur

After Little Brave I wandered between the sets of Fort Francis and Roem Baur. I'll admit that I was slightly taken aback by Roem's set. When you see him, dressed all fancy in his waistcoat, you don't expect what comes out of his mouth to come out of his mouth. I saw Roem twice that week, and both times I was impressed. He totally tears it up on the guitar, his vocals smooth and polished, yet full of feeling. His cover of Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire was a joy to experience.

Golden Bloom was up next on the patio stage outside. Golden Bloom is another band of whom I am a big fan. I had seen them at the Outlaw Roadshow at CMJ in October and was very much looking forward to seeing them again. I had plenty of chances, as they were playing no less then six shows that week. I, however, only saw three. Golden Bloom's set included songs from their recently released EP No Day Like Today, like Flying Mountain and Deliver it for Me, but also some songs from their previous record, Fan the Flames, including a favorite of mine, and it seemed, the crowd as well, Theme for an Adventure at Sea which features guitarist Jeff Patlingrao using a butter knife as a sort of slide on his guitar. Pretty frickin' amazing, actually. It started to rain just as Golden Bloom was finishing their set, which was actually sort of fitting, as their last song was Theme for an Adventure at Sea.

Golden Bloom

To get out of the rain, it was back inside for Wisconsin based PHOX. PHOX is from the same small town in Wisconsin as another favorite band of mine, Daniel and the Lion (who were slated to play on the second day of the Outlaw Roadshow.) It's kinda hard to pick one word to describe the sound of PHOX: kinda poppy, kinda jazzy, kinda fantastic. Lead singer Monica Martin's vocals are amazing. They have the sound of an old school soul singer, with a refreshing lightness.

Following PHOX, the last band I saw that night was K Phillips and the Concho Pearls. K's record American Girls has of late become one played quite often in my car/flat/ears. I really, really, like it. His country twang with a Motown vibe is a welcome addition to today's, yes I'll say it, crappy country music industry; K Phillips really needs to become a household name. Witnessing his performances is like being at a good ol' southern church sermon. One of my favorite things about his band's set was the horn section; just a saxophone and a trumpet, but it made the set that much more fun. There's just not enough horns in music these days.

Sadly, I didn't catch the last few acts of the night. There was a crazy (well, crazy to me) Texas thunderstorm rolling in, and frankly, I hate thunderstorms, so I cowardly ran back to my hotel to hide from the storm.

Cask Mouse

Seven days later, March 16, was day two of the Outlaw Roadshow. I'll be totally honest here, this was the day I was most excited for, this was the day that had the most bands on the bill that I love, but also some new bands that I very much enjoy now that I've heard them.

First up, outside on the patio stage was Cask Mouse, a super fun country band from Massachusetts, not somewhere you'd expect a country band to come from. This band was so full of energy, so full of personality. They traded off lead vocals between three singers, and had an fantastic fiddle player, because, you know, if you're gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band. Their energetic brand of rock & roll influenced country music is a throwback to the Charlie Daniels Band. This is another band who I'd love to hear on my local country/western radio station.

Steven Roth

Back inside, Los Angeles' Steven Roth was getting his groove on. Roth was one of two acts at this year's Roadshow who beat out more than 3,500 bands in a contest through ReverbNation for a spot in the line-up. I think that Ryan and Adam made a great pick here. Roth reminded me of a funkier Black Crowes, and he wore a top hat, which equals instant bonus points with me. His debut record Let It In flows like a 1970's funk/soul/rock & roll record, with memories of Joe Cocker, and at some points, hits notes of a more grown up, matured, Huey Lewis & The News (this is a good thing. Really.)

Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons

Next up on the main stage was Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons. I'd heard nothing but good things about Joe Fletcher, but really hadn't listened to his music, which is good time-y, foot stompin' folk music. His harmonica player was crazy good, and his set lots of fun.

After Joe Fletcher I wandered outside into the set from Fantasmes, a band from Puerto Rico. After a couple songs, which were really good, by the way, I made my way back inside for the first of my favorite bands that day: Air Traffic Controller. Another band who I discovered at the Outlaw Roadshow in NYC, Air Traffic Controller is a super fun, poppy band with infectious melodies and rhythms. Their newest record, Nordo, is fantastic, and was included on several "Best of 2012" lists, including my own and Ryan's Smashing Life's. As expected their set was fantastic. They played many of my favorite tunes: Test 1,2, You Know Me, Hurry Hurry, If You Build It, and Bad Axe, MI (I think I'm missing a song or two, but there was a lot to remember from this week.)

Air Traffic Controller

The order in which I saw the rest of the bands has been lost in my mind. The set times on the schedule card in front of me do not reflect the actual set times, as things got moved around that afternoon, the next few bands are not in any sort or order, but that really doesn't matter, does it?

Pretty sure the next band I saw was Mellow Bravo. This Boston based rock & roll outfit is pretty frickin' amazing live. Lead singer Keith Pierce is one of the most exhausting and entertaining performers out there. He had been provided with a cordless microphone, and he used it to his advantage, running around not just the stage, but also into the crowd and outside. During one song Dan Nicklin of OldJack joined Mellow Bravo on stage (sadly OldJack wasn't playing the Roadshow, that would have been rad though.)

Daniel and the Lion

Back outside I caught the last couple songs from Lucy Rose. The sweet voiced, British songstress will be joining Counting Crows on their UK tour this spring. After Lucy Rose I hung around outside, waiting for (probably my most favorite band playing that day) Daniel and the Lion. I had seen Daniel and the Lion a couple days earlier, at another showcase where they shared the bill with Golden Bloom, Roem Baur, and other Outlaw Roadshow alums, Jay Nash and Matt Sucich. I can honestly say that Daniel and the Lion are one of my favorite bands, and one that I was most excited to see in Austin. When they played the Outlaw Roadshow in NYC, it was just Jimmie and Daniel. This time they brought a whole band with them, and they were amazing. Both shows incredible (if you want to, you can download their set from the showcase at Hyde Park Bar & Grill here. Only $5, totally worth it.) During their set at the Outlaw Roadshow, Jimmie Linville was so intense, so deep into the songs, that during Forever he nearly brought me to tears. It was seriously that good. Monica Martin of PHOX joined the band on stage for Lavender and On Berlin, songs which she sang back up for on their record Death Head.

Here's a video of Daniel and the Lion doing one of my favorite songs: Flash Flood. Go ahead, watch it. I'll wait.

Field Report

Next up was another band I was quite excited to see, another band I love: Field Report. I was lucky enough to see Field Report over the summer when they were touring with Counting Crows. I absolutely love their music, their record. If you have a Daytrotter membership, I highly recommend checking out their set from the Barn on the 4th show, if you don't have a Daytrotter membership, what's wrong with you? Get one.
Just as I expected, Field Report's set was brilliant. The emotion and passion that Chris Porterfield brings into his songs is intoxicating. They played my favorite songs from their record: Fergus Falls (watch a video here,) Taking Alcatraz (oh, look! More video!) and I Am Not Waiting Anymore, and also a new song that was really good (everything they do is really good.)

Following Field Report I meandered back outside to catch the tail end of Star & Micey, who were doing an "unplugged" song, standing in the crowd, playing and singing, sadly it was quite loud out there and I really couldn't hear anything, but I've put them on my list of bands to check out.

The last band I saw that day was one I'd been very eager to see since I heard their record for the first time: Filligar. The Chicago based band of brothers Johnny, Teddy and Pete Mathias and long time friend, Casey Gibson, are good old fashioned rock & roll. Just as expected, Filligar put on a killer set, everyone in the crowd was super into it. They played a bunch of new songs, such as Knock Yourself Out and Trepador, and also a fan favorite, from their album The Nerve, Robbery (Shocking Love). At the end of their set the band invited other Outlaws in the crowd to join them, Matt Sucich, Tyler Stenson, Ryan Spaulding, Frank Germano, Chris Fullerton and Adam Duritz joined Filligar onstage to sing the Bob Dylan song I Shall Be Released. This was as amazing as you'd expect it to be. Luckily for you, someone in the audience had enough sense to film this musical magic.

Seriously, the Outlaw Roadshow just keeps getting better and better with every show. I can't wait to see what Ryan and Adam have in store for us in October for CMJ. These shows have been some of the best experiences of my life, and I am so glad that I have been able to be a part of them, part of the Outlaw Roadshow family. Not only for the amazing music, and bands I've discovered, but also for all the friends I've made through them. Who doesn't want to be an Outlaw?

The second showcase on my scheduled agenda was The Nekkid Armadilla Extravaganza, presented by Tim Slusher and Chris Fullerton. This showcase only had two acts who I had heard of prior to the show, but again I was eager to hear the bands which were new to me.

I was lucky enough be able to help out with this event: hanging up posters, getting the venue ready, keeping snacks stocked. All in all, the Nekkid Armadilla Extravaganza was a really, really fun night; The music was great, the company was great.

Sadly, for reason's unknown to me, my brain seems to have blocked out a couple of the sets from that night. I'm going over the line-up and can't seem to recall any details from couple of the bands' sets. So, I'll just go over what I remember. Sorry to the bands I've forgotten. And again, some of these sets may be out of order.

Opening up the show that night was Coby Brown. Brown is one of the artists whose song Counting Crows chose to cover on last year's Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation.) Though Brown's "original" of Hospital is lyrically different than the Counting Crows version, they did keep it at the same emotional level as Brown's. Being a cancer survivor, Coby Brown's music is heartfelt and personal.Brown pulls from those experiences to bring out the depth and felling that flows in his songs. Seeing him perform live was very cool.

Coby Brown

Next up was Denver's My Body Sings Electric. Chosen from more than 200 bands, My Body Sings Electric was winner of the Nekkid Armadilla's ReverbNation contest. The band had a good stage presence, lead singer Brandon Whalen did a great job at keeping the crowd engaged, they seemed to be a big hit with everyone. I really dug them as well. One of my favorite moments from their set was their cover of Tears for Fears' Everybody Wants to Rule the World. I love Tears for Fears, and that's probably my favorite song of theirs. Usually I'm very picky and protective when it comes to covers, but they did a very, very good job.

My Body Sings Electric

New York's Swear and Shake swung the night into a folky mood. I'm really digging this re-emergence of indie folk music, and Swear and Shake has been a pleasant addition to my playlist of folk bands.

Little Brave played this showcase as well, making this show number three of her's that I saw that week. He was backed again by K Phillips on keys and Daniel Thomas Phipps on bass. Just as before, she put on an amazing set. Her use to party poppers during Under Wings was a fun addition to the set, she had used them at the Outlaw Roadshow as well. This set, however, included a performance of the elusive fan favorite song, Fact or Fiction, Little Brave's homage to The X-Files. Being a big X-Files fan, I found this to be totally awesome.

Little Brave

The second to last band to play was Mobley. A unique blend of rock, pop, and funk with a touch of dance rhythms, Mobley is a super fun band to watch, to experience. You get sucked into the groove, into the songs. Charismatic frontman, Anthony Watkins II transitions seamlessly from keys to guitar, bass to a simple snare drum, played with the assistance of nearby audience members. Mobley is band I'd love to see again, a band I'd love to see make it big. Head over to their website and check out their music, pick up their new record Young Adult Fiction, it's really good.

The last band that night was a young alternative/punk band from Jacksonville, Florida called the Pinz. These guys, and girl, were really good. These kids could go places. They were the perfect band to close out the night. In their sound I could hear the likes of early Green Day and various '80s punk bands. I really liked their cover of The Who's The Kids are Alright, again with me and the covers, but I dug it; they did it right.

After eight days of music, friends and memories in Austin, I did not want to go home, back to the real world. The whole week was fantastically surreal. This is my life, I get to do this stuff, I know these people. I get recognized by bands, by people in these bands, some of whom I didn't even know knew my name, some of whom it still boggles my mind that they know my name.

This is the part of the post where I'm going to bombard you with photos of me with people from bands/friends, because frankly, I couldn't be more proud of my life at this point, that I've gotten to do all of these amazing things and meet these amazing people, so just deal with it.