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See You in the Pit SXSW Schedule

It's time, we're ready, are you? Here's a handy guide to the music festival showcases based upon artists we've written about (and a few we didn't get around to) with links to the original entries. The songs most likely are not still up but if you were a good little reader, you got them while they were. All information about performances is subject to change, of course, and please check the official showcases schedule and map to get the latest on what's happening. Otherwise, we bring to you the See You in the Pit SXSW Music Festival Schedule:

WEDNESDAY, 3/16

Other
Eugene Mirman MCing all night at Emo's Jr.

8:00pm
Boyskout at the Lava Lounge Patio
Cue at the Velvet Spade
The Czars at Friends

9:00pm
We Are Scientists at the Hard Rock Cafe
Trespassers William at Copa
Jennifer Gentle at Emo's Main Room

10:00pm
Tarantula at Blender Bar at The Ritz
Smoosh at Maggie Mae's
Jason Falkner at Tambaleo
This Microwave World at Chuggin' Monkey

11:00pm
The Thermals at Emo's Main Room
The Octopus Project at the Velvet Spade Patio
Enon at the Parish

12:00am
The Pretty Please at The Blender Balcony
Magnolia Electric Co. at The Parish

1:00am
Sleater-Kinney at Emo's Main Room
David Dondero at Soho Lounge
U.S.E. at Maggie Mae's
The Wrens at The Parish

===

THURSDAY, 3/17

8:00pm
Film School at Buffalo Billiards
The Rosebuds at The Parish
The Impossible Shapes at Bigsby's
Kathy McCarty at Cactus Cafe

9:00pm
The National at Buffalo Billiards
The Kaiser Chiefs at La Zona Rosa
Apollo Sunshine at Exodus
The Natural History at Club Deville
Voxtrot at Habana Calle 6

10:00pm
Martha Wainwright at Caribbean Lights
Bloodthirsty Lovers at Whisky Bar
The Deathray Davies at Room 710

10:15pm
Jeff Hanson at Beerland

11:00pm
The Futureheads at La Zona Rosa
M. Ward at The Parish
The Reputation at Friends

12:00am
Clem Snide at Exodus
Crooked Fingers at The Parish
The Hold Steady at Whisky Bar
Husky Rescue at Latitude 30

12:15am
The Earlies at Maggie Mae's

1:00am
Death From Above 1979 at Blender Bar at the Ritz
The Dears at Exodus
LCD Soundsystem at Elysium
Tegan & Sara at Eternal

===

FRIDAY, 3/18

8:00 pm
Aqualung at Stubb's

10:00pm
The Kills at Emo's Main Room
Bloc Party at Stubb's
The Aquabats! at Emo's Jr.

11:00pm
Shearwater at Maggie Mae's
The Mae Shi at Bigsby's
The Go! Team at Buffalo Billiards
Decibully at Friends

12:00am
Dios Malos at Blender Bar at the Ritz
The Frames at Antone's
Goldie Lookin Chain at Eternal
Dogs Die in Hot Cars at Buffalo Billiards
Bruce Robison at Mother Egan's
Saturday Looks Good to Me at Friends

12:30am
Spoon at La Zona Rosa

1:00am
Centro-matic at Maggie Mae's
The Like at the 18th Floor at the Crowne Plaza
Nora O'Connor at BD Riley's

===

SATURDAY, 3/19

8:00pm
Kings of Convenience at Antone's

9:00pm
The Meat Purveyors at The Parish
Man Man at Club de Ville

10:00pm
Harvey Danger at the Red Eyed Fly
Ben Lee at the Cedar Street Courtyard
Say Hi To Your Mom at Copa

10:30pm
Ed Harcourt at Antone's

11:00pm
Stars at Blender Bar at the Ritz
Keren Ann at Tambaleo
Manishevitz at Latitude 30
What Made Milwaukee Famous at the Velvet Spade
controller.controller at Eternal
Aqueduct at Red Eyed Fly

12:00am
Norfolk & Western at Nuno's
Edith Frost at Latitude 30
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness at Blender Bar at the Ritz

12:30am
Phoenix at Antone's

1:00am
Ambulance LTD at Exodus
Nada Surf at the Red Eyed Fly


...Whew. That's some schedule. Hopefully we'll make it to even a fraction of those showcase performances.

That's it from us here at See You in the Pit. Thanks to everyone who wrote us email about artists, commented on entries, complimented us, linked to us (especially Largehearted Boy, Chromewaves, Salon's Audiofile, and the Star-Telegram), and especially those of you who purchased music from some of the artists we've featured over the last couple of weeks. We're excited to see some live music (finally!) after talking about SXSW for so long.

This is the Queen of the Front Row and Little Miss Rock 'n' Roll signing off. Good night, see you soon, continue rocking hard, and we'll see you in the pit.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.15.05 at 8:30 PM | Comments (1), TrackBack (0)

Bruce Robison

After all the indie rock we've featured, I felt it ws time for a little Texas twang.

I guess I have a penchant for the underrated members of musical families (see also: Martha Wainwright). Bruce Robison is definitely underapprecated. Married to country sweetheart Kelly Willis and the brother of country superstar Charlie Robison -- who just happens to also be married to a Dixie Chick, Bruce is definitely the hidden gem of a massive extended family brimming with talent.

Plain and simple, Bruce Robison writes incredible songs -- and a number of which, including "Travelin' Soldier" and "Angry All the Time" have gone on to become major hits for mainstream country stars (the Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, respectively). But before they were staples of hot country radio, they were simple songs on Bruce's solo albums. And his trademark raspy voice and melancholy delivery will melt even the most jaded heart, I swear.

Bruce Robison - Travelin' Soldier
Bruce Robison - Angry All the Time

Bruce Robison's official website. You can buy his three solo CDs directly from the shop there.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 03.15.05 at 8:21 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Cue

[I'm really pleased to offer a little web exclusive here at See You In The Pit today. Thanks to the members of Cue allowing us post some advance tracks from their new album, Bring Back My Love.]

The first time I saw Cue, it was at Austin's very own Beerland on Election Night 2004. I have to admit, I wasn't all that preoccupied with the election's outcome, but it was nice to have a reason to go out and not hang around the house, obsessively watching the results roll in. I met up with some friends and we trekked down to Red River, endured Beerland's really sub par sound system, and caught a great set from Cue. (Later that night, I was mobbed by throngs of people leaving Interpol as I shoved my way through a river of black-clad hipsters to get to Stubb's to see Shearwater and Decibully play a late show.)

Anyway, I was extremely impressed by Cue -- a four-piece instrumental rock band that's half chamber ensemble, half prog rock extravaganza. Unlike a lot of instrumental rock bands that basically just put you to sleep as they bang away on their instruments or bore you to tears with swirling, shimmering songs that go nowhere, Cue's songs are incredibly thoughtful and packed with emotion -- big swooping tone poems that have velocity and heart. Stacy Meshbane's smoky, wicked violin dances ahead of Jason Brister's drumlines which in turn pull along the dark, fuzzy guitars and keys from Clarke Dominick and Colin Swietek. And the end result is just gorgeous.

I'll make no apologies, I love listening to Cue's new record. I compose little short films in my head to go with each track -- that's how vivid and evocative the music is. I really hope you like it too.

Cue - Every Wing All At Once
Cue - The Sun Has Risen Twice Today

Cue's official website. Their first album, Bring Back My Love is slated for release later this month.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 03.15.05 at 1:20 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

The Aquabats! vs Aqualung vs Aqueduct

I joked about writing this entry from the time that the first version of the official SXSW list hit the Global Interpipe. For some reason, seeing The Aquabats, Aqualung, and Aqueduct all listed neatly in a row epitomised the magic of SXSW in one perfect, water-based sequence. It also made me giggle a whole lot.

So, in case you were wondering, here's a handy cheat sheet for keeping these three bands straight.

The Aquabats! = Massive, really tight ska band whose songs are truly the most bizzare and silly I've heard since the heyday of Man or Astroman? -- only they're way more charming.

Aqualung = Is Matt Hales spitting out pieces of his broken luck? Silky and mellow, Mr. Hales' lovely and lush piano-based pop songs are also sneakily snarky and utterly heartbreaking. Don't be fooled buy the pretty melodies or the ELO-ish "Brighter than Sunshine," he's a real gloomcookie and proud of it. And what's not to love about someone who's not afraid invoke gratuitous use of a harpsichord?

Aqueduct = Danceable, bombastic, and ironic yet heartfelt indie rock from bedroom techno-popster David Terry. I can't even begin to fathom the labor that goes into his home recordings -- and as he tours with a full band, you don't really have to break your brain trying to puzzle out how he'll play a live show with all those crazy loops and samples on his records.

See, simple as that! Now give them all a listen!

The Aquabats! - Martian Girl!
The Aquabats! - Theme Song!
(There's tons of b-sides and demos the band's Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2 website.)

Aqualung - Brighter Than Sunshine
Aqualung - Breaking My Heart Again
Aqualung - Extraordinary Thing

Aqueduct - Growing Up With GNR
Aqueduct - Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights
Aqueduct - Frantic (Roman Polanski Version)

The offical websites for The Aquabats!, Aqualung, and Aqueduct. Peruse The Aquabats! discography at Amazon. The latest Aqualung album, Still Life, is not currently available in the US, but will be released with a slightly different track order as Strange and Beautiful on 3/22 (which is unfortunate as it's one of those boy-meets-girl, girl-breaks-boy's-heart, boy-writes-melancholy-songs concept albums). Buy Aqueduct's debut CD, i sold gold, from the Barsuk Records online shop.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 03.14.05 at 11:03 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

The Wrens

"That's it!" Little Miss Rock 'n' Roll said to me in the car last year during SXSW, as we were listening to The Meadowlands. "What?" I asked. "What's it?" "Is it just me, or does this album sound like a mixtape from another planet?" she asked. And I had to agree. Because there is no real "Wrens" sound (unless you count the inimitable pop melody core that haunts all their work, be it buried under whatever stylings they choose to pile upon it.) The songs on 2003's The Meadowlands are indeed like a mixtape from another planet, filled with hooks that could have easily been written by the likes of XTC, Brian Wilson, or Frank Black, but retain a uniquely homemade quality. Handcrafted, with love, and sent with only the warmest of wishes, the Wrens firmly state, here we are, take us as we are.

I was first introduced to their music via a mix made for me by a dear friend sometime in college. "Rest Your Head" was a natural fit for the repeat button on my CD player (yes, I remember those bygone days). And after I bought Secaucus used in the dollar bin at a record store, I remember dragging random passersby into my dormitory room, exclaiming wonderment and awe at the blistering "Built In Girls" or catchy-as-hell "Indie 500." Secaucus contains several songs that simply shout out "Listen to this! Listen to this!" to my ears.

It would be years until I would see the Wrens live, and witness the stunning urgency and manic energy they apply to their live performances. Guitar throwing, mic stands falling, the volume turned so loud as to blister the paint on the walls, and a sense of fulfillment. Years later, I would stumble out of the Luna Lounge on the Lower East Side, feeling desperately joyful, emotionally drained, entirely awake and alive, and somehow purified.

But that day in the car during SXSW 2004, when Little Miss Rock'n'Roll and I talked about mixtapes from other planets, I remember well, as we had tried to see the Wrens play an in-store somewhere in Austin. (It was to take place at a record store that has since folded.) The Wrens never showed up, having broken down (again), in Waco, Texas that afternoon, and they were very, very apologetic. Par for the course, for these guys, it seemed: they have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's something inherently quixotic about the Wrens: their backstory (and, oh, what a backstory!) includes major label courtship rituals, arguments with the ones you love, self-aggrandizing legal representation, record label fallout, joining the dissatisfied ranks of office temps, failed relationships, one too many nights on tour and sleeping on floors, bad decisions and worse luck, living in near poverty in a house with all your bandmates, and the quest for something more meaningful despite prolonged stasis. Even if that quest meant they nearly disappeared from public view for several years, making draft upon draft of a fabled "new album," even as friends and family simply learn to stop asking about that impractical hobby.

Yet still the Wrens persevered, and finally, improbably, released that mythical new album even though so many of their colleagues had fallen to the wayside. The reception to The Meadowlands was roaring acclaim, and a mad scramble to fit a touring lifestyle into existing rituals of family and a 9-to-5 job. Which brings us to the present.

One day, last year, I realized The Meadowlands really is one of those labor-of-love mixtapes, where someone has obviously meticulously planned the segues and sequencing until everything is just so because they know the recipient will appreciate every singular detail, every tiny forethought. (It's the thought that counts, isn't it?) Except, instead of scouring the depths of a record collection to make the perfect mixtape, these four aging musicians from South Jersey took inspiration from their hearts and memories and lives. As it stands, The Meadowlands is a complete, perfectly coherent, unified package where the songs dovetail and complement each other. See it as a sort of indie rock, underdog novel, nay, an opus of middle-class, suburban New Jersey life and all its meager trappings, from the opening of "The House That Guilt Built" with crickets on a summer night as the Wrens, in their everyman guises sing about the cruel but inevitable passage of time, all the way through, to the buoyant, drunken, messy, swaying, yet life-affirming ending of the throwaway song, "This Is Not What You Had Planned." It's the way the guitars cut out at the beginning of the anthemic "Everyone Chooses Sides," the heart-breakingly direct dirge-into-explosion of "Happy," the knee-buckling jangle pop of "Ex-Girl Collection," and the slow motion rise and fall of "She Sends Kisses."

This album is all about the crazy shit you've been through, despairing drunk dials and missed connections, the could-have-beens, the should-have-beens, about that moment when you stopped your life for one second and realized you want to call a do-over, for that time you didn't say what you should have said though you were thinking it, and for the one time when you actually did.

And the Wrens? They understand completely.

The Wrens - Rest Your Head
The Wrens - Indie 500
The Wrens - She Sends Kisses
The Wrens - Hopeless
The Wrens - Ex-Girl Collection
The Wrens - Everyone Chooses Sides

The Wrens official web site. Buy The Meadowlands from Absolutely Kosher Records, iTunes Music Store, and Amazon.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.14.05 at 11:01 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Decibully

Don't be fooled by the fact that the seven fellows in Decibully play banjos and pedal steel and other seemingly unassuming instruments and have pretty harmonies and often use handclaps as percussive accompaniment and every now and then whip out an acappella tune or two. Decibully's music is indeed here to push you around -- but in a very nice, polite, Midwestern kind of way. That is to say, the band's sound is the product of punk, country, and electropop influences colliding in interesting ways. The rhythm section will knock you down, but William Seidel's mournful voice will offer you a contrite and apologetic hand up with assistance from the melancholy lyrics and twisting, intricate harmonies.

Decibully's latest album, Sing Out America!, was the end product of some incessant touring in support of their previous recorded effort, City of Festivals, and very nicely captures the energy and magic of the band's live shows.

Decibully - Penny Look Down
Decibully - Tables Turn
Decibully - On the Way to Your Hotel
Decibully - I Am the Bug
Decibully - Do I?

Decibully's official website. Their latest album, Sing Out America!, is available from Amazon.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 03.13.05 at 11:39 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Jeff Hanson

"Losing A Year" starts off like many a solo singer-songwriter on acoustic guitar, slow strumming, relishing the intimate silence of the audience. Slightly breathy and trembling, Jeff Hanson sings minor key, acoustic pop songs in the tradition of the dearly departed Elliott Smith, confidentially pretty and soothing. His high, smooth, soothing voice is just as perfect if not more so than most of the female pop chanteuses on Top 40 radio.

And just as you've lost yourself in the comforting embrace of the song, we get to the natural climax, and Hanson's voice rises to unnatural sweetness, suddenly, the rest of the band emerges, shakes off sleep, and swells into lazy, hazy pop much like what Simon and Garfunkel used to do. All showing off, of course, that preternaturally gorgeous voice of his. Jeff Hanson is the sound of your heart breaking beautifully in two.

Jeff Hanson - Losing A Year
Jeff Hanson - Welcome Here
Jeff Hanson - As Honest As A Liar Can Be

Official Jeff Hanson Site. Buy his self-titled album from Kill Rock Stars, iTunes Music Store, or Amazon.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.13.05 at 6:00 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)