-Jack White
As I entered the 2008 SXSW Music Conference, I was skeptical
about what to expect. Sure, there were some bands I was looking forward to, but
it seemed as if there were about one in every 100 bands that I actually wanted
to hear.
Upon my arrival downtown Wednesday night, the first place I
checked out was the Red 7, a local venue that I generally enjoy going to. I was instantly turned away by the sounds of
a band obviously still caught up in the early ‘90s, when Pantera ruled the
metal scene.
In need of immediate relief, I dared to enter Emo’s and
listen to the awkwardly indie, inadvertently electronic noise bands, and, once
again, was turned away after only a short while.
On Wednesday night, local favorite At All Cost headlined at
Red 7. The show was completely packed and the line wrapped all the way around
the 700 block of Red River. I was
greatly impressed with the show, as I always am, and it left me optimistic for
the next day.
The Artery Foundation, a management company, held a showcase
on Thursday at Beso’s and was a must-see on my list. This show was incredible. With five of my favorite bands playing all in
one show, it would have been hard to disappoint me. Drop Dead, Gorgeous; A Skylit Drive; The
Devil Wears Prada; Four Letter Lie and my personal favorite; Memphis May Fire,
played to a constantly increasing crowd, awing the audience with their innate
musical power.
The Victory Showcase was later Friday night and was highly
anticipated by festival goers.
Personally, I didn’t enjoy but a few bands on the show. The Audition, although somewhat sloppy, played
fairly well.
Saturday turned out to be my favorite day by far. I started out the day with Chiodos, a
post-hardcore band from Flint, Michigan, and a band that I have been dying to
see since I was introduced to them two years ago. Chiodos’ set consisted of songs both old and
new to please fans from all over.
Forever The Sickest Kids, a pop/electronica band from Plano,
played at Emo’s at 2 p.m. and was a necessity in my SXSW expedition. In a scene over-saturated with poppy and electronic
bands, FTSK stands out with their incredibly catchy synth beats and non-stop
crowd participation.
Circa Survive singer Anthony Green held a solo acoustic
performance on Saturday at the Emo’s Annex.
Anthony is one of my favorite singers.
From his vocals on the first Saosin EP to the new Circa Survive record,
he never ceases to amaze me with his incredible vocal range. However, his performance was slightly below
par. His voice was spot-on the entire
time, but the music was not appealing to me and I left disappointed by the
performance.
Every year I look forward to attending the SXSW Music
Festival. It always succeeds in bringing
all of the best up-and-coming acts to town as well as many well known
bands. The festival can please anyone’s
musical taste, and delivers in its promise to bring some of the best bands to
town every year.