SCHED* SXSW 2011

Join Electric Artists at SXSWi for drinks and discussion with special guests from the worlds of art, film & innovation.

http://electricartists.com/

Sean Rowe's honest and haunting songwriting has already earned comparisons to Van Morrison's Astral Weeks phase, for his abstract lyric phrasing, and the way he crafts an experience of emotion, rather than telling a linear tale. Most powerfully he brings to mind Leonard Cohen, with songwriting which tends to build into powerful, yet vulnerable, cathedral-like monuments of sound. The song 'American,' with its yearning strings and earnest piano bring chills and a catch in your throat. Rowe's album Magic (Anti Records) is his homage to what he believes in, to what he finds magical in the world. The themes of love, innocence, sex and nature prevail in its heartfelt, crafted songs. On the ambient, deeply resonant closer 'The Long Haul,' Rowe's voice crackles with life. 'And I never hit the spring so hard/ a newborn song on an old guitar/ and I know what it means to be alive,' he sings. And like the most evocative, important works of art, Magic begs the question of its listener: What makes you feel alive?
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14058

Led by charismatic showman Henry Wagons and described as a local treasure in their hometown of Melbourne WAGONS offer an unlikely mix of stompin grand rock, border-crossing dark country, irresistible crooning and classic pop. They draw upon an uncommon range of influences given the current musical climate, including Vegas era Elvis, Roy Orbison, Adam Green, Johnny Cash, Clockwork Orange synthesisers, 70s trumpets and Cormac MacCarthy. Their live show is a performance like no other, treading a line between a Vegas 70s showroom extravaganza and a bunch of fresh- faced undertakers letting loose at a rained sodden rock festival. Having spent the last few years supporting and touring with the likes of Justin Townes Earle, The Violent Femmes, Calexico, Bill Callahan, Will Oldham, Okkervil River, John Hiatt and Jolie Holland, it is safe to say that Wagons are road-hardened, formidable live band. Their latest album "The Rise and Fall of Goodtown" (Spunk/EMI), the bands fourth, has seen them win best group and best album in the 2009 Age EG Awards as well as in the Mess and Noise Readers Poll along with a string of feature album, best live act and record of the year accolades. Henry Wagons was also recently named as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Melbournians by The Age Melbourne Magazine. Yet more proof that WAGONS Goodtown is the place to be. People, this show is one you must experience! Henry wagons is like Dr Suess meets Conway Twitty, a great performer, a good man, and a bad driver!! Henry struts like a Tennessee walking horse on PCP. Justin Townes Earle Wagons take on Country is based on the early classics and drenched in humor. But the music is no joke - its well written, imaginative, often cinematic and critically-acclaimed for its authenticity. City Beat, Cincinnati Wagons: Unhinged? No, more like a possessed barn-door that creaks & bangs through the night and might slam you in the face on a calm day. Acerbic, funny entertainer with Johnny Cashs punched delivery and memorable songs. OPB Music Portland The theoretical love child of The Doors and ZZ Top had inappropriate relations with the theoretical love child of Johnny Cash and The Bad Seeds. Henry Wagons somehow channels that haunting spirit of the Wild West, while simultaneously pointing a six-shooter in your face daring you to change the CD. American Songwriter
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13461

The Lines are a four-piece anthemic indie rock band consisting of Dean Bate (Lead Guitar), Dave “Paddy” O'Connor (Drums and Samples), Alex Ohm (Vocals and Guitar) and Danny Pease (Bass Guitar). Commanding a huge loyal fan base in their hometown of Wolverhampton, The Lines Army have travelled as far afield as New York, Moscow and Austria in recent outings. Various support slots have included The Killers, Editors, The Maccabees, The Charlatans, Babyshambles, Jack Peñate, Athlete, Supergrass, Spiritualized, Ash and Ian Brown. A legendary fan comes in the form of Robert Plant, who said that ‘There aren't really many good bands coming out of Wolverhampton, just one great band called The Lines’. The Lines have staged concerts of their own, including sell-out shows at local Wolverhampton venues Little Civic, Slade Rooms and the 1,300 capacity Wulfrun Hall. October 2010 saw the release of their debut album on Amboy Road Records in the UK and their first dates in the US. That following looks set to grow and grow with X-Ray Touring handling booking for the world apart from North America, where High Road Touring are in charge.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13462

Young Buffalo are a 3-piece band from Oxford, Mississippi. The former-moniker of the solo work of Jim barrett, was born in the summer of’09 with the addition of Alex Von Hardberger and Ben Tarbrough. Without much more than song ideas and one booked show, thy began crafting a sound steeped in 3-part harmonies and pounding percussion. Young Buffalo self-released the Catapilah Demo back in 2009 and have then since toured in the US, taking in both SXSW and CMJ 2010. The band signed a US deal with Fat Possum records in May 2010 and have finished recording their debut album with Kyle ‘Slick’ Johnson(Wavves, Cymbals Eat Guitars) at Sweet Tea Studios in Mississippi.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13460

Pretty much every band in history has had internal conflict, or members leave over some such inter-band strife. Not every band is able to push past that and create some of their most personal and cohesive material to date. Two years after the release of their full length 2008 debut, Colour Revolt –core members Jesse Coppenbarger and Sean Kirkpatrick -- return with their sophomore album “The Cradle.” “The Cradle” is unashamedly candid, and Coppenbarger and Kirkpatrick have no problem pulling back the curtain on the band’s past life and skeletons. In songs like “8 Years” and “Our Names,” the band explores new areas of their songwriting, while their storytelling style vents through personal issues and finds characters like “Carol” in “Reno.” They reveal the private moments of a life on tour and at home in “8 Years,” while the guitars in “She Don’t Talk” mirror Television and Elvis Costello. Brooks Tipton (keys) and Kirkpatrick’s ethereal tones swirl in the background of woven harmonies in the dynamic, pounding march of “Heartbeat” and “Mona Lisa.” Vocal harmonies, infectious melodies, and incessant drums pervade throughout the entire record. It’s evident that Coppenbarger and Kirkpatrick are finding the pulse of honest, brutal songwriting. With studio time booked a month away at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC, Coppenbarger (Vocals, guitar) and Kirkpatrick (Guitar, vocals) recruited Daniel Davison to add his raw drum style, and Tipton was asked to man the Farfisa, Rhodes and Casios. Producer Hank Sullivant (MGMT, The Whigs) rounded out the lineup on bass. They had a goal to record 11 songs live in 7 days, though the band had never fully played together until a week before the recording session. Sean and Jesse had demoed 20 songs in 2009 and sent 15 to the new band. They met for a week in Jackson, MS and rehearsed in an abandoned trucking company warehouse, hacking through the record song-by-song and played a couple shows prior to the session to work out any nerves. The album reached its full potential after Clay Jones (Modest Mouse), who produced the band’s first record, mixed the 2” tape recordings. In January of 2010, the band created their own imprint, New Fear, under their manager’s (Dualtone) label for the release, allowing them more ownership and creative control of their careers than ever before. As Jesse describes, “New Fear” grew out of “a collapse of interest between the band and Fat Possum. We fell apart. We felt that no one was representing us but us. We lost some brothers, survived and came out feeling like we could do this on our own and better. ‘The Cradle’ will prove that.” In 2006, Colour Revolt’s debut EP garnered national attention when it was re-released by Interscope imprint Tiny Evil. Oxford, MS-based label Fat Possum took notice, signing the band and releasing their first LP “Plunder, Beg, and Curse” in April of 2008. Praise from influential internet and print publications like Stereogum and Paste followed, with Paste naming "Plunder, Beg, and Curse" one of their top 50 releases of 2008. The band spent a year on the road following the release, including a tour with rock pioneers The Breeders and slots at Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS11852

“I was a scrawny, dopey kid—the worst athlete on the face of the planet,” says Wakey!Wakey! frontman Mike Grubbs. “You know tee ball? I got to first base one time.” Good thing Grubbs had a burgundy baby grand to wail on instead, the centerpiece of a Partridge-like music room that also housed a French horn, clarinet, violin and autoharp. Grubbs started climbing scales and chords here when he was 5. Back then, his mother—a longtime piano teacher and choir director—would ask the kids to sight read songs before they could even think of eating cereal. And homework, why, that was something you did simply to score more bench time. “For every subject done,” he says, “I could play the piano for an hour. It was almost like video games for me.” The games got a bit more complicated in high school, as Grubbs stumbled upon the songbooks of Billy Joel and Elton John. Not to mention the arena-ready anthems of Led Zeppelin. That unholy trinity, combined with the three B’s—Bach, Beethoven and Brahms—was enough to steer Grubbs away from the church music he was forced to focus on from an early age. “One of my main influences now is the fact that I didn’t have someone teach me proper jazz or rock playing,” explains Grubbs. “I had no idea how to put a song together; no one telling me, ‘Hey, you should check out Gershwin,’ but it was all so fascinating to me. So I found my own style by experimenting with what works and what doesn’t.” Before Grubbs could tap his true voice through a string of buzz-stirring Wakey!Wakey! releases on Family Records (two live LPs, a free collection of covers and last spring’s War Sweater EP), the following dues were paid: a totally ‘90s bar gig aimed at pint-slamming college kids; a rock band best described by its beard quotient and Black Crowes nods (Satellite Kid); and two touring musicals (Brigadoon, Camelot). “I’m a tall, skinny straight guy who can sing,” says Grubbs. “That’s basically gold in the musical theater business because there’s none of us.” Speaking of standing out, Wakey!Wakey! made their presence known over the past couple years by finding a perfect balance between crowd-pleasing pop and art-damaged indie rock. It’s something Grubbs learned from New York’s anti-folk scene and its founding father, Lach. (The Lower East Side icon mentored Grubbs, which isn’t a surprise—Lach shunned the piano the second he heard the Sex Pistols.) “To come from such a repressed musical environment and then hear someone like Regina Spektor perform with such abandon—shouting and hitting her stool with a drum stick—was priceless.” Nowadays, Grubbs is the crazy one, slapping his piano around and singing like his life depends on it while conducting a rich backdrop of sweeping strings, heavenly harmonies, and enough delicate details to make Wakey!Wakey!’s first proper LP feel like an Oscar-nominated film soundtrack. Which is ironic to say the least. After all, One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn loved a Wakey!Wakey! set so much he tapped their sun-stroked “War Sweater” track for season 6’s finale and recruited Grubbs for a recurring role. That’d be the tale of a bartender/musician named, err, Grubbs—a strangely familiar life story hinted at in such standout Wakey!Wakey! songs as “Almost Everything,” “Twenty-Two,” and “Got It All Wrong.” “We set out to make an album this time,” explains Grubbs. “I realize that’s not where people say this business is headed these days, but there’s something about translating a year’s worth of experience into ten songs and letting that tell the story. I feel lucky to have the chance to do that on my own terms.“
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS11663

Free an open to the public - space limited. Complimentary food and drinks. Special appearances by Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Pepper Rabbit, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers

Death On Two Wheels: Trae Vedder - Vocals, Guitar Paul Doss - Lead Guitar, Vocals J. Betts - Bass Greg Neel - Drums, Vocals Daniel Gleason - Organ, Piano, Vocals Death On Two Wheels makes rock ’n’ roll dangerous again, with slurry-blurry lyrics, half-cocked dreamspeak of portents and regret, and a formidable guitar attack that recalls the nasty duels Allen Collins waged with Gary Rossington before Skynyrd’s final plane ride. Following the same bumpy trail as Kings of Leon, this Atlanta fivesome seems to be in pursuit of darker mysteries on the band’s self-released debut. And unlike the Kings, they have more range and a greater reverence for ’70s classic rock, not to mention the eccentric bite of vocalist Trae Vedder. Could he really have been christened with such a propitious rock name? No matter, he has the same grit and red clay in his voice that Chris Robinson had before he got famous and complacent—but there’s something even more disturbing in Vedder’s delivery that almost veers into goth. Especially on a song like “Bobby Havis,” which shudders with psychedelic anxiety. It’s a song so haunting it could’ve been penned in Rose Hill Cemetery next to Duane Allman’s headstone. - Jaan Uhelszki, Paste Magazine Death On Two Wheels have shared the stage with Against Me!, Manchester Orchestra, Social Distortion, Butch Walker, Alkaline Trio, Janelle Monae, Good Old War, Foxy Shazam, and more at festivals like Bamboozle, Forecastle, and SXSW. Their music has been featured on G4 Television, Spike TV, TNA Wrestling, and at the Sundance Film Festival. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Press Materials including one sheet, press photo, stage plot, posters, etc. are available by visiting the Death On Two Wheels EPK (http://deathontwowheels.com/epk).
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13504

Who is your influence? We all consciously or subconsciously think, speak, and act based on what influences us. We look for inspiration to get us through tough times while realizing our past experiences have a stronghold on how we now see the world. If you had the opportunity to sit down and reflect on what you believe and who you have become, your main influences will emerge. Imagine trying to capture this experience. You transcribe it for either your own pleasure or catharsis. Finally, you etch your name into this work that significantly represents a time in your life and release it. This is what O'Brother has gone through in creating their first full length, Garden Window. As major bands reunited, disbanded, or put out a new album for the first time in years, O'Brother realized the impact these artists have had on their lives and music. Mogwai, Deftones, Isis, Earth, Converge, Blonde Redhead, Oceansize, Clint Mansell, Torche, Radiohead, Sigur Ros and The Appleseed Cast are just a few of the artists that planted a seed that germinated while O'Brother was writing and recording Garden Window. In 2010, O'Brother's tour schedule started with a heavy onset of dates that never relented. They transformed into a much tighter live band due to constantly performing. At the end of the year, O'Brother began the writing process for their first full length. Drawing from their musical influences, the band also acknowledged the impact being on the road had had on them personally. Relationships with family, friends, and significant others altered dramatically due to touring. The readjustment to the normality of home life contradicted the escape from reality that touring presents. The tension created by this change needed to be captured as an influence on the new album. It is a daunting task to creatively represent how you have grown as a band compared to your previous work. Not only has O'Brother grown collectively, but individually as well, both musically and professionally. Native American tradition believed taking a picture of someone also took a piece of their soul. O'Brother views this album in the same vein. It captures a piece of them at a time in their lives that they will never get back. Hopefully, if you listen closely enough to Garden Window, you will be able to hear, see, feel, and experience each and every influence placed into this album by O'Brother.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS12078

River City Extension * Biography River City Extension was born restless, curious, and conscious. It is a monster and a gentleman. Formed by singer-songwriter Joe Michelini in the fall of 2007, the band has proved to be an important addition to the development of independent folk music, and has earned the respect of everyone from seasoned punk rockers to Brit-pop legends. After spending years building an invaluable local following as a solo artist, Joe’s moniker became a symbol of hope for musicians in his hometown of Toms River, NJ; like lost souls, the members of River City Extension were drawn to each other. Taking a year and a half to carefully finalize their line-up, the band went into the studio to record their DIY EP, Nautical Sabbatical. The record was self-released on January 1st of 2009, and they had no other option than to hit the road. Be it Joe by himself, with one member, two members, or five, River City Extension toured diligently across the North-East and the Midwest, just hoping that someone would listen to the call of their wild, insatiable need to play, write, feel, and inspire. By the winter of 2010, their dream was beginning to come true. The band had started to record their full-length album The Unmistakable Man, with no budget, no plan, and a lot of faith. As word began to spread, they found themselves supporting bands like Cake, Robert Randolph, and The Avett Brothers, in and out of their home state. Near the end of production, the band signed a deal with XOXO Records (The Gaslight Anthem, Let Me Run), and shortly there after blasted the press with what would be the new flagship of this venerable Asbury Park punk label. The Unmistakable Man was released on May 11th, 2010 with national distribution and international promise. RCE quickly garnered the attention of important music outlets such as Paste, Spin, and NPR, as well as being validated by timeless international performers such as Glenn Tilbrook of the band Squeeze, who would later make a cameo on the vinyl release of the bands first LP. Now, River City Extension is growing up. With one national tour under their belt, countless regional tours, and a slew of new material, the fabric of these eight east-coast pioneers has been sewn to the highways of America in a way that cannot be torn, seen, stepped on, or fully understood. It is growing, it is evolving, and it is seeking the best and the worst in all of us, in hopes that we will find a common ground on which to stand with our fellow man; in hopes of writing an anthem that we can strap across our hearts and sing together with pride and understanding. This train does not stop, and these tracks do not end. For we have promises to keep, and miles to go before we sleep, and miles to go before we sleep.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13503

Austin-based indie band The Rocketboys—with no label and minimal outside help during the past five years—have paved their own way, achieving successful appearances at Austin City Limits (2007), SXSW (2010) and CMJ (2009), to name a few. After the self release of their well-received, debut full-length, 20,000 Ghosts, in 2009, The Rocketboys had tracks featured on a plethora of TV shows including 2010 Winter Olympic Games, The Real World, Teen Mom, The Buried Life and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, among others. Their self-sustaining streak ended when the band rallied their friends and fans across the country for their newest effort, Wellwisher, taking the recording process on the road and tracking almost the entire EP while on tour. From the back of the van to living rooms to the Paste Magazine office, The Rocketboys asked their talented friends to play and sing various parts on the recording, sacrificing sleep and sanity for a few weeks to record Wellwisher. Singer Brandon Kinder describes Wellwisher not as a concept album but a concept experience. The musical collaboration and nomadic recording process, combined with the lyrical themes of unity, brotherhood and relationships, all contributed to and exuded from the final product. “It’s interesting how it all came together and meshed thematically,” Kinder said. “The lyrics about the importance of the people in your life, our friends across the country who recorded various parts and everyone who helped us financially made the entire process about unity and collaboration.” The Rocketboys are still "creating rich anthems that are as infectious as they are sincere" (Paste Magazine) with "clear, ringing guitars and full-bodied keyboard arrangements, hard-driving drum lines and well-practiced transitions between calm and controlled chaos" (Austin American-Statesman). The band has already begun writing its second full-length, which will expand upon what Wellwisher offers. The currently unnamed release will be out by summer 2011 and feature a bucket of brand new songs from the boys.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14839

Miniature Tigers’ sound was forged in the bedroom of frontman Charlie Brand, only to quickly outgrow the space, with the band soon finding itself on stage, in the studio and signed to Phoenix’s Modern Art Records in short order. Brand’s lyrics – a mix of deeply personal insights and playful references to the disparate cultural artifacts that have informed his existence – and effortlessly constructed indie-pop arrangements have made fans in his native Phoenix and beyond. They stretch to Los Angeles, where he reconnected with drummer, collaborator and fellow charter member of the band Rick Schaier while living in Hollywood, and far beyond thanks to the Internet, which it seems people are into these days. Miniature Tigers’ debut album “Tell it to the Volcano” runs the lyrical gamut, taking inspiration from and referencing TV’s Lost (which rates a Dharma Initiative sticker on Brand’s acoustic) as easily as it probes the joy and heartbreak of Charlie’s own life, while managing not to take itself too seriously. Brand wrote the album while on the lam – not from the law, but rather from a relationship he described as “brutal.” He left Phoenix to clear his head, landing in Los Angeles and collaborating with his friend Rick to complete the long-gestating album. It was his catharsis – with cannibals and volcanoes stepping in for the real-world problems that had both beset and inspired him. In the end the album represents Charlie’s effort to codify, examine, and ultimately move past a 2-year stretch of his life. Charlie and Rick are joined in their live incarnation by a rotating cast of friends and collaborators for performances that seem to give equal time to playing songs and intra-band joking. They aim for a controlled chaos aesthetic that eschews “auto-pilot” at all costs. In an effort to further confound the expectations of those around the band, they chose to have their video directed by someone who had never helmed one before…or at least never an authorized music video. The band tapped “Yacht Rock” creator JD Ryznar to direct their video for Cannibal Queen in the hopes he would recreate the magic of his wildly popular Internet video series. Ryznar quickly assimilated the band’s aesthetic and turned in a video equal parts “Weird Science” and “Frankenstein,” to the band’s delight. “Tell it to the Volcano” is currently available on iTunes, as well as a limited-edition letterpressed CD package and on vinyl at shows and via the band’s web site. They’ll be touring through the winter of 2009, when the album will find its way to stores through an official retail release.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS12668

KEVIN DEVINE With a musical repertoire that spans the spectrum from hushed finger-picked narratives to bombastic rockers, Kevin Devine is one of those rare talents who straddles a multitude of genres and feels equally at home in each. Whether he’s playing solo to hundreds of his devotees in a cramped NYC club, joining friends on stage at Lollapalooza or touring with artists varying from Rachel Yamagata to Brand New, Devine’s songs enrapture a diverse set of ears like few musicians. Born and raised in New York and currently dwelling in Brooklyn, Devine is a singer/songwriter who has been quietly honing his craft since the release of his first album in 2002. He’s since been adding idiosyncratic chapters to his unique success story by building his diehard international fanbase with incessant touring and a series of compelling releases that highlight his introspective lyrical wordplay, each displaying an impressive musical evolution. Brother's Blood, his fifth record and first with Manchester Orchestra's Favorite Gentlemen record label, is the most resounding evidence of that ethic and maturation - a sprawling, confident mission statement about conscience, culture, and personality. Brother's Blood is a response to the three years Devine spent touring relentlessly behind his major label debut, the Rob Schnapf-produced Put Your Ghost To Rest, initially released by Capitol/EMI in 2006 and later re-issued by Brand New's Procrastinate! Music Traitors following Devine's dismissal from Capitol during its bloody merger with Virgin. True to Devine’s character, he turned a potentially grisly outcome inside out and instead exited the label with a healthier and more thriving career than when he went in. Devine accomplished this feat the old fashioned way: playing close to 600 shows between June 2006 and December 2008, further broadening his appeal and versatility, and doing it all without the centralized support from a label. These shows offered him opportunities to share stages (and vans) with artists as diverse as AA Bondy, Annuals, Manchester Orchestra, Elf Power, Rachel Yamagata, Lucero and Corinne Bailey Rae. He appeared at The Sundance Film Festival alongside She & Him and Mandy Moore and at Austin City Limits with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Andrew Bird. He traversed the globe at a feverish pace: the UK with All-American Rejects, Australia with The Offspring, England and Ireland, Europe and Japan, and of course, the States. Back home, he triumphantly oversold two headline gigs at New York's Bowery Ballroom and was asked to join two very different groups of friends, Brand New AND Okkervil River, on their respective stages at Lollapalooza 2008. Somewhere in all that motion, Devine managed to whip 15 or so songs into shape and started visualizing what would become Brother's Blood. He recorded barebones acoustic versions of the tracks in early '08 and eventually rehearsed and demoed those with his erstwhile Goddamn Band (Brian Bonz on keys & percussion, Chris Bracco on bass, Mike Skinner on drums, Russell Smith on guitar, and Mike Strandberg on guitar) in their Brooklyn practice space all summer. Carving away at and layering ideas with producers Bracco & Skinner and engineer Dan Long, the band bunkered down in Williamsburg's Headgear Studios (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Au Revoir Simone, Son Volt) for the first two weeks of August. Devine consciously ceded more control of arrangement to his players, hoping to affect a more live, full-band feel for the first time on record. The results speak for themselves. Brother's Blood is both the next step and a break in form; it reflects the diverse talents and contributions of The Goddamn Band as much as it speaks to the scope of Devine's influences and commitment to exploring new stylistic territory. Lead single "I Could Be With Anyone" is a charging and hook-heavy pop song equally indebted to The Cars and Superchunk; "Another Bag Of Bones" (initially released as a Rob Schnapf-produced acoustic single around the ramp-up to the election) pins its dystopian and restless vision of a civilization in freefall to a dark and explosive groove before finding release in a choir's hopeful strain. Meanwhile, the title track is a massive and dynamic homage to the epic guitar freakouts of Neil Young and Built To Spill and the hypnotic and ominous "Carnival" sets the tone its with spacious, swirling flares of psychedelia – a dynamic exploration of tension and release which plays against a nightmarish hallucination about lost willpower and the fear of finally waking up to a reality that's even crazier than your dreams. But far from being one of Devine’s rockingest recordings to date, many of Brother's Blood’s finest moments are its quietest. Opener "All Of Everything, Erased" lays a bed of nimble and rhythmic finger-picking for its vivid description of a world left with no recourse but to cleanse itself of humanity and start over. "Fever Moon" is a sultry, Latin-influenced meditation on lust and its consequences that wouldn't seem out of place on a 1970s Leonard Cohen album, while "Murphy's Song" features a dazzling vocal turn from Jaymay that adds some jazz-era sensuality to the song's trumpet and piano-sprinkled Carribean lilt. On "Tomorrow's Just Too Late," Devine and Brand New's Jesse Lacey deliver a delicate and weaving full-song harmony that would make Simon & Garfunkel proud. Whether he’s joined in a duet, backed by his Goddamn Band, or singing quiet ruminations into his microphone alone with just his acoustic guitar, Devine deftly illustrates his unique versatility and breadth with each note. Brother’s Blood not only serves as a reminder of this but as the next step in his exciting evolution.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14416

Are you tired of the same old recycled label-dependent music? If so, come experience seven Taiwanese indie bands!! Tizzy Bac is one of Taiwan's first truly bands to vie with the Mando-pop big acts. Wonfu started out playing Taipei's smoky basement rock dives. Echo has been called by the Taipei Times a "stylish electro-rock" band. Aphasia Formed in 2008, 4 piece instrumental band. The White Eyes The female lead will keep you mesmerized! Fire EX is punk, moody, melodic and loud. Also look for Unfamiliar Friends Party a new electronic style later that night at Lambert’s!!!
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_HB1548

Unfamiliar Friends Party was established in late 2007 by Lilybeer, Hollistar, Koko and Djust. With the experiences on composing music on the laptops, the electronic-rock setup, and the on stage performance, combine with the passion for the electronic dance music, Unfamiliar Friends Party was soon on their track creating music. In just a year, Unfamiliar Friends Party has participated in 2 compilation albums and performed in each major music festivals and livehouse in Taiwan. They also collaborated with artists from different fields in Taiwan this year. Their music has often been categorized as computer game music and watching them perform gives the audiences an experience to place themselves in a computer gaming environment. Unfamiliar Friends Party released their first EP "WE ARE SO WISE" in 2009, first mini album "headstrong" in 2010 (all Mastered by Mile Marsh),
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS12565

Formed in 2008, 4 piece instrumental band Aphasia. They love DISTORTION!!!! Work with Taiwan Film Maker very oftenly, relased their debut "Crocodile Society of Aphasia" in Late 2009, the record is now distributed by Arts & Craft in Canada. Now making their second album, which will be released in 2011. Band member KK runs White Wabbit Records, an important indie label in Taiwan, they are also promotors.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS11128

When Fire EX (also called 'fire extinguisher') formed in 2000, all four members were 16-year-old high school students enthralled with the sounds of Greenday and other acts of the punk-gone-mainstream variety. But they somehow managed to combine that raw guitar energy with local strains of Taiwanese rock, and by the time they were in college a mix of pure attitude and Taiwanese inspired melodies had carried them to the stages of Taiwan's two largest music festivals of the time, Spring Scream and the Formoz Festival, where they quickly found themselves as a regular act playing for crowds in the mid-hundreds. While most of Taiwan's indie music scene revolves around Taipei, Fire EX came out of Taiwan's second largest city of Kaohsiung, which is around 300 miles to the south and despite its 3 million population tends to be much more provincial. The language predominantly spoken there is Taiwanese, a Chinese dialect different spoken by most in Taiwan yet different from Taiwan's official national language of Mandarin (also the universal language of mainland China). Fire EX sings in both Taiwanese, Mandarin and a smattering of English, and they are known for easy melodies, many of which combine the shout-along choruses of pop punk (in early songs like 'Let's Go') with revved up, guitar-powered interpretations of Taiwanese folk songs, which tend to be lilting and lovesick country tunes in part derived from Japanese enka. Now, with band members approaching the ripe old age of 26, Fire EX has two full albums under its belt as well as a film soundtrack. The group has also gained considerable complexity in terms of both songwriting and musical arrangements, so while they still play the old rowdy crowd-pleasers, new material tends to be more psychologically edgy. In other words, the intensity is no longer simply about communal youthful abandon, now frontman Sam Yang even goes so far as to claim the influence of postrock, and though that may be going too far, certainly the energy seems much more generated from within.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS10880

Tizzy Bac is one of Taiwan's first truly indie bands to vie with the Mando-pop stars produced by the music factory of Taiwan's major record labels, and its music is already starting to spread much farther afield than the Chinese speaking world. The trio, led by the mesmerizing voice and talented fingers of female vocalist and keyboarist Chen Hui-ting, has sold out a premium 3,000 seat Taipei arena for solo performances, a feat not even every music factory idols can manage, and the band has also played top international music festivals, including Fuji Rock (Japan, 2005), Liverpool Sound City Music Festival (UK, 2009) and SXSW (US, 2010), to which it will return in 2011. Tizzy Bac was founded in 1999 while all three members were still in college, and it was a conscious decision to form a rock band around the piano. In place of electric guitars, Hsu Che-yu applied various grades of distortion to his bass, and Lin Yuan completed the outfit with an economic precision on the drums. The sound was truly eclectic, mixing alternative rock, Chen's effortless, siren-like voice, jazz flourishes, and even the occasional trip-hop beat. Even before their first album, they won top prize at Taiwan's Indie Music Awards in 2002, and the first full-length album followed a year later, Anything Can Tempt Me (2003). Comparisons were quickly made to the Ben Folds Five, but Tizzy Bac has less ragtime and boogie woogie (and also less improv), while managing to sound much more modern. Tizzy Bac's later albums moved to a slightly stronger but still highly idiosyncratic rock sound, and a 2007 EP, La Rose de Victor, experimented with a collection of French-style chanson compositions. Chen's lyrics, mostly Chinese with smatterings of English, are the stuff of clever pop, tending towards postmodern ballads of relationships gone wrong and life's trials. (And here we mean "ballads" in the good sense ~ Billy Joel or Elton John, not Celine Dion.) Tizzy Bac's Taiwanese label continues to insist the band has a cult following, but as the fans continue to grow, cult status may not last long. Discography: Albums: Anything Can Tempt Me (2003) It's All My Fault (2006) Let's Talk ~ unplugged live recordings (2007) I'm Not Afraid of Demons if I've Seen Hell (2009) EPs: Charlie Brown and Lucy (2004) Summer Strokes (2005) La Rose de Victor (2007) Don't Change (2010)
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS10987

Started by MJ Parker and Charlie Gokey at the tender age of 15, Secret Cities grew out of a shared love of psychedelic pop and a pen-pal arrangement that saw the pair trading 4-track tapes through the mail. The band eventually expanded to a trio with the addition of fellow Midwesterner and kindred spirit Alex Abnos on drums. After a few small releases on Baltimore’s Fall Records, the band released its proper full length debut (the well-received Pink Graffiti) in 2010 on Western Vinyl. Following a nationwide tour in support of that release, the band spent several intense months writing and recording new material, re-imagining their sound as a fractured take on classic AM radio pop. Strange Hearts, the resulting album, is due in early March on Western Vinyl.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS11878

Wires.Under.Tension is a duo based out of The South Bronx. Combining homegrown audio sampling instruments with ferocious beats and adventurous orchestration, WUT's angular gymnastics reflect the raw imagery of their home turf. Multi-instrumentalist Christopher Tignor switches dexterously between violin and the rest of the arsenal while Theo Metz extracts brutal truths from the kit. Together WUT is rethinking what instrumental music can be about when musicianship and restless experimentation rule the scene.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS12959

Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-moor-ay) is a minimalist instrumental ensemble from Austin, Texas that was formed in 2006 by Rob Lowe and Michael Muller. Balmorhea were influenced by Ludovico Einaudi, The Six Parts Seven, Claude Debussy, Ludwig van Beethoven, Rachel's, Gillian Welch, Max Richter, Arvo Pärt and John Cage. The band self-released their first album, self-titled Balmorhea, in April 2007, and their second album Rivers Arms in February 2008, and released a limited EP in the fall of 2008. The group released their 3rd full-length album, All is Wild, All is Silent on Western Vinyl. Their 4th full-length album, Constellations, was released in February 2010 on Western Vinyl. Balmorhea has toured the US five times, including a tour with Japanese Post-rock pioneers Mono, and will begin their fourth European tour in Fall 2010. They will also be playing the Austin City Limits Festival in October 2010.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS11879