SXSW - Thursday

      Thursday was basically "Lou Reed Day" at SXSW. This seemed fitting enough, as much of modern indie rock can claim Mr. Reed and the Velvet Underground as a grandfatherly influence. So at 10:30 that morning I scooted to get a seat at his keynote speech (no civilian cameras allowed). "I have a BA in Dope." He said, "And a Phd in Soul." Yeah, he was a bit full of himself, but I'd say he has the right to be. Reed talked about the filming of a live studio performance of his landmark "Berlin" album, and the audience was treated to a brief clip.

      His most direct points came when the conversation turned to the subject of Mp3's, digital music, and the degradation of audio fidelity. "It's easier to make things worse," he intoned. He also spoke briefly about his confounding, experimental album "Metal Machine Music" and how he considers it to be a precursor to industrial music. All in all, a lively discussion, and a good opportunity to see a living legend who seems sharp as ever.

      Reed also briefly mentioned his current favorite new music, which included Dr. Dog, Joan as Policewoman, and Holy Fuck.

      Afterwards, I went upstairs and caught a few songs by Ravens and Chimes. Well, these kids sounded as young as they look. Perhaps in a few years fans of the Annuals and Bright Eyes will have something to look foward to. Sonically, there were good melodies, jangly guitars, and yes, a chime or two in the mix. And their hearts seemed to be in the right place, as a cover of Leonard Cohen's "So Long Mary Anne" demonstrated, but I think they'd do well to get a few more months on the road under their belt to sharpen their sound.

      Later that day I checked out two music panels, one on Music Publishing, and another on Music directors in film and TV. I was unmoved, but I won't bore you with the details of my own disinterest.

      Next up was White Williams, who's sonic brew of warped vocals, bumble-bee synths, and electro drums made for a fairly entertaining sound, even if it was right out of the NYC indie playbook. Sort of like a more straightfoward Animal Collective, but with even bigger hipster factor...if such a thing is possible. If you dress like these guys, you should probably give them a listen.

      Then came the hour wherein I waited in a long long line. This was not fun. What awaited me inside the Levi\fader "fort" was marginally better - a Lou Reed tribute featuring weirdo Ezra Furman, everyrockers Dr. Dog, kentucky boys My Morning Jacket, and Velvet Underground descendents Yo La Tengo. This last performance deserves special merit, as their rendition of "Heard Her Call my Name" was deliciously true to the original, with guitar feedback squeeling out of Ira Kaplan's amplifier like nobody's business. It was, how you say...bracing. Reed was probably backstage somewhere, and I hope he was proud, as all the acts gave it their all.

      After some food, it was time to head to the Mohawk club for a marathon night of indie awesomeness. Bodies of Water? I can relate. Excellent vocals and a rhythm section that's light on its feet come together to make some very hummable singsongy alt-pop. As long as you handle your daily dose of "Ooohs" and "Aaahs," I will prescribe Bodies of Water.

      Then, Evangelicals. This was a bit of a confusing one. I was familiar with their album, "The Evening Descends," which is a neo-indie-psychadelic mashup of zany, though somewhat impenetrable tunes. Different instruments zing in and out of the mix, and it keeps you guessing. Live, however, an overabundance of reverb and excessive volume ruined the subtle interplay that holds the studio versions of these songs together.

           There was energy, for sure, but the songs came out sounding a bit like a foggy pea soup.

      So I ducked inside to see a group I had been looking foward to hearing for a while; Citay. Now I'll admit, I'm a bit of a guitar nerd, and I have a thing for virtuosic harmonized six-stringing. But I also have a thing for dreamy space rock. And wouldn't y'know, Citay offer up just that. But it wasn't all about guitar wankery - Citay is a symphonic group, and you can tell that each of these atmospheric ditties was well planned and executed in true neo-baroque fashion. Listen to em'.

      Swedish indie-popper Jens Lekman then took the outdoor stage. At this point, I got pissed off at whoever was doing the sound outside, because his witty, precise songs were obscured by too much volume. I mean, dude, if its too loud, you're not going physically WANT to listen closer, which frankly, is something we all owe to our friend Jens Lekman. I also failed to get any decent photos of the man. Yet his good natured and innocent vocal delivery kept everyones spirits up, and the audience cheered and bobbed along to his tales of friendship, love, and adorable awkwardness.

      And thats when it got reaaaaaal good.

      Black Mountain. Perhaps the most accurately named band I saw at SXSW, and a group that I have wanted to see for over two years. I was worried that the soundboard was going to screw the pooch for me on these folks as well, but oh no. You see, only one thing happens when Black Mountain gets louder. They get better.

      The group has smartly chosen to make Stephen McBean's guitar the monolithic centerpiece of their live show, around which the rest of their moody stoner rock swirls like a sonic hurricane. Channeling Iron Butterfly, Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone age, repetative Pentatonic riffs blasted out at me like a medium-tempo electric tidal wave, splashing the precise amount of distortion in between every synapse in my brain. Meanwhile a 70's style organ, female vocal chanting and a subdued moog synth kept the atmosphere powerfully mysterious. At just the right moment, the tempo increased, the riffs chugged out faster, the synths spun faster, only to crash down into five minutes of smokey ambience from the other side of the universe. And then they came crashing out of the gate again. A mind-bender for sure.

      Thoroughly Satisfied, if slightly damaged, I resolved to buy earplugs the next day.