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(Photo: Amy Winehouse at Eternal)
The music program at SXSW is three days in the can. Time to catch up on some of what’s been going on: Music, non-stop, wall-to-wall gigs accompanied by endless drinking, eating and socializing. In fact, there’s way too much going on in Austin this week, and most of the people you run into bemoan the fact they can’t be at three or four additional events at any one given time. One journalist I spoke to threw their hands up in the air and said, “That’s it, I’m trashed. SXSW wins this year.”
My biggest regret from Thursday night was missing David Byrne’s secret show at the Hotel San Jose. Byrne was just hitting the stage when my friend called. I was all the way across town watching Cloud Cult when I got the call. So totally outta luck on that one.
Other than that, day two was terrific, starting with a couple of day sets at the always excellent Waterloo Records: old favorite Sparklehorse and British chanteuse Lily Allen. Both were great but played only six or so songs, which seems to be the norm. Allen provided an interesting counterpoint to Amy Winehouse, who I caught after midnight at Eternal. Both are young, British, fairly brash, and generating a lots of buzz Stateside.
In between those morning and late-night sessions , I managed to see a good dozen shows, but only two of them are worth a shout out. Local band Octopus Project put out some wild space-dance instrumental noise. The audience was fully behind Yvonne Lambert’s as she coaxed her theremin with intensity. Minnesota’s Cloud Cult put their fog machines to good use with a driving set that took place as two of their members painted on canvas behind them.
I’ll catch you up on everything from yesterday later in the day, just before I head out for a full slate of Saturday shows.
(Photos, l-r: 1, 2) Cloud Cult puts the pedel to the metal; 3, 4) Octopus Project's Yvonne Lambert works her magic; 5) Amy Winehouse; 6) Lily Allen
