Joss Stone is a soul singer with a pop edge, and this duality was clearly evident during her South by Southwest (SXSW) performance. The set had all the fawning-over-the-crowd nuances of a pop, or manufactured-soul, singer. That, along with the Miller Lite label splashed everywhere, the presence of several singing actors (Minnie Driver among others) and the MSN music showcase held right outside the Austin Convention Center--the locus of SXSW--made it hard to remember that the annual music festival in Austin, Texas is a showcase by-and-large of independent rock 'n' roll. Things are indeed off-kilter in Rock-ville.
Trying to escape the barrage of corporate sponsorship, I sought out more independently-minded acts. Wednesday night, Division of Laura Lee took the stage at Stubb's. Except for their Swedish sneer, they were instantly forgettable. The next act wasn't however, particularly because the face of The Von Bondies' frontman Jason Stollsteimer was beaten into a grisly and particularly memorable pulp by Jack White. His face is patched-up now, though. And together with two backup singers clothed in space-age, thrift store garb, they've got to be the most stylish band ever. An offshoot of the Detroit garage scene, the guitar riffs are surefire fast and the sound of Stollsteimer's voice is a yowl of raw blues heartache. Joan Jett was up next and although she was as glorious as ever, the night thus far went to the Bondies.
But, this was also the night when political rockers Ozomatli performed their normally hair-raising, audience-inciting set, a medley of everything between rap, cumbia and rock. The crowd at Exodus, where half of the people weren't able to see the stages was packed. I left 25 minutes before the set ended, when reportedly the band guided their adoring fans in a conga line out onto the streets, violating the city's outdoor noise ordinance and then skirmishing into the city police. The manager and two bandmembers of Ozomatli were quickly arrested, which is ironic for a band who sang, "coming from a place where these cops get their asses kicked." At least I wasn't in the crowd that was pepper-sprayed.
Thursday morning, I saw Little Richard. In his rollicking and rhyme-filled interview he offered several bits of wisdom including the following: "The grass may be greener on the other side, but it's just as hard to cut!" Afterwards, I drifted out onto 6th Street, Austin's outlet for college life and caught a glimpse of an unknown band that sounded like Avril on a Nu-Metal grind. Muffy Nixon--you read about them here first.
Returning to the concert venues, that night I saw disco-poppers Junior-Senior perform at a packed Stubb's as the audience moved and sang along to almost every dropped lyric; incidentally, this was probably the best concert experience of the festival.
Memorable acts from other nights included Calexico and the Crystal Method. Concerning the former, I admire any band that can bring an accordion onstage as well as a pair of trumpets. With an overflowing assemblage of instruments, the band recreated the mellifluous desert landscape that is a staple theme of their music. Saturday night, the Crystal Method played Austin Music Hall without a single played instrument or set of vocals. The electronic beats thundered through the club, and the next day, I flew home.
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