The music portion SXSW festival hadn’t officially started on Monday night but that didn’t stop hungry musicians and fans from congregating across Austin, Texas to partake in the festivities of the 31st edition of the annual industry shindig. And if Monday was any indication, we are off to a fantastic start. The evening included a performance by legendary Ohio rockers The Pretenders, taping the first episode of the 43rd season of Austin City Limits.
Lead Pretender Chrissie Hynde was in fine form both in appearance and voice as she led the band through a tight set that included a handful of songs off their latest album Alone. The album was produced by fellow Ohioan Dan Auerbach and on stage at ACL the songs reflected a rock-pop sound that hasn’t aged. It wasn’t long before Hynde – after complaining about the “haze” (fog machine) that hurt her voice despite it sounding perfect – veered into a run of greatest hits including “Talk of the Town”, “Back On The Chain Gang”, and a gorgeous rendition of “I’ll Stand By You”. Throughout the performance Hynde wasn’t afraid to lash out and crack crude yet witty jokes with the crowd, showing that even with her legendary rock star status she’s still down to earth and in it for the music.
Later in the night, a capacity crowd gathered at Hotel Vegas for a handful of performances. Golden Dawn Arkestra would bring a quickfire set of rambunctious cosmic global funk. With a large band and plenty of sage smoke to go around, the costumed performers brought to my the Sun Ra Arkestra, but instead of a jazz sound they favored disco and dance music with a psychedelic flare. Golden Dawn is a big hit and Austin and their stage act is impressive even if they have strayed from the jazzier and more African sounds of their earlier material.
Philly favorites Low Cut Connie would strip things down and up the ante with a blazing set of piano-driven rock and roll. Front man Adam Weiner called the crowd his “babies”, jumped on his stool, and immersed himself in creating entertainment. The band’s boogie-woogie bar band sound went over well with the crowd at Hotel Vegas, who raised beers and danced along with wild abandon. Though Low Cut Connie have a changed lineup with the loss of co-front man Dan Finnemore since being at last year’s SXSW, the band sounded tighter than ever as they blazed through songs like “Shake It Little Tina”, “Rio”, and new tune “Revolution Rock and Roll”.
Tuesday – the first official day of SXSW music – found fewer day parties but no shortage of music to be had. Early in the evening a packed house gathered at Tellers to catch the buzzed about act Ron Gallo. The Philly by way of Nashville rocker stuck to his new album Heavy Meta for a brief but explosive set. Gallo, along with his bassist and drummer, are an invigorating young trio between thoughtful lyrical commentary and a sound that simultaneously bursts with psych, garage rock, sludge, blues, and often a cloud of jangly feedback. By the time the trio closed out with “Medicine Man” – including a slide guitar solo performed with the tip jar – it’s safe to say the crowd was sold.
Too often we only hear about the young talent at SXSW, but what about the artists grown wise by years with little more to prove than another gig? Legendary blues-soul artist Miss Lavelle White is well into her 80s, and even though her voice may show a bit of wear, the singer was in high spirits for her set at Cooper’s BBQ. Back by a tight band and the enticing smell of smoked meats, the bedazzled blues woman was charming and warm as she used blues, gospel, and original songs to bring the audience into her warm embrace.
Australian blues prodigy Hamish Anderson followed Miss Lavelle. Anderson was joined by a local force that included Gary Clark Jr.’s drummer Johnny Radelat and John Branch of Hard Proof Afrobeat on bass. Along with a keyboardist, Anderson laid down blues licks as hot as the meat coming off the smoker. The young guitarist is a true talent and his set hit the crowd like salvation, showing us we can expect big things from him in the coming years.
Based on the quality of Monday and Tuesday, we can expect another SXSW filled with promising talent and exciting musical moments.
All photos in gallery shot by Maggie Boyd
Neil Ferguson will be hitting the pavement all week at SXSW. For live updates, drunk tweets, and snarky commentary of the madness, make sure you follow him on Twitter: @musicjournzo
Check out Neil’s 10 Tips For Doing SXSW Like a Local!
Stay tuned to Glide Magazine for more coverage of SXSW 2017!
