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Juliette and the New Romantiques, King Khan and the Shrines Bring Heat to Rolling Stone's SXSW Party
March 22, 2009 10:45 AM ET| Caryn Ganz
Rolling Stone's Saturday afternoon showcase at Peckerheads went from a sweaty affair to a sweltering one as singer-actress Juliette Lewis hit the stage with her new band, the New Romantiques, to run through material from her upcoming disc, Terra Incognita. As Lewis told RS backstage, she wanted to step out from behind the power riffs of her previous band, the Licks, and embrace a sound where guitars were more of an atmospheric backdrop for songs teaming with raw emotion. (The Mars ... | More »
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Jonathan Demme Debuts "Neil Young Trunk Show" at SXSW
March 22, 2009 10:30 AM ET| Christopher R. R. Weingarten
Director Jonathan Demme was on hand at SXSW for the world premiere of his concert film, Neil Young Trunk Show. The film is an intimate look at Neil Young's stage show, recorded in a small theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, on mostly hand-held cameras. "We did a home movie in a way," said Demme to a Saturday afternoon crowd in Austin's Paramount Theatre. "We did it all ourselves." The Oscar-award winning director (Silence Of The Lambs, Philadelphia) said the film was a "reaction"... | More »
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Kanye West Shows Off Proteges at SXSW Set Featuring Common, Erykah Badu
March 22, 2009 10:03 AM ET| Christopher R. R. Weingarten
Before he popped into Perez Hilton's "One Night in Austin" extravaganza for a quickie five-song set, Kanye West made a not-so-secret SXSW appearance at the Levi's/Fader Fort on Saturday night, turning a label showcase for his G.O.O.D. Records imprint into a cohesive, star-studded, two-hour event. Special guests like Common, Erykah Badu, Fonzworth Bentley and 88 Keys all showed up to support. Although West did break out tons of hits ("Heartless," "Diamonds Are Forever," "Good Life"),... | More »
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Silversun Pickups, Airborne Toxic Event, St. Vincent Score New Fans at SXSW
March 21, 2009 2:00 PM ET| Caryn Ganz
Opening Metallica's not-so-secret SXSW surprise show Friday night, Los Angeles buzz band Silversun Pickups had the gig of a lifetime. And they knew it: drummer Chris Guanlao couldn't resist taking a snap of the crowd with his digital camera. Winning over approximately 2,000 very antsy Metallica fans is no easy task — especially for a band whose sound is rooted in mid-'90s alternative rock. "It's coming, I promise," said frontman Brian Aubert to the salivating M... | More »
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Devo Hint at New Album's Sound, Debut Songs During SXSW Set
March 21, 2009 10:30 AM ET| Christopher R. R. Weingarten
A much-hyped show at Austin Music Hall was the second performance from recently reinvigorated new-wavers Devo since plans to release their first studio album in 19 years. A band that built their career on questioning traditions — musical, social and otherwise — Devo refused to lure in the crowd with familiar fare, instead opening with a slew of brand new songs and lesser-known hits. The three new songs — "Don't Shoot, I'm A Man," "Fresh" and "What We Do" — hi... | More »
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Metallica Pound SXSW With 90-Minute Greatest-Hits Set at "Surprise" Show
March 21, 2009 10:00 AM ET| David Fricke
"Surprise, surprise — you're all surprised, right?" singer-guitarist James Hetfield cracked in his sea-captain's growl, leering at the heaving crowd two songs into Metallica's poorly kept-secret SXSW show, March 20th at Stubb's. "Thank you for letting us come to your party." Then his voice changed. "We are an unsigned band from Norway," he said in a terrible Scandanavian accent and Andy Kaufman-like chirp. "Maybe we get signed." Any unsigned Norwegian band that... | More »
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Chairlift, The Soft Pack, Wild Light Lead SXSW 2009's Indie Rock Invasion
March 20, 2009 2:13 PM ET| Christopher R. R. Weingarten
A slew of indie-rock next-big-things used Thursday night performances at SXSW as a platform to further fuel the hype machine. California art-dance mutant Nite Jewel has been making waves this year with her mix of '80s freestyle grooves, distorted synths and ghostly vocals. At Red 7 she wanted to make sure everyone knew she didn't care about their opinions or, for that matter, anything. She looked as cold and impenetrable as possible in a gray T-shirt, a face-obscuring haircut,... | More »
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Big Boi Talks Solo Album, Future of OutKast After Rowdy SXSW Gig
March 20, 2009 8:02 AM ET| Christopher R. R. Weingarten
After a rowdy, hit-filled SXSW performance at Austin Music Hall, Rolling Stone caught up with Big Boi to talk about the status of his long-awaited solo debut and the future of his group, OutKast. Big Boi says his album, Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, is finished, save some "additives and preservatives" currently being added by the rapper and producers Organized Noize befor a summer release. Stylistically, Big Boi says the album's 16 tracks will cover "electro, funk, blues... | More »
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