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Jane's Addiction Rip Through Early Catalog at SXSW
March 20, 2009 7:56 AM ET| Caryn Ganz
A band like Jane's Addiction doesn't need to play a music festival like South By Southwest. But sometimes SXSW needs a Jane's Addiction. The band — with its recently reunited full original lineup — performed a not-so-secret 10-song set at a former supermarket off an Austin highway Thursday night. It was both an affirmation of their enduring artistic power and a self-conscious wink at the magnetism of the rock star. As if reminding the crowd that bassist Eric Avery ... | More »
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Peter Bjorn and John Squeeze Strong New Song Into Ill-Fated SXSW Set
March 19, 2009 7:44 PM ET| Caryn Ganz
To say Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John experienced technical difficulties at Wednesday night's highly anticipated SXSW gig at Vice would be putting it a bit mildly. After what felt like the longest sound check ever, the band took the stage around 20 minutes late and promptly stopped playing because drummer John Eriksson's electronic kit was malfunctioning. You can watch the show's one bright spot above: "Lay It Down," the group's toughest-talking tune on their late... | More »
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Punk Pioneers Circle Jerks and the Dicks Take Over SXSW
March 19, 2009 4:16 PM ET| Christopher R. R. Weingarten
Aging punk fans with a little gray in their mohawks had a short, fast embarrassment of riches when two of punk rock's early legends played on opposite sides of Austin on Wednesday night at SXSW. (Check out images from Austin's hottest shows in our SXSW gallery.) First, Austin punk-rock forebears the Dicks hit the stage at 27th Annual Austin Music Awards, accepting a lifetime achievement award for their unique, soulful brand of aggression. The Dicks helped invent Texas punk i... | More »
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Janelle Monae, Ladyhawke Nod to Past and Future With Polished, Poppy SXSW Sets
March 19, 2009 2:17 PM ET| Caryn Ganz
Janelle Monáe — the funky R&B rocker Rolling Stone named Hot Sci-Fi Beyoncé on last year's Hot List — likes to make an entrance. The OutKast protégé made not one, but three during her brief Wednesday night SXSW set at Stubb's, first flouncing onto the stage as a female voice-over instructed the audience "no phasers, only chainsaws" were permitted, generating a stunning silhouette as her springy pompadour reflected the spotlight. Her poppy ... | More »
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Rising Rapper Charles Hamilton Hits SXSW With Endless Energy, "Twilight" References
March 19, 2009 1:30 PM ET| Christopher R. R. Weingarten
In a 15-minute SXSW set at the Back Alley Social, Harlem rapper Charles Hamilton was as upbeat as a motivational speaker: expressing equal enthusiasm whether the crowd was cheering or quiet, joking with the guy who flipped him off, rocking a bright yellow Sonic the Hedgehog T-shirt and being so amped about having a new girlfriend that he just had to give her a phone call in the middle of his set. "Whatever 'adolescent' whatever you want to put on what we have," Hamilton says a... | More »
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The Decemberists Premiere Perfectly Over-the-Top "The Hazards of Love" at SXSW
March 19, 2009 1:06 PM ET| David Fricke
Three weeks before the Decemberists premiered their new album, The Hazards of Love, at SXSW, the band's singer-songwriter Colin Meloy told me that they had not rehearsed the record in its entirety yet. In that interview, Meloy also marveled on how the Who used to perform all of their rock opera, Tommy, with just guitar, bass, vocals and drums. At Stubb's last night, the Decemberists came armed to the teeth for their album's live premiere, broadcast nationwide by NPR. Gui... | More »
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Video: The Decemberists Premiere Perfectly Over-the-Top The Hazards of Love at SXSW
March 19, 2009 4:16 AM ET
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Video: Metallica Pound SXSW With 90-Minute Greatest-Hits Set at Surprise Show
March 19, 2009 4:16 AM ET
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Video: Peter Bjorn and John Squeeze Strong New Song Into Ill-Fated SXSW Set
March 19, 2009 4:16 AM ET
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