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How do we begin to sum up the dizzying week of showcases at Austin, Texas' South by Southwest music festival? We could either take another full week to reflect on every note, or you skim the top and compile a list of the moments that still resonate the loudest. We chose option B. So without further ado, here are our picks.
Best line to open a set: San Francisco
singer-songwriter MARK EITZEL, Thursday, Texas
Union Ballroom: "Hi, I'm Mark Eitzel, and all my songs are about
jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge."
Best line by a conference speaker: Keynote speaker
STEVE EARLE's the-glass-is-half-full comment on
the four industry-dominating mega-labels: "I like all my snakes in
one basket where I can see them."
Best exposure: NASHVILLE PUSSY's
dueling femme fatales, bassist COREY PARKS and
guitarist RUYTER SAYS, who stripped while playing
their Southern-fried punk rock at Saturday's launch party for
Revolver Magazine.
Best proof that rock ain't dead: El Paso's
At The Drive In, who combine all the best of young
Eddie Vedder and Rage Against the Machine, without the annoying
bits.
Best surprise: ROBERT BRADLEY'S BLACKWATER
SURPRISE. A guy in the front row at Antone's had the
biggest surprise when blind singer Bradley crooned a love song
right at him. Guitar prodigy SHANNON CURFMAN was
so moved she got onstage to sing backing vocals. Bradley also
charmed attendants at the BMG party, explaining, "I'd like to thank
all the folks from BMG and RCA, but you don't print your names in
Braille, so I can't."
Best display of real Texas music: JIMMIE
DALE GILMORE and JOE ELY's separate sets
at the Rounder Records party Friday at the Broken Spoke. Gilmore's
voice is out of this world, and Ely's band -- with ace guitarist
DAVID GRISSOM back on board -- rocked the
Casbah.
Busiest band: Sub Pop recording artists'
BEACHWOOD SPARKS, who took their countryfied Byrds
sounds to Emo's on Friday night and afternoon parties on Thursday
and Saturday.
Worst venue: The Blind Pig, despite it's appealing
name. The stage faces the wall -- not the crowd -- at this narrow
Sixth Street watering hole. Despite not exactly seeing their
audience eye to eye, sunny California popsters BABY
LEMONADE shined on Thursday night.
Best voice: Seventy-five-year-old country legend
RAY PRICE, who braved freezing (by Austin
standards) temperatures Thursday night for an outdoor show at
Waterloo Park, held his mike like a delicate tulip and sounded like
buttah.
Best self-promotional plug:
SHIVAREE singer AMBROSIA PARSLEY,
after her band's spooky, old timey set Friday night at Pecan Ale
House: "Thanks. Now go buy our damn record."
Best costume change: The defining moment of
HANK WILLIAMS III set opening for Ray Price at the
park, when the wind blew his big cowboy hat off to reveal a long,
bitchin' ponytail.
Best song title: The aforementioned Hank III's "I
Put the Dick Back in 'Dixie' and the Cunt back in 'Country.'"
Best band name (tie): I AM THE WORLD TRADE
CENTER and VHS OR BETA
Best guitar from a reluctant guitar hero: Austin
favorite (but current Seattle area resident) IAN
MOORE, whose fretwork is even more impressive now that
he's traded Texas blues for razor-sharp melodies.
Best, er, mandolin moment: Steve Earle riffing up
a sweet, ringing storm on his intro to "Copperhead Road."
Geekiest rocker: Nebraskan singer-songwriter
JOSH ROUSE, who writes a mean song despite looking
like the kid from The Wonder Years dressed up like Buddy
Holly.
Best MC5 clone: Detroit's the
GO's guitarist, pulling off Fred "Sonic" Smith
guitar riffs, and sporting the legends' trademark messy Beatle
bob.
Best Stooges clone: The VUE's
guitarist REX SHELVERTON singing half of the
band's songs writhing around on the floor in front of the stage.
It's Iggy without the blood and peanut butter.
Best Patti Smith clone: PATTI
SMITH, spitting, kicking over mike stands and dancing on
tables at the Austin City Limits sound stage on Wednesday
night.
Best offspring rock: MARTHA
WAINWRIGHT, from the same family tree that brought us
Rufus Wainwright and Loudon Wainwright, showing her talent and B-52
bouffant hairdo at Maggie Mae's East. Also of note: BUKKA
ALLEN, son of Texas underground songwriting legend Terry
Allen. Bukka's forte is haunting, Leonard Cohen-like dirges about
angels and lost souls with soaring melodies that fly loops around,
say, Billy Corgan.
Best use of fire: NEBULA drummer
RUBEN ROMAN set fire to a torch ball when the band
played Emo's and used the flaming stick to bang a huge gong behind
his drum kit, filling the room with clouds of smoke as flames shot
threw the air, causing fans to ooh, aah and run for their
lives.
Best show we missed but wish we hadn't:
ROGER McGUINN performing BYRDS
songs with the JAYHAWKS at the Sony party
Thursday.
Worst SXSW tradition: The rainstorm on Thursday.
Last year, it rained out WILLIE NELSON. This year
it scared away hundreds of Ray Price fans. That ain't cool,
Austin...cut it out.
Best foul-weather friend: Old school MC
DOUG E. FRESH, who had the Stubb's crowd singing
and dancing in the rain on Saturday night.
Least soggy performance, despite the torrential
rains: Former Posies' guitarist KEN
STRINGFELLOW's new band SALTINE, which
delivered haunting rock with edge at Park Avenue Friday night.
Spotted in the crowd: R.E.M.'s MIKE MILLS and
Patti Smith guitarist/Nuggets mastermind LENNY
KAYE.
Best alias: METALLICA's
LARS ULRICH, who checked into the Four Seasons
Hotel under the name "Sam Spade."
Best celebrity spotting: NEIL
YOUNG at Jimmie Dale Gilmore's gig. Runner up: ZZ Top's
BILLY GIBBONS in the audience at Stubb's ogling at
Nashville Pussy's assets.
Best celebrity to follow to a great show: Lenny
Kaye, spotted grooving to Ray Price and Steve Earle Thursday night.
"Total heart," he enthused of the latter. 'Nuff said.
BILL CRANDALL, RICHARD SKANSE, JAAN UHELSZKI
(March 21, 2000)