Drive By Truckers at Opera House, March 19

The Drive By Truckers played Toronto's Opera House last night. I've seen them a number of times before, dating back to probably 2000 or 2001, but I haven't seen them in at least a few years and perhaps longer.

I was never a huge fan -- I think they are okay but find that after 20-25 minutes their songs all start to sound the same and I get a little bored. Still, it had been a few years and they have had some lineup changes so it seemed worth trying them out again. Plus, the Whigs, who I saw at SXSW and quite liked, were opening.

I got there in time to see four songs of the Whigs set, though I missed one while I was being frisked as part of TOH's ridiculous entry procedure. They (the Whigs, not the entry procedures) were as I remembered them in Austin: loud, fun and fairly melodic, with a killer drummer.

DBTs came on and I stuck around for about an hour, but still had the same impression I usually do. They are a good band, though on this night I thought the pedal steel/slide guitar player was way too loud in the mix. One of the last songs they played before I left I thought was excellent -- I was told by a friend it is on their new record. Maybe I need to check out that one.

SXSW'08: Saturday

I blew off most of the day out of mental and physical fatigue, and went on a BBQ run to Spicewood, TX, about 30 miles NW of the city. The place was called Opie's, we bought about $140 worth of various meats, and had a big old feast with about ten of us there. It was good times.

We then made a pit stop at the Outside Records party at the Saxon Pub, where I saw both Jill and Matthew Barber, though I have to confess I wasn't really paying attention to either. Their songs seemed nice enough but I was busy digesting.

From there, Flatstock was next, and I picked up five posters to add to my collection, featuring The Pernice Brothers, the Weakerthans, Centro-Matic, Okkervil River and the New Pornographers.

I then went back to the hotel and started trying to track down several of my friends who I had barely seen all week, and got a response from one that led me to hop into a cab and head to the French Legation Museum, which was hosting a daytime party that day. I "saw" She & Him, a new duo featuring folky M. Ward but mostly concentrating on the songs of the her, Zooey Deschanel. I liked them, though I couldn't actually see them because of the tent and sun in my eyes.

They were followed by the thing that lured me, another set by Okkervil River, who brought the, um, tent down with their eight-song set. Will Sheff has found his mojo and had one of my favourite lines of the festival when he was encouraging the crowd to clap along and said "C'mon, put down your iPhones and clap your hands!"

I went from there to see Welsh soul-pop chanteuse Duffy, who was nice enough though not anything I would rave about. I left the venue even though the mighty Okkervil River were the next band on, deciding that no matter how good they were I couldn't justify seeing them twice in four hours when I had only a few hours of festival left at all. So I walked over to another venue and saw Chicago's The Redwalls, a retro pop-rock band that has a big ole crush on the Beatles, which is alright by me. They were really good, and featured easily the best vocal harmonies I heard all week, which given that two of them are brothers isn't all that surprising.

I then decided to check out Justin Townes Earle -- no pressure there, your dad is Steve Earle and he named you after Townes Van Zandt, arguably the greatest songwriter country music has ever known -- and his five-man country ensemble. I enjoyed him well enough, and found the debate going on around the room about whether or not he looked like his daddy or not was amusing. (I swear I heard at least four different conversations about this in under 40 minutes.) Next up were Chicago's The Deadstring Brothers, a band I first discovered at SXSW in 2006. They were once again excellent, bringing their worship ofExile on Main St.-era Rolling Stones back to Austin yet again.

I was thinking about going to see the Slits after that, but was worried that the late start of their set, 12:15, might cause me to miss what I knew would be a great ending to the festival, British Sea Power's official showcase, at 1 a.m. So I decided to take my chances with the Autumns, from Los Angeles, who were playing before BSP, and while I didn't hate them, I didn't love them either. They were basically a shoegazer band with a Thom Yorke-wannabe singing, and their low point was certainly the song that I wrongly assumed was the end of their set which ended with all three guitar players and the bass player on their knees or lying on their backs noodling away. Tedious.

British Sea Power came on a bit late (as they had on Friday, again with the British tardiness!) but it was well worth the wait. They were absolutely off the hook, and the 20 or more other people I knew at the show, including quite a few jaded music-industry types who don't get excited about anything, all agreed it was one of the best things they saw all week. The crowd chanting "Easy! Easy! Easy!" along withHamilton on "No Lucifer" was exhilirating, and the freakout at the end while everyone wondered where guitarist Noble was going to end up was rock bliss, and a fabulous way to end a great week of rock music. Here's how that show, and my SXSW, ended on Saturday night. I think you can see my head in this shot, I must have been a few people in front of the cameraman.

That's it. I'm happy to entertain questions about any bands, and I can't guarantee I didn't miss anything in this writeup as it's all pretty jumbled still. Can't wait until March 2009 to do it all over again.

SXSW'08: Friday

The first order of the day was to see Nicole Atkins & the Sea, featuring a good friend of mine, Dave Hollinghurst, on lead guitar. I've seen them 2-3 times before, and enjoyed them, and once again Nicole's songs and voice didn't disappoint, nor did Dave's guitar playing and rock posing. He wins the award for coolest-looking-guitar-player-that-has-ever-hung-out-with-me-at-a-sake-bar-until-4-a.m., that's for sure.

I went up the street to see the U.K.'s The Duke Spirit, and caught three songs only because the singer said her voice was shot (which it was.) I wasn't too disappointed, however, because it was 27 degrees and the venue had no shade, whatsoever. My Irish ancestors didn't equip me for this weather, I tell you. So I was glad to get inside for a few minutes and catch the end of Winnipeg's the Weakerthans' set. (I generally avoid Canadian bands I've seen a lot atSXSW, but I do love the Weakerthans...)

After that, I spent an hour or so at the Convention Centre cooling off and checking out Flatstock, the annual rock poster sale that has yielded much of the art some of you have seen hanging in my house. I picked out a few to come back and buy the next day, but made no purchases other than a few t-shirts.

I left Flatstock, and my roommate, who decided to compete in the ultimate Rock Trivia quiz they were holding (he finished 5th with 70%of the questions correct - he's even more of a music geek than me) andwent to see The Golden Dogs, to show some support for the Toronto band that I think might deserve the title of the city's best band right now. They were fantastic, and the crowd really responded to them. My friend Dave (Nicole Atkins' guitar player) showed up here because a former bandmate of his was playing drums for the next act, Heloise & the Savoir Faire. They dug the Golden Dogs, unfortunately I can't really say the same for Heloise, it just wasn't my thing. I left to see Darondo.

Darondo is a soul singer who used to run with James Brown and the like, and released three 7" singles in the 60s or 70s, and then disappeared for 30+ years. Well, he's back, and he was fantastic, although the band that backed him were a bit too clinical, I felt, to really do his songs justice. After his short set was over, I ventured around the corner and caught about five songs by New Zealand's Liam Finn (who is the son of one of the Split Enz/Crowded House Finn brothers, though I don't recall which one.) He writes and sings songs in the same vein as his father and uncle, though perhaps with a little more youthful energy and angst (he's 24.) He played both guitar and drums, often using a guitar loop to free him up to get behind the traps. I liked him enough that I bought his disc as well.

Next up was another set, this time at 5 p.m., by Brighton's British Sea Power, and they topped their day-earlier set. I was in heaven.

I took my daily rest back at the hotel for a couple of hours, and then decided to check out New York's The Virgins at 8 p.m. They were okay, but reminded me a little too much of Phantom Planet and Better Than Ezra and not enough of the Strokes to really hold my interest for 45 minutes, so I walked up the street to catch Superchunk lead singer MacMcCaughan's solo alter-ego, Portastatic, and his acoustic pop songs. It was pretty nice.

One of my favourite random albums of the past 20 years was Cotton Mather's "Kontiki" a power-pop gem that I discovered out of nowhere. Cotton Mather disbanded a while ago, but Robert Harrison has a new band called Future Clouds & Radar who I thought worth checking out. I didn't really dig them -- they were alright but maybe just a little too precious at times, making me wonder if a 12" Stonehenge monument might be lowered to the stage at some point amidst much dry ice and a frantic light show. I wanted to see X across town at 10 anyway, so I took off, though I found time to stop in and see ex-Chicago singer Chris Mills play two songs on the way, and enjoyed his always catchy if sometimes a bit too earnest pop rock.

I then saw X in a live taping for DirecTV which was a bit annoying, but it was cool to get to see one of those seminal bands that I was far too young to appreciate in their prime. After X, I went and saw Earlimart, who much like the last time I saw them three or four years ago at exactly the same venue, played some nice, laid back pop that is reminiscent of Elliott Smith's later work, and was good enough.

I then went to see a Manchester band, The Whip, who started half an hour late (what is it with British bands not being on time?) and did nothing for me. Dancey, forgettable Brit pop. I left after two songs and wandered over to see Magic Christian, a "supergroup" side project of sorts featuring Cyril Jordan of the Flamin' Groovies and Clem Burke of Blondie fame. They were a terrific power-pop band, and ended my night with a note perfect version of "Shake Some Action" which is about as good a way to end a night as there can be.

SXSW'08: Thursday

Some British friends had tipped me off that one of my top 5 bands right now, British Sea Power, were playing a noon gig, so I dutifully got up and went to see them. They were great as always, and any of you should jump at the chance to see them when they are in your town. I saw them three times this week, and they got better each time. So that's my commentary on this show -- it left me not wanting to see any other music for hours afterward because I knew it would only disappoint me, and this was the weakest of the three sets I saw them do.

Following that eye opener, I headed to the New West Records party, and caught a few songs by Ohio folky Tim Easton and Texas country picker Buddy Miller, but couldn't really get into either, so I waited it out until later in the afternoon when Dallas's Old 97s took the stage. The once-alt-country-now-more-pop band have been up and down in my books over the years. Frontman Rhett Miller is a great songwriter, butI find the band's live performances are uneven. Back in the heyday of alt-country (think 1997) they were unstoppable, but then I thought they got a little stale through 1999's "Fight Songs" release. It wasn't until a year or so after the release of 2001's "Satellite Rides" that I gave them another chance, and started liking them again, but then in 2004 they went off the rails for me again. They have a new record coming out this spring or summer, and I think they are on the upswing for me again. I enjoyed their set, and stuck around to see The Drams play their own set. I really like them and they didn't disappoint, and as they finished up a friend turned to me and said "Oh yeah, as if I'm not seeing them at 1 tonight. That was incredible!"

I then took a rest break at the hotel, I went with my roommate to see Spoon at the big outdoor stage they have by the river in Austin. He had scored us VIP badges so we got to watch from the side of the stage -- we stayed for about 45 minutes and then headed to see the Whigs, a power trio that were one of the bigger buzz bands at the festival. I really enjoyed their intense, loud rock music, but wonder if it might be overwhelming or tedious for 90 minutes. Still, I picked up their record and want to spend more time with their music.

Following that set, I had an hour where nothing was really grabbing me, so I decided to check out Hong Kong Blood Opera, based solely on the name. They turned out to be a dancier version of the Hives, wearing red muscle t-shirts, from Mexico. Weirdly entertaining, though I only stayed for about four songs before going to the other stage in the same venue to catch half a set by Cincinnati's Wussy. They were a pretty good rock band, though fairly unremarkable.

I went across the street and checked out Saskatoon's The Blood Lines. I met their bass player, SJ, the night before at the Horseshoe BBQ, and had seen this band, I realized, last year at NXNE. I had an open window because the next band I had marked off wasn't on until 10:15, so that gave me enough time to see 3-4 songs by this pop-rock band, and I dug them (as I recall I did in June.) I then went to see Glossary play a full set, and they met my expectations of providing some tasty, authentic rock for my ears.

Suitably rocked up, I ventured across 6th St. to see what the line was like for Carbon/Silicon, the latest musical venture from the Clash's Mick Jones. There was a line that didn't look too bad so I decided to wait it out and got in "just in time" to see them at 11:30 except that they didn't start until 12. So although I had to endure 30 overcrowded, hot and uncomfortable minutes with a bunch of industry types schmoozing, the band did ultimately play and were pretty enjoyable. I'd place their music somewhere between the energy and politics of the Clash and the pop and groove of B.A.D. I ended my Thursday night with a good set by the Drams, marred by being in a terrible venue on the 18th floor of a hotel. Very few people attended. Still, the Drams were great as usual, so I cannot complain.

SXSW'08: Wednesday

In the early afternoon I saw Catfish Haven, a crazy soul-inspired psych pop band from Detroit. They won the award for most facial hair of all the bands I saw, and I dig them enough that I will seek out their records. After that I went to the Guitartown party and saw a singer songwriter -- I think it was Tom Freund but I wasn't sure and I didn't stick around all that long.

I ended up at Emo's Annex to wait for some friends and saw Toronto's Jason Collett, who I've seen a few times before, and enjoyed his country-ish pop songs well enough. Another band followed that were so forgettable I don't even remember their name, and then on came The Wedding Present, or at least a facsimile of them, as there were only two people onstage, David Gedgeand a bass player. They were alright, but I liked them much better a few years ago at Lee's Palace.

Following that show, I ended up seeing singer-songwriter A.A. Bondy on a friend's recommendation, who said after seeing him earlier that day that "I felt like I had never heard any of his songs before, but thatI knew them all for a long time." That about sums this guy up -- his songs were sometimes quirky, but he has an element of the songwriting quality that made Bob Dylan great, and you know I don't throw that around lightly. I will definitely keep him on my radar.

Following that, I found nothing too appealing in the 9 p.m. timeslot so I opted for a band called Radio Radio, figuring if they named themselves after an Elvis Costello song they had to be okay. I was wrong. They were a band after that early 80s sound that launched so many MTV careers, and the front man had clearly spent more time singing in front of a mirror than a crowd.

Disappointed, I left after a few songs and went to see a British band called Carlis Star that some friends were seeing. They were uneven, mostly because it seemed to me that they hadn't decided what kind of band they wanted to be so they were doing all kinds of different styles. They had moments, but not enough of them. They were followed at the same venue by Ed Harcourt, so I stayed for a while to see him -- he was like a cooler version of Ben Folds, basically, and I enjoyed him well enough. Nice pop songs, catchy.

After that, I headed to the Austin Music Hall where the annual AustinMusic Awards were taking place. The basic gyst of the ceremony was that Austin really, really likes Spoon. They won 7 awards, I think -album of the year, band of the year, songwriter of the year, song of the year, male vocalist of the year, and a couple of others, including probably an award for winning the most awards. Once the awards were finally handed out and the ladies present had stopped swooning over Spoon's Britt Daniel, Okkervil River took the stage and performed what is arguably the best three-song set I ever saw at SXSW (the other contender being Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3 inside at Stubb's back in2004 or 2005). Okkervil River were then joined onstage by psych-rock legend and Austin native Roky Erikson (the man behind 13th Floor Elevators) and backed him on three of his own songs, which were stellar as well. Okkervil River are, for my money, the best U.S.-based live band out there right now, or at least close to the top of the list (other contenders would be Centro-Matic and Spoon, off the top of my head.)

After Rokkervil, as they dubbed themselves, was done I walked back to the centre of the city and saw a few songs of an awful roots band, Southeast Engine, including a painful cover of "I Shall Be Released." Wishing I could be, I was, but unfortunately I had to stay because the next and last band of the evening was Centro-Matic, one of my favourites. They put it in their normally strong set, unveiled a few songs from their forthcoming record, and finished the evening off by indulging the crowd with a rare encore and even rarer cover song, the Beat's "Save It for Later" - nice way to end night one.

SXSW'08: Tuesday

I arrived Tuesday night, and that night saw the "This Is American Music Revue" featuring The Drams, Grand Champeen, Glossary and Two Cow Garage, all four of whom are somewhat unfairly labeled as alt-countryacts in some circles. Denton, Texas' The Drams are more of a power popband, featuring three former members of Slobberbone (funny, their site is still up even though they broke up 3+ years ago), including BrentBest as the lead singer and creative force of the band. Austin's GrandChampeen are the spawn of the Replacements and the Magnolias;Tennessee's Glossary are a roots rock powerhouse with dual male-femalelead vocals, and Columbus, Ohio's Two Cow Garage are a power trio that likes to play loud. These bands did a Midwestern tour together in2007, and shared the stage with each other on their own songs and a host of covers as they sought to represent the true, authentic nature of American rock 'n' roll that they love. They recreated that vibe nicely on this night. Check out the finale "American Girl" from one of their earlier shows on YouTube.

SXSW 2008

I thought some of you might be interested in my observations about the music I saw at SXSW, but please feel free to ignore. I will leave out any commentary about brisket, Lone Star, girls in summer clothes or friends you might not know. Day-by-day posts follow:

Tuesday, March 11
Wednesday, March 12
Thursday, March 13
Friday, March 14
Saturday, March 15