Andrew Bird, Stubb’s
Simply put, we were blown away by Andrew Bird’s performance; it was singularly the
most intellectual and all-worldly performance we caught at SXSW. For starters, the stage
was littered with Janus Horn and XL Horn phonograph-esque speakers (custom-made by
Specimen Products). Bird makes you rethink the concept of what it means to be a performing musician. He layers live loops of his Gibson ES- 125 and plays unexpected instruments
like the xylophone, banjo and the flute. He also whistles like, you guessed it, a bird and
uses his voice like an instrument. In Austin, Bird used an assortment of amps and effects,
including a Schroeder DB- 7 head, two Schroeder prototype heads, a Music Man 4x10
combo and a ZVex Box of Rocks pedal. It was an odd and wonderfully impressive show.
Somehow or another, a New York Dolls’ appearance at an indie music festival is fuel for
both the indie cred argument and the festival sellout argument. The Dolls have achieved
a certain level of notoriety, but they’ve always been anti-establishment. Strangely, however, listening to Steve Conte strumming monstrous proto-punk, glam-rock chords on his
’04 white Les Paul Supreme, we could not help but feel the weight of their influence on
today’s music. Conte also rocked his ’ 60 LP Jr. and his ‘ 66 Melody Maker (refinished pink
w/ white pearl guard). All his guitars were running through a requested backline setup of
a Marshall JCM 800 head and 4x12 cab with Celestion 30 speakers. As Conte told us,
that rig is the best way to capture his classic NYD-tone.
Gary Clark, Jr. has paid his dues in the Austin scene and is beginning
to see his star rise. He’s been awarded Best Blues Artist at the Austin
Music Awards and recently played a key role in the John Sayles movie,
Honeydripper. He’s made quite a name for himself by implementing
R&B, reggae, soul and rock into one ball of sensual guitar domination.
During live shows he’ll play the drums, bass and harmonica, but Clark
is most impressive when abusing the fretboard on his semi-hollow
Epiphone. Keep an eye out for Clark. He’s already opened for the Arc
Angels and the Derek Trucks band. You’ll be hearing from him soon. New York Dolls, Smokin’ Music
Gary Clark Junior, Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room
Carolyn Wonderland, Austin Music Hall
Texas Belairs, Momo’s
The Texas Belairs have been rocking their loud-ass hillbilly tunes for decades. Shad
Daugherty brings a gritty edge to the current line-up, using an Epi Dot to mix rockabilly and blues licks. The band blew the roof off Momo’s during the “Lubbock New
West Music” Showcase with lead singer Kent Mings giving his best Buddy Holly-esque drawl on “I’m Gonna Tell You How It’s Gonna Be.”
Carolyn Wonderland and her band took a break from the road (they log more than 300 shows a
year) and joined Ruthie Foster and Suzanna Choffel on stage for a round of jams at the opening of
the Austin Music Awards (which coincides with the opening of SXSW), where she won Best Blues
Band and Best Female Vocalist honors. Carolyn is known for two things in the Lone Star State and
beyond: her soulful vocals and her guitar chops. Her playing draws from country, swing, zydeco,
surf and soul. Wonderland’s arsenal included what she calls an all-original Lesline Pauline, a 50th
Anniversary Tele with Barden pickups and a Fender Vibrolux Reverb.
Valient Thorr, Emo’s Annex
Valient Thorr conquered Emo’s outdoor stage with an astral driven dual-guitar attack featuring
humbucker-rich tones blasting from Eidan Thorr’s Les Paul Black Beauty reissue and Voiden
Thorr’s Les Paul sunburst Deluxe. They both used Marshall 100 watt heads, but Eidan used two
Marshall 4x12 cabs and Voiden went with creamy white Mesa Boogie 4x12 cabs. The Venusian
guitarists (the band’s back story is that they’re from Venus) not only had crushing tones at ear-bleeding volumes, but they also conducted acrobatic guitar tosses, twirls and flips to prove that
the days of show-stopping theatrics aren’t over. At least not on Venus.
