Words: Ryan Getz

Day three for this writer began with me standing in line for the Noisetrade Day parties at the Swan Dive, one of my favorite haunts from year one. It was in line for this showcase that I met Julian Dente, the brains behind Youth – a project that has performed with Tuned Up friends Cardboard Kids and Truslow within the past year. He was present as a part of Liza Anne‘s band – a set I would unfortunately miss due to my visit to the Convention Center that afternoon. But I’m focusing on the live sets this article. There’s a lot to pack in.

The standout sets of my time mingling with the fine folks of Noisetrade, Pledge Music and more came from Run River North and Judah and the Lion – two groups quickly on the rise in Nashville and beyond. Judah and the Lion were one of the first bands to play Cause a Scene – a promotion group I’ve been introduced to through mutual friends in Nashville. So, it was great to see them with so many industry peers at SXSW at a time when they are breaking into the national spotlight.  Judah and the Lion in particular killed it. “Folk Hop N’ Roll”, the title of their recent release, pretty adequately sums up the mission statement of the band, and they had the crowd to back it up. Likewise, Run River North impressed pretty much everyone that listened to them on the indoor stage. Derek Webb gushed about them before they played and it was easy to see why.

I spent the bulk of my evening at the Palm Door on Sabine – an oddball ballroom sort of venue that didn’t look it got used for shows, let alone a walk in bar, on the regular. Electropop project CAPPA played soon after I walked in. The young woman from Nashville has been trending on HypeMachine with singles, remixes, and covers – for good reason. CAPPA brings a healthy mixture of spunk and attitude to the stage in an environment oversaturated with electropop artists. Two “pyramids” and lots of lavender colored balloons adorned the stage, creating a fun yet slightly mysterious mood. I found my head bobbing as I sat on the floor stage right, charging my phone and hearing new tunes and a fun cover of TLC’s “No Scrubs.”

Sadly, the crowd would thin out for the last two bands of the night. Most people were crowding Sixth Street a mere two blocks away. Its a shame, because Them Vibes and KiND both killed it with their live sets. The lack of people in the room was kind of bumming me out but the fervor that Them Vibes performed their throwback rock and roll with was enough to snap me out of it by the end of their set. Them Vibes has a frontman who prefers to strut around the stage – but not in a haughty way. He and the rest of the band get caught up in their own songs such that it feels like they are seconds away from proverbially blasting into space at any given point in their set. That is to say, the music itself isn’t at all spacey – just feels like they band is bursting at the seams with raw energy. KiND is likewise an energetic band, but a little less “on the fringe of losing control” and more confined to their grooves that settle somewhere between Foster the People and Mutemath. Vocalist Gabe Vitek preffered to stay put behind his keys and let the songs speak for themselves, while other synth player and occassional saxophonist Anthony Jorissen liked to get his groove on while maintaining a (perhaps ironic?) stoic expression. With the drum kit placed stage left in the style of Darren King in MUTEMATH, the band powered through cuts from their record Eunoia. Personal favorites included “Love Miser” and “Axum”, the second of which is my favorite track on the record.

Onward to Day 4! Write up soon…