Words: Ryan Getz

Talk about a day that was all over the place.

My day began with a brief visit to the Quantum Collective presents Southwest Invasion at Whole Foods. The set up this year was much the same as the previous year, with plenty of awesome food, health food samples, and more to compliment the just-as-savory tunes coming from the stage.

At this showcase I got to catch The Young Wild and Powers – indie pop/rock bands that are getting some serious momentum behind them. While SXSW has been touted as the place where industry people discover bands in years past, nowadays it is more the case that this is the place where the public can go to see bands the industry is propping up to be the next big thing. Powers and The Young Wild are two such bands. They had a lot in common, actually – other than the number of members on stage being different. Both demonstrated contagious enthusiasm in their performance, and both had some seriously infectious tunes. For memorability though – I have to give the award to Powers. I predict that summer 2016 will have a hit from them on most playlists.

My ADD self was itching for a change of scenery so I found myself at Hole in the Wall – a University of Texas campus bar, for the Stereogum showcase. The two highlights of this showcase for me were Diet Cig and Japanese Breakfast. The former played a compact set of ethereal yet raw psych-pop tunes that defied the vibe of the bar – very much a dive. Singer Michelle Zauner bounced around the stage with a paradoxically stoic expression on her face, occasionally making use of an electronic sampler pad near her pedal setup. The peppy yet haunting tunes definitely stayed in my head for awhile. Also notable was Diet Cig’s set – most people that follow indie music have heard of the powerpop duo by now, notable for the steady rhythms matching guitar shredding, catchy tunes, and dancing-around-the stage-complete-with-high-kicks from singer Alex Luciano. From the looks of it, she was just as outgoing off stage as she was onstage. And the straightforward tunes translated well with just two people – singing about young love (including a new song that mentioned trying to make love in the back of a pick up truck).

A revisit to the Noisetrade showcase included bits and pieces of sets from John Mark Nelson and Rayland Baxter. I have to admit I’m not much of a country guy, but the Americana spin on it was done well by Baxter, as he sung tunes that had the vibe of being left out in the sun for awhile – baked to the point of being kinda raw, but not overdone. The crowd seemed into it. More up my alley was the lighthearted folk-pop from John Mark Nelson – a solo artist who functions more on a band level than as a songwriter that happens to have backing musicians. The clean cut ensemble played humbly yet confidently through their set and they fit right in on their current tour supporting Little Green Cars – a band I saw support Alt-J a few years ago.

One of my more anticipated sets of SXSW was The Worn Flints. I was dying to see how Austin would respond to one of my favorite live bands in Columbus. The Sweetwater showcase had a small but engaged crowd who seemed to dig the antics of Kenny Stiegele (one of the main selling points of the band for me – not to discount the value of Steve, Jake, and Emma!). I wished the crowd was as stoked as I was but it was nevertheless cool to see some new fans get won over, and also be in the presence of some Columbus friends on the other side of the country (looking at you, Jon Hayes, April Kulscar, Dan Mitchell, JD Johnston, etc). Opening with “Colorful Waste of Time” and concluding with “Monika,” the psych-blues quartet gave it their all as always. Emma Swysgood is transitioning well in her new role as second vocalist for the band. The old tunes leave her presence teetering on awkward at times, though her demeanor is so easygoing it frankly doesn’t matter.

A storm rolled through soon after the Flints’ set ended and I followed my Columbus photographer friend Dan Mitchell to The Future of Music Showcase – an unofficial yet stacked event. The secret guest that night (and the only band I got to see at this showcase) was Violet Skies from South Wales. I feel like a broken record now, name dropping yet another electronica influenced indie pop band but the band, dressed in black, brought a sort of elegance to the genre I hadn’t seen elsewhere. Not quite sultry, but not vanilla either. Columbus friend April Kulscar asked me “who IS this?” with an incredulous tone at one point, before I had figured it out. When an unknown band from across the pond catches the attention of the manager of a Tuned Up favorite, you ought to take notice.

I wandered over to Buffalo Billiards (where I caught Royal Teeth last year) to catch JMR, per the recommendation of Tuned Up contributor Michael Belt (read his review of JMR’s EP here). The soul singer, discovered by Aaron Marsh, cast a spell across the sparse audience, who remained largely silent during his set. I’m always impressed by a dude able to sustain a falsetto a tune – let alone through 90% of a set like this guy did, and only backed by a live drummer. The drummer was a last minute addition to the set if I remember correctly. In marked juxtaposition to JMR was the slightly flamboyant rock group The Karma Killers, fronted by Micky James. Micky could be considered a Billie Joe Armstrong doppelganger would it not be for the fact that the Karma Killers are decidedly straightforward rock and roll with a bit of a glam spin – and not punk. In spite of the small crowd – perhaps suffering because of the recent storm – the band played like they were in an arena. It sounded like it too – with the tunes echoing around the expansive upper level of the club. Though I was there for JMR – this band won me over, and these kinds of unexpected discoveries are what I love about SXSW.

This showcase was followed by another unofficial showcase with Tuned Up show alum Troy Petty. This was my second straight SXSW seeing him and although the sound kinda sucked, it was cool seeing him play with a trio this time – and in a bar full of Columbus folks. Some were there on account of the outdoor Coheed and Cambria show getting rained out, but everyone seemed to have a a good time. So many representations of Tuned Up eras were in that room. Barrett Hoffman, who I met at a Kye Kye show, was on drums for Troy that night (I booked his band Under the Docks for one of the first Tuned Up events, whom he played guitar for at the time). Several GrooveU students were present, as well as the aforementioned folks who showed up to the Worn Flints show.

Rounding out my night was a stop at Stubb’s to catch a bit of Crystal Castles, and Charlie XCX with Sophie. Crystal Castles played a fun set full of attitude, yet the crowd (and band) fell victim to sound issues as well as what seemed to be a prima-donna attitude from the band. White lights created visual waves to complement some poppy drum and bass sonic waves before the backtracks got stuck (I think?) on a long interlude, resulting in the band storming offstage without acknowledging the crowd. Whatever, I’d be willing to see the band again – I’ll give em the benefit of the doubt on having a bad day. Charlie XCX and Sophie continued the mood amidst the chilly atmosphere – warming the crowd back up although the weather remained in sync with the end of the previous set.