SXSW 2012 Highlights Day 1

With each passing year, SXSW has increased the number of bands, shows, parties, and even days the festival utilizes. Once only Wednesday through Saturday, in 2012, the music festival portion of SXSW stretched further back into Tuesday than ever before. Though a few events took place on Tuesday last year, this year more than a dozen venues held official showcases Tuesday night, hosting some high profile artists such as Built to Spill and Santigold.

As a show of good faith to their Interactive and Film patrons, SXSW permitted any badge holder of any kind admittance to the music showcases on Tuesday night. We decided that the bill at the Belmont held the most promise for the night with quirk-pop sweetheart Kimya Dawson, Tacoma up-and-comers Motopony, Austin legend Daniel Johnston, and headliner Built to Spill. The show, hosted by Brooklyn Vegan, also acted as a release party for Daniel Johnston’s new full-length, hardback bound graphic novel, Space Ducks.

R. Stevie Moore finished sound check as we arrived, and proceeded to fill the night with his off kilter folk based experimental songs from his expansive and obscure song catalog. In a fitting turn of events, antifolk hero Jeffrey Lewis appeared on stage next as an interim performer. Lewis, like Moore, possesses an extensive repertoire of songs, and has published literature on his forte: comics. Lewis’s sound – quirky, talky, nasally – fit the evening, recalling Dawson’s work, and the Austin crowd gave him a warm welcome on the inaugural night of SXSW Music. Perhaps his most notable moment of the evening was, appropriately, a comic, projected as a slideshow, about the French Revolution, narrated in sing-song voiceover by Lewis.

Dawson joined Lewis on stage and played several songs with a fuller band, including the theme song from the new iPad app developed for Johnston’s comic. Filled with bleeps, bloops, and spacey keys, the pop-oriented, chant was exactly what you might expect for such an occasion. Eventually, Lewis exited the stage and Dawson performed several of her notable numbers on her own, including the adorable “I Like Giants.” Running behind on time, the only complaint for the evening might be that we just didn’t get to hear enough from Dawson.
Following Dawson was another special guest, Okkervil River’s Will Sheff. Playing only a handful of songs, the crowd at the Belmont proved

challenging, often overpowering the solo singer with their rowdy chatter, particularly drifting from the VIP bar area. The dynamic lent further credence to a common SXSW complaint – attendees often want a party, and more cerebral, quieter bands can struggle if not carefully placed in the correct venues.

Motopony climbed on stage and promised that Johnston would be out soon, as he was scheduled to perform prior to the band. We consider this move well played, since Johnston can be difficult to get out to the microphone. This decision gave plenty of time for the songwriter to get up enough nerve to make his way, physically and psychologically, to the spotlight. Motopony sounded great, cohesive, but loose and relaxed, as they played their brand of rock, nestled somewhere between T-Rex and Antony and the Johnsons.

After about half a dozen songs, Johnston appeared on stage to wild cheers and applause. Motopony served as Johnston’s backing band, taking care of all musical duties, while Johnston took center stage, reading from a lyrics sheet while shouting into the microphone clutched in his trembling hand. Surprisingly, Sheff did not make another appearance on stage, but ultimately the crowd got most of what they wanted, which included “Speeding Motorcycle,” “Rock This Town,” and most of the performers from the evening reuniting on stage for the classic “True Love Will Find You in the End.” The set was everything one could hope for, and the best was still to come.

Built to Spill make a case for the significance experience plays in lasting as a band. My experience dictates that indie veterans often fall into one of two camps: 1) the camp of those jaded, lackluster, perhaps reunited for monetary reasons, or even for fun, but they certainly aren’t having that fun together, or 2) those bands who are excellent at what they do, practiced, polished, tight, and who genuinely enjoy making music together. Built to Spill is illustrative of this latter camp, comprised of professional musicians who deeply understand indie rock and what makes it great. When they took the stage late, after 1 A.M., lead singer Doug Martsch promised that they would “play until they made [them] stop.” It was a promise he made good on, exploding through crowd favorites, with almost no time for banter or discussion. Powerhouse songs like “You Were Right” moved the crowd and prompted fist-pumping, dancing, and choral singing. The band’s presence commanded all attention, as they pounded through relentless indie-rock. The performance left us feeling that the inaugural night of SXSW 2012 had already offered more than could be expected from several days of festival-going.