photo by Chevy Anderson
words by Michael Todd and Sean McCarthy | photos by Bridget McQuillan, Chevy Anderson, Chris Dinan and Michael Todd
Saturday day at SXSW usually starts a bit slow, mainly due to the flat-out hedonism that can be seen on 4th, 5th and 6th streets Friday night: Even the most intense of partiers need some rebound time. But with Prince closing out SXSW and Saturday typically being the "final" day, there was a palpable sense of urgency as this was the last time to catch anything that one hadn't yet experienced.
For our part, Hear Nebraska ended our week's worth of coverage with photos, concert audio of Iron and Wine and reviews, with one of our favorites — The Thermals — deserving a new kind of concert review, featured here. At the bottom of the story, we also bring you a series of street photos to let you in on the rest of the city during its busiest time, and photos posted with the #nesxsw hashtag.
concert audio
photos/reviews
Baths, Call of the Void, Cashmere Cat, Devendra Banhart, The Drowning Men, Dustin Wong, Frightened Rabbit, Hiatus Kaiyote, Howlin' Brothers, Iron and Wine, Kelela, King Tuff, The Milk Carton Kids, Revival Tour, Shlohmo, Surfer Blood, Takashi Miyaki, The Thermals, WALL., White Lung, XXYYXX
photo slideshow review
other photos
Baths | The Mohawk
photo by Chevy Anderson
Call of the Void | Red 7
words by Sean McCarthy
After popping in to a few bars to catch whatever was playing, the plan was to wait in line for at least an hour at Red 7 to see Parquet Courts (reviewed further below), one of the most anticipated bands of SXSW.
The second stage opened with Colorado-based death metal band Call of the Void, which released their debut album this week. Lead singer Steve Vanica does a mean Henry Rollins impersonation as he stomped around the stage during the band's 30-minute set. Unfortunately, when you're opening a set, you're not going to get much of a mosh pit. One person hilariously flailed his hands and twisted around in Popeye-like animation, hoping desperately to knock into another enthusiastic fan. However, people just moved out of his way.
Cashmere Cat | The Mohawk
photo by Bridget McQuillan
Devendra Banhart | Central Presbyterian Church
photo by Michael Todd
The Drowning Men | Cedar Street Courtyard
photo by Michael Todd
Dustin Wong | Central Presbyterian Church
photos by Bridget McQuillan
Frightened Rabbit | The Mohawk
photo by Michael Todd
photos by Chevy Anderson
Hiatus Kaiyote | Maggie Mae's
photo by Chris Dinan
Howlin' Brothers | Threadgill's
words by Sean McCarthy
My day began by revisiting the area of the most polarizing show at SXSW (The Flaming Lips) and going to Threadgill's to see the Folk Alliance International showcase. I caught Hermitage, Tennessee's Howlin' Brothers, who put on an affable set of traditionalist jig-oriented folk, complete with guitarist Jared Green doing some impressive rug-cutting steps in his overalls.
Iron and Wine | Central Presbyterian Church
words and photos by Michael Todd
LISTEN TO A PORTION OF THE CONCERT HERE.
Following Devendra Banhart's "killing time for Iron and Wine," the main event of Sam Beam was a welcome and much kinder change at Central Presbyterian Church. The 15 or so of us photographers kneeled at the alter stage (get it?) as the full-bearded and long-haired southeastern native walked out to greet the packed pews. To our surprise, he started by applauding the camera wielders for making it through the week.
Similarly, between songs later on, Beam asked the crowd if we'd ever see another concert after the overstimulation of SXSW. From the audience's devoted silence, though, it seemed that most everyone appreciated a quiet ending to a loud festival. As he had done throughout the week, the 45-minute set included about three-quarters requests and a quarter new songs.
Of the fan favorites, Beam played "Such Great Heights" with a small flub on the first line, fairly faithful renditions of "Jesus the Mexican Boy" and "Woman King," a rhythmically and melodically different version of "Fever Dream" and "Trapeze Swinger," making sure to censor himself in the religious setting.
Beam's affable nature between songs and his ability to turn the sanctuary with capacity for 500 or so into a small living room made this a wonderful last concert to catch in Austin.
Kelela | The Mohawk
photo by Chevy Anderson
King Tuff | The Jr
photos by Chris Dinan
The Milk Carton Kids | Central Presbyterian Church
photo by Michael Todd
Parquet Courts | Red 7
words by Sean McCarthy
The Parquet Courts came on around 10 at Red 7. After playing a few shows already, the band seemed somewhat tired during the first few songs, but midway through, they began living up to their reputation as a great live act. Nothing new was reinvented with the Parquet Courts' style of garage rock, but it proves that if you do a genre well, it will always sound fresh.
Revival Tour | Cedar Street Courtyard
photo by Michael Todd