popwreckoning

Mötley Crüe recently rocked the Sprint Center and joining them were glam rockers New York Dolls.

This band was the favorite of our photographer, Todd Zimmer, who shares these photos of the Dolls:

On Saturday night the 12th at the 9:30 Club, D.C. readied for a clash of two rock goddesses – New Zealander electropopper Ladyhawke and Norwegian punk rocker Ida Maria. Support for the night was provided by London electropop/remixer extraordinaire Frankmusik and New York glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons. This tour is all thanks to the organization and chutzpah of SoCal celebrity gossip “reporter” Perez Hilton. A nice Neuro rep outside the club before the show explained to me that the owner of the company is a long-time friend of Hilton’s, so when the opportunity came up to him to sponsor Hilton’s new venture, it was a no-brainer really. The pleasant Neuro reps were handing out complimentary samples of their company’s energy drinks prior to the show, ensuring no one would forget who was sponsoring the event.

We found out from Hilton’s introduction of Frankmusik that the show in D.C. that night was his first ever in America. Frankmusik is the stage name for Vincent Frank, a young Londoner who really does it all musically – he can sing, beatbox, play the piano, and write songs, and has also remixed and produced for many artists already. Amazing CV, and he’s not even 25 yet. A lit-up banner with his name announced his arrival. After a short beatboxing exhibition, he headed straight into “Time Will Tell,” which was followed by an excited fan yelling, “you’re so cool!” He grinned back at the crowd, replying in a low, sexy English accent, “I try.”

Amusingly, fans later threw glowsticks and a pair of lacy, hot pink underwear on the stage, and equally amusingly, Frank was appreciative. “3 Little Words,” a song I know and love from hearing it on BBC Radio, was fantastic live; as with the other songs, Frank gave a high octane performance, jumping up and down and getting the crowd into his music. “Better Off as 2,” another highlight, reminds of the most delicious ’80s pop I enjoyed as a kid. Based on the crowd’s delighted shouts and dancing (mostly younger than me), I think Frankmusik is making a good impression on them as well.

Set List:
Time Will Tell
When You’re Around
Gotta Boyfriend
Confusion Girl
3 Little Words
Done Done
Instep
Better Off as 2

Semi Precious Weapons were next up. Think New York Dolls but the volume and fashion taken way, way up past eleven. According to Hilton, they’re Lady Gaga‘s favorite band of the moment. Make of that what you will. Singer/front man Justin Tranter straddled the fine line between fey coyness and unapologetic crassness, strutting on the stage like a proud peacock in a cut-up Jack Daniel’s t-shirt, leggings, and stiletto boots. He would thank us for or beg us for more applause, but then later shout as us to “shut up” or say something in foul language to further work up the already worked-up crowd. With Tranter, the band comprises Stevy Pynes (guitar), Cole Whittle (bass), and Dan Crean (drums), each of the three of them displaying an almost equally flamboyant way of playing throughout their set. This could especially be said about bassist Whittle, who was wearing a Mexican poncho and manically playing his bass.

“Put a Diamond In It and Bite Down,” the most suggestive of all their songs of the night (which is not saying much because most of their songs are racy [!]), had gig-goers reaching out desperately for their Tranter, their hero. They’re the kind of band that you either love or hate. Judging back the raucous reaction from the floor, I’d say the crowd definitely loved them. And the band gave that love back: Tranter hung out and took photos with adoring fans, and Whittle, still dressed in his poncho, was dancing, on the mostly deserted floor, looking like a man possessed by the rhythm.

If you watch MTV anymore, you will have probably seen the video for Ida Maria‘s “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” because it’s kind of hard to miss the suggestive cartoon banana related to the subject of the song. In the studio recording, she adopts a shouty, punk singing style. Live, she manages this with a hint of blues reminiscent of Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant. Indeed, one of her songs, “Devil,” has the line “I’m gonna quit you baby” and even the guitar lines most excellently shredded by lead guitarist Stefan Törnby reminded me of something Jimmy Page might have played.

Admittedly, this was a very weird set delivered by Ida Maria. Although the band did have a printed-up set list, Ida made it up as she went along, pausing between songs to consult with her band mates on what to play next. Her set began with a brand-new song, “Kitchen Floor,” that Ida explained that only her parents had ever heard before, and she read the lyrics out for a black and white speckled composition book. She would refer to this book throughout the set, which made me wonder if she had forgotten the lyrics to her own songs. She recommended us to listen to Fela Kuti only “and you will be very happy.” “Oh My God,” released in late 2007 in the UK and re-released there this past January, as well as set-ender “I Like You…” were the bright spots of the night, even though she declared “I don’t believe in feminism, I believe in equality!” before the latter. A completely sober Hilton came out after Ida Maria and band had left the stage and commented, almost in an apology, that her set was “a train wreck.”

The songs of Ladyhawke (real name Phillippa “Pip” Brown) hark back to the synth-filled ’80s, when music was unabashedly simpler. Her debut album, released in Australia and the UK last year but just released here in the States, is one of my favorite albums of recent memory. Having seen her in England in May and totally loving her performance there, I was stoked to hear she was coming to America – and D.C. – to do a headlining tour.

Ladyhawke is not a girly-girl in the conventional sense; she took to the stage looking more grunge than a fashion plate, in a plaid shirt over a Nirvana tee and jeans. Her look fits her music well; despite the blonde tresses, she gives the guitar-playing boys a run for their money, using the opportunity of instrumental bridges to really rock out. A couple songs into the set, she admitted that she was really nervous coming to D.C. but said the crowd’s reception of her and her music made her calm down and relax, and that she’d managed to do some sightseeing earlier in the day. Awww.

She played almost all the songs off her album, with single cuts “Paris is Burning” and “Back of the Van” receiving the loudest cheering; she also included a newer B-side, “Danny and Jenny.” The finish for the night was the fabulous “My Delirium,” the ode to all girls who have ever been all consumed by a love so much they can’t function: “hey! you`re playing with my delirium / and the longer I wait the harder I’m gonna fall / stop! playing with my delirium / ‘cos I’m outta my head and outta my self control“. In the end, there was no contest: Ladyhawke won the crown, thundering applause ending her set and a wonderful night in Washington. I never thought I’d say this, but Mr. Perez Hilton, you have good musical taste!

Set List:
Magic
Professional Suicide
Dusk ’til Dawn
Another Runaway
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
Danny and Jenny
Better Than Sunday
Back of the Van
Paris is Burning
My Delirium

Ladyhawke: website | myspace | remix monday: “back of the van” | @ Dot to Dot Festival 2009
Ida Maria: website | myspace
Frankmusik: website | myspace
Semi Precious Weapons: website | myspace

After having been asked to headline the Village Voice’s infamous Siren Festival at the historic Coney Island for several years, Built to Spill finally accepted the honor, following in the footsteps of some of indie rocks latest and greatest such as Ra Ra Riot, Broken Social Scene, Steven Malkmus and the Jicks, New York Dolls, M.I.A, Cursive, Popwreckoning favorites White Rabbits, TV on the Radio, and Death Cab for Cutie, to name a few. It’s generally speaking a who’s who of both up and comers as well as hard-hitting indie heavyweights and it’s FREE!

The last time I attended I was young 21 living in Williamsburg. It was the first year the festival took place. It was 100-plus degrees and by the end we were crispy, stuffed with zepolis, covered in beer and sand, and eventually everyone started to look like the side show freaks that Coney Island is famous for. That year we saw Peaches, Rainer Maria, Guided by Voices, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. It was quintessential New York, one of those amazing days where you keep pinching yourself, “Do I really live here?” But for some reason, I never returned to Coney Island or the Siren Festival after that. Truth, Coney Island was dirty, run down and kinda sad. A forgotten NYC treasure with a giant price tag and an expiration date that every New Yorker was aware of. Coney Island was finished…or so I thought. In terms of the festival and it’s stellar lineup each year, I always thought to myself, ‘Well, I can catch them at The Bowery….right?’

I had a change of heart this year. Lured by the opportunity to see Built to Spill under the shifting sky, by the beach, at the end of a perfect Summer Saturday, I returned to Coney Island nine years later, and now I’m left wondering why I waited so long. This years lineup included Built to Spill, The Raveonettes, Spank Rock, Frightened Rabbit, A Place to Bury Strangers, Grand Duchy, Monotonix, Thee Oh Sees, Future of the Left, Japandroids, Michachu & The Shapes, Tiny Masters of Today, Bear Hands, The Blue Van, Justine D., and Deadheat DJs.

Grand Duchy is Frank Black, a.k.a. Black Francis, a.k.a. lead singer of The Pixies, and if you don’t know that…well shame on you, go do your homework before continuing. Anywho, Black Francis and his wife Violet Clark are Grand Duchy and they played songs on the main stage from their debut album, Petits Fours. The hooky songs feature vocals from Clark paired with Francis’s trademark storming guitar riffs. Clark, in an artist statement, describes the music as a set of opposites: “eclectic and consistent, raw and cooked, smooth and rough, punky and pop, guitar and synth, he and she…Dinner and dessert.” Anything Francis does, in my opinion is genius. See Teenager of the Year as reference. Grand Duchy is another feather in his hat.

Built to Spill took the stage to play the last set, just as the sky was changing from day to eve and the Cyclone lights flickered on. The band that inspired Modest Mouse, Death Cab, and the ubiquitous Northwest Sound that followed, played for over two hours. They played everything you’d ever want to hear, giving the crowd just what they came for. Everyone knew every lyric. You almost didn’t belong if you didn’t. The first note of “Carry the Zero” dropped and the hardcores were high-fiving. Doug Martsch turned four-minute songs into eleven-minute epic guitar jams busting string after string as fireworks blossomed in the purple sky overhead and lovers clutched each other closer. It was ridiculously magical. People were literally turning to the stranger next to them with Cheshire cat grins. And again, nine years later, I’m asking, “Do I really live here?”

Coney Island hasn’t changed much in nine years. It’s still run down, forgotten, and kinda sad, but that’s what you love about it. It buzzes with nostalgia for a time when everything was hustling and bustling, when honey roasted almonds were five cents on the boardwalk, when the skyline mattered, and people believed in two-headed snake babies and one hundred pound rats. To visit Coney Island is a suspension of disbelief. Seeing Built to Spill in this context is a somewhat of a similar act, so good it must be fiction.

Built to Spill: website | myspace
Siren Fest: website

So I survived my first year at SXSW. I learned that it is possible to live off a diet of alcohol and Zone energy bars. I learned that it is almost ridiculous to make a schedule for SXSW and the best things happen when you are being spontaneous. I learned if you act important enough, you can get into almost anything–backstages included. I learned it is possible to get sunburn in Texas even if you had spent most of your time inside venues. I learned that it is a good idea to carry a power strip, water and batteries in your bag. With all these lessons, I think it is safe to say with all these lessons that my trip to Austin made up for my skipping a week of classes.

I can’t wait to go back next year. By now you’ve seen many of my individual show reviews from the debut of Tinted Windows to the possible finale of Explosions in the Sky. Soon you’ll start seeing some of the many interviews that Joshua, Jessica and I conducted at the festival. But before the interviews I wanted to share a segment I like to think of as “SXSW Scraps”. Essentially, the PopWreckoning team saw a lot of shows and took a lot of photos. I didn’t think I could do some of these bands justice with full reviews, but I still thought we should share the photos.

In “SXSW Scraps” you’ll find many band photos. Jess and I caught some of Omaha’s Beep Beep in the Radio Room. Then Josh snapped a few shots of Brooke Waggoner, who played piano as a part of a mostly string quartet. I saw legendary Daniel Johnston in the equally legendary Emo’s. He had security on either side of the stage and he was tone deaf, but he was classic. Josh caught some of The Elms.

We all made sure to see Kevin Devine play an electronic set with The Goddamn Band. The new songs sound brilliant and we were beyond impressed. I wandered off on my own and caught The Kin play on the top floor of a hotel. It was really sweet when the guys went out into the middle of the audience and made everybody gather around for a ballad. At a small bar called Jackalopes, several of us PopWreckers gathered around a too-small stage for Kitch and the catchy Miniature Tigers. Another time, I found myself at some harder rock shows featuring Louisiana’s The Vettes and Mother’s Anthem, which you may know better as a side project of Blue October‘s guitarist.

I caught some of my favorite artists that I learned about from TV commercials: Landon Pigg and Lights. I also found myself checking out some of my favorite aussies, Youth Group, whom I became familiar with through their cover of “Forever Young”, which they did play. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Von Bondies, I recommend you do. Though they have a male lead singer, they have two rocking females in the group. Finally, Josh and I snapped a few shots of the phenomenal New York Dolls. I felt a little out of place without a leather jacket, but I’m glad I got the chance to see these rock legends.

In addition to leftover band photos, we snapped a few random shots and pics of the street. In these photos, I’ve included a picture of the fascinating port-a-potties, which Austin is kind enough to designate for males and females. In the Convention Center, we found a pile of legos and people were pretty crafty with what they made of them. You’ll see the busy 6th Street that was filled with people, vendors and even more bands that couldn’t fit in the venues. The streets were pretty wild. One day, while I was waiting in line, a pillow fight broke out. That’s right. A pillow fight. Feathers were everywhere. Here, you’ll even find your PopWreckoning editors walking to the festival. Finally, you’ll find a few pictures of our unofficial mascot Gig Pig. Basically, we have a little pig figure that we took to shows and a few bands played around with.

So here they are–these are the leftover photos, or the scraps, if you will. Enjoy.

SXSW: website