Oh Austin, how I love you.
Just when you think South By Southwest may not live up to expectations, it kicks you in the arse with a great night of shows. It’s like throwing a party and being worried that no one will show up. Instead, several thousand people turn out and it’s the party of the year.
After dropping my things off at the condo of my lovely host, Carrie, we head downtown and pick up our friend Dave of Montreal’s The Hour at the Austin Convention Center. We take a brisk five-block walk to the Driskill Hotel on 6th Street to have a quick chat with the lovely Lia Ronaldo and Laura Mackenzie of the Atlantic Film Festival who are on their way out to see the Foo Fighters at the closing Interactive party.
Our gang then walks down the street to see about getting into the Diamond Rings show at Spill further down on 6th Street. Unfortunately, it was packed out the door and cover was $15. I know the guy opened for Robyn and all, but that seems a little too steep to see a boy who loves wearing make-up whilst tinkling on his keyboards.
We continue our trek down 6th Street, now cordoned off for pedestrians only. The crowd is big, but it will get much bigger as the week wears on. Still, it feels like there wasn’t as many things happening last year on Tuesday night. 6th Street is positively electric.
Our music-going trio stops by Casino El Camino for a quick drink and I walk next door to Flamingo Cantina and into the middle of a killer set by Juno-nominated Haligonian hip-hop star Ghettosocks, backed up by DJ Fresh Kils.
To say these guys have come a long way is an understatement. From humble beginnings, playing shows at the Khyber Club (rest-in-peace, KC) to criminally ignored albums with Alpha Flight, Darren Pyper AKA Ghettosocks is now a force on the Canadian hip-hop scene. Judging by the response at the Flamingo that night, America might not be far behind.
And his latest record, Treat of the Day, is a great album, nominated for Best Rap Recording at the Junos this year. It’s a representation of what Ghettosocks does best: smooth rap flow, humourous lyrics (who else can make a hit single about his favourite foods in “Out for Treats”?), and amazingly catchy production.
That’s in part to Andrew Kilgore AKA Fresh Kils, who has quietly become one of the most in-demand producers in the country. His work on two of the five Juno-nominated rap recordings of the year attest to that much. What the guy does on an MPC sampler is pure wizardry.
After saying hello to both of these young gents, I meet my SXSW crew back the El Camino and we head down to Emo’s in an attempt to check out Kingston indie buzz band P.S. I Love You. But Emo’s is one of the hardest places to get into on a non-SXSW night and the line snakes down the block.
We turn our attempts to the Beauty Bar, the hipster palace of the Austin nightlife scene, where there is free cover and line-up of Austin-based acts to check out. True to form, the best shows are the ones you stumble upon.
First up is White White Lights, a psych-rock outfit fronted by an Emily Haines-in-the-making in Jennifer Matthews. While I would have liked to see a better percussion section and louder vocals from Matthews, who seemed handcuffed behind her synth, the guitar section of the ba
Tnd was what truly astounding me with loud, rhythmic Southern-fried rock a la Cage the Elephant.
What came next was an incredible find. Rapper Shunda K of Tampa, Florida brought her spitfire rhymes over a soul and 80s hip-hop-inspired set by DJ Orion. Shunda, real name Lashunda Nicole Flowers, who appeared on Peaches‘ I Feel Cream served more as a party-starter and immediately had a crowd of crazed out dancers mesmerized by her performance which flashed me back to the late-90s drum ‘n bass toasters.
She was especially gracious in person, a sweet lady trying to make her name in a male-dominated industry. But get this talented MC in front of a big crowd and you will have a riot on your hands. This was no doubt the show of the night.
From there, it was time for some tacos at Tex-Mex fast-food joint Taco Cabana (way better than donairs…just sayin’) and time for bed. Day 2 awaits and based on the fun had in our first half-day in Austin, we’re going to need a vacation when we return to the real world to recover from this madness.
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius
Steps walked in Day One: 6975 or 3.5 miles or 5.63 kilometres.
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2011.