SXSW 2012 - Saturday Night Showcase at the Jacked Stage
Day five, continued, and my final assignment for SXSW.
The lineup:
- Turquoise Jeep
- Chappo
- Run DMT
- White Denim
- !!!
As I've mentioned in previous posts, the life of a concert photographer is seldom a comfortable one. I have to say, though, this was quite a cushy gig. For starters, the chap at the front gate was kind enough to give me a wristband allowing me access to the lounge, so I was able to get food and drinks and somewhere to go to relax between performances. In addition, I had access to the photographers' pit for the first two songs of every act, so there was no need to jostle for a decent position.
The stage itself was built like a giant Doritos vending machine. If you were downtown during SXSW you probably found it towering over you at some point. This place had been completely packed the previous night because of a surprise appearance by Snoop Dogg. Tonight it was slightly less crowded, but still busy nonetheless.
First up, Turquoise Jeep. I'm not quite sure how to describe these guys. They're definitely a parody band, but they play it completely straight. They have all the choreographed dance moves you'd normally associate with a boyband (albeit with a lot more gyrating than usual), but their lyrics are definitely much more risqué. It's all very much tongue-in-cheek (sample lyric - "How you like your eggs? Fried or fertilized?").
After each band had finished their set, they were ushered to a little Maxim / Doritos booth in the lounge, where they were interviewed by a somewhat cartoonishly-proportioned young lady. This was all being filmed, so I assume it was maybe for the Maxim website.
Next up, Chappo.
Before a showcase, if I can, I like to do a bit of research on the bands I'm going to see. In this case, I had become addicted to the song "Come Home" by Chappo, and I was looking forward to seeing them.
I really like the photos I got from their set. Frontman Alex Chappo is another true showman.
When it came time for the Maxim interview, it dawned me that no one was looking at the interviewer directly. I can only assume they didn't want to be caught on film staring at her cleavage.
Just for the record, everyone she interviewed failed in the end, but Alex Chappo is the only one I caught on camera trying to catch a sneaky glance. This photograph below makes me laugh.
Third act of the night, Austin's very own Run DMT.
On camera, DJ sets can often look quite underwhelming, but I think the excellent lighting helped a lot here.
Every Maxim interview had a cringe-worthy moment where our busty interviewer friend would get the interviewees to give their opinions on a new Doritos flavor that they were trying to promote (Doritos were sponsoring the whole event, after all). Pretty much every musician looked suitably horrified when they they were asked to do this, but Run DMT took it in their stride like champs.
The penultimate act of the night were another Austin band, White Denim.
There's been a lot of hype surrounding these guys for a while now, and there was clearly a lot of people excited to see them.
And finally, !!!.
I'd actually seen !!! at a music festival in Japan about five years ago, but I was so far away from the stage I didn't really see what was going on. If I had, I would have realized that Nic Offer is the world's most insanely energetic frontman. The guy is just some kind of relentless dancing machine, whether he's gyrating away at the front of the stage or thrusting his way through the audience (which he did several times throughout the set). A genuine crowd-pleaser, and a great way to cap off the festival.
Until next year!
SXSW 2012 - Madisons at Betsy's Bar
Day five! It's the final stretch.
Before my last official assignment for SXSW kicked off, I went to see Madisons play at Betsy's Bar. I do think I need to remember that this is a photography blog, and not just some forum for me to waffle on about bands that I love. But I do love Madisons so very, very much, so to hell with photo-blog conventions.
Madisons are an excellent indie folk-rock band from right here in Austin. They are currently an eight-piece, although their lineup seems to be continually expanding. I'm half expecting them to be a seventeen-piece by the summer. I could go on and on about the incredibly skilled musicians in the band, the fantastic arrangements, or frontman Dominic Solis' sexy, sexy voice, but I suppose all you need to know is that Madisons write and perform some absolutely cracking tunes. Their Betsy's show was a blast, and the crowd loved them.
Judging from their live set, I don't think there's going to be a single dud track on their new album, which I'm reliably informed will be out within the next few months. Check 'em out!
SXSW 2012 - 18th Floor at the Hilton Garden Inn Showcase
Day four, and my assignment was a showcase on the 18th floor of the Hilton Garden Inn.
The lineup:
- The Abramson Singers
- Doe Paoro
- Delta Rae
- Chrysta Bell
- Busby Marou
- Luluc
- The Spring Standards
Compared to previous nights this was a much more subdued affair, and I kind of loved that. I've always jokingly tried to perpetuate my image as a rock 'n' roll photographer (and was sadly talked out of making business cards describing myself as such), but by this stage in the festival I just hurt. All over. I could scarcely conceal my delight upon arriving at the 18th floor to find carpet, chairs, and air conditioning on full blast.
Of all the artists in the lineup the only one that I had previously been aware of was Chrysta Bell, and this was because of her involvement in the soundtrack for the David Lynch film Inland Empire. The song 'Polish Poem' is just absolutely lovely.
Anyway, her connection to David Lynch was partly the reason I was excited about her appearance. I was informed beforehand that Lynch might be at the show since he produced her most recent album, and if he was I should try to get a shot of him. Being somewhat of a David Lynch fan (I particularly love Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive), I was anxious to see if he would turn up.
He didn't. And now all I have is an anti-climactic and quite frankly terrible story to tell about it.
But not to worry. Chrysta Bell put on a great performance, and I think she may be the sexiest musician I've ever shot. And this is coming from the person who got to shoot Bruce Springsteen mere days before - a man who is literally twice my age (but annoyingly still a million times more handsome).
SXSW 2012 - Audible Treats Hip-Hop Showcase at Kiss & Fly
Day three...continued.
I didn't have much time to recuperate from the NPR day party before it was time to head out to my official assignment for the evening - the Audible Treats hip-hop showcase at Kiss & Fly.
The (extensive) lineup:
- THEESatisfaction
- SL Jones
- Boldy James
- Mistah F.A.B.
- Roach Gigz
- A.Dd+
- L.E.P Bogus Boys
- Flatbush Zombies
- Moe Green
- Georgia Anne Muldrow
- Dudley Perkins
- Talib Kweli
- Souls of Mischief
Hip-hop shows, in my humble opinion, represent a special challenge for the concert photographer. For one thing, rappers almost constantly have their microphones right up at their faces. I also see a lot of performers wearing baseball caps and sunglasses. Any one or combination of these things can make for a lot of face obscuration, and it's sometimes hard to get a compelling shot. There's not a lot I can do about hats and glasses, but if I can I like to get as far to the side of the stage as possible so I'm not shooting head-on.
Despite these difficulties, I really enjoyed the whole showcase. Standouts for me included A.Dd+ (rappers from Dallas, of all places) and L.E.P Bogus Boys, whose performances were infused with such an insane amount of passion and energy. They were all clearly having a ball on stage, and it didn't take long for the crowd to get swept along with them. Talib Kweli was another high point (and the only artist I was previously aware of going into this showcase). He's just a ridiculously charismatic guy, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand for his entire set. A real showman. However, the absolute highlight of the evening (and perhaps the highlight of the entire festival) for me was Mistah F.A.B. He'd already won the crowd over with a very quirky and playful stage presence, but he then proceeded to show everyone why he's known as the "Freestyle King" in his native California. He asked the audience to hold up objects, anything that they happened to have on them, and using these objects as inspiration he began to freestyle at great speed for several minutes without missing a single beat. It was jaw-droppingly good. I'll admit that I was waving my camera in the air in rather a deranged fashion, but Mistah F.A.B. didn't spot it. It's a shame. I really wanted to add "Richard McBlane and his camera have inspired great rap lyrics" to my bio.
SXSW 2012 - NPR Day Party at The Parish
Day three!
Already I was beginning to suffer a bit from a lack of sleep, and my shoulders and back were killing me from having to lug heavy camera gear around everywhere (curse you, telephoto lens!). But that didn't matter, for today The Magnetic Fields were playing.
I've been a big, big fan of The Magnetic Fields for many years now, but this was the first time I was going to get to see them live, headlining the NPR Day Party at the Parish. The Magnetic Fields have never really achieved mainstream success, but they have a huge cult following, and I would say that they were a pretty big deal for SXSW. The massive line outside the venue only confirmed this.
This was the lineup:
- La Vida Boheme
- Sugar Tongue Slim
- Polica
- Lower Dens
- The Magnetic Fields
It was certainly an eclectic mix of bands, and it made for an interesting show. The Magnetic Fields themselves were excellent. Visually, they weren't perhaps the most dynamic band I've ever shot (they eschewed the dramatic lighting that accompanied all of the previous bands, and frontman Stephen Merritt looks like he could be giving a lecture in most of my photos), but musically you'd be hard-pressed to find any complaints. Apparently there were even members of the audience moved to tears by the performance.
