Saturday of SXSW is one of my favorite days of the year. The city is so energized and the craziness has reached a peak, like everyone is on the last leg of a marathon, and a final burst of music, beer, and schmoozing will get us all to heaven. Spent a good part of the afternoon at the epicenter, better know as South Congress, where I caught sets from Jon Dee Graham, Chuck Prophet, Eliza Gilkyson, Bruce Robison, and current fave Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears. Lewis’ set in the parking lot of the San Jose Hotel was a mob scene. Why young Joe and band were wearing Star Trek uniforms I didn’t understand, but no matter how many times I’d seen them last week, I marveled at their ability to get people to shake that thang.
Saturday night, I was less than impressed with Duffy at Stubb’s. The latest buzz act from the UK seemed like she was auditioning for American Idol. I heard Andy Langer say the same thing about seeing her, so I’m not alone. Her big hit, “Mercy,” was the best of the lot, and while remarkably comfortable on stage, none of her other songs seemed to pack the same punch.
I closed the night with the Bloodshot Records folks at Red Eyed Fly. Justin Townes Earle and band seemed to have almost recovered from having their van and all their equipment stolen the night before. Much more old-timey live than on record, Earle possesses a strong voice, and his country visions went down mighty easy. He was followed by one of the great undiscovered bands in the land, Detroit’s Deadstring Brothers. Before they played, Bloodshot honcho Rob Miller and I commiserated that they don’t have a bigger following. Then the sextet blew to doors off the place with a solid set of Stonesy rock and alt.country. OK, not the most original sound, but their frisky stage presence and hard-driving rhythms deserve a wider audience.
Finally, I want to note how delightful it was to see Throw Down Your Heart won the Audience Award in the 24 Beats per Second category at SXSW Film. The flick follows banjo master Béla Fleck on a trip to Africa to explore the roots of his instrument and features uncommon communication between Fleck and the people he meets. At the screening I went to, there was spontaneous applause following some of the performances, a rare reaction in a movie theatre but hardly surprising considering the heart-tugging musicality witnessed.
This article appears in March 14 • 2008.