Last year we reported on the strong presence the District had at the annual music industry spring break that is SXSW in Austin, TX. This year, in addition to official shows from The Hall Monitors, Benjy Ferree, These United States and, oddly enough, Frodus, there were a number of unofficial appearances as well. The DC Does TX day party returned to Austin for its second year, District-based Exotic Fever Records held a shindig of their own, and a few acts like Laura Burhenn and Wild Fictions had some performances without other locals on the bill. There are always at least 20 fantastic shows going on at the same time at SXSW, so we didn’t make it to everyone’s performances, but here’s a quick look at some of the excellent shows that we did catch.
Carol Bui at Beauty Bar, Tuesday night
“What language is she singing in?” one concertgoer asked the person next to them as Bui started her set. “I think that’s Arabic,” said the second person. “What nationality is she?” asked the first concertgoer again after watching the bass-heavy song for about thirty seconds. “I believe she’s Vietnamese,” said the second person. The first person looked up, thought about what she was hearing then turned back and said, “I like this. This is good.” Although she did in fact sing most of her set in English, and played primarily tracks from 2007’s critically acclaimed Everyone Wore White, Bui (yes, she’s Vietnamese) premiered tracks like that opening song and “Mira, You’re Free With Me,” which show off a more unhinged side of Bui, her vocals at a more desperate pitch than what fans have become used to. Based on crowd reaction, this went over well.
Deleted Scenes at Friends Bar, Wednesday afternoon
Although it wasn’t readily apparent based to the thousands of people flooding 6th Street, a quick conversation with Deleted Scenes unearthed that the rotten economy hadn’t bypassed SXSW. The former Three Stars and Unbuckled alums had two of their five day parties canceled outright. Thus, despite an extremely favorable review of their recent release, Birdseed Shirt, from Pitchfork, the band couldn’t give potential new fans outside the District more than a couple opportunities to find out for themselves whether they merited such praise. As such, they went onstage at Friends Bar like they still had something to prove, thereby drawing people in from 6th Street with their friends and their video cameras. Singer/guitarist Dan Scheuerman got so into the performance during the emotionally charged “Mortal Sin” that he knocked his microphone stand right into the audience as he convulsed about during the song’s final riffs.
