Friday was a hot and humid day in Austin, Texas. No matter what Mother Nature dishes out, SXSW always keeps rocking. All over downtown Austin, people were lined up on the street, waiting to get into the coolest shows. My day started by stopping by the convention center to pick up my artist credentials and check out some of the exhibits. I didn’t have much time to take in the sights, as I had to get myself to the Swan Dive for my showcase with the band Wild Child. I walked north and then made a right on Sixth Street, which during SXSW feels like a human gridlock combination of Mardi Gras, a music festival, and spring break. I eventually got to Red River, which is the most eastern street in downtown before you cross I-35 and get to the extra-hip “east side” of Austin. Before dropping my bass guitar off at Swan Dive, I couldn’t resist perusing the food cart village across the street. I ultimately ended up grabbing a chicken tikka wrap with extra veggies and yogurt sauce. It was a delicious blend of Indian, Greek, and Korean.
Now that my appetite was satiated, I was ready to head into the venue and scope out the scene. There was both an indoor and outdoor stage and both areas were at capacity. We were going to be the last band to play outdoors, which meant one of the biggest crowds. Before we played we all had a chance to enjoy an amazing set by Rayland Baxter. While they were playing, I had a chance to go chat with the sound engineer. He was using a Presonus Studiolive 32.4.2 ($2,299.95) digital board to control the powerful outdoor system. The advantage of the Presonous console is that it is digital so that the engineer can quickly recall saved setting from soundcheck. Additionally, it is easy to recall and copy EQ, busses, compression, and any other parameters. Before digital consoles, engineers would have to mark settings during soundcheck and manually adjust all the knobs and faders to recall.
We hurried through our set up when it was time for us to take the stage. Most SXSW shows are booked so close together that the bands only have ten to twenty minutes between acts to set up and breakdown. To give you perspective, the shortest set up a band has at a regular show is usually 30 to 45 minutes. We had to move fast, and it was hot, so it got sweaty.
We had a blast playing our show to a packed house of enthusiastic fans. Wild Child are Austin hometown heroes, and clearly a large contingency of their local army showed up to support. The energy was contagious and electric.One of my good friends was able to catch a couple of short video clips of our performance and the crowd. I’ve included those below.
After a very sweaty load out, we got all of our gear back home and had a chance to take a well-needed shower. A huge thunderstorm enveloped Austin as we went out for the night. Giant bolts of lightning streaked across the Texas sky, briefly turning night into day. I was lucky enough to be invited to a secret house show where Cage The Elephant was performing. While it wasn’t publicly advertised, I really don’t think they could call the show a “secret”. Once inside, the entire house was packed with wall to wall with people and Tito’s vodka. It was wild seeing Cage the Elephant in such an intimate setting. Most shows they play are in large theaters or arenas. I’m not such a fan of insanely crowded and small spaces, so I only stayed for a few songs and then decided to get a late night meal with a good friend.
My friend Ali and I took her rental car down Congress Street to South Austin. We went to Magnolia’s Café, which is one of Austin’s most well-known 24-hour grub spots. The décor epitomizes the psychedelic cosmic-cowboy vibe. The food is blend of Tex-Mex, comfort, and diner cuisine. The menu is huge, and like any good diner, they offer breakfast all day. Ali and I split the migas and a chicken quesadilla. We finished our Friday with a decadent slice of peanut butter pie a la mode.
I didn’t want to stay out too late because I knew that Saturday was going to be my longest day at SXSW. I was going to be playing three showcases with Wild Child throughout the day. The earliest gig had a load in of 9:30AM, which is pretty much dawn in musician time. My friend Ali gave me a ride back to the Wild Child house and I went right to sleep.
Stay tuned for the last chapter in my SXSW coverage. Part 2: Cucumber sandwiches, encounters with Bill Murray and Robert Plant, guitarists hanging from rafters, and a midnight dance party in a church.
