Two Big Surprises at SXSW
I saw tons of great shows at SXSW (some of which I'll probably write on later), but I want to mention two that took me completely by surprise:
Guitar Wolf was a surprise guest the night of the Spoon/John Cale show. I was only there on a rumor that it would be the Arcade Fire, but GW put on a show far better than I could have expected. It was all half-ironic/half-serious rock'n'roll posturing, including floor-rolling, stack-jumping, spitting, drinking, windmills, shouting, and far greater volume than anything else that week. The highlight: when GW dragged an audience member up on stage to play, who also began rolling on the floor and jumping around. Absolutely fantastic, and now I'm going to end up searching out the albums that won't be half as good.
The second surprise: Los Super Seven. I went to see them at a party because I was intrigued, not so much because I had great hopes. They had recorded with some impressive people (including Caetano Veloso) and would be joined by Calexico, so I thought it would at least be good for some free food and decent entertainment. They went way beyond that level, though. Charlie Sexton sat in for most of the show, and I think he had as much fun -- and was as impressive -- as anyone. I haven't seen a band this large that was this tight in a long time, and even packed into a backroom on a hard bench, I loved every minute of it.
Guitar Wolf was a surprise guest the night of the Spoon/John Cale show. I was only there on a rumor that it would be the Arcade Fire, but GW put on a show far better than I could have expected. It was all half-ironic/half-serious rock'n'roll posturing, including floor-rolling, stack-jumping, spitting, drinking, windmills, shouting, and far greater volume than anything else that week. The highlight: when GW dragged an audience member up on stage to play, who also began rolling on the floor and jumping around. Absolutely fantastic, and now I'm going to end up searching out the albums that won't be half as good.
The second surprise: Los Super Seven. I went to see them at a party because I was intrigued, not so much because I had great hopes. They had recorded with some impressive people (including Caetano Veloso) and would be joined by Calexico, so I thought it would at least be good for some free food and decent entertainment. They went way beyond that level, though. Charlie Sexton sat in for most of the show, and I think he had as much fun -- and was as impressive -- as anyone. I haven't seen a band this large that was this tight in a long time, and even packed into a backroom on a hard bench, I loved every minute of it.
posted by Justin Cober-Lake | 4:16 PM
2 Comments:
So what kind of music do Los Super Seven play?
I'm still bitterly jealous of you for being able to go, but I like the comment about Guitar Wolf's records - we've all done that, haven't we?
I'm not familiar enough with the genre to be precise, but it's rocking Tex-Mex music. They've got strong horn lines, but they're heavy on guitars. The occasional accordion's a nice touch, and Ruben Ramos is one of those vocalists that you get hooked on, not so much because of his talent but because of his presence.
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