John Brannon of Fucked Up
Fucked Up @ Solid PR/Sailor Jerry showcase (Scoot Inn): Forget the infamous after-hours Lamar bridge party- ALARM was front and center at the Solid PR/Sailor Jerry showcase when Toronto’s Fucked Up announced that they had a special guest, who turned out to be none other than legendary Negative Approach/Easy Action front man John Brannon. Fuck yeah! And this memorable moment preceded a lineup that included Brooklyn cabaret/punk collective World Inferno/Friendship Society, face-painted rockers Man Man, NYHC icons Unsane and spazz-rockers An Albatross, whose lead singer, Edward B. Gieda III was celebrating his 30th birthday in style.
Ezra Furman
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons (Habana Calle Annex): 21 year old Ezra Furman is an incredibly charismatic performer, as demonstrated not only by The Harppon’s set on Saturday night. With his blend of folk, rock and punk, Furman has even found a fan in rock icon and SXSW 2008 keynote speaker Lou Reed, who’s song “Heroin” he performed at a star studded “Tribute to Lou Reed” earlier in the week.
Graveyard (Tee Pee Records Showcase/Bourbon Rocks): The first band I saw at SXSW set the bar high for the rest of the week. Making their US debut at the Tee Pee Records showcase at Bourbon Rocks on Wednesday night, the Gothenberg, Sweden psychedelic rock four-piece gave an intense performance. Vocalist/guitarist Joakim Nillson’s voice captivated the audience, soaring over intricate guitar and bass lines. Other acts on the bill including San Diego’s Earthless, Annihilation Time, Hopewell, Ancestors, and headliners Witch, made the evening one of the best rock shows of the festival.
High on Fire
High on Fire (Relapse Records showcase, Emo’s Annex): Nobody at ALARM really believed me when said I was NOT going to see Oakland, CA’s High on Fire at SXSW. With all my running back and forth down 6th Street and Red River on Thursday night, the temptation proved to be too great for me to resist. It seems redundant to gush about what a fantastic band this is and how much I am in love with Matt Pike (in theory at least; I’ve never met the man), but suffice to say, if you only see one metal band this year, these are your guys. Here is a pic of members of Unsane watching as Matt Pike plays to the crowd at the Relapse Records showcase on Thursday night.