speed of dark

St. Patrick's Day! Celebrate with a pint of Guinness or Harp's, and don't forget to wear green, lest ye get pinched.

I'm continuing my imaginary itinerary through the final hours of SXSW. Remember to check the bands' MySpace pages because many of them are touring beyond this festival. If you can't go to them, maybe they'll be coming to you!

Beginning in the wee hours:

Midlake from Denton, TX - 12 AM @ Buffalo Billiards
Everybody and their blogging brother loved "Roscoe" from Midlake's 2006 CD The Trials of Van Occupanther, and I did too; and "Head Home" made my favorites of 2006 list. But I am especially partial to the poignant "Kingfish Pies" from 2004's Bamnan and Silvercork,remarkable for its complete lack of self-pity in the face of increasing hardship.

Midlake: Kingfish Pies

website | myspace | sxsw | emusic | itunes


Stoney from Sheffield UK - 12 AM @ The Tap Room at Six
Another song by Stoney, "Jailbird," was one of my favorites of 2006. By some accounts he is somewhat of a self-promoting diva, but it's nothing new that talent often comes with a big ego.

Stoney: Jake

website | myspace | sxsw | itunes | npr


Tragically Hip from Ontario, Canada - 12:45 AM @ Antone's
If it were possible to play a CD enough to wear the music off, I would have done so with The Tragically Hip's Day For Night (1994). Once known as "Canada's R.E.M.," the Hip have long outgrown that description. While R.E.M. have not been around much lately, the Tragically Hip released a brand new album last month, World Container. Here is a song from that new CD. I bet they are great in concert.

The Tragically Hip: Yer Not the Ocean

website | myspace | sxsw | iTunes


Pink Nasty from Wichita KS - 8 PM @ Elysium
I am in debt again to the yellow stereo blog for bringing Pink Nasty to my attention. Sara Beck is not only an interesting singer, but quite a raunchy character as well. Just check the pic on her MySpace page of her with her brother (Black Nasty) in the bathtub.

Pink Nasty: I Don't Know

Get lots more at hype machine | Interview with aquarium drunkard
website | myspace | sxsw


Mew from Copenhagen, Denmark - 9 PM @ La Zona Rosa
Here's another band that made my favorites list last year with "Chinaberry Tree." Lovely.
Find more like this on hype machine
Website | MySpace | sxsw | itunes


Eisley from Tyler TX - 10 PM @ La Zona Rosa
These sweet girl-harmonies combined with a soft Texas drawl are irresistible. This track is from their 2005 CD, Room Noises.

Eisley: One Day I Slowly Floated Away

website | myspace | sxsw | itunes


Field Music from Sunderland UK - 9 PM @ Beauty Bar Patio
Not to be confused with similarly-named UK band Fields, Field Music is a sweet-sounding band in the Death Cab/Shins vein.
Find tracks on hype machine
website | myspace | sxsw


The Hazey Janes from Dundee, Scotland UK - 11 PM @ Maggie May's Rooftop
The Scottish Arts Council sponsored 14 of the 18 Scottish bands at SXSW, including the Hazey Janes and Paolo Nutini. Other Scottish artists in attendance are the Fratellis, the View, and, most famously, Mogwai. The SAC also sponsored 'Road to SXSW' shows in Glasgow and Dundee a few weeks ago to promote the bands and show fellow Scots how they'll be represented at what BBC Radio Scotland presenter Vic Galloway called 'the best gathering of new musical talent in the world.'

The Hazey Janes' 2006 album Hotel Radio provides some sunny, pleasant tunes. This one is from their previous self-titled EP.

The Hazey Janes: Of My Life

website | myspace | sxsw | itunes | emusic


Spoon from Austin TX - 11 PM @ Stubb's
Spoon's 2006 release Telephono was a bit of a let-down, but Gimme Fiction from the previous year should provide a lot of solid songs for a live concert.
Find Spoon tunes on hype machine
sxsw | itunes | emusic

No doubt we'll continue to hear about the bands we missed at this huge festival. For a taste of what it's like to actually be there, check out Temporary Texans: a SXSW blog on NPR.org.

See also:
gorilla vs bear is featuring pictures and commentary from SXSW
hot freaks the blogger SXSW experience.