SXSW Music Festival begins tonight and runs through Sunday
tonight's plan:
HEYBALE: Heybale's logo should be a Bowie knife, so sharp is this erstwhile local country act. The presence of Redd Volkaert, Earl Poole Ball, and ex-Wagoneer Tom Lewis tells you all you need to know about this band. (Broken Spoke, 10pm) --
TONY JOE WHITE: As the foremost progenitor of rootsy bouillabaisse known as swamp pop, Tony Joe White is one of Louisiana's finest exports. His "Polk Salad Annie" and "Rainy Night in Georgia" were composed in the space of a week while living in Corpus Christi in the late Sixties. The award-winning documentary Searching for Tony Joe helped re-ignite interest in his career in 2000, and in the midst of a world tour with Joe Cocker last year, White released Snakey on his own Swamp label. (Antone's, 11pm) --
PARTICLE: How does a jam band from California distinguish itself among its patchouli-drenched peers? By designating their sound as "Space Porn Funk." While it's not really "funk," the rest of the description fits. (Stubb's, 11pm)
JON CLEARY: Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentleman are to New Orleans what Grey Ghost was to Austin: piano-driven boogie-woogie blues maestros. Backing Bonnie Raitt at a riotous Backyard gig last summer, Cleary became an honorary local. We only wish we had a Snooks Eaglin for him to back. (Antone's, midnight) --
VIRGIL SHAW: Former frontman for SF's alt.country father figures Dieselhed, Virgil Shaw is no stranger to big crowds and bigger expectations. His new Still Falling on Future Farmer features the songs of a consummate craftsman; feel-good Dixieland rhythms bump butts against R&B grooves and his trademark rough-edged country rock & roll. (Hideout, midnight)
DASH RIP ROCK: Long revered as one of the South's favorite road bands, New Orleans' Dash Rip Rock has enthralled patrons by the barful since 1984. Guitarist/vocalist Bill Davis took the trio in a mellower, country-leaning direction with 2002's Sonic Boom, but their gigs remain nightclub bacchanalia. (Fox & Hound, midnight
RICHIE HAVENS: Most people know Richie Havens from his amazing three-hour performance at Woodstock. Last year, Havens released the acclaimed Wishing Well (Evangeline), his first album of new material in eight years. Havens' percussive, open-tuned guitar technique and visceral performance aesthetic continues to leave audiences worldwide spellbound. (Cedar Street, 1am)
GUY FORSYTH: Leading his namesake band in tours of America and Europe, as well as contributing to his former band the Asylum Street Spankers, Austin's Guy Forsyth is the modern folk-blues-rock musician. Using his voice, harmonica, and guitar, Forsyth's music can be soft and introspective or as rambunctious as a roadhouse donnybrook. (Antone's, 1am)
AMERICAN MARS: There are, in fact, twin guitars in American Mars, but not the kind you'd expect from a Motor City act. Instead, guitarist/vox Thomas Trimble muses darkly over cold hearts and a cold heartland while producer/pedal steel player David Feeny adds twinkling touches. The dreamy No City Fun (2001) follows 1997's full-length debut, Late. (Mother Egan's, midnight
BASTARD SONS OF JOHNNY CASH: Nope, they don't share any blood ties with the Man in Black. It does say a lot, however, that Cash himself is fine with their moniker. The BSOJC's play country with enough outlaw edge to fit in with any and all outlaws. Their latest is Distance Between on Ultimatum Records. (Opal Divine's, 1am) |
