SXSW 2012 Notes

Alabama Shakes definitely highlighted Thursday’s performances, playing a soulful set at a packed Hype Hotel this afternoon… Brittany Howard has quite the voice, man. 

Say Hi in the perfect environment, in the back patio at a venue off the beaten path… Kinda sobering to see one of your favorite bands that, well, don’t really have much of a fan base.

Regardless, solo singer/songwriting at its finest, from Seattle-based Eric Elbogen… Emotional lo-fi with his voice on, well, his sleeve

Alt. country act Futurebirds exuding big sound at, well, probably, their largest show ever. Playing before super hype band Alabama Shakes will do that to ya. The act captured the crowd at the Hype Machine-sponsored Hype Hotel with their psych rock-leaning jams. They definitely don’t have radio friendly songs, but their waves of guitar-laced tunes got the crowd movin. Oh, and they certainly have enthusiasm - imagine a lumberjack-type jumpin around the stage.

“Alabama Shakes are up next, you lucky bastards,” concluded the Athens, GA-based group.

A long Thursday afternoon in the Austin Convention Center filled with a riveting Springstein keynote including a lesson in rock music history, a talk given by Nick Cave producer Vincent Van Vogt, an overview of some music metrics (check out NextBigSound.com!) … And finally a well-attended show by Delta Spirit.

Now, time to wander out of the convention center and check out Futurebirds and Alabama Shakes at Hype Machine’s showcase, Hype Hotel.

Delta Spirit at Radio Day Stage… Wishing for stuff from their first album, as it seems like they’ve tightened up and tried to emulate ’90s alt rock a bit - they definitely do the Rounder Recs-esque roots rock thing best.

Pretty decent, harmonica by vocalist Matthew Vasquez adds nice texture to sound… The big, relatively non-descript stage doesn’t help.

Welcome to SXSW! The live music capital of the US’s growing by 20K this week with… music, films, technology and, well, ridiculousness.