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SXSW: South by South BEST Day Ever!
Body Language's set at Stubb's was my favorite SXSW moment of the week.
SXSW Interactive has passed the baton over to the Music part of the festival, which means we are getting the heck up out of Austin today! It’s not that we don’t like kicking it with sun-kissed hipsters in cowboy boots. We just suffer from serious SXSWFOMO – fear of missing out.
No matter where we are in Austin – no matter how cool the band, how stiff the drinks, or how many Foursquare badges can be unlocked by checking in – we have serious What else is happening at every single other place else?-itis.
The only moment when this anxiety faded away all week long was at Ford and Kick Kick Snare Present: An Emerging Artist Showcase & Escape Lounge at Stubb’s, Austin. Kind of a long name though, huh? Let’s just call it the F&KKSP:AEAS&EL@SA. Much better!
From the killer Texas BBQ and frosty beers to the totally amazeballs bands that took the stage (and in the case of Body Language’s Angelica, my heart!), Stubb’s was THE SPOT at SXSW.
For your aural and ocular pleasure, here are a few of the jams from the bands that made Ford and Kick Kick Snare’s Showcase our South by South BEST DAY EVER.
“I was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Oregon, in a small town called Roseburg. I grew up listening to my Dad write and sing the blues and started performing with him in his blues bands when I was a kid. I fell in love with the sincerity of Etta, the soul of Muddy and the power of Big Mama. When I got older I started writing hooks for and performing with local rappers from Eugene. I fell in love with hip-hop, with it’s authenticity. Now I’m married to em both. DIRTY SHINE!”
“Busy saving the city from the brick wall arm crossing and the casual head nods, Brooklyn’s own Body Language has risen from the DIY venue basements armed with the kinetic dynamite you would expect from the name. Their original music was born from weekly dance party remixes crafted by Grant Wheeler and Matt Young, and graced by the soul stylings of Ms. Angelica Bess.
Depending on whom you ask, Matthew Dear is a DJ, a dance-music producer, an experimental pop artist, a bandleader. He co-founded both Ghostly International and its dancefloor offshoot, Spectral Sound. He’s had remixes commissioned by The XX, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Spoon, Hot Chip, The Postal Service, and Chemical Brothers; he’s made mixes for the Fabric mix series and Get Physical’s Body Language. He maintains four aliases (Audion, False, Jabberjaw, and Matthew Dear), each with its own style and distinct visual identity. He straddles multiple musical worlds and belongs to none—and he’s just hitting his stride.
And in a total bonus Jonas twist of fate, we ran into our very favorite pop star in all the world, Lisa Dank kicking it on the patio!
Big thanks to the artists (especially the dreamboats in Body Language), Stubb’s, Ford and Kick Kick Snare for showing us a great time. It really was the best day ever!
