Ladies and gentlemen, I have survived my hell week and am returning to the blogosphere! Prepare for many blogposts. Here's where I left off...Friday March 16th 2012 was the third day of SXSW, and it was the best one out of the entire week. Due to the massive amount of content that happened on this day, I will only write about stuff that stood out to me.
Interview with Go Radio The day started off with an interview and acoustic session with Go Radio, and I think it's important to mention it was my first time being on a tour bus - you can't imagine how stoked I was. Vicci and I sat down and talked with front man, Jason, and guitarist, Alex, and they were fun and nice to talk to. The interview is now up on the Rock Edition website, but I will mention that they have a new album on the way - probably being released sometime in the summer - and they're currently on tour! They'll be in Texas April 19th - April 21st. In the meantime, watch the acoustic version of "Hold On" I filmed for Rock Edition down below.
Equal Vision Records Showcase At the Lucky Thirteen venue, Equal Vision Records showcased some of the bands under their label - the bands played were mainly hardcore screamo except the headliner, Say Anything. The first band I saw play when I got there was Life On Repeat, and they're pretty good.
Glass Cloud
Next on stage was Glass Cloud, and they mentioned that this was their second show to play ever. If you heard a band say that to you, you would assume they wouldn't perform as well as the other bands, but in actuality, I think they got the crowd the rowdiest. Everyone was moshing, opening the circle pit, crowd surfing, and this one guy even got on stage and lunged at Vicci and me from the stage. Ouch. After the show, I found out that the lead singer was the former front man of Of Mice and Men but was let go due to heart problems, but he's back in shape in a new band that knows how to get the crowd going - kudos to them. They had a lot of energy and definitely rocked the stage.
We Came As Romans
We Came As Romans was probably the best discovery of my entire SXSW experience ever because I instantly fell in love with their music. That includes my previous two years at SXSW as well. I had heard about them before and even had their version of Justin Timberlake's "My Love" for a Punk Goes Pop album, but I had never really listened to them or seen them live...that is until the third day of SXSW. Their performance really got me pumped up the most with their great amont of energy. Looking at each member of the band, I felt the energy being channeled into my body, and I really got into their music. I was dancing, I jumped, I head banged, I got a little crazy! In my personal opinion, I think the lead vocalist (not the screamer), Kyle, knows how to get the crowd moving on their feet just by chanting the word, "Bounce!" over and over again. Performance wise, I think the bassist, Andy, was really into the music. He literally would not stand still - he kept moving and jumping and head rolling and stomping around the stage and yelling at the audience. He gave me goosebumps.
Say Anything
The headliner, Say Anything, had quite a bit of a fan base anticipating their performance. Not that any of the bands didn't have an existing fan base, but I only say this because my sister and her friends had seen Say Anything that morning and came to this show too just to see them again. They're big fans and kept talking about them when they stayed at my apartment, so I was curious to see them. Even though they weren't hardcore/screamo, they still were awesome to see live. Their music is impossible to stand still to because you just have to move and dance, so I would rank them as a close second to We Came As Romans.
Fearless Records Showcase The Fearless Records showcase was one of the few shows that I stayed committed to from my SXSW plans post. After waiting in a long line outside the Dirty Dog Bar, Luis, his friend, and I arrived inside anticipating Breathe Carolina. We missed the first set, so the first actual performance we saw was The Static Jacks. Honestly, I wasn't feeling them. The music they played was good and the vocalist's voice was interesting, but unfortunately the two didn't blend well together. Eve 6 was making their return from a ten year hiatus, and I think they did a great job! You should go listen to "Lost and Found," and you won't be disappointed. Jason and Alex from Go Radio told Vicci and me to see them perform at this showcase, so we did. They didn't disappoint either. Hearing them perform acoustic was good on its own, but hearing the full band was awesome too. They had a bass that made you feel out of your body and tickled you a little bit, but it was worth it. I hadn't heard it before until that night, but I thoroughly enjoyed their version of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" on the last Punk Goes Pop album. Right before the headlining performance of Breathe Carolina was Every Avenue. I remember from my freshman year in college, I listened to a couple of songs by them and enjoyed them but didn't pursue their music dedicatedly. I guess this was my second chance to immerse myself in their music. They put on a great peformance that kept me dancing in my little spot near the stage, and I enjoyed listening to the lead singer serenade to me.
Breathe Carolina
Last but not least to close the night was Breathe Carolina. This was my second time seeing them, but this time I was much much closer to them than at the "Scream It Like You Mean It" tour, which proved to be a more awesome experience. They played all my favorite songs from their latest album, Hell Is What You Make It, such as "Wooly" and "Sweat It Out," and they even played the first song I ever heard by them, "Hello Fascination." I'm not gonna lie, when they played "Hello Fascination," I head banged hardcore. I don't know what came over me, but I just felt this sudden urge to do it. The song "Last Night" was a part of the set and I wasn't too crazy about this song when I first got the album, but after seeing them perform it live, I haven't stopped listening to it. It makes you wanna go to the club and not remember "Last Night." My favorite part of the set was when they performed "The Birds and the Bees" as a tribute to the Emo's that closed down downtown. I thought it was a nice sentiment to the venue that everyone loved. Needless to say, they put on an amazing performance, and I wish it didn't have to end.
I am so sorry if you sat at your computer to read every single word of my ramble. Like I said, Friday was the best thing that ever happened to me in my concert world, and I wish I could relive that day over and over again. So enough about me, what did you guys do for SXSW (I know it's been awhile since it passed) and did you enjoy it?!
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