Gearing up for SXSW: Part 1

My mind is too boggled by the overwhelming SXSW schedule of showcases and day parties to write very much today but I wanted to post a few songs by a band I'm interested in checking out while in Austin...Chicago pop band The Changes.

The Changes - When I Wake
The Changes - On a String
The Changes - Modern Love

SXSW's blurb on the band:

The Changes are Darren (vox/guitar) David (guitar/vox/songwriter) Rob (bass) and Jonny (drums/bells) & they all man the keys. In combination they make up four of Chicago's favorite sons. The quartet self-produced their recently released debut album entitled Today Is Tonight, which properly introduces The Changes to the world care of Drama Club Records in the US and Kitchenware in the UK and Europe. They are no longer a well-kept Chicago secret as people and critics from all over have caught on to their distinct, indelible sound. They are on tour now.

So who is going to SXSW and who do you want to see there?

The Broken West

Thank goodness a lawsuit over their band name resulted in The Brokedown changing their name to The Broken West, which sounds far more poetic and less grammatically incorrect than the former option. This Los Angeles-based band's full-length debut, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, features pop sounds reminiscent of Wilco's Summerteeth years. On first listen, "Down in the Valley" is one of those songs that sounds vaguely familiar but you can't place exactly where you've heard it but it's catchy and enjoyable enough that you can't fault it for being derivative. The Broken West aren't breaking any molds (that pun was unintentional, really!) but it's the type of pop music that I enjoy. If you like power pop music and are not a jaded listener of the "heard it all" variety, you might like it too.

The Broken West - Down in the Valley
The Broken West - Brass Ring
The Broken West - Slow

We Heart Bears

It's no secret that we love bears. Leah is obsessed with polar bears (I may have found some of her secret polar bear poetry on her computer hidden in a Word file named veryboringjamesjoycethesis.doc...Leah, you can't fool me with the misleading name!), I've had a lifelong affinity for panda and koala bears, and our mascot is a fierce yet lovable grizzly bear. So when I realized I had been unknowingly listening to mostly bear-named bands all day on the Friday before a Super Bowl featuring the Bears, a themed post seemed like a good idea. I don't follow football. I knew the Bears were playing in the Super Bowl because I heard it on the news but otherwise I know very little about the team. However, my subconscious picked them as its favorite and therefore chose an appropriate soundtrack for the day.

From the upcoming Person Pitch...
Panda Bear - Bros
Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
Panda Bear - Ponytail
Preorder it at Insound.

From The Soft Machine...
Teddybears - Cobrastyle
Teddybears - Punkrocker (feat. Iggy Pop)

From Yellow House...
Grizzly Bear - Knife
Grizzly Bear - Marla

From Interpretaciones Del Oso and Menos El Oso respectively...
Minus the Bear - Drilling (P.O.S. Redo)
Minus the Bear - Hooray

Early Bird Special!

We hope you all decide to come out to hear MIDLAKE this Saturday night at Bottletree--so much so, in fact, that we'll be parceling out free beer and free posters to the earlybirds.

Come early to hear THROUGH THE SPARKS, and we'll buy you a beer. If you are one of the first 50 people (21+) to walk through the doors, you'll get a nifty drink ticket for a beer on us.

There will also be a limited supply of free posters featuring a design by me (see below).

Tell your friends! Hope to see you there!

Saturday, February 3rd @ BOTTLETREE
RED BLONDEHEAD PRESENTS:
MIDLAKE
TACKS, THE BOY DISASTER
THROUGH THE SPARKS
8:00 p.m. doors
9:00 p.m. show



From The Trials of Van Occupanther:
Midlake - Roscoe
Midlake - Young Bride
Midlake - It Covers the Hillside

Tacks, The Boy Disaster is an Austin-based quartet with Evan Jacobs (formerly of the Polyphonic Spree) as their fearless leader. Their debut EP, Oh, Beatrice, was released last year and is full of musical gems. You can buy it here (or at the show!).

From Oh, Beatrice:
Tacks, The Boy Disaster - Frozen Feet
Tacks, The Boy Disaster - Matilda