It is time once again, my friends, to journey to the vast flatlands of Texas. It is time to voyage to that place where music-obsessives gather each year to feast on tasty musical offerings from far and wide. Yes, we’re talking about South by Southwest 2008 (SXSW 08), and yes, it’s almost here!
We here at Wiretap Music are deeply excited by this year’s line-up and we’re impressed by the incredible amount of reprezentin’ shown by the Bay Area music scene. At last count, there were 73 Bay-Area bands confirmed at the festival – w00t!
Because we know navigating the SXSW landscape can be an eye-crossing task, we wanted to cull the list a bit for you, our beloved readers. Listed below are our Top Ten Picks, a few more random picks, and a full list of Bay Area bands playing SXSW 08.
Wiretap Music's Top Ten Picks for SXSW 08:
Little Teeth
1. Little Teeth
“A wild, spastic explosion of edgy, experimental folk musicianship. Each member plays multiple instruments, and plays them with a reckless, passionate exuberance that is enthralling to watch.”
2. The Dodos
Energetic psych-folk-pop drum/guitar duo with sharply crafted lyrics and melodies. Singer-songwriter Meric Long’s fast acoustic finger-play combined with complex, driving drum lines. A tight live show that’ll make you dance ‘til you sweat.
Pidgeon
3. Pidgeon
“One glorious cluster-fuck of indie/hardcore/thrash rock and feedback. The quieter parts of Pidgeon’s music are often angular slices of haunting indie rock, and the loud parts are as hard and nasty as any crusty hardcore or thrash metal band ever thought of being.”
4. Death Sentence: Panda!
“PANDA influences range from Korean folk music and New Orleans marching bands to jazz and hard-core punk. Their sound is new, adventurous, panda2.jpgexperimental, and unpretentious all at the same time. In other words, exactly what mind-blowing rock and roll should be.”
5. The Oh Sees
Lo-fi psychedelic-garage-pop. Mellow harmonies and fuzz-laden guitar lullabies recall a San Francisco tripped-out day in the park circa 1968. Live shows much more upbeat & head-boppin’ than their albums. [VIDEO]
6. The Morning Benders “Like a love-letter to 1960s West coast rock n’ roll, they blend sweet impersonations of Beach Boys melodies with a rhythm section that chugs along like Neil Young's Crazy Horse.”
7. The Botticellis
Hazy, echoing twee-pop with sweet lilting melodies & jangly, sentimental guitar lines to nurse your broken heart.
Clipd Beaks
8. Clipd Beaks
“A meltdown of dreamy synth fuzz, dancey, funked-out rhythms, and shoe-gaze delight.”
9. Built for the Sea “If you’re into relaxing on your screened-in porch in your rattan rocking chair on a drizzly, dreary day… Built for the Sea is your soundtrack.”
10. Sugar & Gold
Hook-heavy danceable disco-pop charms the dance-pants off even the most jaded hipsters. Occasional happy synthesizer blasts keep your booty-shakin’.
Mark it in your Hipster PDA’s - Two fantastic local showcases to check out – SFXSXSW and the Bay Area Take-Over!!!
The whole list of SF bands playing SXSW 08:
60 Watt Kid
Aim Low Kid
Arp
Greg Ashley
Audrye Sessions
Bird Monster
Birds and Batteries
Blue Cheer
Built for Sea
Citay
Clipd Beaks
Cold Hot Crash
Cryptacize
Death Sentence: Panda!
Elephone
Film School
Form and Fate
Gowns
Tommy Guerrero
Hank IV
Sean Hayes
D.W. Holiday
Howlin' Rain
Immigrant
Kid Beyond
Kreamy 'Lectric Santa
Nyles Lannon
Little Teeth
Loquat
Lou Lou & the Guitarfish
Love Like Fire
Magic Bullets
Magic Christian
Minipop
Morning Benders
Nino Moschella
Mud
Music For Animals
New Monsoon
Nurses (NRSZ)
Oroll
Pidgeon
Port O'Brien
Chuck Prophet
Rogue Wave
Rupa & the April Fishes
Shoti
Scissors for Lefty
Scrabbel
Social Studies
Songs for Moms
Spear of the Nation
Kelley Stoltz
Sugar & Gold
Sun Kil Moon
The Blacks
The Botticellis
The Cuban Cowboys
The Dodos
The Heavenly States
The Matches
The Radishes
The Reaction
The Union Trade
Thee Oh Sees
Triclops!
Tulsa
Two Gallants
Von Iva
Why?
Wooden Shjips
