Photo by Francesca Perry

Greetings from sunny Austin, Texas, and let me just say how nice it is to have some scenery besides massive snow banks to look at for a change. Mostly painless trip down here yesterday and I’m now badged, rested and ready to get on with it.

There’s no shortage of SxSW survival guides out there, but as someone going into his fourth go-around and the big Texan to-do, I feel qualified to offer some sage advice to rookies. Basically, see what you’re going to see and don’t worry about what you’re missing. Because no matter what you’re seeing, you’re missing something and probably something great. But the people who are at that something great are also missing something else great. And so on and so on. So don’t worry about those three Flaming Lips secret shows that I – er, you – missed a couple of years ago and enjoy whatever you’re at. Unless is sucks. Then just go next door and see something else. And eat whenever the opportunity presents itself, because those opportunities will be few and far between. And granola bars crammed into your pockets are your friends.

When this year’s lineup was initially announced, I was kind of let down with the number of acts I’d hoped would be in attendance and weren’t, but as I’ve put together my schedule I’ve still got way too much to choose from (though I still have way too many conflicts as well as completely empty slots). But some acts take priority over others and this year, the one I’m going to catch as much as possible (currently looking like all of two times) is Emmy The Great. I’ve mentioned her in the context of her appearance on the Lightspeed Champion record but her work under her own name has been completely beguiling as well. She’s a folksinger at the core but with a lovely voice and gift for melody coupled with a sharp eye for songwriterly detail and an acerbic wit that reminds me of Billy Bragg if he were a twenty-first century, twentysomething English girl more focused on the personal than the political. Her breakup song “Canopies And Grapes” just slays me.

There’s no album yet, just a limited edition EP that I don’t expect to find a copy of and various singles, compilation appearances and live sessions floating around the internet. Hunting down her recordings has been an elbo.ws and hype machine scavenger hunt, but that’s refreshing in a sense – like the old days when I’d roam used CD shop to used CD shop looking for that elusive import single to complete a collection. Of course, you’re at the mercy of different bit rates and dodgy meta tagging but that’s progress for you.

In addition to the samples I’ve linked below (including her contributions to the Kruger Magazine singles club), check out her Black Cab Session (whose proprieters Londonist has an interview with) and if you’re in the UK, this MTV UK session. I will have to make a point of watching that when I’m in the UK in a couple months. Yes, I’m crossing the Atlantic to watch an MTV feature. Yay me.

MP3: Emmy The Great – “Easter Parade”
MP3: Emmy The Great – “Hold On”
MP3: Emmy The Great – “Paper Trails”
MP3: Emmy The Great – “MIA” (live from Black Room Sessions)
MP3: Emmy The Great – “The Hypnotist’s Son” (live from Black Room Sessions)
Video: Emmy The Great – “Gabriel”
Video: Emmy The Great – “Easter Parade”
Video: Emmy The Great – “MIA”
MySpace: Emmy The Great

Also high on my to-see list are Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit. They’re deserving of a proper post on their own which I’ll get to post-SxSW, probably, but the elevator pitch would be The Twilight Sad as a folk band. Lovers of thick Scottish accents, line up here. Their new album The Midnight Organ Fight is out April 15.

MP3: Frightened Rabbit – “Head Rolls Off”
MP3: Frightened Rabbit – “The Modern Leper”
Video: Frightened Rabbit – “The Grey”
Video: Frightened Rabbit – “Heads Roll Off”

I feel compelled to mention that because of the sheer number of things I’ve got on the docket over the week, my coverage will be a little different than in past years – namely, look for all commentary and minimal outside linkage or media whilst I’m here. The amount of time it takes me to get all that together simply isn’t available. Instead, I’m intending to whip up an omnibus-type post after I get home that will have more MP3s, videos and photos than you can shake a stick at.

If you’re in Austin and need some assorted sundry planning tips, CBC Radio 3 (for whom I’ll also be blogging the festival over the course of the week) has a survival guide, Sched.org has been an invaluable if not quite comprehensive planning tool for official and unofficial showcases and parties, IMEEM has assembled playlists for every SxSW showcase (no mean feat), NPR has audio previews of their festival picks, Free Yr Radio endeavours to be your one-stop party reference spot, Pitchfork has a guide to goings-on, Variety also has some picks of their own. And, of course, if you get the chance on Friday and Saturday come by Club DeVille and the Mohawk for Hot Freaks – say hello, sit a spell.

And if you’re not in Austin, SxSW Baby has rounded up all of your live webcast options for the next few days. Throw some brisket on the grill, crack open a bottle of PBR, kick back and pretend you’re here.

Photo via New York Magazine

Before I leave, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least comment on the series finale of The Wire this past Sunday evening. Though a latecomer to the show – this final season was the first I watched in real-time – I’ve become something of an obsessive over the past year so I’d like to think that I’m able to celebrate and mourn the show as much as anyone who’s been along for the whole ride. Or close to it, at least.

And this is where the “SPOILERS” warning comes into effect, so if you’ve not watched it yet – Brad, I’m looking at you – walk away now.

Not that I’m going to get into too much detail. The finale, and the series, has been analyzed and dissected by many people far more insightful than I, so I’ll direct you to some of their observations below. I had the finale downloaded a few days prior to the actual air date (I don’t have cable!) but had resisted watching it, instead wanting to see it the same time as everyone else in a minor act of solidarity. I’d expressed concerns about the truncated season length all year – 10 instead of the usual 12 – and while I did find this season to be a bit rushed compared to the others, the feature-length finale felt just right. After the rush of the penultimate episode – Marlo gets got! – this one followed the fallout and gave each character their final resolutions. And, lest we forget this is The Wire, just desserts aren’t necessarily on the menu. All in all, things end on a more positive note than I’d have expected – though not shown in this ep, I was particularly glad that Poot seemed to escaped the corners – though the fate of Doukie, though predictable, was still heartbreaking. It’s a real testament to the whole crew of the show, on both sides of the camera, that I (and most other fans) were so emotionally invested in these characters.

And now it’s done, there’s naught to do but watch all 60 episodes all over again – when’s that season five DVD set come out? I’ve also intentions of getting the sister shows – The Corner and all of Homicide: Life On The Street – but I know, deep down, that it won’t be the same. “The best show on television” – an epithet that’s been repeated so many times when describing The Wire that it’s now cliche… but it’s still true.

I find the discourse surrounding the show to be almost as entertaining and interesting as the show itself and of all the media outlets covering the show’s finale, New York Magazine has been by far the most expansive. I particularly liked their scene by scene analysis of the final montage. For interviews with show creator David Simon – always a fascinating subject himself – head to The AV Club and especially What’s David Watching for the most in-depth post-mortem you’ll find anywhere. And for more reaction to the final episode, try Salon, The Kansas City Star, The Chicago Tribune and The New York Times. And for a slightly less glowing review from the paper depicted in a less than flattering light in this final season, try The Baltimore Sun. And sadly, the fascinating ongoing feature at Freakonomics where the writer watched the final season in the company of real “thugs” and “gangsters” came to an early end when the crew declined to watch the final two episodes. But even that premature final installment is worth reading.

Elsewhere…

NPR talks to Ladyhawk, who’ll be at the Horseshoe on March 22 in support of their new album Shots.

NPR also has a World Cafe session with Lightspeed Champion.

The Australian talks to Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

Billboard brings news from the land of Robyn Hitchcock, including a forthcoming DVD, another Venus 3 album in 2009 and a collaboration with Andy Partridge.

Anyone wondering what former Curve vocalist Toni Halliday has been up to, the answer is a) becoming very blonde and b) starting a new project called Chatelaine. Via No Rock N Roll Fun.

And now I have a plane to catch.

Photo by Frank Yang

My snow boots make for truly lousy concert-going footwear. But the 30 cm of crap dumped on the city from Friday through Saturday night made then a necessity – thankfully, I had gotten my fill of club hopping the previous two nights and with the exception of one early stop, was planning on spending the whole evening camped out at the Palace of Lee.

But first, a stop at one of the venues in town I’d never been to before – the Annex Wreckroom. I’d never graced the second-floor club with my presence because it seems to cater to the leather pant crowd rather than the cords and jeans demographic I usually roll with. It’s a surprisingly large room and every inch of available space was put to good use by the outfit I was there to see, Boys In A Band. Obviously believers in truth in advertising, the five-piece from the Faroe Islands (midway between Denmark, Scotland and Iceland) were indeed both boys and a band and, though not explicitly stated in their name, big believers in the healing power of rock music. Though the samples on their MySpace implied a moden/classic rock hybrid (no, I don’t really know what I mean by that), their live show was pure old school rock’n’roll adrenaline. They struck a fine balance between being deadly serious and deadly unserious (with a keyboardist who looks like a kimono-clad Capt. Jack Sparrow with a wireless keytar, how serious can they be?) but wholly entertaining. There were stage invasions, audience invasions, rocking out on top of the bar and group hugs. Great fun.

Photos: Boys In A Band @ The Annex Wreckroom – March 8, 2008
MP3: Boys In A Band – “Black Diamond Train”
MP3: Boys In A Band – “Beyond Communication”

Toronto’s Sunriser got the privilege of welcoming the crowd who’d braved the weather to come out Lee’s Palace and there were certainly more of them (us) than I was expecting. And they welcomed us with a set of pleasant if innocuous guitar pop of the sort you’d expect to hear over the closing credits of a WB teen drama. Their set was most memorable for the subtle but effective keyboard work and a frontman who really seemed to like the sound of his own voice – his thank yous to the crowd and club went on longer than most Oscar acceptance speeches.

Photos: Sunriser @ Lee’s Palace – March 8, 2008
MP3: Sunriser – “When You Were Me”
MySpace: Sunriser

Rock Plaza Central may be critically acclaimed and local heroes of a sort, but I’ve never gotten into them. They came around when my tolerance for big, ramshackle bands with hoarse and hollered vocals was at an ebb so they’ve stayed off my radar. But when faced with them live, I found them surprisingly enjoyable. Chris Eaton’s voice is still an acquired taste that I’ve not acquired, but the band are superb musicians and craft their joyful chaos with the most meticulous care and a genuine energy that’s impossible to resist.

Photos: Rock Plaza Central @ Lee’s Palace – March 8, 2008
MP3: Rock Plaza Central – “My Children, Be Joyful”
MP3: Rock Plaza Central – “When We Go, Where We Go, Pt 2”
Video: Rock Plaza Central – “My Children, Be Joyful”
Video: Rock Plaza Central – “Anthem For The Already Defeated”
MySpace: Rock Plaza Central

It’s just as well that I had little interest in seeing Yoav play because if I did, I would have had a lousy time. Because standing right behind be were a gaggle of drunken girls who seemed to regard the solo acoustic guitar and loop artist as akin to the sixth Backstreet Boy and spent the whole set screaming… inappropriate things. But since I didn’t really care, they were more amusing than irritating. Still irritating, don’t get me wrong, but amusingly so. There’s not denying that Yoav has talent, but his approach is interesting for a few songs but becomes exponentially more repetitive and stultifying after that. The only thing that made it all worthwhile was, after he finished and left the stage, a couple of the aforementioned girls climbed onstage and ran after him and one of them tripped and fell down the stairs. It’s okay, they were a short flight and she wasn’t hurt. But it was funny.

Photos: Yoav @ Lee’s Palace – March 8, 2008
MP3: Yoav – “Club Thing” (LaCrate remix)
Video: Yoav – “Club Thing”
Video: Yoav – “Beautiful Lie”
MySpace: Yoav

The Pigeon Detectives, looking to release their sophomore effort This Is An Emergency on May 14, are one of those bands that have been tipped as one of the next big things coming out of the UK this year (yeah, yeah) but this show seemed to have preceded any serious buzz about them on these shores. But I don’t think any British band has ever played to an empty room in Toronto so a healthy and enthusiastic audience was in place when the Leeds five-piece took the stage. Anyone looking for the next Blur or Kinks or other such band that combined a sharp songwriter’s eye on society with indelible guitar pop hooks… keep looking. But if you’re in the market for an entertaining, high energy rock band with an in-your-face frontman who has obviously spent a lot of time practicing his pogo jumping and microphone twirls, your ship has come in. The songcraft is simple but effective and the choruses made for drunken audience shoutalongs. The Pigeon Detectives could be this year’s Kaiser Chiefs – take that as you will.

Photos: The Pigeon Detectives @ Lee’s Palace – March 8, 2008
MP3: The Pigeon Detectives – “I’m Not Sorry”
Video: The Pigeon Detectives – “Take Her Back”
Video: The Pigeon Detectives – “Romantic Type”
Video: The Pigeon Detectives – “I Found Out”
Video: The Pigeon Detectives – “I’m Not Sorry”
MySpace: The Pigeon Detectives

That’s it for my CMW coverage this year. For more (thorough) coverage of the fest, hit up the minisites from eye, Chart as well as smaller bits from The Globe & Mail and Toronto Star.

And to segue CMW to SxSW – My Old Kentucky Blog has an interview with The Acorn, who by all accounts put on a great show at the Horseshoe this past Thursday night and will surely do so again when they play the second day of Hot Freaks down in Austin this coming Saturday at the Mohawk. The band has got a gorgeous new animated video for “The Flood, Pt 1” but the only place I’ve found it is at MuchMusic (what are they doing with music videos?). Go the the link there, search for “Acorn”, sit through the Gwen Stefani commercial and then enjoy. Hopefully it’ll propagate to YouTube or even their MySpace soon. Glory Hope Mountain gets an American release tomorrow and you can stream the record in its entirety at Spinner.

Stream: The Acorn / Glory Hope Mountain

And a bit more link-clearing before heading to Texas.

John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats rattles off some of his favourite songs for Harp. Harp also goes record shopping with Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, who are playing the Opera House next week on March 18.

NPR talks to Gary Louris, in town at the Mod Club on March 30.

Austin360 talks to Tift Merritt about her new one Another Country. She plays the El Mocambo April 1.

Digital Spy discusses The Seldom Seen Kid, out April 22 in North America, with Elbow frontman Guy Garvey.

Dean Wareham chooses his favourite albums from his tenures with Galaxie 500, Luna and Dean & Britta for The Boston Globe. His memoirs Black Postcards: A Rock & Roll Romance are out tomorrow.

Photo by Frank Yang

Even when I left the house of Friday night, I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going. I wanted to be in the neighbourhood of College and Spadina for midnight so I kind of decided en route to get off at Bathurst and hit up Sneaky Dee’s. As good a place as any to get started.

This evening the club was hosting the Soundproof showcase and taking the stage as I arrived was Restlesslist, who’d come all the way from Brighton in the UK to play our little festival. Though apparently usually greater in number when they perform, they were here as a three-piece but with a lot of equipment with which to craft their genre-hopping, cinematic, instrumental party soundtracks. Their set was upbeat and enjoyable throughout, thanks to a great melodic sense and entertaining and engaging banter from the band – for an instrumental band, they certainly liked to talk a lot. And tune. But the talking made the tuning go by faster.

Photos: Restlesslist @ Sneaky Dee’s- March 7, 2008
MP3: Restlesslist – “Butlin Breaks”

Also a bit of a spontaneous pick was Peterborough’s Burning Hell, playing the Weewerk show at the Silver Dollar. I’d listened to their new record Happy Birthday a little while back and despite appreciating the droll, erudite lyrics mated with grandiose country-folk arrangements – think Magnetic Fields in a good mood – it felt a little too nudge nudge deliberate for my tastes. But on the stage, with Mathias Kom wielding his ukelele and considerable charisma and leading his nine-piece orchestra through the paces, it all made much more sense and even proved that sometimes, one accordion simply won’t do the job and a second is required. Goofy songs like the zombie tale “Grave Situation” are much more entertaining when bellowed at the top of one’s lungs rather than played through the stereo. A raucous good time with the album title particularly fitting as Kom was celebrating his 30th that night.

Photos: The Burning Hell @ The Silver Dollar – March 7, 2008
MP3: The Burning Hell – “The Things That People Make”
MP3: The Burning Hell – “Different Things”
MySpace: The Burning Hell

I had scheduled the evening around seeing Finnish space-rock outfit Pooma’s midnight set at Rancho Relaxo and, ironically, it was that show that ended up being the let down. From the recorded samples, they seemed to fit somewhere between Under Byen’s drama and Mum’s tinkertoy etherealness but as it turned out, they were too wispy to fill that niche. Songs seemed to drift aimlessly, built around singer Tuire Lukka’s languid, echo-treated vocals rather than any strongly considered structure or melody and even on an atmospheric level, they failed to be enveloping. To be fair, they alluded to some technical difficulties and even mentioned that when they played their next CMW showcase on Saturday night, they’d have all their instruments with them so they may well have been performing at a disadvantage. But this was the only performance I was going to be able to make and it was a disappointment.

Photos: Pooma @ Rancho Relaxo – March 7, 2008
Video: Pooma – “Snow”
MySpace: Pooma

Photo by Frank Yang

In past years, my Canadian Music Week excursions have been mainly stationary affairs – that is, pick a showcase, head out, catch a few acts, go home. I eschewed the club-hopping aspect of things mainly because with a few exceptions, Toronto is a bit too spread out to do that efficiently – particularly in Winter when you’re at the mercy of the TTC. But this year, there was enough of interest at different venues around town that I elected to bounce from club to club, hour to hour, at least for the first couple nights.

Thursday started off at Lee’s Palace where things were filling up early for Jason Collett’s headlining performance but I was there to see the first act on the bill – Halifax’s Rebekah Higgs. The atmosphere was considerably different from the industry showcase-type deal I saw her at last November and considering that performance didn’t really deliver on the promise of her self-titled debut, that could only be taken as a good thing. Leading a band of Torontonian hired guns (all Newfoundland expats, apparently), she played with considerably more confidence and energy than last time and demonstrated how effective her blend of folk, rock and electronic elements could be. Consider the disappointment of that November show completely erased.

Photos: Rebekah Higgs @ Lee’s Palace – March 6, 2007
MP3: Rebekah Higgs – “Parables”
Video: Rebekah Higgs – “Parables” (YouTube)
MySpace: Rebekah Higgs

Next on the agenda was The Details, in town from Winnipeg en route to Austin, and the scouting report on them is that they sound like The Weakerthans. This has been stated in the context of both praise and complaint but either way, there’s far worse things than being compared to a great band, particularly one that casts such a long shadow on one’s hometown. And the influence is definitely detectable on their debut full-length Draw A Distance Draw A Border, particularly in the marriage of Jon Plett’s wordy lyricism and the energetic rock accompaniment, but the delivery – particularly live – drifts into a emo-esque whinge that doesn’t do much for me. Points for energy, however. Two-Way Monologues had an interview with the band in advance of their show.

Photos: The Details @ Rancho Relaxo – March 6, 2008
MP3: The Details – “The Height Of The Land”

Jane Vain & The Dark Matter are a band I’ve encouraged others to go see in the past, but have never myself made it out to see for myriad reasons, so it was nice to be able to pop around the corner from Rancho Relaxo to The Silver Dollar to catch their set. Midway through their set, frontwoman Jamie Fooks told the crowd that they had copies of their debut CD Love Is Where The Smoke Is available for sale and that it was different from the live show, and while a seemingly obvious statement, it was also very correct. The record has a very studio-y feel to it, as well as a prevailingly dark and rather anxious mood, while the touring band – an unexpectedly large six-piece outfit – had a great, tight chemistry and did a fine job of translating the songs live while injecting a dose of… well, not happiness – the material is still too dark for that – but non-depression. I’ll go with that.

Photos: Jane Vain & The Dark Matter @ The Silver Dollar – March 6, 2007
MP3: Jane Vain & The Dark Matter – “C’mon Baby Say Bang Bang”

Despite a Thursday night lineup that, if I didn’t have to be up for work in the morning, could have kept me out till the wee hours of the night, I closed things off with the CBC Radio 3/Bande A Part showcase of Montreal artists, in particular The Besnard Lakes. Having seen them a few times and moderately crushed on The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse last year, they were the most known quantity on the night – and probably the whole weekend – but still managed to impress. With the more compacted festival timeslot they had to rein in their more sprawling tendencies – and leave the smoke machines at home – but still effectively conveyed the epic scope of their musical vision. Grand stuff.

Photos: The Besnard Lakes @ The El Mocambo – March 6, 2007
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “And You Lied To Me”
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “For Agent 13”
Video: The Besnard Lakes – “For Agent 13”
MySpace: The Besnard Lakes