Superdrag, Landon Pigg, Leslie Keffer among Nashville acts headed to SXSW '09
Leslie Keffer When people think of Nashville, they think of warped squalls of low-frequency bombardment and droning, filter-mangled distortion. At least they do if they think of Leslie Keffer, the Nashville guitarist and knob-tweaker who has performed both on the floors of house parties and with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. The Nashville noise artist heads to Austin to blow minds, ear drums and probably a few speakers—not necessarily in that order. (Playing Thursday, 21st at The Hideout.)
Caitlin Rose This publication has noted Rose's ability to win over the most un-win-overable crowds with her mix of sharp songs, affecting vocals and quick-witted banter. With Austin in her sights, more conquests are surely on the horizon. It doesn't hurt that she's been billed to play the Austinist party alongside Akron/Family, Vetiver, The Mae Shi and more, which should put her in front of a sizable audience. And that's right where she belongs. (Wednesday, 18th at The Mohawk.)
Landon Pigg and Turbo Fruits both play the official Next Big Nashville showcase (see sidebar to the right). The two are linked through the film Whip It!, directed by Drew Barrymore, in which singer-songwriter Pigg plays the love interest of Ellen Page (Juno), an "indie-rock loving misfit" who somehow ends up involved in roller derby, or something like that. Turbo Fruits are slated to have two songs on the movie's soundtrack and make a slightly fictionalized appearance in the movie as the band at a house party (a role they shouldn't have to rehearse for), which also happens to need a singer.
The Clutters Austin is home not only to SXSW but also to Chicken Ranch Records, which is in turn the label home of Nashville garage rockers The Clutters. Nashville audiences sometimes take this band for granted—which is a shame, because they bash out an energetic, noisy take on the Pacific Northwestern brand of three-chord monte that's raw in all the right places. (Chicken Ranch Showcase, Wednesday, 18th at The Tap Room at Six Lounge.)
The Features Considering there's already a mountain of evidence to support the conclusion that The Features are one of the most criminally underrated bands in the country, it seems like piling on to mention that 2009 marks the band's first offical invitation to South by Southwest. But as ever, The Features have answered all the adversity by just getting better, and they head to Austin at the top of their game. Some Kind of Salvation was one of last year's best local rock releases.
The Ettes on the other hand are veterans of the craziness that is SXSW. Describing their trip one year ago, singer Coco recounts, "One night, we saw two people having sex on the hood of a car. All of a sudden they stopped. The woman turned her head and threw up. Then they went right back at it." While The Ettes' sugary garage pop is not as debauched as the scene they describe, the band does have a way of making people move. (Playing Next Big Nashville showcase—see sidebar to the right—and the Take Root Records, Rock River Music and Noisepop Official SXSW Showcase, Friday, 20th at The Mohawk main stage.)
Janet Timmons is probably the only Nashville blogger ever to appear on the evening news in Austin. This year, the Out the Other writer and WRVU DJ will be going official as a panelist—alongside folks from Donewaiting, Aquarium Drunkard and BrooklynVegan—in a discussion titled "Bloggers Are Now in Charge." Anyone remotely familiar with our local rock scene knows that Timmons is one of its biggest boosters. She also loves SXSW: "I call it 'spring break for music nerds,' " she says. The panel will be moderated by another Nashvillian, Glenn Peoples of the music business blog Coolfer. (Thursday, 19th in Room 15, Austin Convention Center, 11 a.m.)
Next Big Nashville & American Songwriter T(ea) for Tennessee Day Party
How I Became the Bomb
Jessica Lea Mayfield
Howlies
The Features
The Ettes
Those Darlins
Daniel Martin Moore
Madi Diaz
Kyle Andrews
Sarah Siskind
All-Star in the Round feat. Jedd Hughes,
Jeremy Lister, Trent Dabbs, Matthew Perryman Jones and Katie Herzig
Friday, 20th at The Tap Room at Six Lounge, 12:15 p.m. (117 W. 4th St.)
Next Big Nashville Official SXSW Showcase
The Deep Vibration
Paper Route
Brooke Waggoner
Landon Pigg
Turbo Fruits
The Features
Butterfly Boucher
Thursday, 19th at Maggie Mae's Gibson Room, 7 p.m. (512 Trinity St., between Fifth & Sixth.)
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