A couple of cool videos from our time in Austin during SXSW 2008 to share today. Both from The Helio Sequence, one video is from our session and the other is some bonus footage taken outside the studio that day, enjoy!
I’m just guessing that the warmest summers in Scotland are still no match for Texas heat, even on an mid-March day. By the time Glasgow’s Sons & Daughters arrived on Friday morning, the mercury was well on its way north of 90 and the band was feeling it: singer Adele Bethel donning a large floppy hat that matched her black and white dress. Fortunately, the quartet proved they could generate a little heat of their own inside EAR Studios with a set of music from their third CD, This Gift.
The pixielike Bethel and drummer David Gow formed Sons & Daughters after both served in the now-defunct Arab Strap, her strong vocals alongside guitarist Scott Paterson creating a formidable frontline while Gow teams with the cooly detached (aren’t all the best bass players?) Ailidh Lennon for a beast of a rhythm section. Since then, they’ve toured Europe, Australia and the US a few times, once as openers for fellow Scots Franz Ferdinand. Their latest headlining tour brought them to SXSW for a number of appearances and we were thrilled to have them in. In the interview, Adele talks about the inspiration behind This Gift, while Scott tries out his best Morrissey imitation. It’s one of our best from the week.
The 2007 release from Project Jenny, Project Jan, xoxoxoxoxo, was one of the more well received albums we spun last year. It became a regular listener request and ended up at the #84 album on our 97 Best Of 2007 list. Check out this great video of the duo performing “Train Track” live at EAR Studios in Austin last month during SXSW.
Last fall, the band came through Cincinnati while touring their second EP, “An Ocean In The Air”, and we hosted them in our Cincinnati Lounge. This time around, we had the pleasure of meeting up with the band at EAR Studios in Austin during our SXSW sessions.
Even though they were the first session of the day and had to arrive at 8am to setup, they were excited to share a batch of new material with us. Their Lounge Act revealed 5 brand new songs that they’ve been working on and just from hearing those songs in a live setting, it is clear that their debut album will be worth waiting for.
Folks out in San Francisco have a chance to see the band play some of these tunes out live on April 22nd, when they hit The Independent for a show with The Teenagers!
The new album from Frightened Rabbit hits stores here in the US next week, The Midnight Organ Fight. But this is your chance to hear a new song early, as the band played “Head Rolls Off” for us down in Austin during SXSW last month. The good folks at PROJECTMILL and Soft City Lights again captured the event on video, view it below…..
Just when you think we are all out of SXSW 2008 content, we hit you with more. Enjoy this video of Sons & Daughters performing “The Nest” live in Austin last month…..
Enjoy this great video of Peter Moren performing the song, “Tell Me In Time” during SXSW 2008. Another great video from our friends at PROJECTMILL and Soft City Lights.
You really have to hand it to Frightened Rabbit. A relatively unknown band from Scotland with only a debut CD that’d received a limited release (ever hear of Hit The Fan Records?) to their name, they turned a wealth of positive reviews and blogger buzz into the catalyst for their first US tour in early 2007, a full six months after Sing The Greys release.
Initially appearing in press photos wearing something akin to Mexican wrestling masks, the band revealed themselves to be a trio from Glasgow, led by singer-guitarist Scott Hutchison and his brother Grant on drums. They eventually signed to FatCat Records, who reissued their debut in the Fall of last year, and that’s when we caught onto them…in a big way. Sing The Greys hit WOXY’s heavy rotation in October and earned enough airplay to make our list of the 97 Best of 2007 at #70.
Now in 2008 with their debut almost a full two years old and having expanded into a quartet, the band have emerged with The Midnight Organ Fight, their proper FatCat debut. Recorded in the US and produced by Peter Katis (Interpol, The National), the disc once again features Scott’s plaintive vocals and emotive lyrics. In this Lounge Act session, it’s just the two brothers performing a beautiful, stripped down set that includes four songs from the new record as well as “Be Less Rude” from Sing The Greys.
Georgia’s Dead Confederate first hit our airwaves early last October and, truth be known, were the very first act we confirmed for a Lounge Act during SXSW. Five more down to earth guys you’d be hard pressed to meet, they were returning to Austin not long after they’d spent time in town recording their full-length debut, due later this year. With only a five-song EP to their name, they band surprised us by playing four brand new tunes in addition to a blistering rendition of “The Rat”.
The band had been playing gigs en route to Austin and, talking to Mike, made light of a few under attended shows along the way. Not to worry, the guys arrived at EAR Studios on a natural high after playing their biggest concert to date as handpicked openers for R.E.M.’s sole festival performance at Stubb’s the night before.
