SxSW: Day Two
OY! I am tired and beat … all this South by Southwest fun is beatin’ my ass up! It wasn’t that long ago that I used to have the kind of stamina that it takes to go all day long from concert to concert without much sleep … but I guess in my old age, that ability has died down a bit. I have to say, tho, that I am having the best time ever tho. I made my first SxSW friend yesterday, got to see a few amazing performances and even got to dance a little bit. Day Two was really fun and really packed ;) I started out by grabbing a bite to eat at the nearest Chick-Fil-A:
The day just got better from there. I met my new friend Devin while we were waiting in line to see The Von Bondies perform at the Bat Bar inside the Austin Convention Center. We hit it off and hung out for the VB show and then made our way to the Peter Murphy show that was right after. We lost touch at that show but met up later on in the night. After Peter, I made my way to La Zona Rosa to await Tori Amos and saw Gabriella Cilmi and Erin McCarley who performed before Tori’s set — they were both really great. On the advice of Neil Gaiman, I hauled my ass all the way across town as soon as Tori’s performance was over to see Amanda Palmer … which is where I met up with my friend Devin. So many great performances!!! Here are pics of the artists that I saw yesterday:
The Von Bondies were so great … it was the first time I saw them perform outside of Detroit. They looked and sounded amazing. The new stuff is really good. Peter Murphy was just fabulous … he was in total Grand Dame mode and seemed to be having a great time. Gabriella Cilmi was a nice surprise … her cover of Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me A River was pretty rad. Erin McCarley was another new find for me. I’m deffo gonna have to pick up her album … and I may see her again tonight. She did a great version of Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega … totally killed it!! Tori was heavenly, as I already mentioned HERE and Amanda Palmer … wow! So far, she is my fave new discovery. Her raw passion and talent is really inspiring. She reminds me a bit of Ani DiFranco on piano. I am gonna get as much of her music as I can as well.
After the long day, I needed a drink … so Devin suggested we head over to Oil Can Harry’s for a beverage or two … which was great cuz the club was hosting a nekkid boy in underwear contest :) Not a bad way to unwind. Devin and I hung out for a bit and then I decided to call it a day by 2am. So much fun, tho. I have to give a shout-out to all the people I got to meet yesterday like Steve, Katie, Carrie and Laurie … there were others and I wish I could remember all the names but, alas, I failed to jot them down :( Here are pics of me with Pink readers Erica and Brittany at the Tori show and Javier from the Red Bull party the night before:
Tonight I’m meeting up with my friend Rachel for dinner and then I’m planning to see the Detroit band the Javelins and Melissa Auf Der Maur. I’m sure I’ll squeeze in some other shows too so … the fun never stops :) Seriously tho, I’m gonna need a vacation from this vacation. I hope I can make it thru ’til Sunday. OY!!
Tags: Amanda Palmer, Chick-Fil-A, Erin McCarley, Gabriella Cilmi, Peter Murphy, South By Southwest, The Von Bondies, Tori Amos
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March 20th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Oil can Henrys…LOVE IT!! Every time you post pictures of Chick-Fil-a it makes me so hungery!!
March 20th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I’m so glad you “discovered” Amanda Palmer! She is AMAZING and a beautifully genuine person. “Raw passion and talent” is a great way to describe it! :)
March 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
OMG if you only you knew how much I miss some damn Chic-Fil-A!!! I have been dreaming of a #1 on a golden wheat bun with cheese, lettuce, & tomato, a waffle fry, and large diet lemonade. They squeeze it fresh ya know…
March 20th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Amanda Palmer is amazing. Check out her band, Dresden Dolls. Also, on youtube, she has a new song called “Trout Heart Replica” which is fabulous.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
yay! Amanda Palmer! SO talented, SO gorgeous. really nice and down to earth too. You definetly have to check out the dresdon dolls!
March 20th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
yes yes yes on amanda palmer! she has the absolute best shows, intimate and biting and REAL!
be sure to check out the Dresden Dolls’ “Yes, Virginia” album — i know you’ll love it.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
hey trent I had chick fil-a too recently, it is a delicious place, I highly recommend it to others who haven’t been there, there is one down in here in san diego, in point loma.:)
March 20th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I definitely echo the Dresden Dolls sentiment. She does the vocals for the group (made up of her and Brian Viglione) and they really are awesome.
March 20th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
oy. cilmi is SO annoying. she’s such a bogaaaaan. and such an immature little girl. most aussies can’t stand the gal. bummer – hell of a voice. just… icko in interviews though.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Amanda Palmer is such a great artist, she plays piano like crazy and has a new solo record, and actually is touring!!! she has this great act with artistic performers and costumes and intereacts with the audience like no other… you should try to go to one of her shows.. promess you wont be dissapointed…
March 20th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Gabriella Cilmi is really MEH!
Yes i’m Aussie and so is she, but she is really annoying. She is pretty much a One-Hit-Wonder here in the land of Oz.
She had one #1 single, which was IMO really bad and produced an album something like 5 years in the making which was also, really bad. Her other singles bombed and yet she somehow won numerous ARIA Awards here in Aussie.
She is definitely OVERRATED and probably won’t be heard of again with her next album which hopefully never comes.
March 21st, 2009 at 9:21 am
Yrent… if you are i Austin then you have to eat migas! Migas is iconic there…
March 21st, 2009 at 9:27 am
@annie — I love migas … my mom makes them the best :)
March 21st, 2009 at 10:06 am
it’s so cool you’re in my favorite city! Trent, you have to go to Chez Zee…Its typical Austin and its really a great place to eat.
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:59 pm
I’m gonna have to agree with the other aussies on this Gabriella Cilmi, although she has a great voice and i would have loved to have heard her JT cover, is over-rated. She is too young and immature to be take seriously, she talks shit in interviews and really is a one hit wonder over here.
March 24th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I am an aussie and will not put down Gabriella Cilmi. I saw her perform at the Aussie BBQ in texas and was blown away. She kills it live. I hadnt seen her live before. I think australians need to be proud of their own rather than cutting them down. This girl has been nominated for a brit award and she is only 17. I saw her in Austin and she looked like great fun to hang out with. she made me proud to be australian. Good luck Gabriella you were bangin.