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SXSW Diary, March 15-19, 2006
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WEDNESDAY MARCH 15
This year I started off the festival's music
by going to see one of my most beloved bands
of recent years, Oranger, from the Bay Area.
They were supposed to be playing at Emo's. Wandered
back and forth between both sides of Emo's.
No Oranger, no band that was supposed to precede
them, either. Saw a band called Zykos, I think,
who were fair, in the main Emo's. Then a friend
pointed out that there was an 'Emo's annex'
across the street, which turned out to be a
tent. Ah. Right place, and fortunately for me,
they were running a half hour late at the day
party. So I got to see Oranger play a fine short
set, mostly songs from their most recent album,
New Comes and Goes (Eenie Meenie Records). Their
regular bassist wasn't there (he's also touring
with the Posies, who didn't do SXSW, tho their
co-touring act The Minus 5 did). Keyboardist
Patrick Main has become the most fun to watch
with his theremin antics, especially now that
Keith Moon's musical heir Jim Lindsay is no
longer drumming for the band. They were great,
as always! And I got back to my nearby parking
meter (I did get lucky once) with 1 minute to
spare! Helluva way to start.
Next I went over to Mother Egan's pub for the
Guitartown/Conqueroo party. Saw an excellent
set by Jon Dee Graham. Talked to a bunch of
folks, among them Stan Ridgway, Cary Baker and
Chris Stamey. Then I saw Stan Ridgway's set
too, which was also excellent.
After that, not being able to raise Peter or
Art by phone, I went over to the Dog & Duck
to check out arrangements for Saturday's Pop
Culture Press party. Had supper and a coupla
pints with my mate Hunter Darby (bassist for
the Wannabes, Dung Beatles, Dumptruck, Service
Industry, Diamond Smugglers, etc.). We decided
we ought to get a raised stage platform for
the big tent for the party, since there was
a 30% chance of rain and we might want to move
the electric stage there. Turned out to be our
smartest move of the week.
 Looking
at my 8pm options, I opted to go and find a
place to pay/park as near as possible to the
Plimsouls' midnight gig, so that I could race
to my car and get down south to see Sal Valentino.
So, based on that, I started my evening with
the lovely and talented Mary Lou Lord playing
at this kinda wonky upstairs loft/bar called
the Soho Lounge on 6th Street. Thought she was
great, still playing a lot of songs I love on
2004's Baby Blue (Rubric). She told a story
about the year she and Elliot Smith both applied
for SXSW and were both rejected, so he persuaded
her to come down to Austin anyway and they busked
on the street. And then she sang a song he'd
taught her. Very funny and touching, and just
goes to show, even soon-to-be great acts can
get overlooked when they start out. Talking
to her later in the week, she said she thought
it was a really crappy show, but the audience
and I all thought she was great. Apparently
she got hassled by the police a coupla days
later doing her annual busking bit in front
of the Driscoll Hotel, too, and now she's saying
she's not coming back to SXSW. Hope she changes
her mind. We love her here.
Then I walked down to the far end of 6th Street,
looking for a club called Red 7 to see a band
my friend Holly likes, called The King of France.
I'd checked them on their website and they sounded
good. But as I got to 611 6th St., I realized
that the club was in fact on 7th St., and as
it was starting to rain a bit, since I was right
in front of 614, which was Caribbean Lights,
where my #2 choice Kathy McCarty was playing,
I decided a band change was in order. As I started
to go in, I was shocked for a minute -- there
were maybe 300 people in line outside. Whoa!
That many folks in line to see Kathy? Wha???!!!
Then I noticed they were in line for Emo's next
door. The lady at the door told me they were
all there for the '9pm secret gig by the Flaming
Lips.' I was greatly amused by this, as the
secret gig was in fact at 11pm a coupla miles
away at the Fox & Hound pub. Ran into my
old pal Ed Ward inside. McCarty was really terrific!
I haven't yet heard her new record, but I simply
must pick it up this month. The songs were great,
and it's every bit as classic as her last one,
which was represented only by her hit cover
of Daniel Johnston's "Living Life."
Her Glass Eye bassist/producer Brian Beattie
was part of the band. They did a reunion gig
later at SXSW, but I wasn't able to attend.
10pm was a tough choice for me: Peter Case,
The M's, The New Pornographers, Matt Keating
and Emily Spray, or the reformed Austin '80s
band Standing Waves? All in walking distance,
too. Ultimately, Oranger won out. Head over
heels love their last three albums, particularly
the magnificent Quiet Vibration Land, and as
a band on a tiny label with no tour support,
the changes of my seeing them in Austin outside
SXSW are slim to none, whereas the rest I have
seen/will see again. So I headed over to a place
now called The Velvet Spade on Red River. The
club was packed, but unfortunately the gig was
running grossly late. Seems our Hairclub for
Men Texas governor Rick Perry (the most blatantly
corrupt politician since Boss Crump or Mayor
Daily) was holding a private party prior to
SXSW, and when the SXSW staff informed them
that it was time for the 6pm band setup and
soundcheck, Perry's drunken staffers allegedly
basically told the SXSW staff to fuck off (hell,
it ain't so alleged, I know someone who was
there who quietly taped Perry's drunken assistant
on a cell phone and I personally heard the jerk).
So anyway, very late show thanks to the governor.
Hope the Kinkster puts his ass on down the road
where it belongs in this fall's election. Oranger
were fantastic. Regular bassist Matt Harris
had made it in for the gig, and they were firing
on all cylinders, taking no prisoners. Unfortunately
(see pic), this is the most poorly designed
stage setup of all SXSW venues. Keyboardist
Patrick Main (see above) was 100% invisible
onstage behind the stage left PA columns and
a frickin' tree!!!!!! Greeeaaaaattttt place
to put a band.
Next I hoofed it over to Exodus on 6th Street,
half a dozen blocks away to see World Party.
The place was immensely packed, badges only
getting in, with a great line outside. Seems
that Karl Wollinger was just playing an acoustic
show under the World Party name, really, not
that I know much about it, because it was too
packed to get out of the hall where the bar
was into the room with the stage, and anyway,
I was too busy talking to a couple of lovely
ladies to be bothered to go hear Karl play under
those conditions.
We all squeezed inside for The Plimsouls, who
have been touring around southern Cal the last
coupla years, but who haven't played Austin
in a decade. One of my favorite all-time bands,
the 'souls were in fine form with a new drummer,
and played a blindingly good set. Couldn't see
a damned thing, tho. Even with camera held as
high up as I could reach, I could still only
'see' the tops of their heads. It was a fabulous
set, opening with "How Long Will It Take,"
then going through covers like "Makin'
Time" and "Come On Now" and originals
like "I'll Get Lucky," "A Million
Miles Away," "Great Big World,"
and a powerhouse finale with the Easybeats'
"Good Time." Ex-Flamin' Groovie/Magic
Christian leader Cyril Jordan was to have joined
the band for a rendition of "Shake Some
Action," but he was a no show. Interestingly,
on the Magic Christian set Friday, they played
"Shake Some Action," which the band
doesn't normally play. Live music doesn't get
much better than this IMHO, but dammit, I wish
more than a dozen people in the audience could
have seen the band. Oh well, it's just a bunch
of old guys like me who I know anyway. On the
excellent news front, I'm happy to report that
lead singer/guitarist Peter's Case's Rickenbacker,
as seen in the 'souls in the film Valley Girl
and on which many of the 'souls classics were
written was just recovered in Tucson and returned
to Peter last week, 22 years after it was stolen.
So we can expect to hear it again on the upcoming
new album by the Plimsouls which Peter's about
to start writing! Damned fine news!
 Immediately
after the last notes, I grabbed my pal Hunter,
and we sprinted to the car to go over to the
Saxon Pub where my friend Freddie Steady Krc
was hosted an after-Austin Music Awards bash
with the Shakin' Apostles and some special guests,
including the legendary Sal Valentino, lead
singer of the Beau Brummels. Got there in time
to see the last three songs of Valentino's solo
set, backed by Krc and another guitarist. They
closed with "Laugh Laugh," the Brummels
first hit, and indeed, probably the first post-Beatles
US band song to top the charts (produced by
Sly Stone). Man, hearing Sal do one of my favorite
songs of all time was just a magical moment.
Followed him outside, figuring I'd introduce
myself. He was talking to this little wizened
guy, who looked like he might be Woody Allen's
granddad. This guy was trying to remember who
all played in the house band on Shindig!, and
I just took that as my opportunity to enter
the conversation and rattled off all the names
of the house band. "Yeah, yeah, that's
right!" he said, and I was included with
smiles all 'round. A few minutes later, the
Shakin' Apostles tore into a shit-hot set of
all '60s Nuggets type cover songs, and we went
back in to listen. ? and the Mysterians, "Train
Kept a Rollin'," etc. etc. And the little
man I'd been talking to got up on stage with
'em, strapped on a guitar, and proceeded to
leave nearly 100 percent of the jaws in the
room flat on the floor. Imagine Alvin Lee and
his lightning fretwork on "I'm Going Home"
in the Woodstock film, then step the speed up
exponentially, and add good taste and economy.
My old pal Dan 'Teisco de Rey' Forte, one of
the country's leading guitar experts was there,
and gave me the name -- Jerry Cole. Now, that's
not a household name, so let me help you out:
Jerry Cole was the lead guitarist of the so-called
'Wrecking Crew,' who were basically Phil Spector's
house band. Played 12-string on "Mr. Tambourine
Man." Was in the Shindig! house band along
with James Burton, Delaney Bramlett, Leon Russell,
and Billy Preston. Played on literally thousands
of hit records out of the LA area in the '60s.
Was the guy who taught Glen Campbell how to
be a session guitarist. On Brian Wilson/Beach
Boys' best records. You name it, he played on
it. And the cat can still play like ringin'
a bell. My camera was fuckin' up, but Fat Pete,
the record label owner who released Come Out
Tonight, Sal's fine new record produced by Freddie
Steady, got a shot of all of us outside the
Saxon.
Man, we were all just over the moon. What a
way to close the night!
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