SXSW Day 1: These United States, Toro Y Moi, Real Estate, Jason Collett, The Stone Foxes

SXSW‘s music festival officially started yesterday and the streets of Austin definitely showed it. Not only was it the official kick off to the week’s event, but it was also St. Patrick’s Day. Industry folk, bands and their instruments, along with people dressed in green – who were ready to have a good time – piled out onto 5th, 6th, and 7th Street in Downtown Austin to catch some great live acts.

The day started off as expected as I had to wait in line for registration and pick up my wristband. Waiting in line only made me anxious, but it was also interesting to notice what kind of people came to SXSW. This was a big festival with so many bands coming in from all over, and I could see both musicians and festival goers were planning their schedules out in their heads as they waited in line.

Planning schedules is great, but with a festival catered toward up and coming artists, finding new bands by just roaming the streets also works. Sometimes the best bands you happen to stumble upon become your favorite bands and this was my idea as I walked up and down the streets in search of new music or performances I had yet to cross off my list.

The first place I popped by was a random restaurant and bar called Paradise Cafe, and as I walked up to the upper patio, These United States were playing a set. There was a batch of great Americana artists playing this patio upstairs, and it was nice to see These United States live for the first time. Their set was a clean with some grime and psychedelia thrown in making the upper patio a welcoming place to be with the sun shining in the early afternoon and a slight breeze coming in.

I then made my way to a venue called the Red 7, just a street up and around the corner, and it turned out to be the Forcefield PR party. This was definitely one of the parties I could have stayed at all day with their ridiculously stacked roster. Inside was the first chance for a Toro Y Moi experience and I took that as soon as I could. Toro Y Moi, aka Chaz Bundick, was definitely a one man show and the combination of his looping vocals, synthesizer, and guitar put us all in a haze in the middle of the day. There was even some expressive hand dancing up toward the front of the stage that completely fit the mood of the space but definitely wasn’t something you would usually see at an indie rock show.

As I walked out toward the end of Toro Y Moi’s set for a smoke break, I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a massive crowd watching a set by Real Estate. Real Estate wasn’t a new band for me, but it was definitely a great setting to catch them play. These boys from New Jersey are just one of the many surf pop bands out there but they always stand out with their touch of psychedelia. This is one band that completely makes me appreciate the music over the lyrics because the chill guitar riffs they provide in every one of their songs are mind-numbingly good. Great acts such as A Sunny Day in Glasgow and The Rural Alberta Advantage also followed.

Next up was getting something to eat. With it already being 5 PM, I realized I had beer for breakfast and nothing substantially stable for my stomach. Just under a bar called Peckerheads, where The Consequence of Sound and The Music Slut party was being held, there was a pizza by the slice, hole-in-the-wall service. It may have been small but it was cheap and they had huge slices. One great thing about festivals is all the food you also happen to find along with the music. Festivals usually go in this order for most people: Music, booze, and food and that’s pretty how much it went down for me as well.

Upstairs at Peckerheads, I caught a rare performance by Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene. With a backing band that boasted a few other well known names, Collett turned out to have a strong voice of his own. With a his mixture of folk and pop, his vocals lightly laid on top of the music yet his lyrics were the best thing about his set. With a unique voice that doesn’t have that much range or volume, he still managed to sing his stories so incredibly well we didn’t mind anything else.

Next up was my chance to catch up with the boys of Vanaprasta. After a long two days in the van with the boys, I was already beginning to miss them a little and decided to catch their set at The Belmont Hotel where The Audio Perv was holding a no badge, no wristband, or RSVP party. It turned out to be a great deal since the hotel was very luxurious and the musicians were loving the outdoor stage. Vanaprasta played an amazing set for their hour-allotted time and gained more than a handful of passionate fans. Steven Wilkin’s vocal knows no bounds, Ben Smiley’s new cymbals (from our pit stop at the Guitar Center in El Paso) sounded great, and the entire band put everything they had into the show. A great comment overheard during their set went as such: “The music is good, but they just put their heart and soul into and that’s what makes this band so great.” Now, when anyone says something like that about a band, it’s a good indication that the musicians are doing something right. It’s a pleasure for everyone when the bands go all out and with a chance like SXSW, no band could afford not to do that.

What was also great about the place Vanaprasta were playing was that the band that followed turned out to be a great discovery. San Franciscan band, The Stone Foxes, was just a dose of great rock and blues music. The guitar work in every single one of their songs was an impressive offer brought to the stage. With a little twang in their vocals, it was a little hard to believe these guys weren’t somewhere a little more southern than San Francisco. I had my share of psychedelia throughout my first day at SXSW, but the genre combined with some gritty blues rock was a great way to enter the evening. It was truly a robust sound with the smokey vocals, harmonica and good ole rock and roll. The Stone Foxes is definitely a band to check out if you’re a fan of Muddy Waters, Black Keys… and perhaps, whiskey.

The night was nicely rounded out with The Parish where they held a roster of Scottish themed bands. Although this was one of the first official SXSW shows of the week for me, it was only $20 for those to gain entrance without a badge or a wristband. It was definitely a lineup that was worth the extra money if you were lacking the registration credentials. Bands who had exceptional performance included We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit.

With much confidence, I am happy to say that the first day of SXSW was as crazy as expected but also overwhelmingly great with some of the experiences I’ve already gotten under my belt. Check back tomorrow (March 19) for today’s recap (March 18)!

Were you at SXSW? Who blew you away on the first day? If you weren’t at SXSW, who is one band you would have seen?