After 4 years and 100 bands, this may have been one of the best SXSW night I've had. I ended up solo at She & Him (the line was so long, my usual suspects gave up), and although you could tell Zooey and M. Ward were still working out kinks, they sounded amazing. Volume Two is going to be killer. Zooey is just as sweet as pie as you would think she is, and M. is shy in front of all the hype. I can not WAIT to film them tomorrow.
Next up was Stone Temple Pilots. Holy shit. Scott's voice is crystal clear and their sound was right on point. You don't get that much at the bars during SXSW, because bands are given so little time to tweak & play, and let me tell you, this town runs right on schedule (unlike most shows). STP rocked the house, and myself for that matter. Best part? When freakin' Robby Krieger, The Doors guitarist, came out and played Roadhouse Blues for the encore.
And that was not the end of my night, next up--The XX. Forty-five minutes later we got in, and right on time. Trust me, if you roll with me you'll be taken to the right restaurants, shows, parties, and only a few lines interspersed.
At first, the sound was horrible for The XX, but mid-show all was resolved and I was enjoying the show immensely. Seriously soothing beats and a major up-and-comer in the indie world.
Life is good here in Austin, and I'm happy to be here with the best mentor, crew, food, weather and music anyone could ask for.
