So I didn't get to write up Thursday's events. Why? Well, I also have been shooting from 7 PM to 2 AM officially for SXSW, and by the time I get to my hotel, it's 4 AM. Friday, I was way to exhausted to get to the Convention Center, my only access to a computer, until 1 Pm. And if I were to stay here and write a blog, I wouldn't have made it to the awesome free party at Club DeVille where I saw the Obits, Handsome Furs, the Thermals, and once again, the Hold Steady. So my sincerest apologies, to whoever may be reading.
But first things first, Thursday was a blast.
I made it to Red 7 in time for Human Highway, the side project of Islands and the Unicorns Nick Thorburn. They played their blend of spacey folk rock for about a half an hour, and while they were absolutely beautiful, they seemed a little out of place by comparison to the rest of the bands.
The first of which was the Hard Lessons, an energetic hard rock outfit from Detroit, Michigan. Supporting their newest release, Arms Forest, dual-singers Gin and Ko Ko Louise are enigmas on stage. Ko Ko slammed on her keys and sang in a deep, sexy, husk voice as Gin pounded on the guitar. To close off the set, he climbed atop the speakers and monkey-barred the beams high over the crowd. The patrons directly under him had mixed emotions; was he going to fall on them, or should they be excited? They eventually left the stage to a roar of applause.
The southern punk-rock of Memphis' Lucero was up next, and they did not disappoint either. Singer Ben Nichols was relentless with his bluesy voice, punctuated by the guitar solos of Brian Venable. They tour through some crowd favorites and left everything on stage.
The headliner, the Hold Steady, is a band I can't stand on record but always have a great time live. They did not disappoint. Straight out of Minnesota, the multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay rocks a porn-stache but his keys and organ accent every song spoke-sung by singer Craig Finn. Finn has a great command of the stage and knows how to get the crowd moving, whether it be by his funny dancing or desire to get the crowd involved. The kids at Red 7 starting moshing and pushing, and the atmosphere was that of a straight drunk party. The Hold Steady are a band you must see live.
So I'll be back later today for an update on what I saw and shot yesterday, so cheers. On to my last day of this incredibly busy weekend.
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