Festival Fever

After a fabulous weekend spent in the California sun, party-hoppin' around Coachella's many infamous offsite desert events such as Neon Carnival, Vestal Village, and Hard Rock's Music Mansion - we didn't think it could get much better. I mean bumper cars with Jared Followill?! Yeah, that happened.

Then the news flew in this morning of the best festival line-up of 2012. Congratulations Outside Lands! We look forward to August 10th-12th in San Francisco with you.



Official Line-Up:

Stevie Wonder
Metallica
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Jack White
Foo Fighters
Beck
Skrillex
Sigur Ros
Justice
Norah Jones
Dispatch
The Kills
Regina Spektor
Passion Pit
Andrew Bird
Grandaddy
Big Boi
Bloc Party
Explosions In The Sky
Franz Ferdinand
Mstrkrft
Rebelution
Die Antwoord
Fitz and The Tantrums
Portugal. The Man
Amadou & Mariam
Wolfgang Gartner
Fun.
Dr. Dog
The Walkmen
Washed Out
City and Colour
Two Gallants
Of Monsters and Men
Mimosa
Alabama Shakes
Reggie Watts
Trampled By Turtles
Tame Impala
Jovanotti
The Be Good Tanyas
Geographer
Sharon Van Etten
Yacht
Sean Hayes
Bomba Estereo
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Big Gigantic
Thee Oh Sees
Wallpaper
Tennis
Zola Jesus
White Denim
Allen Stone
The M Machine
Michael Kiwanuka
Tanlines
Father John Misty
Electric Guest
Caveman
Yellow Ostrich
Papa
Honey Island Swamp Band
Animal Kingdom
and more to be announced...

SXSW: Don't Tell Me It's Over...

I refuse to accept that my time in Austin has come to an end. Each day may have felt like a week, but it still wasn’t enough time to do and see all that I desired. I spent my last official day of SXSW attempting to make up for all this seemingly lost time.

You know it’s the last day of SXSW when you find yourself waking up early and heading over to Stubb’s for Rachael Ray’s Feedback party. This year the highlight was not the food so much as the bands…especially Imagine Dragons who I feel won over the majority of the packed venue and made me feel quite gratified in selecting them as our artist On The Rise for our last issue of High Voltage Magazine. The morning continued with stops at the MOG party to see Gary Clark Jr., The Silent Comedy and War on Drugs and then lunch at The Outlaw Roadshow at Rusty’s where I was charmed by several bands including Brooklynites Runaway Dorothy (a new discovery), Seattle standouts Hey Marsielles, and an old favorite from Philly/DC, Jukebox the Ghost. You know it’s a good morning when you get two different cover versions of “This Train is Bound For Glory” (via The Silent Comedy and Runaway Dorothy).


The dancing continued through the afternoon as I caught up with Semi Precious Weapons at The SoHo Lounge. The SPW boys had the entire room with their arms in the air and singing along. Singer, Justin Tranter, mentioned he doesn’t usually come out during the day, but by the energy and enthusiasm he was able to muster, one couldn’t tell he was unaccumsomed to face-melting at 4pm.

The evening began at Perez Hilton’s One Night in Austin event where I designed a screen printed shirt courtesy of Fiji water and indulged in some cotton candy and photo booth antics (the later two occurred simultaneously). Oh, there was also some music. Miguel proved to be a surprisingly dynamic performer and had the audience warmed up for the rest of the acts that evening which included Ed Sheeran, Kimbra, and B.o.B.

I was able to catch a few songs from LA notables Nico Vega before jumping into my car (*gasp*) and heading over to Hotel Cecilia to see brotherly duo, The Kin play outside at a private event under a tree. It was magical.


I was pretty much ready to be done at this point, but the idea of calling it a night at 10pm during SXSW is simply absurd, so it was back to 6^th St. for more adventures. Due to a schedule error (of my own), I ventured to the Presbyterian Church to see an act who wasn’t there. Instead, I caught (and was caught up with) singer-songwriter Joshusa James. Then another schedule error (beyond my control), made me realize with such great sadness, that Maverick Sabre was not in fact in Austin. As a result, I detoured to The Hotel Cafe Showcase where I was able to catch both LP and Harper Blynn (two stellar acts). Harper Blynn, on their cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” had the room on their feet!

Minutes before midnight, I rushed over to see Semi Precious Weapons again ring in my birthday (happy birthday to me!) with a spray of whiskey and a crowd filled with such enthusiasm. I love that when the set was over they clamored for a good 5 to 10 minutes before the band was called back to the stage to give an encore. Now, THAT, is how we close out SXSW. A few celebratory drinks at The Driskill, and that’s a wrap!

~ Kristen

P.S. Can it be SXSW ’13 yet?!?

SXSW: Ladies' Night

Several things happened today: due to losing my drivers license, I told more people than I can remember how old I am, I watched the varied range of emotional reactions from a band who played their final show at SXSW, the overwhelming crush of bodies swarming around was starting to get to me, and in my head I  began advance planning for SXSW 2013.

Apparently good things come in lady-packages because two of my highlights had women front and center:

Living up to ALL of the hype (which you know ain't easy) was Haim and this sister act Este, Alana, and Danielle, and Dash Hutton on drums made enduring a sweaty, moist, and hella packed Karma Lounge worth the extra deodorant. These ladies pull the trigger on 80's pop harmony, Fiona Apple-esque lyricism and girl power prowess to kind of snake charm your ears with their authority. Yes they're a Los Angeles band, but it was a shit ton easier to see them here at SXSW than it's been for me to see them in LA...which never happened. Sometimes it just works out like that.

Sweet is as sweet does, see HoneyHoney for further. With a touch of moonshine, boot stomping, Americana/alt-Country, bruising blues, and the soul of rock, Suzanne Santo (probably the prettiest thing I'd seen all day), and Ben Jaffe make the case for why this musical style never truly goes out of fashion and probably never will. HoneyHoney is a dustbowl hybrid of new vintage goodness.

And then there was the surprise of catching Voxhaul Broadcast who filled in at the Whole Foods Market Rooftop for the absent  South African band, the Parlotones who had to take off for a commitment in Argentina. Other than that being my last and failed attempt at catching the Parlotones, I'm not mad because Voxhaul are pretty bad ass.

Over at Stubb's was Londoner, Ed Sheeran, who has a way with acoustic folk that makes it less of a snoozefest than it has a tendency to be. Come on people, let's be real: more often than not acoustic folk is a better sleep aid them Sominex. Sheeran was a warm and charming dose os pleasant.

Up for today:

~Rachel Ray's Feedback @ Stubb's (801 Red River St) : Free food, lots of music! 10:30-4pm
The Heavy, Blitzen Trapper, Of Monsters and Men, The Cringe w/ Billy Gibbons, LP, the Wild Feathers, and more

~The Aussie BBQ @ Maggie Mae's (323 E. 6th St.): Australian bands in the hizouse!
Andy Clockwise, Electric Jellyfish, Jonti, Dead Letter, Sparkadia, Jordie Lane, Bonfire Nights, Voltaire Twins, Grace Woodroofe, and many more!

Later, lovelies.

~Trina

What day is it anyway?

After a shaky couple of days of technical glitches, late starts, artist cancellations, and overall frustration Thursday shaped up to be quite excellent. With a schedule that included Semi Precious Weapons, Band of Skulls, Morning Parade, Twin Atlantic, another Foxy Shazam set, Eve 6 and much more - how could you really go wrong?

Now before I go any further I do have to give props to Filter Magazine's Cedar Street Showdown party for being the best executed event thus far. SXSW is already chaotic enough trying to sort out which of today's 500+ bands you are actually going to see, so an event keeping to their published schedule is critical to make all your picks. And there wasn't one artist on Filter's line-up yesterday that even started one minute late! Kudos.

Kaiser Chiefs @ Filter Magazine's Cedar St Showdown
Some more well deserved recognition goes to the Hard Rock Hotel's Sound of Your Stay Music Lounge for the overall quality of their event. The line-up, food, beverages and the new ideas their rolling out for their hotels (playlists you can download and keep, free musical gear rentals and lessons, etc).

Semi Precious Weapons @ Hard Rock Hotel's Music Lounge
I was also thoroughly impressed with Morning Parade's set at the British Embassy in the early afternoon. It was my first time to see them live and found it quite delightful. Another highlight was Eve 6's performance later in the evening at Lucky Thirteen where they unveiled some new material (in fact, they are releasing a new album next month - their last album came out nine years ago). The band was tighter than I've ever seen them at and the new songs were simply irresistible; especially "Best Friend's Girlfriend" and "Victoria."

Morning Parade @ The British Embassy

Now for my Friday recommendations:

- Bad Rabbits are playing several times today so if you're in need of a stress release, go get your old school dance on. This band never disappoints.

- Quantum Collective is taking over the Whole Foods rooftop from 3pm to 10:30pm and the shows are all free. Making sure you catch Imagine Dragons, The Silent Comedy and Semi Precious Weapons.

- Fontana Distribution is hosting a day party at Buffalo Billiards with a killer line-up including Dead Sara at 2:45pm. SIDE NOTE: We just announced via Twitter that Dead Sara will be gracing the next High Voltage cover.

Eve 6 @ Lucky Thirteen
See you where the live music is,
Chelsea

SXSW Brings It Close To Home: LA Edition

Yes, it would seem somewhat ridiculous to take the time, effort, and expense of traveling from Los Angeles, CA all the way to Austin, TX for SXSW only to spend a huge amount of time seeing local Los Angeles bands that play around the way on a regular basis. Well, people, then my name is "ridiculous" and I'm damned proud of it: I'm all about showing physical and emotional support for the good music.

The very particularly and specifically curated showcase "Dear Austin, Love L.A." at Opal's Divine Freehouse by the notoriously notable Kevin Bronson was nothing more than the man's healthy love and respect for the insane amount of quality music coming out of Los Angeles these days and that quality made many SXSWsters find new bands to eagerly dig into like:

NO who brought the shiny post-punk with class

 Vanaprasta who brought the psych/soul rock especially made for an arena near you

And the powerhouse who Dead Sara simply ripped peoples' faces off and had them lined up on the sidewalk outside of the venue with their minds blown by what they heard and saw. 

See? Not kidding.

Also on Bronson's monster local love showcase were Chasing Kings, PAPA, the Henry Clay People , Harriet, and the painfully delightful Milo Greene. Yes, Los Angeles represented hard and I'm not sure Austin/SXSW will know how to follow up such a badass act. But the fun will be in the next few days of watching them try.

Speaking of fun (or fun.)...I still haven't gotten to see them. #FAIL

Now weather-wise it was a tad humid and muggy in Austin so dancing you butt off isn't really the smartest thing to do, but shit happens when you catch a Free Energy show (not an LA band, BTW). Twice in one day. And even though their 1am set at Jrs. (second show of the day) was pushed back by a dude named Thomas Dolby who simply would NOT get off the stage even after being told to, and being bitten by the technical difficulties bug, the feel-good, dance fever of Free Energy's rocking pop prevailed and those boys made a good time happen for the crowd that decided to stay until things got sorted.

Free Energy

Random acts of SXSW awesome: Stubbs bbq sammich with Evan, repeated run-ins with Alex, Daisy, and Aaron from Foxy Shazam (taxes were discussed), chatty moments with pieces of the UK's Viva City, free sushi from the Convention Center, seeing the many beautiful faces that I never expected bump into just walking down the street, and Austin PD giving a lady's car a jump in the middle of the madness on 6th Street. 

Way to show your love, ATX.

*Note* Venues that run an hour behind schedule get on my nerves. The music moon must have been in retrograde, this I assume due to the abundance of tech/equipment/sound issues running rampant at SXSW today (Dead Sara's second show of the day may just go down in sketchy back line/sound history. Damn). Hey dude who recited a wicked mad slice of def jam poetry to me while walking down 6th Street: that was awesome. 

As for today, March 15th, here are a few SXSW options for you:

1- Day #2 of SOFAR Sounds: SOFAR has partnered with High Voltage to make your ears happy with    delightful acoustic sessions. Friday line up brings you: NO (12:15), Reeps One (12:45), Reynosa (1:30), Shakey Graves (2:00), and We Were Evergreen (2:30).  RSVP to get in and receive the secret location address:AustinSofar@gmail.com

2- Manic Fest Destiny at Rusty's (405 E. 7th St.) presented by Sideways Media and Tijuana Gift Shop brings you two stages and some wicked acts to fill them like. Inside Stage: Dearly Beloved (12:30pm), The Shrine (1pm), Wished & Thieves (2pm), Jesse Thomas (3:30pm), Firehorse (4:30pm), The Stone Foxes (5:30pm). Outside Stage: Hey Marseilles (1pm), Jasmine Ash (2pm), backwords (3pm), New Cassettes (4pm), Greylag (5pm), Howlin Rain (6pm). Details HERE and I hope you've RSVP'd for this one already. 

3- Filter Magazine's Showdown at Cedar Street at Cedar Street Courtyard (208 W. 4th St.) has Twiliite (11am), Coldaire (11:30am), Paula Karol (12pm), Zulu Winter (1pm), Reptar (2pm), Band of Skulls (3pm), Kaiser Chiefs (4pm), Keane (5pm). Free noms at this one (that means food, kiddies) but do get there early for that. Get all the details and RSVP right HERE. 

Also, the Silent Comedy, Jordan Cook, Twin Atlantic, the Chevin, the Stone Foxes, the Features, and Howlin Rain have shows today. You're welcome. 

Hit the streets and get your music on.

~Trina

SXSW: I'm on the List!

Today was my first full day of SXSW. Most of it was spent collecting various passes for the days ahead and getting a general feel for the city. After a rough start picking up our SXSW wristbands, the majority of the afternoon was fairly smooth with a successful collection of passes picked up for The Purevolume House, The Hype Hotel, BandHQ, The Spotify House, and Fader Fort (which actually started wristband pickup 30 min. early - huzzah!).

The swag collection today included a foursquare t-shirt, Dell water “bottle”, MGO backpack, Tito’s vodka fanny pack, and a lovely gift bag from Non Toxic Revolution which included some boxed water and Emergen-C. We also had some success food-wise picking up some free hot dogs courtesy of @girlsHBO and ice cream made with coconut milk outside BandPage HQ.

The line at Hype Hotel pick-up

The evening brought a shift in focus back to the music. Highlights included a couple British bands (Viva City and fiN) as well as a surprise performance by He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister (they played under the name Rainbros). If this playing under a fake name business becomes a trend, I’m going to start investigating oddly named bands... although I fear my efforts would just prove there are a lot of strange band names out there...

Viva City at Quantum Collective's kickoff

Looking at tomorrow's schedule, there's several showcases you should see:

- Dear Austin: Love, LA Showcase presented by Buzzbands featuring some stellar LA-based bands such as Chasing Kings (11:15), Dead Sara (1:30), Vanaprasta (2:15), NO (3:00), and Milo Greene (5:15). Arrive early for some giveaways. Freehouse (700 W 6^th St) http://buzzbands.la/austin-2012/

- Sea Now Event at The Brew Exchange (706 W 6^th St) featuring Free Energy (3:30), Ume (5:00), The Parlotones (6:00), Harper Blynn (7:00), The Stone Foxes (7:30), Bleu (9:00), and Vanaprasta (11:00) http://www.seanow.org/

- SOFAR Sounds has partnered with High Voltage (yes, us!) for some extra special Acoustic Sessions this week. Wednesday brings Radiation City (12:15), Cowboy and Indian (12:45), Tournament of Hearts (1:30), Haun’s Mill (2:00, and Greylag (2:30). You'll need to RSVP to get in (and receive the secret location address): AustinSofar@gmail.com

- An official SXSW Showcase presented by Communion at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop with the following lineup:

o 8pm: Bear’s Den

o 9pm: Marcus Foster

o 10pm: The Apache Relay

o 11pm: Treetop Flyers

o 12am: Nathaniel Rateliff

o 1am: Three Blind Wolves

And if you're looking for that magic food + good music combo? Try Warner Sound’s daytime festival at La Zona Rosa (612 W 4^th St) featuring Royal Teeth, Avalanche City, fun. and more. Doors are at noon. Get there early for some free steak house goods.



~ Kristen
P.S. If you still haven't tracked one down, be sure to find us to get a copy of the High Voltage Pocket Guide to SXSW!

Let the music begin!

Chelsea here. Just got in from 14 hours of nonstop SXSW shenanigans today. Most of the day was spent picking up party passes and sorting out where various events were going to occur. However, I was able to catch the acts at the iHeartRadio / PureVolume party tonight. Highlights? Dead Sara & Foxy Shazam! Both acts are playing several more during the week so if you missed them tonight you'll have another shot to check them out.



My recommendations for tomorrow, when music really kicks off:

- The Fader Fort begins wristband pick-up at Noon. Get there as early as you can because that pick-up line isn't going to get any shorter at any point throughout the week.

- The Quantum Collective is launching their series of SXSW events at The Chuggin' Monkey at 6pm. Definitely head over for Viva City at 12:15am.

- For those with Interactive Badges, check out Free Energy at the Nokia Lab Dome sometime after 8pm (set time hasn't been officially announced).

- And Spotify users will want to text SPOTIFY to 894546 to receive a text each morning with their secret show line-up that day. As long as you're a Spotify user you'll be able to attend (capacity permitting).


And finally, follow @highvoltagemag to see where we're hanging out, tips for a better SXSW and to grab a High Voltage SXSW Pocket Guide off us. Trust us, you'll want one of these. See you tomorrow, Austin!

SXSW 2012 - Here we go!

High Voltage is no stranger to South by Southwest Music Festival (aka SXSW), this will be our 9th year. But this year we're doing something extra special - we've made our own SXSW pocket guide and printed thousands of copies to be distributed around Austin starting Monday, March 12th. Find us in Austin to grab a copy for yourself.

Our regular coverage from the event will also start on Monday, March 12th. We'll be posting daily recaps and even more recommendations of what to see for the following day (as new & secret events keep getting announced). So, bookmark this page and come back often. Also make sure to follow us on Twitter for live updates @highvoltagemag.

In the meantime, here's a brand new track by SXSW showcasing artist Free Energy called "Electric Fever" for you to download and enjoy.

FREE ENERGY - Electric Fever