[SXSW Journal] Day 4
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski
The weekend in Austin started off quickly with several interviews on the docket early. My feet, blistered, sore and just generally unhappy about the situation, slipped into a pair of Converse boots with the thought it would help with all the moving. Strapped up and ready to go I headed out to The Blind Pig on 6th Street to talk to The Lonely Biscuits, a four piece jam/hip-hop/indie group from Nashville. The Belmont University students were on the back end of a wild collection of shows throughout SXSW and played a fitting mid-afternoon set after we had a chance to sit down and talk. As soon as I was done there, I raced across town to the Omni Hotel where I was to interview New York City’s rising star, 17-year-old Bishop Nehru. Sans photog for the week, I was able to get the lovely pair of Rasha Mosa and Asia Ashley of The Lab3l to lend a hand for what ended up being one of the more interesting interviews I’ve done in awhile. We discussed the theory of the ‘twenty year loop’, his ties to Nas and what we can expect next, words on that coming soon.
After that it was off to 502 Brushy Street on the other side of the highway to catch Chicago local Taylor Bennett perform at the House of Aura showcase. Technical problems led to him doing a rousing acapella performance before launching into a full set list. A trip to the Rap Genius Ranch ended up just getting me more miles on my ragged feet as we made the trip just a bit too late to catch Nas actually talking about Illmatic. It was at about this point I realized the ridiculousness of this ‘festival’ and how impractical a town Austin really is. There is a ton going on in ATX for SXSW, so much in fact you can find music just about anywhere you go. However, once you walk up to that venue with your Bomberman-looking arm of wristbands, trying desperately to find the one for this particular venue, you’ll likely find there is an extra hierarchy above your ‘credential’ (i.e. it’s a corporate party with people who don’t really even like the music), or you’ll be directed to a mile-long line with a shrug and a ‘good luck’. So, I spent a good amount of time Friday walking to shows like SaveMoney’s set at Clive, only to hear Tumblr only likes folks in badges and decided to pack it in and meet up with some familiar faces at D.B. Riley’s on 6th where Marrow played an absolutely fantastic SXSW debut. Going back to Austin being impractical, keep in mind there is little to no public transportation, the highway system is like a toddler’s SimCity game and they have a train that literally runs like every three hours in a straight line down one street. Sorry guys, you have a way to go before you get true ‘city’ status. Anyway, after Marrow injected happiness into the souls of D.B. Riley’s patrons, I decided it was time to get out of the city and ended up at a mansion party about 20 minutes outside of town where we partied through the night. Looking forward to the last day, ready to get back to Chicago.
Marrow at D.B. Riley's
Taylor Bennett at House of Aura
The Lonely Biscuits at The Big Picture Media Showcase
[SXSW] Film Festival 2014
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
SXSW may be mostly known for its Music portion of the festival, but the Film half of the events have been building in notoriety over the past few years. While SXSW Film and SXSW Music are two entirely different beasts, they both have their own quirks and charm that keep the SXSW spirit alive throughout the entirety of the festival's duration. Whereas SXSW Music is full of craziness, crowds, and chaos, SXSW Film is more controlled and tempered in terms of its craziness, crowds, and chaos, albeit at a different level. Both Virgil and I (Ge0ff) were out and about last week, taking in as much as Austin and SXSW as we could before the Music crowds came in. Check out some of the photos below that captured some of our downtime in between screenings, some photos from the various film Q&As we attended, and even behind-the-scenes shots of some of the interviews we have lined up for next week. Enjoy!
[SXSW] From Dusk till Dawn: The Series After Party
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
After hitting up the Neighbors premiere Saturday night, Geoff and I went to the From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series after party at Red 7. As we walked through the raining streets of downtown Austin, we contemplated not going (later on, we were really happy we made the decision to go anyways). As we walked into a packed house, we made it through the crowd and to the back patio of Red 7 where Robert Rodriguez's mariachi rock band Chingon were jamming out to "Cancion del Mariachi" featured in Desperado. Further in the back of the venue were people lining up for free Kahuna Burgers and fries. After grabbing a quick burger, I pushed my way through the front to get some photos of the band. Robert had lots of surprises for the crowd, like bringing out snake dancers to accompany the music. After going through a few known songs from his movies, Robert brought out Eiza Gonzalez, who stars in the new TV series based on the film of the same name on the El Rey Network. Eiza came out and played a few Mexican mariachi classics backed by Chingon. Even Machete himself, Danny Trejo, stopped by to show support. Check out some of the photos from that night below.
[SXSW Journal] Day 2
Photo by Asia Ashley
I started the day by drinking a large cup of water and putting on three pairs of socks. The second night of my SXSW had gotten cut short due to Austin Fire Marshalls with weak capacity rules and my feet weren’t getting any better after subjecting them to what was essentially a barefoot marathon in Converse. With my feet neatly packaged into my Bucketfeet sneakers, I set off for my busiest day yet since getting to ATX. Catching a ride downtown by the grace of friends, I was able to make it to the Big Picture Media showcase at the Thirsty Nickel where I met up with The Tontons for the first time since we met at last November’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, also in Austin, and caught up on all the band has been through in the few months since the festival that seemed to be their big stepping out party. I had expected to talk about their new album, Make Out King and Other Stories Of Love and the big rise in popularity they’ve seen since. Instead we talked about burst appendixes and the intricacies of Spenzo’s hit song “Wife Er” which is plastered on seemingly every pole in town, staring down a familiar face on the opposite side of the street as Lil Herb’s Welcome To Fazoland gets a big push down south. After the Tontons, I had the chance to talk to another BPM client, the Philadelphia-by-way-of-Los Angeles indie rock foursome Cheers Elephant. Interviews from both acts are coming soon, but check out the short Instagram previews for some fun facts about both.
After watching both perform, I hiked my way down sixth street to The Fader Fort presented by Converse, slipping in and managing to snag a free drink in time to catch one of my most anticipated bands, Elmhurst, Il-based punk band The Orwells who showed why their building a buzz as one of the leaders of a new school of the genre, as lead singer Mario Cuomo, always an enigma, was at his best in front of the Converse chucks mosaic of the Fader Fort. Writhing on his back onstage, standing in the crowd, singing with his fans, the frontman made sure to leave his mark one of the most popular unofficial showcases at SXSW. The longtime family friends played good, played hard; and then walked offstage. One of TDE’s latest signees, Isaiah Rashad took the stage afterwards, another act with a lot to prove. The Chattanooga native did just that, working through his catalogue and tracks of his latest project, Cilvia, even bringing out label-mate SZA who performs there later this week. After Rashad, my photographer Asia Ashley and I ran to our next interview. Continuing on the punk trend that had been established at the Fader Fort, we arrived at The Hangar Lounge just in time for St. Joseph, Missouri-based punk trio Radkey who put on one of the most authentically punk rock sets I’ve ever seen. The three brothers, Solomon (16), Isaiah (18) and Dee (20) absolutely killed their set and set themselves as a perfect complement to an act like The Orwells in the rise of punk rock again. The preview of that interview is also below. After that, I cruised sixth street, watched people pack the sidewalk outside of the G.O.O.D. Music event on 4th and Brazos and managed to not get caught up in the ugly car accident that left two dead and several injured after a motorist ran his car into a crowd watching the Mohawk/Tyler, The Creator show. Wednesday was also the first day of the vaunted IllMore after party, long known as the premier after party for SXSW. Moved to a larger complex this year, the event, put on by IllRoots and Scoremore felt more concert-like than last year, having traded the old plantation-style home and surrounding grounds for a modified indoor skating rink. Big Sean took the stage and ran through his hits, joined onstage by Travi$ Scott after several DJs rocked the crowd, fueled by a steady supply of Red Bull and Tito’s vodka. Overall, not a terrible day at all despite the tragedy that took place last night. Check back in tomorrow for more updates!
The Tontons:
Cheers Elephant:
Radkey:
[RH Contest] Win a pair of tickets to see The Tontons on Valentine's Day in Austin
Photo by Virgil Solis
Following their appearance at last year's Fun Fun Fun Fest, during which Jake had a chance to interview the band, we've all grown to become huge fans of The Tontons here at Ruby Hornet. The indie band hailing out of Houston just recently announced a handful of shows to support Bright Light Social Hour throughout February, as well as to support the release of their next album, Make Out King and Other Stories of Love on February 18th.
To commemorate the band's Valentine's Day show at Stubb's in Austin, TX, we're offering one lucky person a pair of tickets to the night of romance. To enter, all you have to do is tweet Ruby Hornet with #RHTontons added on. Sounds simple, right? We'll announce the winner by Thursday night. All of the information for Friday's show, including a link to purchase tickets, are below. Good luck!
WHO: The Tontons
WHERE: Stubb's BBQ | 801 Red River St | Austin, TX 78701
WHEN: Friday, February 14th | Doors: 8PM | $17.50 - $20 | All Ages
[RH Photos] Disclosure and Vic Mensa in Austin (1/31/14)
Last Friday, the UK producer/DJ duo Disclosure took over Stubbs' outside venue to a a sold-out crowd. You couldn't ask for a better night for an outside concert. As soon as I walked in, Samo Sound Boy was already halfway trough his set, getting the crowd ready for SaveMoney's Vic Mensa. The rapper joined Disclosure on a handful of tour dates, with Austin being his last stop of the tour. Producer/DJ Stefan Ponce kept the crowd going before Vic stormed the stage, performing a set filled with songs from his latest project, INNANETAPE. Fans in the front row sang back lyrics to Vic as he moved around the whole stage. A short break to get things ready for Disclosure to hit the stage. ONce they did the crowd went wild. The duo went through many of their more popular songs from their last critically-acclaimed project, Settle. Austin loved Disclosure and did not want them to stop playing. Below are some shots I took of the show.
Austin Celebrates "Free Week"
There's no better price than free.99 and the eclectic residents of Austin, Texas seem to know this better than anyone, as they town embarks on "Free Week" a seven day run of free shows around ATX that help celebrate the start to a new year. Fitting, for a city that seems to never turn the music off. On the site's website, the event is promoters say, " Since 2003, Austin has held the tradition of partying to no end during the first week of January."
The decade-old tradition is a perfect example as well of the current state of music in America, as giving it out for free seems to have begun the norm for the large swath of artists trying to come up in the industry. The week-long mini-fest features a smattering of independent acts, both local and not, that come together to start the year off right, for free. For a full list of shows, venues and activities, click here.
