[SXSW] Music Festival 2014 Recap
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski
In 1977, a water skiing Henry Winkler wore a leather coat and life preserver and attempted to 'jump the shark' in a move that become synonymous with the beginning of the end of a good thing. In that regard it was the long-running "Happy Days" sitcom. Last week in Austin, Texas, it was the South by Southwest Music conference that took the leap from humble beginnings to corporate cash in it's own rendition of 'jumping the shark'. No one pointed it out better than TDE-signee and Oxymoron artist Schoolboy Q, who interrupted his set at the Complex House several times to address several SXSW sets he played for 'yuppies' while his real fans stood outside unable to get in. Alas, the 2014 edition of SXSW couldn't have been described better. An armful of wristbands, garnered through careful planning and RSVPs was instantly trumped by a litany of barriers between them and the artists they had traveled to see. When it began in 1987, the festival was a place for new and unsigned artists to get recognized and for true fans to catch them before they hit the big time. Today, to put it the words of my Journalism professor, it is essentially 'one big blow job'. Despite a lack of a real industry, or perhaps because of it, record labels funnel top-tier artists to the highest bidders, who more often than not come with long guest lists that leave fans sitting outside wondering where all the public transportation in this 'city' is. Even the Illmore, the exclusive house party that has become a staple of the fest, running late into the night with star-studded performance, seemed a bit too big this year in it's new home at a sterile youth center.
For me, the best part of the week was living vicariously as if the SXSW Schoolboy Q encountered was somewhere else. I hustled interviews with true rising acts in Philadelphia-based Cheers Elephant, who's onstage presence is obviously culled from years of performing together and who I'm sure saw a significant boost afterwards, The Tontons, a Houston indie/soul group with a personality to match that hit SXSW on the heels of their latest project, the well received Make Out King and Other Stories of Love. Then there was Radkey, the trio of young brothers, aged 16, 18 and 20 respectively who single-handedly got me back into punk rock with one of the wildest, most raw sets I have seen in a long time, and 17-year-old Bishop Nehru who very well may be the second coming of Nas, The Lonely Biscuits, a band of Belmont University students who stopped down to ATX between projects and mid-terms. They weren't a sit down with Rick Ross, or an in-depth on Phantogram, but the stories I was able to dig up throughout my time at SXSW made me proud to be able to say I saw through the thick haze of bullshit and gerrymandering that descends on the city for a week and actually seek out acts that benefited from the experience.
To be sure, it was two Chicago artists who not only embodied all that SXSW should be, but capitalized on it to continue their independent, organic rises out of their hometown. A year ago, Chance The Rapper ran around SXSW playing sets in anticipation of his yet-to-be-released album, Acid Rap that turned 2013 into a roller coaster of experiences for the 20-year-old MC. At that time, Vic Mensa was still performing as part of the band Kids These Days, which broke up soon after Chance dropped his project on April 30. The two close friends arrived again in Austin at wildly different points in their careers. Chance, with just about every accolade possible under his belt is becoming the biggest independent artist in recent memory, while Mensa, fresh off a plane from Norway, put on a marathon of sets throughout the week that had crowds buzzing in the street about the kid from the Midwest with the funky, different flow to him. Chance's only show was cut short by Fire Marshalls, an ode to his popularity and a crux of the festival at large while also picking up a Woodie award with Austin Vesely for the "Everybody's Something" video. As independent, self-funded artists, Chance and Vic may have embodied the spirit of what SXSW is supposed to be better than anyone else in Austin this week.
In 1977, Fonzie made history by ruining a good thing while ten feet in the air on water skis, in 2014 Lady Gaga did the same by performing beneath a carefully-placed canopy of Doritos bags. Corporate money has always been prevalent (early 2000s 'ringtone rap), and it's just another chapter in the money making something so genuine so utterly unrecognizable.
[SXSW Journal] Day 3
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski
After a whirlwind Wednesday that had me crisscrossing the town chasing interviews left and right, Thursday took on a bit of a different tone. The festival continued on in the wake of the terrible accident that took the lives of two on Red River Street the night before as a car plowed through crowds to avoid a DUI check. With that in the back of their minds, festival-goers stormed the streets of Austin en masse. Seriously, en masse. The sheer number of people who made it out for either SXSW official and unofficial showcases, the iTunes Festival, the MTV Woodie Awards or one of the dozen parties taking place was pretty astounding. Deciding to experience a little more of what was happening everywhere, I hopped the ATX version of a Divvy bike and headed into town where I made my first stop at the Fader Fort for some much needed early cocktails and people watching. After awhile, I left to see what the Woodie Awards was all about since Austin Vesely was a strong favorite to capture his first major film award for ‘Best New Video’ for his work on Chance The Rapper’s “Everybody’s Something”. Before any of that could go down, or I can continue further with the story, I have to mention that the Woodie Awards really have no business being in Austin during SXSW. There is plenty to do and see without quite literally another festival being dropped right inside of it. But, Vic Mensa took the stage to screams as he opened with “Orange Soda” and moved into his up-tempo hit “Feel That”. I left there to head down to the Complex House where Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul took the stage to a packed house that seemed to know more of the words to their songs than they did. In the middle of the Schoolboy Q show, a fan got punched in the face, only to get called out by Q for not fighting back. “Don’t act like a bitch and let him fuck up your day! Do You!” Shouted the TDE rapper before launching into “Man of the Year” which popped the top off the party in a hurry. Scurrying out of there, I met up with a few local Chicago acts and stopped in the Columbia College AEMMP Hip-Hop Showcase which put on for the full breadth of the burgeoning scene in the city. Later that night, standing near where the accident happened a night before, a wall of people, shouting and walking with intense purpose began marching down Red River in a huge crowd. The crowd turned out to be none other than the A$AP Mob, with General Rocky leading the charge. It was weird, but I guess an interesting show of force. Thursday was slow, but Friday is going to be turnt, stay tuned for more and keep up with my experience at SXSW.
[SXSW Review] Premature
[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!]
[youtube id="zkyc97vmSlI"]
Premature
Director: Dan Beers
Rating: R
Release Date: March 7, 2014 (SXSW)
High school comedies have always followed the same basic formula: everyman protagonist, a group of friends, parties, sex, and shenanigans to bring everything together. Looking at the successes and failures of other high school comedies over the years, it takes more than just an outlandish premise and a talented cast - there needs to be that extra element that can help a film separate itself from its brethren. Does Premature possess that special touch that helps it be more than just "another high school comedy"? Read on and find out.
On the most important day of his young life, Rob (John Karna) has to ace an interview with a Georgetown recruiter, lose his virginity to one of the hottest girls in the school, Angela Yearwood (Carlson Young), and cap it all off with a night spent with his best friend, Gabrielle (Katie Findlay). However, the interview goes terribly, he cancels his plans with Gabrielle, and he prematurely ejaculates during his hook up with Angela. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a wet spot... at the beginning of the day. Before long, Rob realizes that he's stuck in a loop of the day's events until he can make them all right... or be forced to trigger the Groundhog Day events with his own hands. Pun intended.
Premature follows in a long line of high school comedies. However, the added time travel/Groundhog Day element adds a wrinkle to the film that not only becomes an essential plot device, but one that's inherently funny. Every time Rob ejaculates, the day resets. It's a blessing and a curse, this gift Rob has been granted from the gods. Of course, with a trigger such as this, it's hard not to let writer/director Dan Beers go full-on with it, allowing Premature to have fun while also steering the film from going too far off from the path. Unfortunately, I don't think Premature went as far as it could have with the ability to turn back time so easily. In saying that, for it to veer off into more outlandish situations would have alienated the tone of the film, so it's a mixed bag of sorts.
Premature is a fitting ode to Groundhog Day and John Hughes films (including a Glenbrook High School reference to Hughes' own alma mater, Glenbrook North), right down to the film's tone that leans more towards youthful naivety instead of raunchy sex shenanigans. However, I think this both helped and hurt Premature; I would have liked more risks to benefit more from the trigger plot device. While the jokes won't always hit, what will is the heart and character-focused priority over easy sex jokes typical of the high school comedy genre. If you're expecting Premature to be the next Superbad, your expectations aren't going to be met. Go into Premature expecting more John Hughes and less Judd Apatow, and I think you'll have a better reaction to the film.
[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:
[SXSW Journal] Day 1
Photo by Andrew Zeiter
After sixteen and a half hours in my past-her-prime Chevy Trailblazer, my knees were sore and my back was knotted but I had gotten to Austin, and it was time to dive back into the deep sea that is South by Southwest. After hiking downtown through the cab-less wasteland that is downtown ATX and picking up the proper credentials, I took off for the W Hotel where local Chicago music label Maek was taking part in the Fashion Brain Bar, a cocktail party and show on the fourth floor of the W that served to introduce invitees to new acts. So, there are always lessons, and this year I got one early.
Having found a pair of brand new Converse Chucks in my closet from Christmas, I decided to run around my first day of SXSW tearing up my feet to the point of almost utter disrepair. Gingerly walking my way down the vaunted sixth avenue I came across artists from around Chicago’s scene including Calez, Legit, Eryn Allen Kane and Stefan Ponce as everyone milled about, looking for the thing to do on a fairly dead Monday night offset by the rain. I had the chance to catch Charlotte, NC dance duo Styles N’ Complete who got the rooftop indoor-outdoor space jumping with hip-hop infused production pieces that were equal parts sample and original work. After that I rushed down to the other side of the freeway to link up with Supa Bwe, Karl, Blakkass Westley and Netherfriends who put on a set at the Volstead that set the bar high on night one as he killed his night cap with his looping sounds, interesting overall aesthetic and powerful stage presence got the alcohol-infused crowd that got pushed out at close.
Waking up the next morning, startled again by the lack of white icy hills outside my window in March, I continued a slow transition into the full breadth of what SXSW can offer as Chicago came out in full force, led by the enumerable Mayor Rahm Emmanuel himself for a pre-party at the aptly-named The Chicago House, which was filled with artists, media members and local movers and shakers from around the Windy City. Red 7 on 6th St. and Red River was the setting for Chicago Made Blog’s showcase, hosted by Hologram Kizzie, which started off with a rousing, endearing set from ProbCause, who when paired with his live drummer Cofresh is a true sight to see and got the steadily-building crowd worked up before the very talented singer-songwriter Bonzie took the stage, changing the aesthetic as the sun began to wane. Rockers Autumn Defense and Archie Powell and the Exports did their thing, showing Chicago has much more than just the hip-hop that has burst from it’s streets over the past couple of years. ShowYouSuck did what ShowYouSuck does, joined again onstage by compatriot Auggie The 9th he put on one of his best sets to date, crowd surfing, moving erratically from one side of the stage to the other and waxing knowledge on everything from ‘Big Gulps’ to ‘80’s Boobs’. As fans patiently waited, the show slowly ground to it’s headliner after a heavily Kanye-influenced DJ set from The Hood Internet, who flexed his production muscle a bit by bringing up a host of earlier performers onstage to do a series of tracks including ‘Sub-Zero’ off of ProbCause’s The Recipe Vol. 2 which may go down as one of the cooler moments of this years SXSW, as Auggie The 9th showed how hungry he is to take his game to the next level, eagerly tearing through bar after bar with vigor. Chicago seems to have a new act pop every year, and Auggie made a case for himself surrounded by some of the city’s finest. The big moment finally came around 1 am for Chance The Rapper and Peter CottonTale to take the stage, which revamped the crowd who had stood in line and inside the venue for nearly six hours. Chano started things off with the familiar “Good Ass Intro”, dropping into “Brain Cells” which got a juke mix before rolling through his Acid Rap catalogue. But, suddenly, as seems to happen in Austin during SXSW, the fire Marshalls called, the police showed up and a comfortably outstanding show was cancelled. And that was it. Two days down so far, plenty more to go.
[SXSW Review] The Infinite Man
[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!]
[youtube id="uoFv9eezboI"]
The Infinite Man
Director: Hugh Sullivan
Rating: N/A
Release Date: March 7, 2014 (SXSW)
Time travel films are my kryptonite, and I don't mean that in a negative way whatsoever. If I find out a film has some type of sci-fi element that involves intricate loops and that not only add depth to the narrative, but also gets audiences more involved and invested in piecing all of the events and characters together. When used properly, the time travel device can greatly enhance the experience; misused, and it just feels like any other gimmicky device to entice potential audiences. The Infinite Man is not such a film.
To celebrate their anniversary, the eccentric scientist Dean (Josh McConville) takes Lana (Hannah Marshall) to special resort with a full itinerary planned. However, when it turns out that the location has closed, Dean does everything he can to salvage the weekend. His quest for the perfect weekend is further ruined when Lana's ex-boyfriend, Terry (Alex Dimitriades), shows up, and an altercation between the two men takes place. After letting Lana leave with Terry, Dean spends the next year dedicated to meet the perfection he was unable to display a year prior by creating a time traveling device. Through a series of events, Dean takes Lana into the past in hopes of salvaging the lost weekend... no matter how many attempts it takes.
At its base, The Infinite Man is a love story with a sci-fi ploy to help drive the main crux of the film. However, the story isn't just about Dean's love for Lana; rather, it's the journey of his ability to let go and understand that he can't always be in control of everything. As somebody who can sometimes be a meticulous planner and has to schedule almost every facet of his life days and weeks ahead (you should see my SXSW schedule), I empathized strongly with Dean. His ethos is driven not from his desire to control Lana, but to express just how much he loves her. Unfortunately, his attempts to express himself goes too far.
With one set, a barebones cast of characters, and an emotional story that must be carried not only emotionally, but comedically by its cast, The Infinite Man could have easily fallen apart were it not for McConville and Marshall's acting abilities, with Dimitriades' smaller role balancing the two leads with his comedic follies. McConville fits not only as the everyman protagonist that anybody would cheer for, but also for those of us who are so full of love, but struggle to express it properly and fittingly. Marshall's role as the object of Dean's desires could have been marginalized to bring further focus on Dean, but writer/director Hugh Sullivan wrote her part exceptionally well so that she not only was Dean's "reward," but also a capable support for him. (Unfortunately, I can't go deeper than that for fear of spoilers.)
Lighthearted and fun in its comedy, nuanced with depth in its narrative, The Infinite Man could have been one large mess of a film. However, Sullivan's ability to not only keep the sci-fi elements clear and easy to understand, but to keep the focus at Dean's personal core is what helps The Infinite Man balance everything deftly. You'll enjoy putting the puzzle pieces together; you'll cheer Dean on, even when you've noticed the negative signs of his acts; and you'll leave the film with a smile on your face.