I was completely unfamiliar with any of the local bands that played, and now that it’s a month gone I’ve mostly forgotten them.  Instead, let’s get to the main shows of the night.

Hawkboy was amazing the second time around, and because I was more familiar with their music, I was able to just enjoy the set.  I am very interested to see this band continue as their music is incredibly creative.

Oh, Sleeper was a band that we had heard of years ago and had meant to follow up on, but for some reason we never got around to it.  They were really good live, and I look forward to seeing them again some time.

Emery was just as amazing this time as they were in March.  I love being able to see these guys live.

First up was Levi the Poet (Twitter).  Jen and I thought this might be a band we hadn’t heard of, but instead Levi is actually a poet.  His performance was passionate, and his poetry touched on the reality of living by faith in a faithless world.

Next was White Collar Sideshow (Myspace, Twitter).  Their ministry focuses on the problems of addiction (especially porn addiction) and the impact that has upon the family.  T.D. Benton, the creator and frontman of WCS, explained how the idea came from his own personal experience.  Their music is very percussion heavy, with Benton and The Pig on drums, and The Faceless Woman (played by Benton’s wife) on bass.  At this show they also had two people in gas masks, one playing keyboard and the other (the Bentons’ son) on steel barrel.  Each song was accompanied by short videos that illustrate the message.

After WCS, The Ember Days performed an ambient worship set.  Their music is very contemplative and relaxing.  If the whole show were viewed as a normal Sunday-morning service, The Ember Days provided the worship set after the message, and I think that is kind of a neat idea.

Between Showbread and the Ember Days, Chad Johnson (founder of Come and Live) shared about the ministry and also prayed with the crowd.  I would really suggest that if you’re at all interested, check out Come and Live’s website.  They have free music (including WCS, The Ember Days, and Showbread) for download (and these are full EPs and albums, not just single tracks), and their ministry is based on a real-world, inclusive message rather than the insular, ignore-the-world type message of many churches.

Finally, Showbread performed an amazing set that included material from all of their albums.  Their performance of “Dead by Dawn” was incredible, and I continue to be impressed by these guys as their music grows

Hawkboy blew us away and instantly became one of our favorite new bands.

To Speak of Wolves was another new band to us.  Their new(ish) frontman, Gage, had a great presence and kept the energy up.

Emery was the band we came to see, and they did not disappoint.  The crowd was with them the whole time, and the acoustic set was beautiful.

This year I am very glad that I went. Jen and I decided to go with our friend Willie to HM Magazines SXSW 2011 Showcase, a free show at Club 311 (or 311 Club, I saw it a couple different ways). Although the show was schedule to last until 2ish, with 7 bands total, we only stayed for the first 4 bands; with the drive back to San Antonio looming ahead and stomachs growling, we decided that was the best move. However, we were all very pleased with the shows that we did see, and I was glad that HM was able to put this show together. The magazine has a very special place in my heart, and as already-tough times for magazines get tougher, I pray that HM is able to continue publication for many years.

6th Street Drummer

As I mentioned before, one of the great things about SXSW is Austin’s particular brand of strangeness. Some things are kinda sad, like the possibly-homeless guy banging on two buckets with drumsticks. Some things are cool, like the band on the street corner with a stand-up bass, guitar and mandolin just singing for passers-by. Some things are weird, like the chick in a Jim Carey-style Riddler costume coming out of a bar. And other things are both strange and cool. Outside of Club 311 was a guy on a small drum set hammering out some pretty cool beats. We got there about 6 in the evening, and when we left about 11 he was still out there (although just as we left he took a break for some food). While I’m sure you can see similar things in other towns, in Texas, 6th Street in Austin is really the only place where this happens on a regular basis.

The club itself was pretty small. The crowd was pretty variable all evening, with a lot of people stopping in for a few minutes or maybe for a band’s set and then leaving. With so many bands playing such a small venue, they often had to load their equipment through the club during another band’s set and leave it along walls, so that limited the already small space. I do enjoy smaller venues a lot, however, so I would have no problem going back if a band I knew was going to play.

Invisible Target

One of the great things about this show, in fact, was that neither Jen, Willie, nor I were very familiar with any of the bands. While this made the decision to go a little harder, we were able to find out about some really cool acts and pick up some music we probably wouldn’t have heard of. First up was local band Invisible Target (MySpace). They opened their show with both the bassist and the singer/guitarist banging on bass drums, which I thought was interesting. They were young (which I find is something I say more and more about bands) but not too bad; with some more experience they will be pretty tight. In contrast to the other bands we saw, they had clean, clear vocals. At one point the singer actually took the wireless mic off stage, high-fived the people at the front, and went out onto 6th St. They had a cool arpeggio lead on their 4th from last song that I especially enjoyed. They also gave out a free CD which I haven’t had a chance to listen to yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

And the Greatest of These

Next up was And the Greatest of These (MySpace, Facebook) from Sioux City, Iowa. I was immediately impressed by the fact that they had a female bassist and lead guitarist, which got me wondering about why that should impress me. Why don’t more girls play metal or rock? I think it must be a cultural thing; we just consider it more appropriate for guys to form and join bands. (We learned from lead vocalist Matthew after the show that the guitarist (Katie) and bassist (Erin) were in an all-female metal group that broke up.) Regardless, they proved that girls can rock just as hard as guys, and at 19 Katie puts me and many other early-to-mid 30s guitar players to shame.

One of the great things about And the Greatest of These is that they seem to know who they are as a band, and that is to spread the Good News. This has always been a issue of contemplation for me every since I started really listening to music, and I have come to the conclusion that whatever decision Christians in a band make, the key is that it be true to their calling from God and that they do so with humility. Bands that preach shouldn’t look down on those who don’t, and those who don’t shouldn’t do the same (and nowadays I think that is much more prevalent). And the Greatest of These presented the gospel with humility, and I think that is always important.

Musically, they were probably our favorite band of the night, and I look forward to seeing them again if they fix their transmission and make it back down to Texas. We bought their EP and enjoyed it very much on the way home.

Before There Was Rosalyn

The third band was Before There Was Rosalyn (MySpace, Victory Records) from Houston. I really enjoyed them although Willie rightly complained that their mix wasn’t very good; it was a little too muddled. Like And the Greatest of These, these guys are solidly in the spreading the gospel camp, but they let the message come through they music more than direct preaching. After listening to their album The Fuhrer: An Allegory of a History of Deception, I like them a lot; I always like a band that breaks up screaming vocals with some melody.

The Famine

The final band of the night for us was The Famine (Myspace, Facebook). These guys were pretty cool; despite the fact that most of their songs were about very serious topics (such as the murder of James Byrd, Jr. in Jasper, TX), they had a great sense of humor on stage, with the lead vocalist ragging on the bassist; he even came off stage during the last song and bought a beer while singing.

Although we were sad to miss seeing the last three bands, by this time we were getting pretty tired and had to call it a night. Overall we were very pleased to have gone to SXSW, and any shows where you can find new bands that you like is a great show.

Slideshows and video from the show will be posted in separate posts; check below for links.

And the Greatest of These Videos

And the Greatest of These Slideshow

Invisible Target Slideshow

Before There Was Rosalyn Slideshow

The Famine Slideshow