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* SXSW, so far....

Ideally I'd sit down and write a well-thought-out and fully coherent essay this morning, but, well, this is South By Southwest, and if you've ever been here, you'll know there's just too little time for that, when you're still right in the midst of running from one place to another all day and all of the night, hoping to squeeze maybe just a few precious hours of sleep in between.

So, alternatively, a few quick-hit highlights, before heading back out, and into the Friday fray:

* Michael Hall and Walter Salas-Humara's annual "Swollen Circus" unofficial welcome-party at Hole in the Wall on Tuesday night was about as memorable and moving as it has ever been -- due in no small part, certainly, to the looming presence of bassist Drew Glackin, who died in January and left a gaping hole in this year's SXSW which everyone did their best to fill (as Drew looked on from the other side of a chain-link fence, in a poster-sized photo that his friend Debbie Loos had hung behind the stage). The "surprise guest" turned to be the Minus 5 -- and it seemed about time, really, that Peter Buck had played the Hole in the Wall. (Scott McCaughey had played there before, in 1995 as part of a Seattle-at-SXSW day-party organized by...well, me.) Syd Straw charmed everyone just as she has for a couple of decades now; and the Silos closed the night with a beautiful tribute to their departed and beloved bassist.

* The ND showcase at Pangaea on Wednesday proved largely enjoyable, despite a few difficulties with the door staff (who weren't letting in folks with bags, despite the fact that SXSW gives every registrant a giant bag-o-swag at check-in, and then presumably wants them to go to the SXSW venues where...they're turned away for carrying bags? That would be a minor problem for the SXSW camp to address, it would seem).

Inside, the room was great -- rather comfortable and quite appealing -- though there was also one staff-related incident which everyone witnessed, because Daniel Lanois stopped mid-song to address it. Seems a stageside bouncer had let Ian McLagan go to the bar to get drinks for the folks he was sitting with, but then refused to let McLagan return to his seat with said drinks. Renowned bassist George Reiff (who'd played with Bruce Robison earlier) came to McLagan's defense; the ensuing argument eventually distracted Lanois, who valiantly came to Reiff's defense, asking the bouncer to quit hassling "one of the world's best bass players." I've seen Reiff play with many folks over the years and I'd be inclined to agree, but it sure was nice to hear that from an authority on the level of Lanois -- who subsequently proceeded to very professionally smooth things over with the staff as well. In addition to being one of the great musicians of our time, Lanois came across as a class act and a fine human being.

* R.E.M.'s taping Thursday afternoon of Austin City Limits (it'll air in mid-late May) was a personal landmark for me, having essentially been turned on to underground music by R.E.M. in the mid-'80s (like countless others of my generation) and also having attetnded many ACL tapings during my days living in Austin back then. At that time, R.E.M. and Austin City Limits existed apart from each other; they played to different crowds, served different audiences and purposes. For things to have shifted to a point where it was in fact possible for this show to happen 20 years later was quite gratifying to be able to experience.

OK, more later, off to dash out the door and into the wild blue yonder....

adios,
peter

Posted by peter on March 14, 2008 9:10 AM | Permalink