Johnathan Rice at SXSW 2008
Those accustomed to seeing Johnathan Rice as a solo acoustic act must've been surprised--albeit pleasantly--to see the artist joined by a big backing band at SXSW 2008. A solid wall of sound gave Rice's alt-country crooning a bit more bite while still retaining the songs' essential beauty and topical focus on the geographies of place and relationships . Rice played chiefly songs from his 2007 album, Further North, including the title track, "The Ballad of King Coyote," and "What Am I Going to Do?" The performance featured laid-back vocals and driving guitar. Sometimes reminiscent of The Band, sometimes bordering more on folk or hard rock, Johnathan Rice's SXSW set was evidence of the musician's talent and versatility.
Papercranes at SXSW 2008
While Papercranes' breathy vocals (courtesy of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin's sister) and shimmery pop chords certainly have their place, it didn't seem to be at Stubb's on the opening night of SXSW. The band's sound was out of sync with the more country-tinged Johnathan Rice and Dead Confederate, and of course it's hard to compare anyone's sound to REM. Though Phoenix did her best to vamp it up, she came across as a bit more of a Stevie Nicks wannabe or a clone of Amy Lee from Evanescence than anything original, and the crowd didn't respond much to her admirable efforts. The set forced listeners to wonder just how much celebrity siblings can influence inclusion in SXSW.
Dead Confederate at SXSW 2008
The name "Dead Confederate" conjures up gory images of slaughtered soldiers on the battlefield, and indeed Dead Confederate's music is intense, unforgiving, and capable of slaying audiences--in a good way. The band's heavy, hard rock (with just a hint of country influence) definitely gave the audience at Stubb's something to sink their teeth into--or at least something to please their ears. Though Dead Confederate's MySpace page showcases some more delicate tunes, the band understood that SXSW is a place to rock, so they brought the goods. This is a solid band with real chops--look for them in the future.
REM at SXSW 2008
Michael Stipe began REM's showcase at SXSW by ordering the audience members, "Come to me." Just that kind of complete surrender to Stipe's whims and desires was necessary to fully enjoy the REM show at SXSW. Largely ignoring old hits, REM chose to focus on material from its upcoming album, Accelerate. While the new songs (including "Houston," a meditation on the aftermath of Katrina) were intricate, intense, and enjoyable, any tune you haven't heard before has nothing on "Shiny Happy People," "Everybody Hurts," "Losing My Religion," and other REM hits you've heard a thousand times--but still want to hear again. It's understandable that Stipe and co. would want to avoid older material, particularly since Bill Berry's departure in 1997. Still, it would have been nice of the band to give hardcore fans a favorite tune or two.
Stipe came onstage in hat and scarf, which he quickly removed--owing to the Austin heat or the heat onstage, it's unclear. Despite the lack of familiar songs, the audience responded positively to REM--it's always nice to see a well-known act after an evening of "Hey, what's that band's name again?" In addition to showcasing tunes from the new album, REM took SXSW as an opportunity to lament the political events of the past several years--specifically our administration's response to 9/11--and incite hope that we can use the next two years to make the 2000-2010 decade at least a little bit better than it's been so far. With help from REM's politically conscious songs, that certainly seems possible.