sxsw day three: pitchfork’d

After struggling to crawl out of bed this morning, I headed back to Emo’s for the big Pitchfork shindig featuring a number of P’fork (and eMusic) favorites. I arrived in time to see Marnie Stern, who I was pumped about if for no other reason than I’d get to see Hella’s Zach Hill drum — the man is one of the greatest musicians I have ever seen, and I try not to miss an opportunity to catch him. What awaited me, however, was far less exciting: Stern literally playing along with her own CD. Her virtuosity was admirable, for sure, but the whole effect was awkward more than anything. I couldn’t take more than two or three songs.

Next up were the Ponys, a Chicago band I have liked since hearing “Fall Inn,” “I Love You ‘Cause (You Look Like Me)” and “I’ll Make You a Star” from their debut, Laced With Romance, but only fell in love with after seeing them play “Shadow Box” on Brendan Canty’s (from Fugazi) HIGHLY recommended DVD series Burn to Shine. The new Ponys record, which comes out in April, I believe, and is their first on Matador, is very good, sounding more like Ride and other ’90s British stuff than the garage rock they’ve played in the past.

The Ponys added a new member for this new record: guitarist Brian Case, formerly (?) of 90 Day Men, a Chicago math-rock band who get a lot of guff for being pretentious, but who I completely adore. The band today was good, but not great. The sound at Emo’s was only fair, leaving the hazy, shoegazing songs of the band sounding muddled — amidst the waves of guitar and bass, it was tough finding the melodies, which I can assure you are most certainly there. I’ll definitely try to see them again when they come to New York later this month.

Also playing Pitchfork today were Beach House. My feelings on this band are lengthily articulated on 17 Dots, so I’ll keep it brief, but they played very well in less-than-ideal conditions. As I’ve said before, they need a pristine situation to really shine, and this was not it, and yet they won over the audience anyway.

A number of other bands played Pitchfork today, but I didn’t pay close enough attention to really comment with any authority. I will say that Menomena did not sound how I thought they would, and that people were a bit perplexed by Fujiya + Miyagi. I spent a lot of the afternoon talking with lots of the Pitchfork folks, who are about the least pretentious group of people you can ever imagine. People like to lay into them for a variety of sins, both real and imagined, but I have nothing but love for the guys and gals who run that show and what they do. Just sayin’.

I stopped by the Spin party at Stubbs to see Kings of Leon, a band I have a pretty deep well of love for, even though the new record is a bit tame. Their set was… just okay. They played the songs well, and they played the songs I like, but the energy just wasn’t there. And at one point Caleb, their singer, said to the crowd, “Ya’ll are a real good crowd. We thought you’d be shit, but you’re really great.” Talk about faint praise!

Headlining the Spin party were the Buzzcocks, who played very well, though it was incredibly surreal to hear that familiar, wry vocal coming out of the rumpled, aging body of the modern day Pete Shelley. I had to close my eyes a few times to focus on the music — it was that weird.

I saw a few other things not really worth noting (although this Aussie rock & roll band Mink were pretty damn entertaining) before coming back here to the hotel to rest a bit before heading out to see Bobby Patterson and some other New Orleans and Texas soul legends. I have high hopes for that one. Hopefully I can make it in and provide a full report tomorrow.

A very quick celebrity round-up before I forget: Flava Flav is staying in my hotel, in the room next door, in fact. I have seen him a few times now, and I haven’t had the courage to talk to him (remember what I said about cowardly indie rockers?). Kirsten Dunst was at the Kings of Leon show and was paler than pale. If she weren’t famous I would not have noticed her. David Byrne apparently spoke very positively about eMusic at some panel yesterday. And finally, spotted walking down the street, Perry Farrell wearing so much makeup he looked inhuman and his equally bizarre girlfriend, Most Famous Woman on MySpace Tila Tequila. Only in Austin, kids, only in Austin.