I don’t even know where to begin. Just yesterday I promised we wouldn’t do the minute-by-minute diary, but some stretches from yesterday are just too incredible not to. Straight off the top, here’s who I saw (hyperlinks to be added later when there’s time): French Miami (SF math rock that I have played on the EVR show repeatedly; very fun live), Glasser (on the Selects comp and so far exceeding my expectations, just an incredible performance in a weird, LA-type space), Girls (more soon), Rural Alberta Advantage (ditto), Grizzly Bear (triplo), Obits, Gun Outfit, Crystal Stilts, Let’s Wrestle, Screaming Tea Party, Pete and the Pirates. Phew!
That’s five eMu Selects bands in one day. Seven seen so far, with a few more to come today. Amazing. And they were all great. I’m not just saying that.
But I want to talk about Girls/Rural Alberta Advantage/Grizzly Bear, because this was our showcase and it was really kinda really truly perfect. It took place in the Central Presbyterian Church, which is not like Arlene’s Grocery in NYC, which is not a grocery store but merely a club. No, this was a church. With church announcements on walls and nice little ladies working in the office giving the shy and somewhat gutterpunk kids in Girls sweet little smiles. A church.
We get there early and Grizzly Bear are soundchecking. And it sounds like this towering, glittering thing casted in heavy gold with rubies for eyes. I remember thinking a couple of times that it kinda sounded like Versailles. And I can say this as someone who has never visited Versailles.
Girls and Rural Alberta were already there, but no one was talking to each other because the nerves were through the roof. You could see it in everyone’s eyes. I mean, I wasn’t doing anything and I was nervous! The line for the show had formed TWO HOURS BEFORE DOORS. This was Big Time.
Blah blah blah we caught up said hellos and then, finally, the show was about to start. And I got a real thrill, as I was cajoled (“cajoled”) into going up on stage and introducing the bands. Which I of course was super into doing — so cool! — but I didn’t wanna be that bald about, plus I was scared shitless. But I got to introduce Girls and Rural Alberta, something I’ve never gotten to do before, and it was fun. (OK that last paragraph was bragadacious and I apologize.)
As someone from the band had written by rearranging letters on the church bulletin board (pic at the top): Girls rule(d). Simple songs played incredibly, little Christopher (singer) this scrawny thing with long dirty hair, the guitar player his doppelganger dressed as Keith Richards in 1971 but wearing a Southern debutante hat (it worked!), bassist JR this man (and I emphasize man) with piercing brown eyes (they were very striking) and their drummer this orange-and-blue tank-topped beast. They did “Hellhole Ratrace” of course, and Alex Naidus and I danced and sang along on the balcony, this moment I felt like I had been waiting for ever since I heard those perfect chords six months ago thanks to my darling girlfriend (hi Kali!). It was everything we hoped it would be.
Next were Rural Alberta. Before the show I sat in while they gave interviews, them being asked to describe their path and their success, but the three of them too humble to even really know if it was true. The whole night was a Moment for them, start to finish. After doing their introduction (yay!), I sat on stage in one of the choir pews next to Paul Banwatt, their ridiculous drummer. We made faces at each other during the show. From my vantage point, they sounded great, and looking out over the church, these high, crusted ceilings and pew after pew of people, it was overwhelming.
It was obvious at the start that the folks who knew the RAA were in the minority. But as they played, they gained fans. A few songs in you could see the outlines of people raising their hands above their heads to clap (everyone was sitting), and eventually a few people standing. Very special.
And then the moment that cinched it: after finishing the set, Nils, Amy and Paul walking into the middle of the aisle in this beautiful church with their instruments, and singing their closing “Goodnight” unaided by microphones, the acoustics bouncing their voices around every nook and cranny, a constant stream of flashes lighting it up, strobed. So overwhelming.
And, finally, Grizzly Bear. I’ve never been a big Grizzly Bear fan. But that’s past tense now. The level of intricacies in everything that they do were unreal. Indie rock shows do not work like this: four-part harmonies, little flourishes to stress a line or theme like in some opulent musical, voices so pure and strong the microphones seemed extraneous, songs that were not written but constructed, the immense effort audible in each note.
I don’t even really know how else to describe it. As they played I consciously thought: “there is Grizzly Bear, and then there is everyone else.” And keep in mind I don’t even really like them all that much! Just immense respect. And the best moment was the cover of “(He Hit Me) And It Felt Like a Kiss,” every second shattered glasses in slow motion, these roiling tumbles of beats and jangles of harmonies and notes and apologies and everything that makes everything. I don’t know what to say, except thank you. Thank you to every band. Thank you to the crowd. Thank you. We were all very, very lucky.
….So in other news, back in the emusic offices, I just downloaded a Lil Boosie mixtape.
Good times.
http://twitter.com/search?q=rural alberta advantage&source=serp&category=search
…and let’s not forget its snowing in ny.
Yancey’s link above doesn’t work, and I couldn’t find source “serp”
but here’s what I think he meant
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=Rural Alberta Advantage&category=search
I am sad I wanna here “Goodnight” in a chruch
Pretty sure I’m getting the Girls Album, next time my downloads refresh. Bob Boylen (NPR) liked the Girls Show
(and confused them with Women which they also said was an awesome show)
DAMNIT in both my and yancey’s links replace the spaces with the Plus Symbol that for some reason the 17dots board will not allow us to type !!!!!!!!!!!! Yancey’s link still broken due to serp source
ok I did a little sluething and surround the serp with the html tag for bold which I will NOT try to type as the board will remove it
Like you, I wasn’t initially a big fan of Grizzly Bear, but my feelings completely changed after I saw them play at last year’s Lollapalooza. They blew me away with their live show. Now, I feel like I “get” them. They are amazing, and I can’t wait to see them again, especially because the upcoming album is gorgeous.
The RAA got some very positive write-ups in both Pitchfork and AV Club.
Pitchfork said: “The eMusic Showcase at Central Presbyterian was a brilliantly structured event: One big draw (Grizzly Bear) with two immediately likable relative unknowns opening. The Rural Alberta Advantage, in particular, I can see becoming a serious road-trip staple. The percussive, stripped down indie-folk trio plays acoustic everything, but there’s nothing quiet about them. Frontman Nils Edenloff sings in a strained yelp and plays his guitar like he’s mad at it. This is the kind of band you imagine would do just fine unplugged. And at the end of their set, they did just that, walking to the center of the room and making their voices do all the work.
Edenloff held everything together, but multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole did more to make this band fun to watch. She’s a totally winning stage presence, grinning huge and clapping along when she didn’t have anything to play. And her xylophone dings and backing vocals added warmth and stillness to the driving songs. Every one of those songs, according to Edenloff, concerns the Canadian province that gave the band their name. And every one of those songs just goes for it, in a racing-toward-the-sun kind of way. This band could be huge.”
AV Club said: “The next band up, The Rural Alberta Advantage, were a complete surprise. I had never come across the name, and didn’t bother tracking down any songs beforehand; the eMusic honcho who introduced them said we were “in for a treat,” and it turns out he was right. The Canadian trio (“rural Alberta” isn’t just a clever name, apparently) makes a sort of rustic, scorched-earth Americana not unlike Centro-Matic, though far heavier on the percussion—and way livelier, thanks to the antics of Manic Pixie Indie Girl Amy Cole, who spent most of the set bouncing from place to place, banging on tambourines, whipping out the occasional glockenspiel solo, and adding the cooling undercurrents to singer Paul Banwatt’s ragged ruminations. Things started a bit slow with more run-of-the-mill country-ish numbers, but they won me over the minute Banwatt ended a song by beating on his acoustic guitar, then sheepishly pronouncing that it now had “a big SXSW crack in it.” (I feel like I’ve been on SXSW crack for a couple days now.) At set’s end, the three of them filed off stage into the middle of the aisle to play “Good Night” acoustically, which they said they’d always wanted to perform in a church. The sparse, mournful number was ridiculously quiet and intimate but still filled up the chapel—really, you could have heard a proverbial pin drop—and you could even see faces starting to mist; it was one of those “special” concert moments that are far too rare these days, and it’s safe to say RAA won quite a few new fans in that moment.”
Message above is spam?!?!
Holy Shi!!!!!! Pitchfork had something nice to say (I’d love an answer to the cryptic Drunken(?) tweet of Sprengju-ass-hullin [?] and it’s accompaning friend which I may not put here.)
haha. there is a picture to accompany that that did not upload. i will post it somewheres.
This sounds like the best time I’m totally missing. And I’m glad to see RAA is making a big impression. I think they are hands down the best thing I’ve discovered off the EVR podcast (when it was still casting).
So that was you introducing Girls and Rural Alberta! Nice to put a face with the name then. You have full right to brag about that line up. It was spectacular. The Girls/Rural Alberta Advantage/Grizzly Bear concoction was one of my more magical moments of SXSW. I had goosebumps during the entire Grizzly Bear performance. It couldn’t have been a better venue for them. Incredible! And so glad I was able to make it in to enjoy it.
RAA = Best band I’ve stumbled upon since The Thermals.