Murray Lightburn of Montreal band the Dears performs at South by Southwest. Photo by Joshua Ostroff.
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Known as the “Sundance of music,” the South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Tex., is the single biggest event in the independent music calendar. First staged in 1987, SXSW has become the most vaunted testing ground for up-and-coming bands; last year’s festival showcased 1,279 bands in 60 venues. Toronto journalist Joshua Ostroff was in Austin last week following various Canadian musicians, and kept a journal of words and pictures.
Day 1
Much has happened in the realm of indie rock since I fled, er, left Austin’s South by Southwest music festival a year ago, stumbling away at 6 a.m. from a typically hedonistic Vice magazine closing party, where Emily Haines (of Toronto combo Metric) mouthed off at Texas troopers who’d broken up the fun.
SXSW is still indie-rock spring break: loud music, flowing beer, cute girls (albeit in ironic Ts, not bikinis). But the Sundance of the music biz has hit a growth spurt in its 19th year. The lineup of bands from around the globe has topped 1,300 for the four-day fest, each of them angling for a golden ticket.
Toronto’s Constantines famously signed to the Sub Pop label after SXSW ’03, and the current Canadian music explosion, sparked by Broken Social Scene, is in large part due to hype generated here.
That said, the big names in indie Canrock have given this year a pass, making room for a second wave of Canucks. Though still straggling in, many early arrivals hit the annual BBQ held by Toronto’s famed Horseshoe Tavern, ranging from Ottawa troubadour Jim Bryson (doing his own showcase as well as backing up alt-country chanteuse Kathleen Edwards) to wickedly weird rapper Buck 65.
“Yeah, definitely, it’s helped,” Buck says over a heaping BBQ plate. “There’s a whole Canadian-chic thing going on.” The Paris-based Maritimer is currently touring America and benefiting from the hype surrounding Montreal, where he once lived. “A lot of the stuff about Montreal mentions me,” he smiles, referring to features in Spin and the New York Times touting la belle ville as the New Seattle, or something.
It’s gotten to the point where the biggest rumour at this year’s fest is that Montreal’s Arcade Fire will make a surprise appearance. (Unfounded; they’re touring Europe.) Even kiddie indie-rock group Smoosh name them as one of their favourites. This Seattle sister act — singer/keyboardist Asya is 12, drummer Chloe only 10 — demonstrate how deep the indie aesthetic is spreading and offer an early highlight. They filled a club with a curious-turned-rapturous crowd, their preternatural songwriting and instrumental gifts delivering a set of fearless indie pop that never felt forced or contrived.
It’s more than could be said for a lot of same-sounding SXSW acts who try too hard to get their heads above the crowd.
Another first day triumph came courtesy of the Dears, who didn’t have to try hard at all. Their 1 a.m. performance was unannounced and yet rammed to capacity, cheers rising at every guitar break, a clear benefit of being from Montreal — and a great band. Dears singer Murray Lightburn may boast the best pipes in Austin, and the band’s baroque rock was a more than satisfying way to close Day One.
“It’s my birthday and I gotta work all day giving interviews,” Lightburn said as we were being tossed back out onto the street, but his big, crooked smile belied the gripe. After all, hundreds of other bands here would kill for the Dears’s spotlight.
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