8 posts tagged “morning becomes cclectic”

I truly tasted a musical buffet today starting off with the Welsh powerhouse Duffy. She's tiny, sweet and blonde and her soulful style has drawn many comparisons to both Amy Winehouse and Dusty Springfield. I accidentally sang a verse of her big hit "Mercy" as I was turning a corner to leave the studio and, of course, she was standing right there. Embarassing!

After John Doe from X gave me a language lesson (literally) backstage at the Spin party, Nic introduced Vampire Weekend and I was off to discover a new favorite band. I did pretty well with Working for a Nuclear Free City - they were everything I was looking for at that moment. Jason Bentley has been playing them so that was good enough reason to make the trip.

After a quick dinner break, I went to check out another band on the Bentley playlist, "Does it Offend You, Yeah?". It was the first show where someone climbed the rafters and they had lots of energy but as far as dance rock goes, I preferred their opener, Crystal Castles. I'm currently listening to Aloha, waiting for my friend Nik Freitas to take the stage!

RR

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I raced over from Duffy's radio debut on MBE to catch the last few songs of The Whigs at the Spin party. "Right hand on my heart" will definitely be one of my top songs of 2008 and they are just killer live. I have to remind myself to look at the rest of the band because the drummer is so incredible to watch! Photos to come...
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Our crew snuck in a little pre-show band practice here at Tequila Mockingbird. Producer Ariana Morgenstern played a mean guitar, Mario Diaz laid down the bass lines and Marty Lester hit the drums. We all needed a little helping waking up this morning. Pictures to come soon and Duffy at 11:15am PST

RR

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The late night Playboy party is one of the most talked about of SXSW each year. They book solid bands (MGMT, Justice) and, of course, have a lot of ladies roaming about. I walked up to the club and saw a crowd of at least 50 people hovering around the press gate and hundreds of revelers lined up for blocks to get in. I knew waiting wasnt an option so I did something Ive actually never done before I snuck in. Luckily Im a skinny girl so I slid right through on the side. Security was on me in a second but thankfully I had a friend there to rescue me. I ran into some of my favorite people, Randall, music editor for the LA Weekly, Esquire.com guru Eric Gillin, my new friend Dave from Giant Noise. I was definitely worth it.

RR

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KCRWs showcase was packed as soon as the doors open. People went straight up to the front of the stage to check out Jesca Hoop, whose unique vocals and arrangements fit surprisingly well in the huge billiards room where the showcase was set. Pool tables were pushed to the side and covered in blankets, leaving an open space that Jesca filled up from the first note.

She was followed by Goldspot, playing their first U.S. show in a year! They had been spending a lot of time in the UK and brought some new songs with them to mark the occasion. It was delectable pop goodness! Sid the singer really got everyone worked up.

Seeing Salt & Samovar is always a religious experience to me. Their show is so moving, I feel like Im at a revival. The guys were looking good with their vests and brought along the lovely Kelly to play keys and sign back up (Her vocals can also be heard on a Roots track that should be out soon!) 

Division Day delivered rock LA-style. We were proud to bring a couple bands from our hometown, including these guys who have created quite a buzz and proved why last night.

The Tings Tings blew everyone away that was clear. The room was all the sudden packed to the gills and all eyes were on Katie the super cool frontwoman who, by the way, makes her own very fashionable clothes. Its hard to believe a duo could command so much attention but they can. The music combines the best of pop, electronic, and indie and they impressed everyone there.

The Duke Spirit werent originally going to come to SXSW. But Ariana, the producer of MBE, talked them into it and boy are we glad she did! I cant think of a better band to headline the night. They recently played on MBE at our Santa Monica studios and their new album much of which they played last night is sure to launch them to rock glory. Another fantastic female frontwoman, Liela Moss, ruled the stage.

It was an incredible night and it really felt like family. All of these bands have a close relationship with KCRW and were handpicked by Nic.  There are tons of photos and hopefully some audio to come soon!

If you were there, post a comment and let us know what you thought. 

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The Kills' female singer looks and sings like she would claw your heart out with her bare hands...and you would love every minute of it. She walks like she is stalking her prey and when she exchanged verses with her male sidepart, you could see the tension and spark that make music exciting. He was an insane guitar player and played to the crowd perfectly. Giving just enough but never too much. By far the sexiest set I've ever seen at sxsw.

RR
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