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These are three shows I saw at SXSW that blew me away, some I knew about before, some I stumbled upon with great surprise. Take a look at them, I think you’ll see what I mean.

1. Michael Kiwanuka

A British soul artist equipped with simply a guitar and bassist, Kiwanuka takes from the book of Bill Withers and Van Morrision. His performance has a certain rawness to it, like the experiences he drafts his song writing from are incredibly new – but the wisdom he has gained from them is one that is time-tested. A hard middle ground to find.

Kiwanuka lets his songs take the role of stage presence, instead of other bands that must kinetically create their on-stage energy. The words he sings are clear and emphasized by his impressive guitar playing; but never over taken.

He is a part of the Communion label, an artist led organization – which has featured such artists as Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, and Noah & the Whale.

2. LP

This was my pleasant surprise of SXSW. I was waiting for the Punch Brothers to come on at Zona Rosa without knowing the schedule of the venue. As soon as I entered, LP begun her set and blew me away. Laura Pergolizzi has spent a large majority of her career writing songs for the likes of The Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, and even Heidi Montag. Stick with me here, while her song-writing is good, her voice is amazing.

On stage she first struck me as Cate Blanchett from the Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There.” But that is where all Bob Dylan references stop. She plays the ukulele for several of her songs, and whistles incredibly on a few as well; but her voice over shadows all of that. She has a control in her voice that is rarely seen, she goes from hard to soft, loud to quiet, tame to wild. It’s incredible.

Yes, you may have heard of her all ready – or least heard her. As she is featured in a Citi commercial running on air now. You know, the one that has a rock climber? Give LP another listen, she is well worth more than 30 seconds of your time.

3. Of Monsters & Men

If you listen to my show on KCOU (The Carolina Hours) regularly then you are well aware of OM&M – I’ve made dang sure of it. And from what I’ve been hearing around the neighborhood it sounds like they’re finding their way onto mainstream play as well, which makes me super excited for them.

OM&M is an Icelandic folk-pop outfit that has been gaining momentum in the States over the past year. With their US release due in April, they are surely about to hit it big. They have wonderful song-writing and composition matched with layer instrumentation that makes for a great sound. A lot of their songs are bouncy without being too thin, and others are thick with lyrics and composition.

I caught their set at SXSW at Stubb’s, one of the largest outdoor venues. Needless to say it was almost completely packed which is impressive for a band that has yet to truly release a record. The have the approachability of Mumford & Sons, so look for plenty of Moms and Dads at their future concerts and certainly catch them when you can!

-Kyle

I didn’t have quite as many tacos I hoped for down in Austin, but I did break a dozen – so there’s something to write home about with salsa stained fingers. And here is where I review three locations to get tasty texan tacos. And without further ado, the list:

1. Torchy’s

Originally only a local Austin vendor, this business has since expanded and can be found in Houston and Dallas. But throughout their growth the quality of taco has not suffered. Our first day on the ground I encouraged the group to have lunch at a Torchy’s, they agreed without knowing the magic that was in store.

I ordered up three tacos – “the trashy trailer park” (fried chicken on the inside), “the fried avocado,” and my long running favorite “the democrat” (shredded barbacoa). To be fair, I’m a bipartisan when it comes to tacos and have had the republican the last time I visited Torchy’s. It was quite delicious as well.

Of the three my heart still belongs to “the democrat,” it has the perfect amount of spiciness – match with the sweetness of the salsa fresca. But the fried avocado was also amazing – so much so that others at the table requested “a bite.” I never knew bites to be so big.

Three tacos was a bigger number that I believed it to be. But my gluttony overpowered my resolve for healthy eating and I made it through, I left Torchy’s needing a Tex-Mex nap and it was glorious.

2. Hickory Street

As a Kansas City boy, I stick to my guns when it comes to BBQ. While I have tried Memphis, Carolina, and Texas style – none of them trump KC. Aaron consistently tried to bring this up in public, especially on the bus, where many dirty looks were shot in my direction. But they never said anything, because the knew, deep in their Texas sized hearts, that I was right.

So, when I ordered a Texas BBQ taco at Hickory street – Aaron was in shock. It was brisket, pickled onions, and cilantro. And it was good. I never thought I could be a fan of pickled onions – but I am! And the outdoor patio of Hickory Street made the experience. It might have helped that we were 5 days deep into SXSW and sitting in general was appealing.

3. Polvos

I myself did not eat at Polvos, our General Manager, Matt Brown did. He was a guy who had never had a breakfast taco before and came back preaching the gospel that is Tex-Mex. Which is enough to convince me that Polvos deserves a spot on this list.

While I can’t go on about how spicy, sweet, complex, life changing Polvos’ breakfast tacos are since I never actually consumed one. I trust that the way Matt Brown did is enough to merit your patronage at Polvos the next time you find yourself in Austin, TX.

-Kyle

In particular I will be reviewing their show on 3/15 at the SXSweetwood Party at the Beauty Bar in Austin, TX. While this was not an official SXSW showcase, it was one of the many day parties that brought in great bands like The Lumineers – and this was indeed a terrific performance.

While Three Blind Wolves cleaned up the stage, The Lumineers scrambled onto stage to get set-up, knowing they would want to make the most of their time. As an up-and-coming folk band, they’ve got a lot to gain from SXSW performances – and by no means wanted to compromise that by going short on time.

Comprised of Wes, Jeremiah, and Neyla – the trio brought support of a bassist and a keyboard player. Not looking like much – just some folks dressed in slightly dated clothing, such as their ionic suspenders – it’s hard to expect what the band will deliver.

Their album remains unreleased, so there was only a few of us in the room who were aware of their capabilities, but they convinced everyone by the end of the show. What happened was a stomping, shouting, sing-a-long of a performance; where Jer would consistently instruct the audience on what to “sing back” to the band after they themselves had sung it – such in the track “Gun Song.”

Their most passionate performance during their planned set was from “Ho Hey,” the one song most people in the room might of heard. During the song, everyone was encourage to alternately repeat “Ho” and “Hey” while the band went on with the lyrics. A good amount of people in the crowd seemed into it – which made for good fun.

While the set overall never felt a decay in charisma – it had to come to an end. But not before they set out into the crowd to play a last acoustic song where an audience member was required to hold onto a glockenspiel. The intimacy really brought the whole performance home.

They said their thank your, and hugged each other ready to wrap things up – when a member in the audience shouted out another unreleased song, “Slow It Down.” Wes seemed taken aback that someone knew that song and asked the sound guy if he could possibly keep playing. The equipment was all turned back on and Jer came out on the stage – where their show yet again peaked. Their passion while singing “Slow it Down” was the kind that makes you have faith that song-writing indeed remains an artform. You could see in both of them how real this song truly was.

Cheers were had, more hugs shared, and plenty of photos with the enamored crowed. I hope these guys go places, they deserve it.

Check ‘em out: http://thelumineers.com/

Wes and Support

Jer & Neyla

Wes Shoutin’

Neyla

Into the Crowd

Hugs!

KCOU@SXSW 3/14

All taken on 3/14 by the adequate hands of Kyle Black.

The experience is both daunting and exhilarating, and Kyle, Matt, Emily and I have already achieved more than we had hoped within our first day.

The day started early for Emily and I as we traveled south of the downtown area to interview up-and-coming act Polica, the new project from Channy Leaneagh of Gayngs and formerly of Minnesota act Roma di Luna. Video and audio of that coming your way soon.

After regrouping briefly, the fellowship parted ways once more to secure wristbands, laminates and tickets to events we’ll be bringing you coverage of for the rest of the week including The Fader Fort , Hype Machine’s Hype Hotel and FYF and Fun Fun Fun Fest’s Mess With Texas Party (at which we’ll be  interviewing the excellent Chairlift).

Spending time in line had its advantages, of course. The time was spent working to secure interviews with several artists that we’ll be covering throughout the week. We’ll announce the list of artists as soon as we have them secured!

Then, of course, there is the real draw of the festival- the nightly showcases. Kyle spent the evening at Cedar Street Courtyard covering Lumineers, Kopecky Family Band, and his favorite Dawes while Emily and Matt got some great photos and footage of Incan Abraham and Little Hurricane at Hype Hotel. I spent a majority of my night covering The Bat Bar which featured Austin natives Ume, Yellow Ostrich, Caveman, and our new-found friends Polica headlining the night.

Our next post will feature plenty of photos from the night for your viewing pleasure.

More coverage coming your way all week (assuming our bodies don’t fail us). Keep checking online and listening at 88.1 FM. For minute by minute updates, follow the KCOU Twitter.