SXSW 2013

SXSW 2013 has come and gone here in Austintown. So many bands come to Austin for SXSW that it's a little hard to comprehend. It's like Woodstock, except this time, everyone's IN a band. So I do the sensible thing: I ditch work to go see bands and take photos!

A lot of big-name bands play SXSW, but I really enjoy seeing new talent on the way up, so my club circuit is usually: Mohawk, Club de Ville, Red 7, Beerland, The Main and The Jr. (both hosting the Brooklyn Vegan showcase this year!)

Here are some of my photos from SXSW 2013. You can see bigger versions if you click or hover or something:

Tim Gick of TV Ghost, a goth-y band from Lafayette, Indiana. Definitely the best band I saw this year.

Dominic O'Dair of London-based psychedelic band Toy who delivered a great show at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at The Main. They missed some New York shows because of visa problems, but fortunately, they made it to SXSW.

SXSW wouldn't feel complete without some good, loud heavy metal bands. Here's Michael Dimmit of Brooklyn, New York-based Mutilation Rites at the Vans/Pitchfork showcase at Mohawk.

Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls, a great modern romantic pop band from Portland, Oregon. This show was at Red 7.

Isabel Almeida of the Brooklyn, New York-based band Hunters. They played a fast and furious set at the House of Vans showcase at Mohawk.

Alex Edkins of Toronto's METZ at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at The Main. I lost my glasses during their set when a human being flew off the stage and bounced across my head. That's entertainment!

Jim Blaha of The Blind Shake from Minneapolis, Minnesota at Beerland. Sometimes they reminded me of Devo, and sometimes they reminded me of Link Wray, but always with a generous helping of 1980's punk.

Matt Cherry of Maserati from Athens, Georgia at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at The Main. Not exactly shoegazers, not exactly psychedelic, but definitely elements of both.

The Reverend J. Peyton of Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, from Brown County, Indiana at Club de Ville. The knobs on the Reverend's guitar are made from shotgun shells and the tattoo on his arm says "Corn Fed".

Josh Weaver of Atlanta, Georgia-based Royal Thunder at the House of Vans showcase at Mohawk. This band was all over the map, influence-wise, so I won't pigeonhole them, but they were heavy and slow and very, very good.

Hether Fortune of the Wax Idols from Oakland, California at Red 7. A cool, old-school New York-style punk/new wave band.

Nick Thornbur of Vattnet Viskar (Swedish for The Water Whispers), a black metal band from Plaistow, New Hampshire. They played at the House of Vans/Pitchfork showcase at Mohawk.

I can't wait for SXSW 2014!