Yes, Dave Holmes was on MTV. Yes, you're remembering correctly. He "lost" the Wanna Be A VJ contest to Jesse Camp in 1998, but was subsequently hired by MTV anyway because somebody had the good sense to realize that, while Jesse's batshit persona was charmingly annoying, Dave Holmes actually knew a good deal about music. Holmes probably could have worked for MTV in some fashion forever (God knows many have tried), but moved on to a variety of gigs, including but not limited to appearances on Reno 911, Best Week Ever, and FX's DVD on TV. While, for better or worse, Camp has been written off as a disposable product of the ‘90's, Holmes has remained a relevant, intelligent, and charming Pop Culture commentator and humorist, finding a new generation of fans via Twitter (link:  http://twitter.com/daveholmes) and Tumblr (link:  http://myyearofeverything.tumblr.com). Along with his numerous televised activities, Holmes is currently working on a book, the process of which is chronicled at his Tumblr blog.

The process of narrowing down one song to discuss with Holmes was arduous as there is an enormous amount of crossover between our respective record collections, but the song that kept coming up was "Stuck Between Stations," from the Hold Steady's Boys & Girls in America record. Seeing as how a new Hold Steady record is on its way, that seemed like an appropriate enough choice.

Kasey Anderson:  Was this song a "JFK moment" for you? Do you remember the first time you heard it, did it make an immediate impact, etc., or was it a song that gradually worked its way into your life until it had burrowed in and made an impact?

Dave Holmes:  Boys & Girls In America was one of the first albums I downloaded right at the stroke of 9pm Pacific time the night before its release. I was a big fan of Separation Sunday, I had seen them live a couple of times, and I was teenagery in my anticipation for the new one. And I think I listened to "Stuck Between Stations" 15 times before I moved forward. In fact, according to my iTunes, it is the most-played song in my library. I probably listen to it most while running; when I was training for the NYC Marathon, I put it on my "training playlist," timed for the exact moment at 13 miles when I become delirious.

KA:  I love and hate that "downloaded at the stroke of 9pm Pacific time" has replaced "picked up at the stroke of midnight at [insert record store]." What is it that the tune would do for you at the 13 mile mark? Restore sanity or make delirium more tolerable? It's such a frantic song, lyrically and musically, that it could really go either way, but "soothing" is certainly not the first word that springs to mind when I think about the Hold Steady.

DH:  Thirteen miles is when my energy really starts to flag, and a song like "Stuck Between Stations" just picks me back up. Plus the endorphins make it easier to imagine myself performing the song in a packed and rowdy 3-to-5,000-seat theater. (Anything larger diminishes the intimacy I like in my imaginary concerts.)

KA: Who is your backing band?

DH:  California Dreams, obviously. No. It's an ever-changing assortment of old friends who used to want to be in a band but are now bankers. There's something really exciting about this wave of bands made up of regular working guys in their 30s (The Hold Steady, Wormburner, Action Toolbelt). I imagine this is what black teenagers felt like when Grandmaster Flash et al came out.

KA:  I guess the first and most obvious question about the song itself is, do you think that Sal Paradise was right? Do boys and girls in America have such a sad time together?

DH: Boys and girls in America do indeed have such a sad time together, and boys and boys and girls and girls don't fare much better. (If I ever do a one-man show, I'll call it "Boys & Boys In America," so let's all hope I never do a one-man show.) The active ingredient in the sadness is revealed a couple of seconds later, in one of the most succinct and devastating lines ever: "Crushing one another with colossal expectations." Now THERE'S a line I could have stood to hear in my early 20s.

KA: Ditto. And I could probably stand to hear the line occasionally now, though I've crossed the threshold into my 30's. So, is this a cautionary tale to you, or is Finn saying, "this is something we all go through because it's something we all HAVE to go through?" Say you had heard the line in your early 20's, would it still have hit home and, if so, would it have been advantageous to avoid some of that sadness and disappointment?

DH: I think I went into relationships expecting these poor gentlemen to just make everything right for me. I think if I'd heard this line at age 23, I might have realized I needed to do a certain degree of that work myself. Actually, no- I still would have been an idiot. But the lesson got learned nonetheless.

KA:  The thing I like about Finn's writing in this song in particular is that there's a sort of fatalism to it without being especially pessimistic. There's a push and a pull. "There was that night we thought John Berryman could fly / but he didn't, so he died." In one couplet he sort of sums up the grand delusions of youth and art and contrasts them with the reality of life and death. If I were in my early 20's and heard that song, it would have sent me spiraling into a month-long depression. But hearing it at 26 or 27, it just sort of hung there and reminded me of a time when I thought John Berryman could fly - when hero worship and ambition were boundless. Do you think Finn is too fatalistic or is he just being a realist?

DH: There's a definite undercurrent of disappointment running through this song, a sense that the things you want in your youth (fame, love, booze) can't sustain you forever. For me, the key line is "He was drunk and exhausted and he was critically acclaimed and respected." It's not BUT, it's AND, which suggests that acclaim and respect are injuries. That line blows my mind.

KA: That, to me, is what makes a great line great. The difference between "and" and "but." Do you agree with Finn's assessment of acclaim and respect, at least in that context? Are they, to some degree, albatrosses that lead to a compounding, albeit different, set of colossal expectations?

DH: Acclaim and respect can make a man think he's getting called up to the majors, where everything is going to be easier and better and shinier, but everyone everywhere is confused and frightened.

Plus, recognition can insulate a person from actual human connection. Once you're published- or put on TV or played through stereo speakers or whatever- suddenly there's a character out there with your name who looks and sounds like you, but isn't exactly you. Sometimes you get confused as to which one you're supposed to be, sometimes people are attracted to the public, published you who doesn't really exist. Relationships get crowded and confusing and become critical injuries for poets and sensitive types like John Berryman. (Some just become their fake selves, and you can see examples of this kind of soul death on reality TV literally all day long.)

KA:  This is something Springsteen has addressed a couple of times, mentioning that THE Bruce Springsteen wouldn't allow Bruce Springsteen to visit strip clubs, which, evidently, is something Bruce Springsteen liked to do on occasion. Because of that rift between public and private personae, when private Bruce Springsteen acted out in defiance of THE Bruce Springsteen, private Bruce tended to go overboard in his misbehavior. Or so the story goes. The thing is, at some point, Craig Finn became THE Craig Finn, right? I'm curious as to how he reconciles those colossal expectations he is now saddled with. Have you ever had instance where you caught private Dave Holmes behaving in a way THE Dave Holmes wouldn't approve of, or vice versa?

DH:  A good friend of mine met Craig Finn recently, and went into insta-gush mode, as would I. As the story goes, Craig waved it off graciously and asked my friend about HIS band, and they had a nice, long conversation. So it seems like Craig's got his head on straight, which is what happens when you get recognized a bit later in life. Of course, this tracks perfectly with the THE Craig Finn in my mind. It's a hall of mirrors.

My career didn't pick up until I was pushing 30 either, so I haven't really had to wonder who the real me is. Sometimes if I'm working on a live shoot for a long time, I find it hard to switch off the quip machine, but that's just a mild annoyance for my boyfriend.

KA: From a purely musical standpoint, the song is very cinematic and sweeping - I suppose this is why the default comparison is the E Street Band. For me, that makes as big an impact as Finn's lyrics. From note one, this song is huge. If it had just been Craig Finn reciting lines over somebody fingerpicking an acoustic guitar, would the impact have been the same for you?

DH:  Yeah, I'm not interested in hearing a stripped-down version of this song. The driving-ness of the song is a perfect counterpoint to the weariness of the lyrics. To me, it says, "No, things don't work out the way you want them to, but you can still go on joyfully." Life is long and weird and sometimes really sad, but we're all in it together. That's kind of what Hold Steady shows are all about, and that's why I see them every chance I get.â�¨â�¨I am fucking crazy about the Hold Steady.â�¨â�¨So here's the disappointment that this song reminds me of: In 1989, I graduated high school and had myself narrowed down to two colleges: Boston College, which I had gotten into, and Holy Cross, which wait-listed me. Because they didn't like me as much, I decided I HAD to go to HC. (This pattern would repeat throughout the next 21 years.) I got into Holy Cross in August, and spent the next four (and a half) years adrift in a sea of boozy self-hatred in a college full of sportsy lawyery New Englanders. Had I gone to Boston College- had I just known myself a tiny bit better- Craig Finn would have been in my class. How we would have GOTTEN each other back then! The late-night conversations about music! Regrets, I've had a few.

Kasey Anderson is a songwriter, singer, dog owner and bacon enthusiast from Portland, Oregon. His three albums, Dead Roses (2004), The Reckoning (2007), and Nowhere Nights (2010) have earned plenty of praise from critics (No Depression, USA Today, The Onion) but, unfortunately, have not as yet yielded the Swedish Fish endorsement Anderson so badly desires. If you’d like to have Kasey Anderson sing, play harmonica and strum a guitar at you, you’ll find him on tour all spring and summer (dates and info available at www.kaseyanderson.com), or if you’d simply like to read on as Anderson discusses various songs with other artists, writers, friends and cohorts, you’re in the right place.

Official Site: www.kaseyanderson.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/kaseyanderson
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kaseyandersonmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/kaseyanderson

Here we go with another edition of LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, our guest-post series where we invite musicians we shamelessly adore to take over and write whatever they like. 2 rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music. This week’s LETTERS FROM THE ROAD guest author is a new friend, the kind that reeks of contagious inspiration, the multitalented Rob Giles. Take it away Rob...

I don’t think of my life as a career. I do stuff. I respond to stuff. That’s not a career --- that’s a life!
--- Steve Jobs

Dear Steve,

I am so excited about the iPad. I am probably going to even shell out the money to get one before we go on our summer tour. You had me at the Netflix app. I have been reading reviews voraciously, as if a lost Beatles album was just unearthed. Words like "interactive," "immersive," "intimate" can’t help but intrigue me. “Will it be the new model for media?!” “I’m not even sure what its used for, but I want to use it for everything!” And apparently iBooks is to Wii what Kindle is to the Atari 2600.

I didn’t read anything about it, but I am guessing there is also an iTunes app? You know, for music?…

It got me wondering, Mr. Jobs, do you remember listening to records? Did you spend any Saturday mornings or Friday nights studying the liner notes of your favorite albums again and again? The artwork!? The glorious mysteries and journeys that album art could catapult you through? (I learned Spanish one summer in Mexico by trying to describe Metallica and Iron Maiden albums to my “Mexican brother” Saul.) Did you ever get images seared into your mind by reading and rereading the pages of recording info and who played what? I can still see clearly that Nikki Sixx, in his musical genius, played not only the bass, but the 8-string bass, the 12-string bass, AND the bass pedals on “Shout At The Devil”!! I am still wondering if the legendary Russ Kunkel looks like what I think he looks like.

Imagine what stuff I could claim to have played on the new Rescues album (out this summer on Universal Republic --- Free Single of the Week please, Steve?) [...]



A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Out ‘n' about in the City of Angels with Blurt's roving shutterbug (2/28 - 3-31 ).

By Scott Dudelson

(above) Jeff Foskett (of Brian Wilson Band, Beach Boys) - Live @ Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp (www.rockcamp.com) - 2/28

(below) Ross & Brian of The Broken West - Live @ The Mint (www.themintla.com) - 3/2

Old California - Live @ The Mint (www.themintla.com) - 3/2

Laura Veirs - Live @ Spaceland (www.clubspaceland.com) - 3/9

Limbeck - Live @ The Mint (www.themintla.com) - 3/11

Magazine Gap - Live @ The Mint (www.themintla.com) - 3/30

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Announcing the latest installment in our "Play For Today" series of video game reviews. This time out we take on Final Fantasy XIII, MLB 10: The Show and Endless Ocean 2: Blue World. Watch out for those screen shots and trailers.

By Aaron Burgess

Game of the Minute: Final Fantasy XIII

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Developer / Publisher: Square Enix

ESRB Rating: T

What's your Fantasy? Since its modest 1987 debut in Japan, the Final Fantasy series has grown into the biggest role-playing game on the planet. So, when news broke that Final Fantasy XIII would detour from the franchise's core element-the nonlinear, open-ended RPG-fans (including this one) understandably cocked an eyebrow. The good news is that, while Final Fantasy XIII strips down the gameplay to a linear, battle-driven style, the storytelling, sound and visual design that've been Final Fantasy hallmarks remain as captivating as ever. The bad news is-well, if you stopped at the word "detour," you already know.

Final Fantasy XIII opens in a universe divided into two equally dazzling, if diametrically opposed, worlds: the cloud city Cocoon, where harmony reigns supreme (at least on the surface), and the larger terrestrial region Pulse, where-well, let's just say it's not the sort of place you'd want to spend a lot of time. Unfortunately, due to some twisted machinations among Cocoon's leadership, that's just where the game ultimately takes you-although you don't arrive in Pulse on your own. Part of a six-character Cocoon-ite party that's been wrongly stigmatized as enemies of the people, you must fight your way through both worlds to prove your valor.

While it assigns a lead role to the stealthy, pink-haired Lightning, Final Fantasy XIII gradually puts you in control of all six characters, each of whom develops roles and capabilities as the story progresses. (And, truth be told, it takes several hours of play for the real action to start.) You enter battles in control of one character at a time, but your party members' roles prove invaluable to your success in moving through the game. You can assign your party up to six different combinations of three roles each (a.k.a. Paradigms) before entering battle, and because no two enemies' capabilities are the same, you need to shift Paradigms to get the advantage. It's a nice addition of strategy into an otherwise straightforward, turn-based battle system, and it'll have you thinking twice before approaching a new foe.

The scaled-back gameplay gives the impression that Final Fantasy XIII is a quick play-and for those used to the freedom of an open-ended, nonlinear world complete with challenging mini-games, it may well be, relatively speaking. After a lengthy warm-up period during which the story takes shape, you'll spend a good weekend mastering the battle and skill systems, as well as getting to know the heroes and villains. Luckily, Final Fantasy XIII's characters and story offer enough complexity that it's easy to get lost in their world, even with the borders the game's developers have put around it.

Rating: 8/10

MLB 10: The Show

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer / Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

ESRB Rating: E

The greatest player of them all. Sports gamers can be real sticklers for detail, and as its long-running MLB: The Show franchise proves, Sony continues to stay hyper-focused on the challenge this presents for game developers to step things up. This year's installment is loaded with details (did that fan just clamor for a foul ball?) and camera work so true to life, casual viewers could easily be fooled into thinking they're watching a real MLB matchup.

Graphic realism, of course, isn't the only advancement MLB 10: The Show brings to the game. Gameplay and AI are remarkably nuanced, with neither being reinvented so much as they've been dialed closer to the real thing. If you're playing a season, Franchise mode lets you equip, handicap and even pay players according to their real-life counterparts in the big leagues. Want to call the game as the catcher? You can do it in the new Catcher mode. And of course there's the Road to the Show mode, back again in version 4.0 with a set of interactive training games that help you sharpen your player's fielding and pitching skills as you move him from the minors to the Show.

Sony has long touted MLB: The Show as "the most realistic baseball game ever," and there's no disputing that claim with this year's model. But MLB 10: The Show is also the most playable baseball game ever-and when you pair that with the game's realism, well, you've got another homerun.

Rating: 9/10

Endless Ocean 2: Blue World

Platform: Wii

Developer: Arika / Publisher: Nintendo

ESRB Rating: E10+

I can hear the ocean's roar... Sometimes you just want a break from the typical challenge-based game-a need the first Endless Ocean was happy to fill. Unfortunately for those who crave more a little more zip with their zone-outs, the free-roaming title felt a bit too relaxed for its own good. Enter Endless Ocean 2: Blue World, which couples the stress-reducing experience of its predecessor with simple diversions and point-accumulating challenges.

After a brief setup to customize your character, you literally dive into Endless Ocean 2, swimming through tranquil, wide-open environments to find the source of a siren's call. Of course, you can also skip this story altogether, choosing instead to explore the sea floor while learning about and helping the ocean fauna. You'll find sunken treasures along the way, too, which you can sell to pay for trinkets, and if you have a broadband connection and a Wii Speak microphone, you can invite friends to dive with you. (Assuming, of course, they also have the same setup.)

Simple as it may be, Endless Ocean 2: Blue World offers significant replay value-even if the graphics are limited to the Wii's 480p-tops capability to eclipse reality. But for those times when you just need to get away from it all, it's a heck of a lot more affordable than taking a real dive.

Rating: 7/10

File Under "Extras"

Turtle Beach Ear Force PX21 Universal Gaming Headset

Compatible With: PlayStation 3, XBOX 360, PC

Turtle Beach's latest gaming headset won't replace your 5.1 surround system, but if you'd like to give the rest of the house some peace while you're gaming into the wee hours, the Ear Force PX21 is up to the task. The cushioned earpieces help to muffle external noise, while the stereo-expander feature and variable bass boost let you hear every footstep, reloading or pulled grenade pin in lifelike detail.

Independent volume controls let you balance in-game audio with the sounds of your online chat, and the microphone features a flexible boom that keeps ambient noise from leaking into your commands and curses. Plus, thanks to a 16-foot cable, you can get up to take a drink without accidentally waking up your roommates. Retail price is a hair under $80-gear up at Amazon.

Our game guru, Aaron Burgess, lives digitally but dreams in analog down in Round Rock, Texas. Contact him at first2letters@gmail.com / AIM: First2Letters.

By Carl Hanni

SXSW CD Swag Sampler!

SXSW is a bounty of unasked-for (and sometimes unwanted) CDs, cassettes, download cards and more, pressed into our hands at shows, in the convention center and on the street by sometimes anxious, occasionally sweaty strangers. Some of them are treasure troves. Here's the scoop on a few of the best ones I received. 

Boom Pam: somebody handed me this at the Balkan Beat Box show, which is fully appropriate. From Tel Aviv, Boom Pam mash up twangy surf guitars, Middle Eastern/Mediterranean and Balkan beats, plenty of forward motion and a rocking tuba on "Malibu" and four other tracks on a delightful five song EP. www.boompam.org,  www.myspace.com/boompam.

Guadalupe Plata: I got this from a gent at the booth promoting new music from Spain in the  trade show in the convention center. Guadalupe Plata are a 3 piece playing big, heavy blues ala Black Keys, R.L. Burnside and John Lee Hooker, played w/drastic fire and amazing chops, especially on the slide guitar. In addition to these masters their MySpace mentions Hound Dog Taylor, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Skip James, Son House and Elmore James. Who knew the Spanish had the dirty blues gene? Amazing stuff.  www.myspace.com/guadalupeplata.

The China Invasion Tour 2010, Featuring Bands from Maybe Mars. From a showcase of new Chinese bands. This 16 song sampler features nine contemporary Chinese "rock" acts, several who record on the Maybe Mars label and many who come out of the D-22 Club scene in Beijing. I'd previously heard the electrified Carsick Cars and the terrific 3 piece Snapline, who played an eye-opening set on guitar, vocals and keyboard. P.K.14 were a SXSW buzz band this year, according to some sources. White seen to be drawing their energy from Philip Glass, while Xiao He from an avant garde re-casting of traditional Chinese folk music. Av Okubo, Gar, 24 Hours and Ourself Beside Me also represent. The energy from these bands is all experimental, fresh and genre-bending. The kids are alright in China, apparently. www.maybemars.com. 

I got to see the Berkeley-based Real Vocal String Quartet perform a beautifully played, lovely set, despite a feedback-jittery PA and a rolling tide of deep booty bass from the club next door. The four women add vocals to their violin, viola and cello line-up, presenting a modern chamber mash-up of music from around the world. I got the self-titled 14 song CD from cellist Jessica Ivy, who I also saw at terrific sets by Golden Arm Trio and Fishtank Ensemble. Their set was a welcome respite from the drunken hoo-raw outside the club, and proof that you can see just about anything you want at SXSW, if you bother to look for it. www.rvsq.com.

I also got a LED Artists sampler CD from a charming woman at the Balkan Beat Box show. A collection of artists that they represent? distribute? promote?, the sampler features 19 tracks by 15 international acts, including Kimi Djabate (Guinea-Bissau), Nguyen Le (Paris via Vietnam), Liu Fang (China), Boris Malkovsky (Israel), Ljova and the Kontraband (NYC via Russia)  and Mercedes Peon (Spain). This is the real world music--less on electronic beat/world groove, more on modern updates on traditional music that doesn't necessarily have one eye cocked towards the dance floor at all times. www.LEDartists.net.

Light In The Attic Records sampler. I spent some time--and some $--hanging out at the booth the Seattle-based Light In The Attic Records had at the SXSW record show. LITA are one of the the top-shelf re-isssue labels in the country, who also distribute other fabulous, European based re-issue labels like Vampisoul, Timmion Trikont. These are the folks that did such a great job re-issuing all four of funk goddess Betty Davis four releases, as well as key records by legendary folkie Karen Dalton, garage punk ground-breakers The Monks and more. Their catalogue is stuffed full of amazing soul, funk, reggae, R&B, Latin, psychedelic, rock and folk releases. The sampler CD has tracks by Davis, Dalton, Monks + Rodriguez, the Black Angels, Earth, Roots and Water, The Free Design and more. www.lightintheattic.net.

Funk Aid for Africa and Haiti, mixed and compiled by DJ Obah. Ok, I paid for this one (for a good cause) at a showcase put together by Wax Poetics magazine and Dubspot Records. This was one of best showcases I saw at SXSW, with sets by Ocote Soul Sounds, Chico Mann, Brownout, Jovi Rockwell and more, with killer DJ sets between acts. The sampler CD features a continuous groove mix by Ocote, Ticklah, Happy Mayfield, The Pimps of Joytime, El Pueblo and many more. www.dubspot.com, www.nextaid.org. 

Stone River Boys, Love On The Dial. Perhaps this isn't totally fair--I ride to and from SXSW w/SRB's manager and I know and have worked with one of them (Dave Gonzalez) off and on for years--but it WAS given to me at SXSW, and it/they are so darn good that it really shouldn't go unmentioned. Fronted by Texas country soul singer/songwriter legend Mike Barfield and featuring the awesome guitar, vocal and songwriting talents of Dave Gonzalez (Hacienda Brothers, The Paladins), the Stone River Boys pick up more or less where the Hacienda Brothers left off, producing an untouchable fusion of modern Texas soul and hard, precise honky tonk music. I saw the Boys wind a mid-afternoon crowd up into a spinning top with just four songs. The record is a monster. www.stoneriverboys.com.

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You can leave comments below or e-mail them to me directly at modmedia@theriver.com .

Carl Hanni is a music writer, music publicist, disc jockey, book hound and vinyl archivist living in Tucson, AZ. He hosts a monthly concert and film series at The Screening Room in downtown Tucson, and spins records wherever and whenever he can. He believes that in a better (all analog) world all records would be released on vinyl, but takes good music from wherever he finds it--even on CD. He currently writes for Blurt, Tucson Weekly, Goldmine, Examiner.com and (occasionally) Signal To Noise.

Some curious/humorous observations; conclusions, all you...

SxSW Interactive

• Strictly on time


• Panel/keynote speakers wear wireless/clip-on mics (most often)


• Panel/keynote production appears flawless (ex: nametags/hash tags clearly visible, high-quality sound, SxSW staff on-hand and in control)


• Open-door policy (attendees enter and leave panels/keynotes as they please)


• Multitasking assumed and celebrated (ex: tweeting, hash tag strains broadcast simultaneously on stage screens, taking photos/videos, watching videos/accessing links speaker mentions as he/she continues talking)


• Panels/keynotes packed to capacity, one-in/one-out entry queues outside most doors, attendees (literally) battling for panel/keynote front row seats


• Panel/keynote attendee questions usually benefit everyone in the room


• Panel/keynote speakers revered as "rockstars" as attendees vehemently Twitter speeches as "gospels" and rush the stage post events


• Collective, impromptu crowd reactions are frequent (from applause to walkouts)


• Attendees share uber-alpha networking gene, introducing themselves to each other at nearly every possible opportunity, whether seated or in queue... most even managing a pitch


• Attendees have business cards


• Attendees display exuberance in helping each other, openly sharing newly observed/learned tips/ideas


• Panel/keynote speaker metaphors run rampant, assuming attendees will connect dots rapidly (which they do)


• Conversely, attendees express frustration/impatience when panels/keynotes move "slow"


• Overall celebration/mutual admiration between panel/keynote speakers and attendees, each easily vacillating between roles as "students" and "leaders"


• Overarching business-casual fashion, geeky yet hip


• Parties attended mostly by men in khakis [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Blurt blogger and shutterbug Scott Dudelson is roaming the highways and clubways of Austin this week and he's got the photos to prove it. Check out his report from Wednesday, March 17, Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19, as well as his regular photo blog.

By Scott Dudelson

Saturday, March 20

(above) She & Him @ Rachael Ray Party

(below) Rachael Ray herself!

Andrew WK @ Rachael Ray Party

Chapin Sisters @ Rachael Ray Party

Dr. Dog @ Rachael Ray Party

Tom Morello/Street Sweeper Social Club @ Rachael Ray Party

Boots Riley/Street Sweeper Social Club @ Rachael Ray Party

Priestess @ Harley Davidson Party

The New Harley @ Harley Davidson Party

Big Light @ Galaxy Back Yard Tent

The Like @ Stubbs

Exene Cervenka @ Bloodshot Showcase

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Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Traipsin' the light fantastic in Austin without spilling a single beer!

By Johnny Mnemonic

Ed. Note: With this entry, BLURT blogger Johnny Mnemonic, who pens the "Music Journalism 101" blog for us, concludes his Austin report - all the way from England, where he's been on a freelance assignment. Not that a minor detail like being thousands of miles removed from the scene of the crime stopped him, so as we pointed out at the beginning, here's SXSW 2010- as he imagines it might be going down. Guarantee: all dialogue not reported verbatim.

Read also: Day 1 (Tuesday)

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Day 3 (Thursday)

Day 4 (Friday)

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Day 5: Saturday, March 20

Did you ever wonder why SXSW blogs and daily recaps are always peppy and perky and full of details and fun anecdotes for the first few days, and then as the week starts to wind down those reports steadily become truncated and as frayed around the edges as the bloggers and writers no doubt are themselves torn ‘n' frayed from four or more days of little sleep, lots of alcohol, and pretty much nonstop sensory overload?  For those of you reading this who have never attended SXSW, it's akin to going to a carnival and getting on the rollercoaster, followed by doing the bumper cars, and that followed by a race through a dimly-lit funhouse/hall of mirrors, while the whole time carnival music blares nonstop at maximum volume - then doing it all over again. And again. And again. With barely a few hours of rest before one of the carny workers takes your ticket and pushes you right back onto the ride.

It's fun, but like that old saying about hitting your head against the wall - it sure feels good when it stops, too. As I type it's Sunday afternoon and I'm sitting in the virtual terminal of the virtual Dallas airport, the same place where on Tuesday I got stuck for several virtual hours and entertained myself virtually by playing the "spot the traveling musician" game. This time around, though, all those black-clad dudes and cute chicks in cowgirl boots look decidedly worse for the wear, and even that fat bald English band manager who couldn't stop yapping five days ago seems relieved to just flop down in a chair and read a newspaper. I'm with him on that, but first, my virtual report - truncated, yes, but in an alternate dimension somewhere, absolutely true - on the final day of the 2010 SXSW. See you next year!

***

Way too early on a Saturday morning, but for some reason I feel great! Okay, I'm dog tired, but my head is buzzing like a meadow in spring. Hmm... looks like my roomie Artie scored last night; over on the dresser beside his bed are two, not one, SXSW laminates. All you need is love, so that's sweet! Quick shower and I'm off. Over on 6^th Street there isn't a whole lot of activity, but I do spot a massive line of people down near Red River, and as the demographic appears to be (a) young, in the 18-and-under sense, and (b) dressed painfully hipster-centric, in a kind of Nickelodeon-meets-Hot-Topic way, it's pretty obvious something is happening down at Emo's this morning. Or more likely, around noon or so; only in Austin at SXSW will 3,000 kids queue up at 8:00 in the morning for in hopes of gaining admittance to a roughly 550-capacity venue that doesn't even open for another four hours.

What a bunch of sheep, I think to myself, as I go grab a quick cup of coffee. I have to hurry so I can bolt over to Stubb's (cap: 1,800) and queue up with 3,000 adults in hopes of gaining admittance to the annual Rachael Ray Feedback Party. This is one event that, having attended it previously, I was smart enough to RSVP for. The event started three years ago basically as a way for the celebrity cooking diva to pimp her husband's (John Cusimano) rock band, The Cringe, at SXSW without having to pay some label or organization to let them piggyback onto their party. Well, the bandname tells you what you need to know. In any event, only a schmuck wouldn't jump at the chance to play a bill that's guaranteed to draw a bazillion SXSW attendees, most of them lured as much for the free, Ray-approved eats as for the music. On the menu this year: Tex-Mex Sliders, Pulled Pork Tortitas, Quesadilla Suiza Stacks, Queso Fundido Taquitos and Albondigas Subs. Funny, Rachel, you don't look Mexican!

So anyway, this is the biggest RRFP ever, and Stubbs is the only logical place to hold it considering that last year the wait to get in was upwards of two hours. Truth be told, the band lineup has never been better: She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), Jakob Dylan & Three Legs featuring Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, Street Sweeper Social Club, Andrew W.K., Dr. Dog, School of Seven Bells, Justin Townes Earle, Bob Schneider, Local Natives, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Pearly Gate Music, Steve Conte & the Crazy Truth, Freelance Whales, Lawrence Arabia, the Orion Experience, Mishka and Shayna Zaid & the Catch. Oh, and The Cringe!

In fact, it's while The Cringe are onstage that I spot Ray over next to one tables near the right hand side of the stage, watching the band. I wander casually over towards her but she appears to be totally transfixed by the performance, that trademark Joker-like grin of hers frozen across her face (although it's entirely possible that she's simply afraid her hubby will glance over and catch her not being, like, less than enthralled). I get a perverse urge, then act upon it: I slip the last of the ‘shrooms left over from the previous evening into her Albondiga. Call me a rebel, call me a criminal, or just call me Owsley, but tell the truth: haven't you fantasized at some point about having the chance to dose Rachael Ray?

A couple of hours and several plates of Tex-Mex Sliders, Pulled Pork Tortitas, Quesadilla Suiza Stacks, Queso Fundido Taquitos and Albondigas Subs later, I stagger through the Stubb's exit gate and realize I need to go find a place to take a nap. I'm stuffed.

As a result, I miss all the panels I wanted to take in, but through my powers of retroactive prescience, I have divined what I missed:

• "Effecting Social Change via Music and Technology": ain't gonna happen; rock fans are even more apathetic in 2010 than they were in 1969.
• "Ethics in the Music Business": don't exist; just ask that guy who keeps flooding your in-box with his latest half-ass strategy to "bring bands and fans together via an exciting new and dynamically symbiotic social networking platform".
• "How a Timeless Artist Remains Vital": marketing- and dollar-wise, that's a no brainer: die.
• "Too Much Information! Does Interacting Kill Rockstar Mystique?": yes.
• "Artists: Getting a Digital Ass-Kicking?": yes.
• "Can China Build a Better Music Business?": no.

Now that I've got all that out of the way, I can go drink some beer.

On the way I run into Artie and his new girlfriend. "Dude, we were looking for you at Rachael Ray's party!" he says. "Did you hear what she did? She jumped onstage during the Street Sweeper Social Club's set, grabbed the mic from Boots Riley, hollered, "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!", then dropped to her knees in front of Tom Morello and mimed doing the David Bowie-Mick Ronson thing! It was awesome!"

Shit, I miss all the best stuff at SXSW. Anyway, I laugh with them, then before we go our separate ways. I can't resist telling the girl, who as you may recall works for a certain high powered NYC public relations firm, "Since you two are an item now, I guess Artie can't write about your clients anymore." To which she replies, coyly, "Well, then I'll have to get you to do it, won't I, Johnny?" I chuckle, then shoot back, "Dunno ‘bout that. Last time I profiled someone on your roster you tore me a new one for printing the city your client lived in - that stalker shit you were so paranoid about, even though, as I pointed out, she had already posted the name of the town on her MySpace page." The girl blushes, so because I'm really a sweetheart I add, "But don't worry. I covered for you." Ah, the journalist-publicist relationships can get so complicated. Sometimes the only solution is to sleep with one another.

Anyway, off for a couple of beers.

Several hours later: Holy shit. I. Cannot. Believe. This. Is. Happening.

Each year at SXSW there's The Big Rumor that circulates, typically regarding this or that artist who may make a surprise appearance. A few years ago it was gonna be Dinosaur Jr, who at the time had not done the full reunion tour, and even up-to-the-last-minute texts were flying about the band "set to go on in a half hour" at such-and-such a place. (I got sucked into that one and rushed over. Turns out it was just Witch.) Last year the word on the street was that Neil Young would turn up for a stealth concert; it made sense, because there was also a special panel devoted to Neil and his forthcoming Archives box. But no dice.

This year I've been hearing that Husker Du is going to do a one-off reunion gig. Despite the acrimony that supposedly lingers between the three members, from a logistical standpoint, it's plausible: Grant Hart is in town for several shows, including the Second Motion/Blurt Magazine showcase that's happening tonight, and just last week Bob Mould did a three-night residency at the Rusty Spurs club here in Austin (he apparently knows the owner from their college days). I'm not sure where erstwhile Husker bassist Greg Norton fits in, particularly given some of the comments Hart made about Norton in a recent Blurt interview, and his and Mould's generally dismissive attitude towards Norton and his musical talents. But still - anything can happen, and SXSW has become more and more often a kickoff party  for new musical projects, particularly those where a lot of dough stands to be made and therefore the glare of an industry confab like SXSW makes for beautiful marketing symmetry.

Tonight, that anything that can happen does happen. I'm sure a lot of people reading this will think I was hallucinating, but that all happened to me last night at Acid Mothers Temple. I've only had two beers tonight, I swear. The Second Motion/Blurt showcase at the Taproom At Six has drawn a fantastic turnout, and we've already had stellar sets from Ireland up-and-comers The Walls, UK singer-songwriter Gemma Ray, Marty Willson-Piper from the Church, pop legend Tommy Keene, the aforementioned Grant Hart, and Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver) with his latest band Bolts Of Melody. We've also already passed the 1a.m. mark and Franklin's just come back onstage for what we presume will be the last encore when he glances over at the wings and casually announces, "I'd like to bring a couple of new friends of mine out here..."

It's Grant Hart and, you guessed it, Bob Fucking Mould.

Hart settles in at the drumkit, while Mould plugs in. Smiles all around onstage, while in the audience you can hear the collective thump of jaws hitting the floor. Franklin nods at his newly-enhanced band, then turns to Mould and makes a classic "we're not worthy!" bowing motion; Mould cracks up, cocks his head and points at Franklin like "You da man!" And before anyone in the room can react, they've launched into "8 Miles High," in all its post-Byrdsian, proto-Huskerian thunder.

A four-song H.D. mini-set then ensues: Mould's "New Day Rising" is followed with barely a pause by Hart's "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" (both from the H.D.  early classic New Day Rising), then another Hart song, "Don't Want to Know if You Are Lonely" (from 1986's Candy Apple Grey), and finally a marathon, 12-minute version of Mould's "Could You Be the One" (from the band's 1987 studio swansong Warehouse: Songs and Stories). The crowd is pretty much going berserk, and the musicians are exchanging glances like, is this really happening?

Apparently the four Husker songs, plus the Byrds tune, was all they'd had a chance to prepare, so for one final encore, circa 2:30 in the morning, following a brief onstage huddle, Mould launches into the signature "Back In Black" riff. Franklin beckons to some of the musicians at the back of the stage who've been taking all this in, and in the blink of an eye Gemma Ray, a couple of the Walls, Tommy Keene and Marty Willson-Piper are all clustered around the extra mic stand, swapping off on AC/DC lyrics. Someone in the crowd catches Mould's eye and he gestures the guy up - holy crap, it's Greg Norton! Franklin's bassist hands Norton the axe and...

Wait a minute; it's not Norton. It's actually Franz Nicolay, late of the Hold Steady, who's been in Austin promoting about 15 different musical and literary projects he's currently involved with. I'm not sure if anyone knew Nicolay could play the bass, but he most certainly can, with aplomb. At one point all the musicians except Nicolay and Mould pull back, leaving Nicolay, Mould and Hart in a semi-circle, jamming away, and I swear if you squint, it looks exactly like Husker Du. Later, when I get back to the hotel, I will go online to see what the bloggers are saying and what the Twitterers were tweeting (not to mention Lords a-leaping, ha-ha) and sure enough, a slew of them are claiming it was the actual full Husker Du at the show, so I'm just correcting any erroneous reports here.

Things turn chaotic at this point. Willson-Piper shouts out he'd like to bring up a few friends, and all his bandmates from the Church hop onstage. Then Tommy Keene pulls not one but two rabbits out of his hat by bringing on a couple of guys he's played with in the past, Paul Westerberg and Bob Pollard. Not to be outdone, since it's technically his showcase and all that, Franklin brings on everyone from Swervedriver and subtly steers the AC/DC song into a primal version of "Son of Mustang Ford." Sheer pandemonium. It looks like one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies end-of-evening all-star jams - a notion that's indelibly reinforced when fuckin' Paul Shaffer jumps up there too! Where the hell did HE come from!?! Such a ham, and... whoops, it's Moby, in town to help promote his dynamic new social networking platform that will bring bands and fans together. Still, it's quite a sight.

Suddenly Rachael Ray is running on from the wings, grabbing Mould's mic and gibbering something about "I think this is a pile of shit while John Sinclair rots in prison!," but Mould quickly boots her off the stage with one deft swing of his Flying V. Things finally come to a conclusion about 4a.m. and the club owner assures everyone that this is without at doubt the longest SXSW showcase Austin has ever seen. Who am I to complain!

I spot Ray curled up in a fetal position behind the merch table at the rear of the club and I want to go console her, but an overwhelming sense of guilt washes over me so I just ease out the door, into the Texas night, in search of a chili hot dog prior to hitting the sack.

Another successful SXSW has come and gone. Let's get on that ride and do it all over again! How was yours?

***

Johnny Mnemonic is the pseudonym of a "highly-regarded" national writer with, he advises us, over two decades' experience working as a music critic, reporter, editor and marketing consultant. We've never met him face-to-face, and he further advises he will be delivering his blogs to us via the "double blind drop-box method," whatever that is, to ensure his anonymity.

A Blurt editor arrives in Austin wielding a camera and all hell breaks loose as we get in your face once again...

By Randy Harward

(above) Michael Monroe and Cheetah Chrome

(below) Monroe again!

Gemma Ray

The Walls

Dwight Twilley

Big Star w/Mike Mills

Street Sweeper Social Club

 Billy Bragg, Boots Riley, Tom Morello, Wayne Kramer

Broken Social Scene

Chylde

John Hiatt

Hollerado

Marty Willson-Piper

Walter Salas-Humara (Silos) & Blurt CEO Stephen Judge

Metric

Motorhead

Nudozurdo

Roadsaw

Suckers

The 88s

Those Darlins

Tommy Keene

Whitey Morgan & the 78s

Blurt blogger and shutterbug Scott Dudelson is roaming the highways and clubways of Austin this week and he's got the photos to prove it. Check out his report from Wednesday, March 17, and Thursday, March 18, as well as his regular photo blog.

By Scott Dudelson

Friday, March 19

(above) Emily Haines of Metric @ Stubbs

(below) Metric @ Stubbs

Mike Mills of R.E.M. @ Ghost Bar

Wayne Kramer @ Ghost Bar

Billy Bragg & Wayne Kramer @ Ghost Bar

Billy Bragg @ Don't Mess With Texas

Frightened Rabbit @ Don't Mess With Texas

Audible Mainframe @ Spin Party

Foxy Shazam @ Spin Party

Fucked Up @ Spin Party

Miike Snow @ Spin Party

Rogue Wave @ Spin Party

Wooden Birds @ Mohawk

Steel Train @ Encore

Citizen Cope @ SXSW Day Stage

Diane Birch @ SXSW Day Stage

Jakob Dylan & Neko Case @ SXSW Day Stage

Dead Confederate @ Little Radio Party

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Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.