[New Orleans, LA] Deep powerful voice – total command of the stage. Kind of a Tina Turner vibe. It doesn’t take much to make people in New Orleans dance, but she had the whole crowd going, at 3pm in the hot afternoon. We walked in on “I Will Survive,” and stayed for a cover of Stephen Bishop’s “On and On,” and then a medley of New Orleans classics: “When the Saints” … the Treme theme song (my favorite!). The energy was amazing. EyesPoetic and I both confessed to some teary moments. We couldn’t figure out what the issue was exactly, but it was something about all sorts of people having a great time together or New Orlean’s general air of joy-for-life – regardless, there’s no better cure for hordes of competitive status-obsessed statisticians than hordes of dancing New Orleanians.

[Lake Charles, LA]: 2 guitars, accordion, drum, and a washboard (that is, a metal vest with ridges hanging from a guy’s neck). They were zydeco with rap and rock stylings. Intent on keeping the crowd hyped. And I guess it worked, because an old white guy near us was doing air-washboard.

The accordion player from Tim Gaitan & the Umbrella Man was in this band and I decided he’s converting me to the accordion one band at a time. The drummer may have also been from that band. Basically, the Houston music scene is incestuous, possibly more than the Austin music scene. They did the ‘beer in heaven’ song they did before, an old spiritual, and even some tejano (if I’m using the word correctly). I particularly liked their song “Bésame.” There were rumors floating that Electric Cheetah hadn’t shown and these guys were filling the spot – Electric Cheetah is not even a band as far as I can tell per google so who knows. They were enjoyable.

[Austin, TX] we were there to see a ‘better’ band but Rockboy assured me he’d seen this band before and they had a crazy lead singer who would writhe on the floor – that’s always all right by me so I waited patiently – the band is an assortment of young and very old geeks in red shorts and red t-shirts – and also a hussy lead vocalist in too-low white jeans, a white crop top, and an eager g-string – they started and the best I can do to explain their sound is Parrothead space rock – they kind of segued into funkier stuff that might be compared to Red Hot Chili Peppers if I were feeling charitable – I wasn’t and I’m not – and it turned out that Rockboy had mistaken this band for another more exciting band so no entertaining lead singer was going to appear either – this band was awful and we left before even seeing the ‘better’ band – the really old hippie guy on bass was kind of cute I have to admit because I kept wondering how he ever ended up in this band of odd young people… I’m not sure I have the name of this band right or Rockboy was correct on the lead singer and he just didn’t show this night – it doesn’t matter because you don’t need to see them

that big-sound bluesy rocking jazz – reminded me of the Sex and the City episode with the “I Can’t Get Next to You” song – it just bugs me

[Austin, TX] this was an intentional sighting of a local band because they are always so professional and good – a blend of guitar rock, 60s soul, and moderate jam band – 2 horn guys, 2 guitars, and 2 drums, and they’re all enthused – they pulled out what looked like a cigarette for the last song which seemed perfectly fitting, but I think it was actually a blunt and a little NORML message

[San Francisco, CA] among the top three bands of SXSW 2011 (for me) – last year, the lead singer of The Magic Kids had a jacket on that said “Hunx and His Punx” but I thought he was referring to him and his band, turns out the Hunk is not him – it is a very fabulous thin boy in a moustache, cap, see-through leopard-print leggings, and a raggedy t-shirt – Rockboy had just told me he’d ran into one of the members of Operator Please, who had an outrageous blonde wig on, had dropped something, and then staggered up to stare meaningfully at Rockboy for way too many seconds – turns out it was actually Hunx: hipsters, they’re hard to tell apart – the lead singer was rock star outrageous, rolling around on the ground exposing his very exposed crotch (“I wear really pretty underwear”), and preening in front of male audience members – I don’t know if he was really drunk/high or putting on the sort of show that will make him famous, but his crew of 4 to 5 female guitarists/back up vocalists even seemed a little surprised – I would have just classified them as classic 60s rock with a male lead instead of a female lead, but Rockboy heard (and rightfully so) really gay Ramones, Redd Kross, and some Rocky Horror – he seems the sort of flame that will burn out fast if he doesn’t take care

[Oakland, CA] doo-wop stylings over punk rock – drum and slap guitar – raw 60s girl rock

[Brooklyn, NY] girl on keyboard – ah ah harmonizing between a girl and boy – pleasant dance rock – they weren’t an intentional see but they were good

[Queensland, Australia] they were exciting right from the start with their 3 excruciatingly pretty boys (guitars and drum), 1 gothic-looking two-dimensional female fiddler, and 1 three-dimensional Hawaiian-looking female vocalist with a pom pom on her shoulder – the vocalist ruled the stage as did her bad-ass fiddler pal – she fiddled like the she was trying not to make a deal with the devil – they were some crazy mix of indie rock and dance music – they made me think of The Gossip and The Eurythmics – they’re kind of 80s synth pop too – I’m definitely not one to dance but this band made me wish I was in a room alone with a gay boyfriend – ThinLizzyLover is mad for them

[London, UK] clean funky guitars – verocious drums – slightly distorted female vocals, thought she was Siouxsie but she’s either happier or angrier – little bit of afro pop, little bit of Slits post-punk – good energy – quite liked them

I don’t necessarily follow this band but they definitely stood out amongst the masses of current indie bands – two effortlessly remembered songs (“Cowbell” and “In Houston”) … and Rockboy was made to go… and they happily turned out to be much better than I expected – all krispy flaky guitar and bass: crisp, fast, and rich – they’re less indie and more dance-y southern rock funk – they’ve got character and soul – guess I will have to be a follower now

[New York, NY] only saw them for a few songs but they were striking – really pretty soul rock – like Jackson 5 on acid – every band member had long hair that was parted in the middle – and they would engage in moments of thrash like the kids do nowadays to pretend that their pop bands are hardcore

also a 2nd wave ska band from the late 70s on the 2 Tone label more recently noted for the song playing as Ferris Bueller runs through backyards and houses to beat his family home – so we were optimistic at the start – the lead singer had a cute British accent – the band was good – it was pretty quickly clear, though, that there was something lacking – that energy! the quick pick-up of ska – it finally became clear that they just weren’t playing ska – maybe some sort of pop-rock inspired by ska but not ska – the early part of the set reminded me of The Talking Heads, kind of – the pop-rock became decreasingly ska and increasingly soul-pop – like a mix of 90s artists Soul Decision and Shaggy – by the end, it was full-on reggae – I preferred the reggae to the watery rock – reggae would have been okay if I hadn’t come expecting ska – 2 hours of unska was not okay – Rockboy insists they were playing poorer versions of their recorded material and/or the worst of their recorded material – I insist this band is not for me

[New York, NY] queer culture band – I kind of loved them – so odd looking I thought they were clueless foreigners but I think that’s their intention – crazy lyrics like how it’s really expensive to buy babies so s/he’s just going to “fuck all her friends” until she has a little baby – it sounds crass but s/he made it cute – electronic disco punk

[Indianapolis, IN] I understand that hipsters get annoying with their anti-style style, but it wasn\”t clear if this band\”s style was a step further (anti-any-style-at-all style) or genuine unstylishness – similarly, their music was rebellious and disobeyed melody and sense = no wave – the kind of funky tribal no wave that you can just about dance to – they had heavy drum beats with a dancing guitar – synth drops and strong vocals

[Lexington, KY] all American boys doing rousing roots rock, strong vocals, charismatic lead singer with the air of a revivalist, really likeable

Although it was the first time in some ten years that both primary contributors to Concert Central were actually at a concert together, we only saw a couple of songs. But the band still managed to make their goodness clear. A rootsy indie sound and fronted by a very lovely young girl with a great voice. Originally from Alabama but now in Austin

WomanInCharge, true to form, didn’t invite me to this show (Dirty Projectors) but told me I was going… this band was darling darling darling – smiles washed over the crowd – had the stage presence of Matt & Kim: happy clean jumping dancepunk – the little girl with the long hair in a barrette and the green eyelashes painted under her right eye was fierce and inflamed with a voice that reminded me of Grand Ole Party and maybe CocoRosie – her compatriot guitarist with the 70s fluffed hair matched her energy – lots of drums, a keyboard, a whaw pedal, occasional trumpet, sometimes a saxophone – a synthy disco rock inferno – maintained hyped up stage presence until it was certain that the audience had been saved – they almost outshone the headiners

this band played music I would never ever listen to and I loved them – it was rousing brassy soul that Rockboy called R&B, as it was born at least – the red-headed lead singer seemed to be a former choir boy what with his slacks and shiny vest but his frenetic sweaty bug-eyed antics made him immensely watchable – not sure if they were doing covers or original material

may be the most professional slick band I\”ve seen in Austin, and while that usually annoys me, it suits their music – they\”re local but touring in support of the New York Dolls – lots of soul, some wah-wah 70s funk and then some Chicago blues – a brass section of saxes and a trumpet, two guitars, drums, etc. etc. – whole assemble was having a good time – Joe Lewis\” voice isn\”t remarkable but he has a pleasing innocent fun demeanor on stage – he supposedly started as a blues singer in Austin with the likes of Scott H. Biram but found his success with the addition of the Honeybears

this band has a gorgeous reggae-pop sound that I’ve come to crave – probably because of the touches of dub – singer’s voice is also a husky high-pitched delight – although my drunk compatriots were a bit of a distraction and my view was often blocked, the band did not disappoint a bit – music and lyrics can move from fun to more soulful and melancholy – they were a group of 3 to 5 clean-cut nice-looking white and black people – “Where’s your soul gone to?”

I couldn’t pin a genre on this band if I tried. Their boyish joie de vivre was incredibly infectious and we made the boys stay because we were infected. They progressed from R&B to ska to blues rock. The lead singer had the tight jeans on, like all the boys do (much to my 30-something friends’ dismay), and a mohawkesque haircut and small tattoos on his neck and grins all over the place. I googled them and got this urban definition: “female on the snow who makes you crack a fat even in sub zero temperatures.” Maybe that helps you pin them down… Oh no, it wasn’t Ski Bunny – the band on MySpace is entirely different – the schedule must have changed – I hate when that happens. Ok, so more specifically, it was 4 to 5 very young males – that’s all I’ve got.

We’re all bickering on a hot street: WomanInCharge on crutches and no cabs in sight. Two of us head off towards busier corners to find a taxi when what to our wondering eyes should appear, but an oddly shaped taxicab coming so near. We whooped, climbed in and shortly realized that this was no normal taxi. It was shaped like a big box, had a stripper’s pole and fluorescent lighting. Even better, there was an interactive jukebox-style touch screen with a wealth of music videos from the 70s to 00s to choose from. 3 to 4 TV screens allowed a clear view for every passenger. The kind of random magic that only happens during SXSW or anytime of the year for the lucky few who know to call 512-626-TAXI.

These kids today can’t get over the irony of including “clap” in the name of your band. I’m over it. We were there because WomanInCharge said that NPR had recommended them, though we eventually wondered why we were relying on popular music advice from NPR. 7 members in the band, with stand-outs being 1) the 40-something paisley-shirted, scraggly-hair lead guitarist (it was noted that his porno appearance suited the music); 2) his 70s soul brother in big sunglasses and a polyester shirt on the keyboards; and 3) their 2 barely-legal females in 80s garb. WomanInCharge was probably correct in her observation that the girls were the attractive foil for a somewhat older collection of better male musicians. The girls, per the demands of their generation, were in high-waisted jeans and one even had horrid horrid shoulder pads on – they remained cool and unmoved by the music throughout the set – playing their tambourines like girls in a Robert Palmer music video. They started off straight disco but then devolved into psychedelia with bright moments of funk. An indie electronic / dance rock band from Brooklyn which was only evident when one of the girls did an old-school rap over a funky backbeat. 70s vibe all over the place. Liked them.

I liked this guy a lot but I’m not positive that’s his name – I thought he was calling himself Rick Undercut! he came out in a stupid fake long clumpy beard but he worked the crowd (unlike last guy), he moved quickly through his songs (which always pleases my quick-process style) and played a diverse mix of soul, hardcore rap, and sleazy 70s funk, he did a little bit of scratching but mostly was attentive and interactive, he had an unfortunately drab voice but it didn’t hurt him too much

I am embarrassed that I enjoy this band so much what with their unfair use of everything good in rock and roll: heavy bass lines, groovy blues licks, funky pick-ups, but to their redemption, they\”ve also got talent, soul, authenticity, and diversity. At previous shows, they\”d been more about the tight hopped-up songs (which they still did), but tonight there was only three band members (lead guitar, pedal steel and drums) and they did some extended intense jams as well as some lighter country numbers (Moonhanger songs?), with both guitarists exchanging vocalizing duties. I like Chili Cold Blood, I cannot lie.

soul/R&B, think they were high quality but just not my thing, didn\”t fit the show either, nice little earnest singer

as good as I remembered, some kind of heavy-riff wah-wah-funk bar blues, from Sabbath to classic rock to, apparently have another band that’s all old country (Moonhangers)

immediately striking and enjoyable, bluesy rock with rootsy jive

a testament to the diversity and quality that my favorite venue was offering for free week, chaos ensued from this point on but it was a string of be-horned guys doing funk-blues, possibly in a line and stepping in unison as if it were 1965

unimpressive rap/funk outfit at first – first rapper was too Tribe but the second rapper (he walked in late through a side door in his sweat suit and gut) was a little dirtier and much smoother – very interesting concoction of a band: keyboard, two guitarists, drummer, sax, trumpet, trombone and two rappers – though Mr. Rapper was good I think I enjoyed their departure into salsa the most – they did get people dancing in an unreceptive bar