The Little Girl Giant

For some reason, this makes we want to cry. Because it's so beautiful. I don't know if it's the song, or the large magical girl, or the cooperation of the many hands enabling her to move so gracefully.

Oh, to be a child swinging on her arms and looking into her eyes. She has a soul, and I envision the most wonderful fairy tale.

The Benny Hill Show

No wonder you liked the show...
Benny Hill Dancers

Bad Wizard

[Insert classic Back Room commercial announcer's voice] TONIGHT! AT THE BACK ROOM! WE'VE GOT DOLLAR WELLS AND BAAAAD WIZARD!!

So if you've lived in Austin for any amount of time (at least since the early 90s), then you know the voice of the Back Room radio commercials. And sad but true, the Back Room will be closing soon. So, get on over there one last time to re-live your past and pay tribute to some cock rock, car-racing video games, smoking in the ladies room, and dollar wells! Tonight, I will say my good-byes to the Back Room as Bad Wizard rocks out.

• Bad Wizard - Sky High
• Bad Wizard - Agent
• Bad Wizard - The Rat
• Bad Wizard - So Bad So Bad

Bad Wizard on MySpace.com

Mathematicians

CALCULATING THE EQUATION OF RHYTHM + MELODY = BRINGING THE PULSE TO THE PEOPLE



The Mathematicians played closing Sunday of SXSW @ Emo's inside (Emo's Jr). And, even though I was supposed to be outside watching the band on the main stage, I couldn't tear myself away. It's like digital techno, arithmetic pop, geek rock, with mathematical wit.

With lyrics such as:

Bad chemistry
Between my robot and me
Oh he's such a sleaze
When it comes to the birds & the bees

and

Trigonometry is good for your soul on the song "Hypotenuse of Love" (which in layman's terms means "Love Triangle"), the listener can discover that mathematical whizzes can be funny and sexy. But I think my favorite song on the album is Input/Output.

The band members stay true to their form with stage names such as Dewi Decimal and Pete Pythagoras. I couldn't locate any MP3s on their site, but here is their one SXSW track:

• Mathematicians - Binary Girl

Their SXSW-submitted description, I see now is: "Mathematicians, a trio of hmmm...well...eccentric professor types from Upstate N.Y. High energy, danceable, nerdy, synth punk." I was somewhat close in my description.

Who cares if your suit clashes
We're no dance floor fascists
It's 4 then 4 on the XY axis
Free your mind & wipe your eyeglasses

The only thing missing is fractals.

Three more songs and the calendar of upcoming shows listed here:
Mathematicians on MySpace.com

Online Radio

There are a lot of internet radio stations to choose from out there. And these listed below are just a few of the ones I have sampled...and greatly enjoy. Qualities I approve of are: easy layout for the user, FREE, listen directly online or via iTunes (no software to download), and first & foremost GOOD MUSIC.

It would be great for you to support them, ie. member donations, (which means less talkie for you) if you had some extra cash right now in your life. If not, then don't complain about the minimal ads, occasional requests for sponsors, etc.

KEXP 90.3 FM - Where the music matters. Beginning as a tiny 10-watt station back in 1972, KEXP has grown over the years into an innovative, influential cultural force in the Seattle community and beyond.

With the Playlist consisting of Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, Neko Case, Wolfmother, T. Rex, The Raconteurs etc., this is the station for me. Click LISTEN LIVE in top left corner.
-Free (Member Supported). Play through iTunes.

woxy.com - The future of rock and roll. Broadcasts modern rock, progressive and alternative music on 97.7 FM from Oxford, Ohio.

Sample Playlist on their main channel consists of Radiohead, Zero 7, Weezer, The Wrens, The Magnetic Fields. But you can also listen to Woxy Vintage: OMD, David Bowie, PJ Harvey, REM, Aimee Mann. This 24/7 Vintage Channel is dedicated to the history of Modern Rock, Alternative and Punk music - from The Velvet Underground, The Clash, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and more. Either channels are good (and still free), but I think they'd really appreciate a contribution from you. Click [Listen Now] in top right corner, then click the small line in the pop-up: "Listen to free 24k Streams."
-Free (Member Supported). Play through iTunes. Pop-up Playlist.

Radio Paradise - Eclectic intelligent rock music online radio station, mixed modern & classic rock, electronica & more. Live playlist and listener community on website.

This is what my brother-in-law listens to at his house. It's nice and relaxing, but not boring. Here is the last six hours of their Playlist, to sample the variety of songs they play (maybe for older audiences, but I definitely would not call it easy listening). Artists include: My Morning Jacket, The Who, Bryan Ferry, Cat Power, Gomez. Also, as you click on the artist/song on that playlist page, you are directed to another page, which has much more info about the artist/song, an option to request the song, and their tour schedule link so you can see if that band is coming through your town anytime soon. Pretty cool.
-Free (Listener Supported). Play through iTunes.

Pandora - Find New Music, created by the Music Genome Project.
Can you help me discover more music that I'll like? Those questions often evolved into great conversations. Each friend told us their favorite artists and songs, explored the music we suggested, gave us feedback, and we in turn made new suggestions. We created Pandora so that we can have that same kind of conversation with you.

Basically, the premise of this site is that you enter the artist or song that you like, and Pandora creates a personal internet radio station custom to your likes, based on the band name or song you entered. From there, you can add more info - whether you like or dislike the selections they suggested, therefore helping Pandora evolve with your input as well as the input of others. It seems pretty fascinating! Jimmy just introduced me to it today. Example: I entered The Flaming Lips, and a few of the artists they added to my personal station were - Kaiser Chiefs, Doves, French Kicks, etc. The thing is, don't skip the music (the station will tell you not to, because you can listen to (or skip) only so many songs per hour), so just sit back & enjoy the music (which is not what I did, so I didn't really experience the introduction to its fullest). After you listen (or skip) the first 100 songs provided/suggested to you from your initial band/song, you do have to register for the site, but it's still free even then.
-Free. Plays directly on their web site.

Wolfmother

Three kids from Australia who rock - what more could you ask for.

Last year Wolfmother did a live performance at the ABC Studio 22. Listen to it on the Triple J web site for the month of May as part of Australian Music Month. Stream it live here. Listen to the song White Unicorn on the Wolfmother site, and then catch four other songs on their MySpace page. In each of their songs, you hear a different quality, a different influence: a bit of Ozzy, two parts Zeppelin, a pinch of AC/DC, and a dash of Jack White. Yet, with all their influential elements seeping through, all you hear is Wolfmother loud and clear rockin' out for you.

They recently played in Austin at the Parish. I didn't make it, but I heard they definitely rocked the house. There wasn't a doubt in my mind, though, that they would have given anything less than sensational. Check 'em out this month or next while they're still playing in the states.

Wolfmother on MySpace.com

ACL

The ACL lineup is here:

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Van Morrison
Willie Nelson
Massive Attack
Ben Harper
The Flaming Lips
The Raconteurs
The Shins
Ween
Thievery Corporation
Ben Kweller
G. Love & Special Sauce
Gnarls Barkley
Cat Power
Kings of Leon
Iron & Wine
Calexico
Aimee Mann
Galactic
The New Pornographers
Son Volt
The Secret Machines
Explosions in the Sky
Brazilian Girls
Gomez
Stars
Wolf Parade
Sparklehorse
Nada Surf
KT Tunstall
Goldfrappr
Buckwheat Zydeco
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Kathleen Edwards
What Made Milwaukee Famous
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
Centro-matic
The White Ghost Shivers

And if you can't read this, watch the video here.

Diamond Nights

My favorite CD of the week, and yes I know, it's not new. But it's new to me, so bite it! (This was written in early March, I just take forever to post my entries!)

Think of it as Fu Manchu meets Billy Idol meets the Darkness. Yes, it's that good. (Which basically means they're entirely influenced by Thin Lizzy and everything else. But still...it's good!) Give it a gander. You can enjoy the entire album here online.

• Diamond Nights - Destination Diamonds
• Diamond Nights - The Girl's Attractive

Diamond Nights on MySpace.com

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

So I had just heard about these guys a little while before SXSW, and they were basically the only SXSW show that I was able to sneak away into at 1am on the Thursday night at the rickety club known as Eternal. As soon as they started, everyone was jumping around in time to their music (luckily the few people in front of, next to, and behind me were friendly and in rhythm with me, except for one jerk, but whatcha gonna do) and it was entirely too hot & sweaty in there. (I think the Flaming Lips had just played like their 30th secret show in there just prior to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, so I don't think the club had enough time to cool off at all for the new audience to create their own heat.) Anyway, once I got past the fact that there were hundreds of fans teetering ominously over the 2nd story balcony directly over my head as their beer bottles dangled loosely between their drunken fingers ready to plummet onto someone's skull, the music took over and I jumped and I danced and we were all smiling and sweating, and for a brief moment in time I didn't have a care in the world. I realized that this THIS is what I love about SXSW. This is what I love about live music. And the heat and the sweat and the possible skull fracture didn't matter anymore. Music can change the world.

• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Over and Over Again (Lost & Found)
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Is This Love?

And if you are not jumping around while listening to these songs or smiling inside with glee, then there is something seriously wrong with you. But, oh well. To each his own...

CYHSY concert on NPR
CYHSY concert on Morning Becomes Eclectic

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on MySpace.com

Yaris

Go to yaris-sxsw.com and download over 40 free MP3s (and exclusive videos) from showcasing SXSW artists!

Official SXSW Music Parties

AND...this just IN! If you've got the Platinum, Gold, Film, OR Music Badge, the Film Closing Party has now *merged* with the Music Conference for SXSW's first-ever Music Opening Party!! Tuesday Night! And you most definitely can rest assured that it's gonna be a rockin' good time! Complete with live performance by Sleater-Kinney.

No wristband? Quit yer whinin'!

Check it out y'all! (to borrow a phrase from the Beastie Boys)

If you ain't got a wristband or a badge, quit yer bitchin' people. Look at all these great FREE SXSW showcases on the Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores! including...yes, it's true, Echo and the Bunnymen!!



The Bunnymen perform Thursday night, along with Blackalicious & Spoon. Friday's headliner is Roseanne Cash, complete with a grand finale of incredible fireworks. And Saturday all day is a New Orleans Tribute/Fundraiser - Louisiana at Town Lake. All these shows are FREE to the public!

SXSW International

From this week's Austin Chronicle, here is the SXSW International Bands supplement. A good little guide that covers the cool bands comin' in from th UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, etc.

The SXSW site is pretty cool on that fact. For example, you can search all the bands coming in from Australia, and perform other searches like that.

Attention! SXSW Showcasing Artists!

Hey SXSW Showcasing Bands & Artists! Be sure to pick up your artist package on TUESDAY MARCH 14, opening day of Music Registration, so that you, too, can take advantage of the excellent Panels, Crash Courses, and Interviews that are on Opening Wednesday of Music! Artist Wristbands (without the badge) are allowed access to all the Wednesday Panels! One day only! (A Badge is needed with an Artist Wristband Thursday through Saturday.)

Everyone local or in town on Tuesday should really pick up their SXSW Music Badges on Tuesday. Reg is open all day until 8pm.

* Tuesday March 14, SXSW Registration Hours, 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM *

Wednesday March 15: The first round of panels (SXSW Interview: Ted Cohen, Crash Course - Management, and the Mentor Sessions) begins promptly at NOON on Wednesday, so get your badge the Tuesday before!

And yet another reason to get yo' ass on up to the Convention Center on Wednesday March 15 with your Artist Wristband on:

SXSW Audience Interview: Beastie Boys
4:30 PM - 5:45 PM

oh yeah.

More info here.

And so, on that note, the Song of the Day: Shake Your Rump

SXSW Text Messaging

Well besides the fact that I'm way behind the times and have no idea how to use text messaging (yeah, I know, "Catch up, Jill!"), well, I think SXSW is way ahead of the times with their new SMS text messaging.

You can ask where the closest mexican food restaurant or pizza joint is, what time a certain panel is, which night/venue your favorite band is playing, etc etc.

So jump on the high-tech bandwagon! And then let me know how cool it is cuz I don't have text messaging capabilities...ha!

SXSW Music Festival Showcasing Over 1200 Acts

Brett Dennen, Castanets, Dionne Farris, Fatal Flying Guilloteens, Gomez, Gretchen Peters, Jon Langford, Kiss me Deadly, Love Is All, Polytechnic, Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves, Snow Patrol, The Appleseed Cast, The Exit, The Meligrove Band, Tilly and the Wall, and Vega 4 represent just a glimmer on the surface of the ocean of over 1200 confirmed SXSW Music Festival performers. In the next few weeks, individual band pages including music samples and descriptions will be included on the website. In the meantime you can review the alpha list currently available online.

Happy New Year!!

And I'm back with a vengeance. Stay tuned for daily updates. And apologies for the extra long break during the holidays...I needed to unplug.

So, to catch you up on some of the greatest albums of last year, here are some year-end "best of" lists to tune you in to what you might have missd in 2005:

Rolling Stone's top 50 albums

Pitchfork's top 50 singles & top 50 albums

PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2005

BBC's "Collective" lists top 2005 records

Top 25 from tiny mix tapes (and this is one of the coolest sites out there)

Another topic of note:

Make your own podcast! Tutorial from Webmonkey

And in case you completely missed it...

SNL Narnia rap-skit - better than actual rap?