THURSDAY, MARCH 15

My day starts with the much-hyped Pipettes taking the stage at the Levi's/Fader party around 1:30 p.m. Like the Fratellis, the Pipettes were inescapable at SXSW, playing in the neighborhood of five gigs over the four-day length of the conference. Dressed in matching B&W polka-dot dresses, and backed by a quartet of musicians wearing green sweaters, the three smiling lasses of the Pipettes hoofed their way back and forth across the stage, Colgate smiles gleaming in the spotlights. It remains to be seen whether their girl-group stylings will catch fire when the self-titled debut arrives here in June.

The old guard of the U.S. media contingent was out in full force at the Rhino-sponsored, invite-only party thrown for Emmylou Harris in the Ballroom of the Driskill Hotel. Artists on hand to perform and fete Emmylou included Charlies Louvin and Sexton, Allison Moorer, Paula Cole, and Kelly Willis. To cap the festivities, a radiant Emmylou was presented with a framed plaque commemorating over 15 million albums sold.

As the afternoon gave way to evening, I ventured back to the Levi's/Fader party to catch the much-buzzed Fratellis. With an iTunes commercial under their belt and a Friday afternoon set looming with guest Pete Townshend, this young Scottish band can do no wrong at the moment, and they certainly didn't slip up during this wonderful 20-minute acoustic performance. The same couldn't be said for the Austin-based Young Love, a bland pop/rock act with a pretty boy lead singer who performed on the flashy new main stage of the Austin Convention Center.

After a quick meal, I was off to see The Cinematics, another Scottish act that friends have been hepping me to for the past several months. For the most part, they are on the money, although at this early date the band only has a few classic tracks ("Break," "Burning Light," and a cover of Beck's "Silver Sun") in their arsenal. With looks that live up to the name, frontman Scott Rinning really gave his all, furiously attacking his guitar while putting every ounce of passion into his vocals. The group's just-released A Strange Education CD will appeal to fans of Interpol and the Bravery.

As a devout fan of Sweden's Eurovision contestants the Ark, I couldn't resist the lure of Norway's New Violators, a new group that is oft-compared to the Ark. Their performance at Emo's Jr. left me unconvinced. Despite the best efforts of flamboyant frontman Per Borten, the band's synth-heavy recordings didn't translate in a purely rock live setting.

Worried that I might be shut out of the Norton Records' showcase featuring the comeback of girl group legend Mary Weiss, I hoofed my way over to Red 7. Arriving in time to catch original ‘60s garage group The Alarm Clocks and a talk-heavy set by Sam the Sham ("Woolly Bully"), the night only really ignited with a lengthy set by contemporary Brooklyn garage champs The Reigning Sound. That band also provided the musical backing for the night's headliner, Mary Weiss of '60s bad girls the Shangri-Las. Wearing black-rimmed glasses and with her signature long blonde hair intact, Weiss, the only surviving member of the original quartet, was obviously apprehensive about taking the stage after 1 a.m. Having only played two shows since 1989, Weiss was on edge and the audience understood her jitters. We felt for her as she good-naturedly complained about the intense overhead light shining directly into her face. Our hearts went out to her even more as she tried to make her way through the songs while a constant barrage of camera flashes went off from every direction. Comeback gigs can be a real bitch. Greg Cartwright, the leader of the Reigning Sound, who also wrote nine of the songs on Weiss' new comeback album, explained his apprehension about first meeting the long-out-of-circulation vocalist. "When we were driving over to meet Mary, we were all chain smoking in the van to calm our nerves," said Cartwright. "So when we pull up, we see she's waiting outside, and this big cloud of smoke comes out of the van. We were so relieved when she looked at us and said, ‘Can I have a drag?'" To which Weiss added, "Yeah, we'll all die together." Interspersed between the terrific material off her new album were a handful of "Shangs" numbers which met with wild adulation from the audience—"Train from Kansas City," "Remember (Walking in the Sand")," and the lone encore, "Give Him a Great Big Kiss."

With eyes stinging from the pervasive cigarette smoke, I hit the sheets shortly after 3 a.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

I was faced with a difficult decision for Friday afternoon. Should I attend the Spin party at Stubb's with Buzzcocks, Kings of Leon, Galactic, Young Love, Mew, and the Fratellis with special guest Pete Townshend, or the Island U.K. party at Bourbon Rocks with Mika, Amy Winehouse, Rumble Strips, the ubiquitous Fratellis, and singer-songwriters Josh Pyke and Scott Matthews? I opted to go with a balancing act between the two, planning to catch Mika (1:00) and Amy Winehouse (2:00) before heading over to Stubb's to see Mew (2:20), etc. But my plan was for nought. Instead of Mika kicking off the party as scheduled, Island pulled a fast one on the packed house and put on Josh Pyke instead. This was a big blow, considering I wasn't able to get tickets for Mika's sold-out NYC show, and that I've been eager to see what all the fuss is surrounding his recent U.K. #1 single "Grace Kelly." Eventually, Mika did turn up at Bourbon Rocks, but to my knowledge he just made a cameo and walked through the crowd. Doubtless the circumstances didn't help, so Josh Pyke's performance barely made an impression. After that, things went from bad to worse. Although the emcee teased us that Amy Winehouse was up "soon," it turned out to be a loooong 80-minute wait between Pyke and Winehouse. This kind of playing fast & loose with a performance schedule is inexcusable at SXSW. Although Winehouse's vocal chops were impressive, her set turned out to be bittersweet. Only four songs were played, accompanied by a lone guitarist. Hardly worth missing Mew, Fratellis and Townshend.

Licking my wounds, I limped over to the Spin party at Stubb's. Relief was not in sight as the woefully out-of-place jam band Galactic was just starting to pummel the hipster crowd with their lumpy rap-rock hybrid. Blessedly, I engaged in conversation with several friends and Galactic's set passed quickly and without incident. Beards shorn, Kings of Leon was much more to the crowd's liking, and they turned in a solid set which included selections from their imminent third album. But it was up to Buzzcocks to truly save a rather lackluster afternoon. Launching into "Boredom" off their debut Spiral Scratch EP, these class of '76 stalwarts delivered a generous set that, for the most part, was a recreation of the Singles Going Steady collection—"Fast Cars," "Love You More," "What Do I Get?," "Autonomy," "Fiction Romance," "Sick City Sometimes," "Noise Annoys," "Breakdown," "Promises," "Harmony In My Head," "Orgasm Addict," and "Ever Fallen in Love?," among others. As cherubic Pete Shelley smiled at the crowd and Steve Diggle performed Townshend-esque guitar cartwheels, an admiring audience which included Perry Farrell, Hugh Cornwell, and Sally Timms looked on. Still, after all these years, few things bring a lump to the throat faster than the hyper-adrenalized rush of joy that is Buzzcocks.

Not ready to abandon nostalgia, I hurriedly made my way several blocks to the parking garage. With pedal to the metal, I sped to the Pop Culture Press party at the Dog & Duck Pup on 17th Street to catch two of Australia's finest, the Hoodoo Gurus and the Saints. Sadly, the Hoodoos had finished their voodoo, but I was fortunate enough to catch a full set by The Saints. Mind you, this version of the group is a far different animal than the band responsible for one of the first albums of the punk era, (I'm) Stranded, released on a U.K. major label in 1977. The sole original member from that lineup is vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Chris Bailey. The last time I had seen Bailey was in '03 when he was touring as the opening act for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Since then, Bailey has slimmed down considerably and now appears to be in rude health. Playing underneath an outdoor tent to a large open-to-the-public crowd, Bailey was visibly moved by the adoration of his fans. This was his crowd—a motley assortment of young and old punks, clad in MC5, Stooges and Devo T-shirts. After a rugged but beautiful selection of songs that drew heavily from the early Saints days, Bailey held court and signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.

Which is, of course, one of the great things about SXSW. It's a conference in which the artists are often allowed to greet and meet their heroes on a level playing field.

And that wraps up my SXSW scene report for '07. I know you're wondering, "Hmmm, what about his Friday night and Saturday schedule?" Well, the truth is that I came down with a nasty stomach virus on Friday so there's absolutely nothing cool to report about my activities for the rest of the weekend... | Randy Haecker

View Randy's full SXSW ’07 photo gallery