Festival Reviews

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Written by Joseph O'Fallon Wednesday, 19 August 2009 09:30

It's been a long time since I heard something as beautiful as Lou Reed's first strum of VU's "Sweet Jane."

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Written by Joseph O'Fallon Wednesday, 19 August 2009 09:27

Something more-than-worthwhile was playing somewhere across the mile-long festival grounds at any given point.

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Written by Joseph O'Fallon Wednesday, 19 August 2009 09:23

If Of Montreal is available to play your festival, you would be foolish not to book them.

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Written by Bryan J. Sutter Friday, 07 August 2009 05:14

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Written by Tony Van Zeyl Saturday, 18 July 2009 14:37

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Written by John Shepherd Saturday, 18 July 2009 14:28

Sometimes you encounter a band, in a random and unexpected way or place, and you think, "Where the hell has this music been all my life?"

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Written by John Shepherd Friday, 19 June 2009 06:23

70,000 or so fans, hippies and hipsters and frat boys, descend to live on the 700-acre farm outside Manchester for the four-day event, turning the flat land into a seething mass of humanity.

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Written by Tony Van Zeyl Tuesday, 02 June 2009 07:35

There were more than 80 acts spread out over three days, and I did my best to make it worth it. I saw 31 bands—and I have a few words on all of them.

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Written by Marsha Buehler Wednesday, 06 May 2009 14:41

The Steve Miller Band received unanimous approval, as enunciated by the adoration of its fans.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 10 April 2009 06:11

The Grates' singer Patience Hodgson has more stage presence and enthusiasm than quite possibly anyone I've ever seen.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 31 October 2008 10:32

CMJ is a place to see and be seen—by new fans, maybe an industry bigwig or two.

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Written by Carl Hines Friday, 31 October 2008 09:06

Needless to say, Force Field PR is definitely doing it.

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Written by Derek Lauer Saturday, 04 October 2008 09:36

There was plenty of dancing, singing and clapping along. Whenever a band interacted with the audience for their participation, they always got a unanimously enthusiastic response.

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Written by Jim Mancini Friday, 12 September 2008 03:54

Man Man offers a visual feast with five members dressed in a variety of white clothing and their instruments (too many to mention here) tightly packed into the middle of the stage.

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Written by Tony Van Zeyl Friday, 12 September 2008 03:52

For the first time ever, the Hokey Pokey actually worked for me. I enjoyed spinning myself around and I really understood what it was all about.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Monday, 08 September 2008 15:29

Ghostland Observatory is as good as people say—and not as good.

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Written by Joseph O'Fallon Wednesday, 13 August 2008 15:05

I decided not to walk the mile to The National, one of the decisions I kind of kick myself for now, especially in light of the Boxer-heavy set.

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Written by Joseph O'Fallon Wednesday, 13 August 2008 15:03

You would have known just by looking up DeVotchka's stage diagram that their concert would be unique to the mostly guitar-driven, amp-fueled Lolla bands.

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Written by Joseph O'Fallon Wednesday, 13 August 2008 15:00

While The Kills may have made some new friends, I will not accept that any band came nearly as close as increasing their fanbase as Gogol Bordello did.

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Written by Jim Mancini Thursday, 17 July 2008 09:18

SP20 took place at Marymoor Park, a gorgeous venue just outside Seattle on two perfect Northwest summer days.

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Written by Randy Haecker Friday, 21 March 2008 19:43

Rather than make an attempt to cover all 46 bands I witnessed, I'm going to limit my comments of the five best new acts I discovered, as well as five shows from established acts that knocked my socks off.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Monday, 17 March 2008 02:44

The Dykeenies (Todd Sarvies)

Another South by Southwest Music Festival has come and gone, which means it's time to rest those aching legs and feet, catch up on sleep, return to healthy eating and drinking habits, and reflect on what we've just seen and heard.

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Written by Dan Siverling Monday, 05 November 2007 12:50

In the western skies you can see the smoke from California's wildfires. The long, thin, black fingers of the smoke give the sky an eerie feeling.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Sunday, 21 October 2007 10:30

Highlights from the 2007 edition of the annual music festival: As Tall as Lions, Kevin Devine, Semi Precious Weapons and more!

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Written by Dave Jasmon Thursday, 20 September 2007 01:59

While My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James filled out a lime green tank top and bleach-blonde wig, the rest of the band and stage were blanketed in delightfully cheesy tropical regalia, from water wings and sunscreen noses to metal detectors and pineapple-holding Hawaiian girls.

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Written by Tony Van Zeyl Tuesday, 18 September 2007 15:14

 Joss Stone: Entertaining. Crazy to hear the voice of a 300-pound black woman come out of a 20-year-old white British woman. That's really all I have to say.

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Written by Kiernan Scrima Wednesday, 22 August 2007 23:41

While Friday was mainly a dance rock day and Saturday an all-out rock show, Sunday was a hodgepodge of international bands, eclectic bands and good, old-fashioned Seattle rock 'n' roll.

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Written by Joseph O'Fallon Thursday, 26 July 2007 14:23

Twenty minutes before The Twilight Sad got the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival rolling, two lines of 1,000-plus people flooded the gates.

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Written by Jim Campbell Friday, 20 July 2007 09:30

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Written by Jim Campbell Friday, 20 July 2007 08:29

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Written by Jim Campbell Friday, 20 July 2007 08:16

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Written by Dave Jasmon Thursday, 28 June 2007 04:14

Even if a slice of pizza costs $6, under certain circumstances, I will throw down and burn my mouth and claim that it was the greatest thing I've ever eaten.

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Written by Christopher Sewell Friday, 22 June 2007 05:16

It seemed Deftones wanted to get one thing straight - that they're a metal band - which seemed to please the fans . . .

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Written by Amy Burger Monday, 14 May 2007 03:08

Sounding tighter than ever, working the crowd and performing my personal favorite, the classic "Ball and Chain" from their self-titled debut album, Social Distortion had everyone jumping up and down in true punk rockabilly style.

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Written by Randy Haecker Tuesday, 27 March 2007 11:33

And then there are those who intricately plan their schedule down to the last detail, making certain to include alternates in case of disappointment. I fall squarely in the last group.

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Thursday, 08 March 2007 07:17

SXSW offers much in the way of great music, but it also offers great poster art. Besides bringing Flat Stock (rock poster show each year) to the front, you are also overwhelmed with tons of great posters for events. Here are some (and we will be updating as we get them, so send them to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Enjoy!