This is how I feel today.

Holy cow. Lock in your votes now, because ain't no festival gonna top this year's Westheimer Block Party. While I've been lucky to have participated in some major fun over the past year or so, this past Saturday topped it all. So many good bands, so many good friends, why did it have to end? So there were a bajillion things to see and do, and all I can do is tell you about the things I took in, so here goes...

Just like last time, I was pretty much anchored to the Secret Saturday stage over at the Austin Layne hotel. And real quick, let me just express my gratitude to Carl (Karl?) and the rest of the folks at Austin Layne. You guys rule. You're the best. Anyhow, I had a couple of errands so I missed the very first hour or so of bands, so sorry if I missed you.

The first band I caught (ok, I admit there was another band but I don't remember their name and they were not what I would classify as "good" so let's just skip over them) were Searching For Signal on the outside Mango's stage. Dear Searching For Signal, I have never heard of you, and for a second I thought you were The Eastern Sea because you kind of have that sound and your singer kind of looked like Tomas Garcia-Olano. But you are Searching For Signal, and you were really quite lovely. Thank you.

A search for my band mate, Stacey, led me to to the Avant Garden parking lot where her brother's band Tambersauro were solving some quantified omega equations or something. My AP Calculus helped me enjoy Tambersauro while the jumpsuits helped them keep things (co)efficient.

Before I left that stage I was approached by Andy from our Austin friends Your Kisses Cause Crashes (I'm so sorry I missed you guys!). Ruby from The Pons was short one bass amp. Don't you worry other Austin friends, april5k's got you covered. After a very disconcerting (and concert-dissing) power outage The Pons made it happen. Jesus Christ, I love The Pons! Not only did they make like Willie Mays when I ate it off the Co-Lab stage last weekend, they are the sweetest, sugariest, most teeth-rottingest power-pop band this side of the Mississippi. You melt down all your Matthew Sweet and Superdrag albums and somehow they'll turn into The Pons CD. It's not lies, it's science.

The early afternoon proved to be very hectic. I was rushing back and forth trying not to miss my favorite acts and in all the chaos totally missed Airon Paul Dugas (not a good day for APD/Guitars relations but we'll survive). But I DID catch some of Sew What's set. Cory's new accordion made my day. And I did get to hear my favorite song and humbly admitted to Stacey that their "we had a short hello, let's have a long goodbye" song makes me tear up each and every time I hear it. I'm sew glad that I didn't miss their whole set. (Boooooo, that was a bad joke.)

I scrambled outside, trying to soak in all the awesome possible, and who did I stumble upon, but Dead Roses. Even with an iPhone on the drums, they're still better than your band. Probably the most rock & roll band in town...that actually sounds like rock & roll.

Alright, and now here's two pleas for understanding: Dear Desmond Zavala, if you are going to break up, how about you do it AFTER the block party, or how about at least you give the poor dude running the stage a heads up. And hey, Cry Blood Apache, how about at least giving the aforementioned heads up that you'll be a no-show, too. WEAK. Anyhow, it wasn't too big of a disappointment because we were all treated to a little A Thousand Cranes action (is that what it's called when it's just Domokos? Or do I just say Domokos made some sweet noise while Coach Springer yelled and KinKaid put on a fashion show?)

Thankfully, American Sharks helped pick up that two-band slack by rolling up a bit early. And I'm surprised that I was surprised that the Sharks' new drummer is none other than Mr. Jeoff Johnson. Seriously, I should have just known that. Anyhow, I really hope that Mike's big woolly sweater was a cover-up for a catsuit for his Bolt set later on. Did anyone catch Bolt? I was sad to miss them.

It was during the Wild Moccasins supes-crowded set that I learned a neat trick for my camera. My viewfinder flips up, but if you turn the camera upside down you can hold it over your head and take pictures. Take that teeming masses! And I'm pretty sure that anyone who would read this was probably there checking out the Jonas Brothers poster on Andrew's kick drum, so what else can I say?

So I was setting up my biz for the Lenny Briscoe set and Mr. Cody Swann was tearing down his when homedude wanted to do a little guerilla set of his own. While Cody and I were both doing our best to pretend it wasn't happening, JD handled shit. Thanks JD. You tell that guy where to go. Ok, since I was on stage for Lenny Briscoe the most I can tell you is that there were some punks skanking, Rad Rich was rocking, and I bass-humped Little John of Muhammid Ali's head. (BTW - Thanks for taking the pictures Shannon Snot!)

Surprise! I was still on stage when Guitars played. I can report that singing and dancing and clapping and maybe even some shucking and jiving took place. And a whole heap of merch sales. Thanks WBP attendees, our new tour appreciates the fiduciary support. (I just wanted to use the word "fiduciary"...goods were exchanged after all.) (And these photo creds go to Andrew "Red Rocket" Keith.)

Spicing things up next were The Mathletes. A funny thing that happened earlier was that Joe Mathlete was selling drawings at the Austin Layne stage and Dan the Bother (of Hands Up board fame) showed up with his daughter, Emma, who, taking a cue from Joe, made a KILLING selling her own art. Truth.

I only caught a tiny bit of the always wonderful listenlisten, as I had been pinned down to the same stage for far too long and variety was calling.

I ran across the street to catch a little bit of Sideshow Tramps, desperate not to miss Muhammid Ali at Mango's. I got a little bit in pre-sunset and post, and was lucky enough to catch the part where Scott Snot breaks it down (my favorite part).

I know, I know. Buxton had sparklers. I missed it. It was a tough call. Muhammid's my favorite thing going on these days and I couldn't miss it, man. I just couldn't. Though I love Buxton, I think it might have been worth it.

Maybe I should mention the reason Muhammid is my current favorite local band is because I haven't seen Homopolice live in MONTHS. So uh, yeah, now I'm stuck between a rock (...& roll) and a hard place (HINT: THE BONE ZONE). Who's my favorite now that I've seen them both back-to-back. Too tough to answer my friends. But Homopolice were joined by Rusted Shut and Concrete Violin and there was so much writhing and touching and bleeding I started wondering about the price points on straps-ons. By and large, dudes stole the show. I was beaten and battered so hard that I had no choice but to head straight home. Nothing could have topped that. Anyhow, you should check out all the Homopolice pics HERE.

So yeah, um, best day ever. Thanks.

Saturday is "No Duh"

Hey. The Block Party is this weekend. Ride your bike. You can use your car the rest of the week.

WENDESDAY MARCH 25, 2009
Oh my what do you do when pretty much the only thing going on is a Wednesday night is your own show? Yikes. Well, yeah, so my band is playing tonight (that's Guitars) and we're playing with The McKenzies and Hypernova. Hypernova rocks in the face of death. For serious. Dudes are from Iran. They've got a bit of an Interpol vibe...if Interpol were fun. Doors at 8pm at The Meridian.

THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2009
I've heard the clock is ticking on Teenage Kicks, and I really hope this isn't true, because these guys are just plain too good. They're releasing their 7" for "Electric Girl" at The Mink. And if you didn't get enough Middle East rock last night, Secret Prostitutes are breaking all the Sharia. And as if this show wasn't international enough, You've got Masshysteri from Sweden. Or perhaps you miss keeping it weird in this post SXSW clime, then get your beeps and boops in at Super Happy Fun Land with enough ambiance to choke a horse. You've got To-Night Golden Curls, Lonely Procession, Chin Xaou Ti Won, Modulation Hertz, and The They. Rounding out the night is Austin's Sideshow Tragedy and Jeremy Nail & The Incidents roll into town singing 'bout whiskey and cocaine and making friends with Arthur Yoria at Rudyard's.

FRIDAY MARCH 27, 2009
Holy sweet goddamn, she left her cello in the basement. We can literally party like it's 1999 at Rudyard's Friday night. You've got the everlovin' Drunks and Flamin' Hellcats. Pour one out for Hunter Ward and get to it. Or maybe you like more eyeliner and leather pants. Well then you can go to Walter's for Childman, Morgue City, Anguish in Exile, and Novox. And Walter's means the girls are younger. Well, maybe you want your eyeliner sans-leather pants. Warehouse has you covered with a big ol' show featuring thelastplaceyoulook, Mothers Anthem, Lockehart, Mechanical Boy (someone please tell me who they are, they play like every week), Goodnight Goddess and Another Run. And in a surprise move Jet Lounge has Silence Amonst Chaos. Surprising because 1 - For some reason I thought Jet Lounge closed, and 2 - Silence Amonst Chaos claims they're going to save rock & roll. Them's mighty claims. And I call a big "WUH!?" on Super Happy Fun Land's "6th anniversary show". Um, I recall sneaking beers in the adjacent lot as far back as 1999. Was it called something else back then? Maybe it was. Either way. I'm glad it's still around and you can go see The Wrong Ones, Heptic Skeptic (4th wave ska is reaching the shores, brashe), Dim Hearted and per yooj Organ Failure.

SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2009
Free Press Houston Block Party. All day dudes. Just click on the schedule and choose your own adventure. Everyone will be there. But if you're looking to get away from the crowds you can head to Notsuoh for The Goods, Ladyheat and my current favorites Muhammid Ali.

SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2009
Oh come on, like I'd actually tell you to go see Chris Cornell. Phhhhhht.

MONDAY MARCH 30, 2009
Alright, so I goof on Campfire Stories every week, but they've actually got quite a lovely sound and they're actually not playing Alvin this week. They're supporting Little High Little Low at Super Happy Fun Land. If you liked Ghost Mice at Amy's then this is the show for you. Rounding out the bill are Litost and Aunt Belle. Ozeal & The Eulypians and Free Radicals are doing the free show thing at Boondocks. Oh and dude. Britney's sliming the Toyota Center with the Pussycat Dolls. I need a shower.

TUESDAY MARCH 31, 2009
If you somehow find yourself in Tomball tonight, do some local boys a favor and see Bayou Monster with Weird at Gary's Spot. Bayou Monster has the young dude from Fuller's in it. That reminds me, I want to a musician's "best of", like "best guitar shop", "best sound guy". Maybe even "worst of", too. If you've got any suggestions for categories, let me know!

Alright, that does it for the next week or so. See you at the Block Party.

Thursday in Austin: SXSW Day 2

I had been looking forward to seeing Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down last April at the Orange Show, but it was not to be thanks to rain, so I was glad to finally catch her at the NPR party at the Parish. It was rather strange walking into a dark club at noon and being handed a PBR, but the low lighting must have tricked Thao into thinking it was a regular old night show, cause she sure rocked like it.

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down

Next up was the Rhapsody party at Mohawk for Wavves. I've talked to a lot of people who saw them in Austin and the reviews have been mixed. A lot of people seem to prefer the record to the live show, but I really appreciated seeing the backbone of the songs without all the fuzz. If you like the recordings, Wavves is worth seeing, but I don't expect the live performance will win over those who have not already heard them, though I doubt that was an issue in Austin.

Wavves

Some bands' on stage performance and demeanor can make them seem like they might be a blast to hang out with, while others', not so much. The next two bands I saw were examples of both ends of the spectrum. School of Seven Bell's dreamy pop tunes didn't lead me to expect a joyous live experience, and although it does fit with the theme of the music, I was surprised at how distant the lead singer often looked. At least guitarist Benjamin Curtis (formerly of Secret Machines) seemed to have a little more fun.

School of Seven Bells

The Wrens on the other hand seem to have the time of their lives each time they perform and play their hearts out like it could be their last show. Yes, they are older than most of the other bands at SXSW, but you'd never guess that based on the energy of their performance. Everyone in the packed tent seemed to agree as the Wrens brought forth the loudest cheers I heard all week.

The Wrens

After that I headed back to Mohawk for a few songs from Trail of Dead before going to Red Eyed Fly for Viva Voca, Loch Lomand, and another killer show by Port O'Brien.

Viva Voce

Port O'Brien

Bounced around to a few other shows not worth mentioning, saw Tricky at FADER Fort, and then over to Club 1808 for Ponytail in probably the smallest space they have ever played. Stuck around for the Strange Boys, Crystal Antlers and then left to try to get into the Playboy party.

The Strange Boys

Crystal Antlers

I'd heard plenty of rumors that Jane's Addiction was the surprise guest but still wasn't sure until I heard the opening notes of Three Days. It was great to finally see the original lineup and they appeared to be happy to be together again, or maybe just happy about the money they'll be making on the NIN tour, who knows, but I'm glad I got in to see it.

Bunnies

Jane's Addiction

Wednesday in Austin: SXSW Day 1

I've been attending SXSW for about the last 8 years and have purchased a wristband for about the last 5. With the abundance of free un-official night shows this year, I chose not to get a wristband and I'm happy to report that I still managed to see the majority of the bands on my list. While I may purchase one again in the future, at least I now know that it isn't a necessity.

Wednesday began at the Austinist party with Telekinesis at the Mohawk at 11:45am. As their new record was produced by Chris Walla, it's not surprising that they channel a lot of Death Cab for Cutie, and that was fine by me.

Telekinesis

With some free BBQ and free absinthe, things were off to a great start. Next up was Here We Go Magic, which is Luke Temple's new project. He recorded the recently release debut album alone in his bedroom, but is touring with a full band and while I dig the record, I loved the live versions of the songs.

Here We Go Magic

After that it was off to the Radio Room for the Paste party and Port O'Brien, one of the bands I was most looking forward to and they did not disappoint.

Port O'Brien

I stuck around for a few songs from Heartless Bastards, decent for straight-ahead rock, but wasn't really feeling it. Next it was over to Maggie Mae's where I stumbled into Yelle and walked out after a song, watched a bit of Cut Off Your Hands and then headed to Emo's annex for Deer Tick. Jana Hunter had raved to me about him a couple years ago, but I had only recently given him a listen. What a fool I was for not doing so earlier, this was another of my favorite performances of the week.

Deer Tick

Then we went to Peckerheads (what an awful name) and saw a bit of the Phenomenal Handclap Band, they weren't, so it was off to the Levi's/FADER Fort for Micachu and the Shapes who were indeed phenomenal. With grimy beats constructed from drums, synthesizer, and the often percussive use of guitar, this performance was one of my highlights.

Micachu and the Shapes
(a picture of Mica Levi at Levi's by Levi)

For the evening it was back to Ms. Bea's for another Todd P event with Pete and the Pirates, Here We Go Magic, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Telepathe before heading back downtown to the 508 House for a drink and a few moments of A-Trak.

Telepathe

A-Trak

At Paradise I spotted MTV News' John Norris checking out the Harlem Shakes and then went to the Red Bull Moon Tower party for I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Shepard Fairy, and Monotonix. If you've seen Monotonix you know how they do it, if not, the pictures speak for themselves. Not a bad first day.

Harlem Shakes

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness

Shepard Fairy

Monotonix