SXSW 2010: Liner Notes and Last Words

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SXSW 2010: Liner Notes and Last Words

POSTED: Friday, March 26, 2010, 5:15 PM

Filed Under: Music Philly Bands

Final observations from my first SXSW.

Photos | Patrick Rapa

The SXSW swag bag: Here, you recycle this for me.

People I Felt Kinda Bad For

The ladies whose job it was to beckon pedestrians into some kind of creative ideas lounge thing sponsored by Zone bars aka Zone Perfect Nutrition Bars aka chocolate covered granola bars. What bland terrors lay within that windowless storefront? I never dared to find out.
The dude whose personal gimmick was walking around in an apron. Lots of people on Sixth Street made unique fashion/social decisions in the name of personal expression. Kinda like college.
The people with the "Free Hugs" signs. There were several groups with signs like these. Why is this a meme? (I did appreciate the dude scratching his beard and offering "Free Bugs.")
The drunk lady I think I gave the wrong directions to by mistake. I hope you made it to Wye Oak. Sorry. I was drunk too.
The people who stood in that huge line for the Pitchfork show and didn't get into whatever was in there.
The Virginia photographer who thought her wristband would get her into Best Coast.
The guy who got into a fight with that chair-stealing psycho at the Hole show.
The guy working security at the one Superchunk show; that douchebag was a douchebag to you.
The plastered woman who got off the shuttle when everybody else was getting on. I hope you figured out what hotel you were staying at.
The people of the future who will one day have to deal with the mass of plastic left behind by 2010 SXSW. All those cups and bottles and lanyards are not worthy of immortality.

People Love the Cupcake Truck.

Celebz! omg

Apparently there was a moment where, like, Bill Murray was outside some indie show handing out $100 bills and Woody Harrelson was running around looking for him...? It's just so weird. I wish I'd have seen that. And, by now you've seen the thing about Bill Murray tending bar. I saw Matthew McConaughey and Nardwuar the Human Serviette at Hole. Saw Eugene Mirman and Bryan Dilworth in the airport.

Bands Whose Shows I Missed But Heard Were Good:

Street Food

Austin is all about (expensive) walk-and-eat food sold from trucks, windows and booths: $4 bucks for a slice from the pizza truck, $3 for a cupcake from the cupcake truck, $2.50 sodas, etc. Best deal was for pulled pork and/or brisket sandwiches, which can be purchased at every single store/venue/cart. Sweet Texas barbecue.

Wired Hearts Philly

Wired magazine named nine bands that blew them away at this year's SXSW and two Philly bands made the list.

Dr. Dog:

I was a fan before I saw them live but now they are a must-see band for me, up there with The Walkmen and Stephen Malkmus.

The Notekillers:

I happened into this gig with some friends fairly early one night, and ended up buying a CD-R and a T-shirt despite having no good way to carry the merch (and having not bought a shirt with a logo on it in years). Veteran Philadelphia- and Brooklyn-based band Notekillers is, in one sense of the word, sick.

When Were People Watching Videos?

Apparently there was a vote for Best Video of SXSW. The winner was "Luv Deluxe" by British band Cinnamon Chasers. It's an instrumental ambient-dance-pop-Run Lola Run situation.

Related >>Five Shows That Ruled SXSW 2010

Related >> SXSW Day 1: Mess With Texas

Related >> SXSW Day 2: The Labelmakers

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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@mission2denmark | @emilygee

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