The Morning After: Coming to Terms With SXSW

I approached this festival from a skeptical point of view because I’ve lived in Austin most of my life and never once regretted missing SXSW (yeah, way overpriced). I always note an increase in the urban outfitted—people dressing like band members, Ray Bans, smug grins—but I never quite want to join in the fun.

Once I got all up in it this year, however, I simultaneously felt both as if I had just stepped off the golden elevator on Heaven’s top floor and like I had fallen down the broken escalator onto the set of Real World vs Road Rules’ Ultimate Circle Jerk Smackdown. I went into this thing like so many rookies: wet behind the ears and full of hope, thinking I was immune to callusing of the soul. On the first day this held true. I went to the 4AD showcase and when it was over I said, “Enough’s enough. Time to get some rest.”

Day Two, however, gave me a little more to chew on. I witnessed the slow decline of all my diligent planning: the carefully highlighted pages detailing my schedule were more or less useless due to unexplained stains. A basic understanding of digital photography continued to elude me. I was still in the early stages of the disease but it was becoming clear I was in it for the long haul. That night I made the next obvious jump up the ladder of privileged behavior by abusing my right to free Tito’s vodka at the Auditorium Shores stage.

By Day Three I had opened the back of my 35mm Promaster, accidentally exposing the film from the Black Lips’ show, rewound an entire cartridge of unexposed film, spent more than forty dollars on vodka tonics and Lone Star and had learned how to show my photog pass, press badge, and fake id all at once in order to achieve a momentary sense of credibility—a reflex I found reassuring at times. At this point I had become the bane of the concertgoer’s existence: the unruly photographer who wasn’t shy to throw dem bows to get as far up front as possible.

Day Four found me somewhere in the Convention Center claiming I was the manager of The Daze, an idealistic underground DIY project from Austin with an average draw of one hundred fifty plus, distributing copies of “The Master Sword EP” in hopes of landing a summer tour in promotion of a new album. In other words, the real Mike Fleming was somewhere in there; it was just hard to see him through all the bullshit aliases and credentials. So it is with your benefit in mind (as well as my own) that I give you the following advice for SXSW 2010.



Hints for Concert Survival

1) Never, under any circumstance, use the ATM’s on Sixth Street or Red River. I was in line talking with two kids from Brazil when a mild explosion from the front made me turn around: a drunk fratboy apparently took the ten dollar convenience fee as an insult to his intelligence and kicked the machine damn near over. He careened off into the night, a bike-cop following him. I can’t say I blame the poor bastard. I was upset, too, but in no shape to do anything about it. I secretly hoped that his aggression would cause a malfunction in the machine to spew cash into the street; a mixture of money, booze and hobo piss frothing around high heels on dirty pavement.

2) Find yourself idly relaxing during a spare moment? Don’t be an idiot: read the SXSW schedule during times like these. Consult it as often as possible. Fucking memorize it. I cannot exaggerate how important it is that you don’t miss Grizzly Bear at the Cedar Street Courtyard because “there aren’t any good shows tonight.” Plus, people like people that look like they know what’s going on. Maybe you’ll make a friend or two since you’ve already got your schedule out.

3) There are plenty of places to park downtown that don’t cost a thing. It’s really not worth it to blow thirty dollars or more on parking for a single day when you can catch the bus downtown for thirty or more cents. Bikes are also extremely useful things. They allow for maximum speed and maneuverability through even the most unruly horde of tourists (“I hear Sixth Street is SO bomb. Let’s check it out.”).

4) You’ll smell like a sweaty bottle of Jose Cuervo at the end of the week no matter what you do. Push the limit: don’t change clothes or bathe. Eliminate those lengthy personal hygiene sessions from your schedule—they’ll only cost you precious time.

5) SXSW is definitely a big networking session so talk to as many people as you can, odds are that everyone wants to make friends. Just try not to do it during the shows. Which brings me to number six.

6) Don’t talk during shows. Seriously. DO NOT MAKE CONVERSTION DURING A SHOW. It is fucking rude and makes it hard to hear the music when everyone is asking each other what shows they’ve seen or who they’re going to see next or whether or not you can exchange a handjob for an unpaid internship. Concerts are terrible first dates. Why? Because she doesn’t have a chance in hell of hearing what you’re saying over the music and you don’t want to yell because she’ll think you’re an inconsiderate ass of a person. This is why.

7) This last one is something that took me some time to figure out. I take tons of photos at shows, something I started doing with film. Since a roll of 120 film only has about sixteen or so shots in it I will either shoot intermittently or for a short period of time. This allows me to get some good photos, sure, but it also lets me look at the players with my own eyes instead of through the peephole of a Holga or the viewfinder of a Rebel or D60.
There were a couple concerts (like King Khan and the Shrines) that had me in photographer mode trying to catch some of the crazy-action the entire time. Wish I hadn’t done that. Most of the photos didn’t turn out and I could have been watching an incredible show. The sad truth is that no photo or audio recording will ever fully replicate a live show, so when you’re there try to soak it up a little. You’ll get a better idea of what you should really be paying attention to if you just listen.

Come Enjoy the Psychadelic Sounds of The Daze, Bamboo and Mike Fleming

Show's tonight at 3429 Willowrun Apartment C!

There will be two kegs and three bands!

*Handjobs for everyone!





*not true in any fashion

SXSW 2009 - Saturday

I hit the Convention Center today at noon on a mission: making contact with booking agents about a summer tour for The Daze, for whom I am the official unofficial manager. I ended up leaving around four, after having strategically dropped of a few copies of the "Blizzard Woman Blues EP", and went to the Twenty-First Street Co-Op to see Bamboo play a set in collaboration with Tigerpussy.

As soon as I walked into the concert I spotted a few things: panties and bras hung from the ceiling, a naked guy casually enjoying the show, someone smoking a joint-- all signs that Austin is alive and well despite the clusterfuck of out of towners that is SXSW. "Yes, son, those are Hippies," my dad might've said...

The Daze went on at six and started a strong set, but unfortunately I had to leave to head to a MTV taping of Late of the Pier inside the Bat Bar. My friend, a photographer named Pooneh, had asked me the day before while at the King Khan show whether or not I would be interested in taking part in the taping. Of course I said yes, a decision that led to me (black robe/red mask) picking up the Pier's drummer and carrying him off stage at the end of their set. It was really astounding how much preparation had gone into those fifteen seconds were we sequestered the band because, in the end, it only took a few seconds.

Other than the taping, today was a pretty slow day, and it appeared much of Austin shared the same malaise as I did. I was surprised at how welcoming the security was to me when I showed up to the taping. I mentioned it to one of the stage managers inside and he said "Everyone's tired. The only thing we want to do when we're done is go out to the bars, but then we can't sleep so we just end up staying up. Everything's pretty much on auto-pilot now."

Auto-pilot. That sounds like it would be really nice.

Thanks for checking these updates! Thanks to Austin for being such an awesome city, thanks to Val and RAPT Magazine for putting me in the middle of this big (fun) mess, thanks to everyone who made this weekend possible and even awesome!

- MF

SXSW Saturday Unofficial Party at 21st Street Co-Op

Red Alert!!! Day party starts at four and features talented underground Austin music such as The Daze and Nympho Boniacs!

The party is free, no RSVP, and there will be free beer!

The show starts at 4:20. See you there!

SXSW 2009 Friday plus Unofficial SXSW Party @ 21st Street Co- Op on Saturday (photos pending)

At 4:30 pm this afternoon I went to the 2009 Pitchfork/Windish Austin Bash to get a straight shot of pure adrenalin to my heart by way of King Khan and the Shrines. The band (horn section, keys, drums, guitar, and bass all in matching costume) played intro music, the guitarist introduced "the one and only KING KHAAAAN", who was stepping up to the stage at just that moment (captain's hat, staff & cape) preceded by a dancer with pom poms and a very scandalous dress. Lots of theatrics and excellent stage presence. Plus I've been jamming KKNS pretty strong since.





Department of Eagles were right after. Rossen, introducing the band as "primarily a party band", opened the set with his loop station business. At the end an Emo's security person told them to cut it, the crowd wanted more and chanted '"encore!", then Victoria Legrand from Beach House stepped on to close their set with a cover of the Dead's "Fire on the Mountain."





Immediately after I made my way to the Barton Springs spillway for a quick dip and to hang out with Chris Ritchie and Marleigh Jones. I left their apartment around 10:30 pm to make my way to Grizzly Bear at Cedar Street Courtyard, but my stars were not aligned. After some trouble with the locals (there was a huge line for badges and this guy got really upset about me trying to get in ahead of him. I made eye contact when necessary and pretended I was mute, which he didn't like) I went all the way back to Emo's again to see the Black Lips. At the door there was trouble. According to the guy in the front my id was so bad that he felt like confiscating it.

Next thing I'm standing on the steps in the far back taking shots of the Lips, who opened up the better part of their set with a rapper I hadn't heard of and then closed it with "bad kids" (according to some of the snooty photographers around me, only an amateur would shoot with film or with the digital set up I had).



Moved up front for King Khan and the Shrines. Got some good pics, I hope. Left to go to a keg party at Neale the hockey player's apartment. Daniel the accountant was clearly depressed. He mentioned death as an improvement. I played guitar. Went back to Evan Butts' and Marleigh's apartment to draw with bamboo sticks and ink. Also had a delicious Digiorno pizza.

That's about it. Tomorrow I plan to attend Vivian Girls, Beach House, Explosions and Monotonix. If I can make it I'm going to go to an unofficial SXSW party starting at 6 pm at the twenty-first Street Co-Op (on twenty-first street right between Pearl and Rio Grande). Don't miss this! Last time I was there a naked guy was wearing a barrel. Then he was just naked.

Later!

SXSW 2009 - Thursday

Odds are that as you are reading this I am somewhere under a tangle of pillows and covers. SXSW tends to turn people nocturnal, and I fully accept this responsibility. Umm... Let's talk intense day-tripping....



Department of Eagles performed in-store at Waterloo records around two today. Although they suffered a few technical/hangover related difficulties Dan and Fred (ha ha) still managed to pull off a set that was "larger than life." I really admire their demeanor... very nonchalant, almost as if they were roommates... weird. I was lucky enough to catch the guys from Justin Townes Earl right before, they played an excellent and thoroughly entertaining set that included acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and awesomeness.



After that I made my way to a SXSW discussion of "Demo Listening." This was kind of cool because I got to talk one on one with "the monsters from a & r." They're actually not that bad, most of the things they criticize people for are actual common sense. Things like you don't need everything panned in stereo, you sound to generic but that will help you sell, ditch the accordion. Sometimes they miss stuff, though. If they had their way the 13th Floor Elevators never woulda had a jug.

Ok, moving on... Cold War Kids at Auditorium Shores. First reaction upon arriving: holy shit, what a joke. Middle schoolers, falafel stands, gyro stands, even a Skohl stand... gross. Other than that, the Kids have a shit-ton of stage presence and energy. At one point I wound up backstage experiencing the glory that is free Tito's Vodka and Miller Lite. After that the true mess became trying to find my way out of the crowd of would-be-hippies and beer company representatives.




Next up: Dirty Projectors at Emo's Annex. It was a pretty chaotic sound, but I really liked it. Lots of intricate guitar/keyboard harmonies. Met a girl that represented Brazilian bands and she told me about a party on Friday with free Brazilian drinks. What are those?



Made my way to the Red 7 patio, met some folk (two sisters from Dallas and a photographer from National Geographic), saw some cool things, had a cold beer. The Crystal Stilts were late arriving so I only stayed for a little bit. I took a few pictures, probably missed out on the vibe, and made my way to the Cedar Street Courtyard to see the Black Lips.



Oh My God... The Black Lips... Very loud. Very energetic. Best show so far. By far. Met some folks from Filter mag. Danielle from Fact magazine in London likes Holgas. Saw Will from The Steps somewhere near the bar. Stay tuned for more Black Lips action tomorrow (they play a show at Emo's around midnight)...



En route via pedicab to Beach House at Volume off sixth. Kinda crazy, I ran into one of my teachers there... Also, a girl named Paloma who was shooting for fun. So many places are using these damn LED lights! They really fuck me up. Make my digital shots look like they were taken by a drunk high-schooler. Cedar Street Courtyard had 'em, so does Stubb's, Red 7 and Central Presby. F that.



On my way back to my car I ran into a banjo player by the name of Frank Fairfield. I stayed and chatted with him in "his office" for the better part of an hour. The man is busking his way around, but make no mistake: he's more than just another busker. He sings his songs as naturally as the birds do. Effortless. Matter of fact. I asked him, "Do you believe in God?" He said, "Look around you, all these bricks, rectangles and triangles. It's so simple." Wish I could feed you more, but you'll just have to go see him at End of an Ear at 3pm. Seriously, go to this. I will be there.




Alright, that's about it. Actually, that is it. So. Peace out!

SXSW 2009 - Wednesday

Just a few minutes after I parked my car somewhere near the ass-end of the capital building I began my wait in line at Central Presby church for the 4AD Showcase.



First up was Anni Rossi. Her voice caught me somewhere in its leaps and bounds, between coos and cries. She also played what some would describe as "a mean fiddle." Plus, she had some absolutely huge drum sounds happening. I was very pleased about seeing her.



M. Ward came on soon after. He played his set unaccompanied except for his loop station and a vacant piano (which he closed with on "Hold Time"). I have to say I was pleasantly surprised because I was fully expecting a backup band, something to drown out Ward's talent. By playing alone he essentially put himself under a microscope (or in a spotlight) and rocked out. Which was pretty impressive.



The last group I stayed for at Central Presby was Department of Eagles. They were tied with Beach House on bands Mike wanted to see, so this was pretty damn super awesome. Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen started the band as roommates with the name Whitey on the Moon. I wish that my roommate experience had been as solid as theirs. Alas, it was not. But I still got to listen to them play "Phantom Other" under a big cross decorated for Lent. Also: Rossen debuted a new Department song which he closed with.



Oh goody! What an exciting underage extravaganza. Underage? What's that? Yes, it's true, I am twenty years old and therefore unable to attend about 90% of the shows that I want to. That is not to say I won't (didn't) try. Just ask the big friendly guys in front of the Mohawk and they'll tell you, "I've never seen such a fake id in my life."

More later. Peace, love and harmony.

Daily SXSW Updates / The Daze @ Waterloo

I will be posting daily updates as well as photos of this year's South By Southwest all this week. Make sure to check them out at the RAPT website!

Also, The Daze are playing a free show tonight at 10pm. It's at Waterloo Ice House on 38th and Lamar. Come on down and support Austin's underage and underfunded musicians!

The Black Angels @ Psych Fest 2009

Brightblack Morning Light & Rio en Medio @ The Mohawk

Elias Reitz of Brightblack Morning Light

Ra-Ra Hughes of Brightblack Morning Light

Naybob Shineywater of Brightblack Morning Light

Rio en Medio (Danielle Stech-Homsey)

Psych Fest 2009

"Tune in, turn on, drone out."

Thought I wasn't gonna tell you, huh?

Here's the low down on Psych Fest.

It's a pretty unadvertised festival put on by The Black Angels and Live Music Capitol. Last year one thousand people showed up. Since then it's gotten good word of mouth through the folks at The Onion and The Austin Chronicle.

There's no website, but with a little investigation you learn that it's split into three days and it's at The Radio Room. You'll be able to get tickets through Live Music Capitol.

Here's the nitty gritty:

Psych Fest - Day 1 (3/13/09)
9 pm - Woven Bones
9:45 pm - Lower Heaven
10:45 pm - The Golden Dawn
11:30 - The Black Angels

Psych Fest - Day 2 (3/14/09)
1 pm - PJ and the Bear
2 pm - Smoke and Feathers
3 pm - The Tunnels
4 pm - Astronaut Suit
5 pm - The Shine Brothers
6pm - Shapes Have Fangs
7 pm - Daughters of the Sun
8 pm - Indian Jewelry
9 pm - Golden Animals
10 pm - Wooden Shjips
11 pm - Dead Meadow
12:15 am - Sky Saxon (of The Seeds) w/ Shapes Have Fangs

Psych Fest - Day 3 (3/15/09)
1 pm - Cartright
2 pm - Cavedweller
3 pm - Christian Bland & the Revelators
4 pm - Miranda Lee Richards
5 pm - The Upsidedown
6 pm - The Vandelles
7 pm - Forever Changes
8 pm - Asteroid #4
9 pm - The Strange Boys
10 pm - The Warlocks
11:30 pm - A Place to Bury Strangers

Fujiya & Miyagi w/ Project Jenny Project Jan @ Emo's

Fujiya & MIyagi's David Best and Jeremy Haines from PJPJ

Fujiya and Miyagi's Steve Lewis and David

Matt Hainsby of Fujiya and Miyagi

Jeremy Haines

Sammy Rubin of PJPJ

March... SXSW?

Oh yeah! The infamous SXSW is back in full force, it's gathered momentum and set to splatter our bars and backstreets with strange folk from strange states. There will also be some music, a lot of traffic and some business cards. I'm going as a contributor for RAPT and I'll be updating here with photo's and stuff as fast as I can get film developed.

So, Mike, what's happening that doesn't involve this big ol' clusterfuck festival?

Well Brightblack Morning Light will play a show tonight at the Mohawk, for one. Pretty interesting, actually... Their names are Nabob and Rabinyah, two crazy mountain hippies who've shared stages with Shawn Colvin, Devendra Banhardt and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Gonna be good!

On the third Modest Mouse will play a show with Mimicking Birds at Stubb's and (ex) local songstress Ana Egge will play at the Cactus Cafe with What Made Milwaukee Famous stepping in as her band.

Oh.... Hey. Cut Copy will be at Stubb's on the sixth, with an aftershow featuring L. A. X. Get Crunk.

Youngsters Blues Mafia will celebrate the release of their newest cd on the seventh at Jovita's along with The Daze and The Fireants. On the seventeenth The Daze will play a pre-SXSW show at Waterloo Icehouse on 38th and Lamar.

Lastly, once SXSW clears out, Neko Case will play a show with Shearwater on the thirty first at Stubb's.

As far as random bits go, here's a news update:

1) My EP ("Get Well Soon") is done! If you want a copy just send me an email.
2) Stay alert for April when Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Faint, The Kills, Cake, Parliament and Ratatat come through.
3) Stay tuned for pictures from Fujiya and Miyagi's show at Emo's, Mike's Guide to SXSW, and pictures from Brightblack Morning Light's show at The Mohawk.
4) Kite Fest was really cool.
5) Check out my flickr!

3/1/09 - Brightblack Morning Light w/ Rio en Medio @ The Mohawk, show at 8 pm
3/3/09 - Modest Mouse w/ Mimicking Bird @ Stubb's, doors at 7 pm
3/3/09 - Anna Egge w/ Michael Kingcaid and What Made Milwaukee Famous @ The Cactus Cafe, show at 8:30 pm
3/6/09 - Cut Copy w/ Matt and Kim, DJ Knightlife @ Stubb's, doors at 7pm
3/7/09 - Blues Mafia w/ The Daze and The Fireants @ Jovita's, show at 8 pm
3/17/09 - The Daze @ Waterloo Ice House (38th & Lamar), show at 10 pm
3/31/09 Neko Case w/ Shearwater @ Stubb's, doors at 7pm