Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
LAist On Location: SXSW 2010 - Day 2
Photo by Melissa Moore/LAist
()
Photo by Melissa Moore/LAist
Day two began right with pizza for breakfast at Homeslice Pizza and rock 'n' roll from North Carolina. Outside on the gravel patio they had set up a small stage where families were able to groove to The Love Language's set while enjoying their gooey cheese and sauce. Despite the rickety sound system, The Love Language sounded sharp. They've had a very good year. After self-releasing their critically acclaimed self titled album, The Love Language signed to Merge Records and have begun work recording their new album. We were curious to see if the new material they have been working on was worthy of their first album and are happy to report that...yes, yes it is. Lead singer Stu McLamb has written a new batch of sock hop inspired indie rock that seems to be influenced equally by both early rock and country that will make you shimmy. In fact I have yet to attend a Love Language show yet where there aren't kids dancing around in the audience, which for an indie rock band is quite a feat.
()
Support for LAist comes from
We then headed north to try and find the Paste day party, but before we got there heard something amazing coming from the Billboard.com Bungalow,which was very surprising to say the least. We rushed in to catch the last half of Edinburgh's own Broken Records. This seven-piece band, which included a fiddle, mandolin, and electric cello, reminded us of other baroque pop outfits like Arcade Fire with their big romantic crescendos. We then hopped over to the Paste party where we caught the stunning multi-instrumentalists The Low Anthem playing from their debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. This folk album spans the gamut of everything you'd want in Americana inspired music. It's got heartbreaking harmonies, raw instrumentals, and lyrics that tell great stories of being far from home, having problems with drinking, and wild women. After grabbing a couple of fortifying cupcakes from a nearby truck, we headed west to the Filter Day Party at the Cedar Street Courtyard to catch Swedish group Miike Snow. The place was packed with schmoozers in varying degrees of sobriety. (We overheard one guy ask to take a picture with his face placed between two ladies' derrieres. Far from being offended, the ladies obliged.) Which was the perfect atmosphere for the groups' tightly arranged danceable, electronic pop. With the help of some enormous sub woofers, silvery synths, and tinkling keyboards Miike Snow put on a very strong set. Not that they noticed. After a rousing version of "Animal" the group stormed off stage. Apparently the monitors weren't on and the band couldn't hear a damn thing that they were playing, but to the rest of us it sounded good.
The day rounded out with a set from Generationals at Club de Ville. As odd as it sounds, this group from New Orleans may be the last great hopes for respectable bubblegum pop. With such shiny gems like "When They Fight, They Fight" and "Nobody Can Change Your Mind" the trio is ready to overload your brain in one giant sugar rush. But before you argue that you're too hardcore for this nonsense, take a listen. You'd have to be pretty dead in side not to shimmy along to this bands brand of 1960s girl-group harmonies and big horns. They're catchy as hell and there wasn't one butt in the place last night that wasn't wiggling along.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's roundup...
But when will they be here?
The Low Anthem is playing two shows in Los Angeles back to back. One on March 24th at The Largo and one on March 25th at the Bootleg Theater.
Miike Snow will be playing Coachella this year.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist