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SXSW Local News: The Aftermath, featuring Ludo, So Many Dynamos, Magnolia Summer, Earthworms, Gentleman Auction House

At 05:00pm Mar 18, 2008

Guess what? This is the last SXSW post. I promise. Here's a quick run-down of future happenings/SXSW positives for some of the locals hanging in Austin.

*Pitchfork wrote up So Many Dynamos' show at the Twangfest/KDHX party (with pictures!) Here's also a video stream of the Jovita's set.

*The Undertow showcase was markedly better-attended than last year's edition. (I'm saving observations for a story, so stay tuned for more in the future!) Magnolia Summer enlisted the help of a violin player for the set, and it added beautiful, haunting dimensions to songs such as "These Days." The band will play a rare gig in town on Saturday, March 22, at Off Broadway with the Cush.

*Mathias of Earthworms met both Fab 5 Freddy and Perry Farrell. He was ecstatic (even via text message). The 'Worms will be playing the Bluebird on April 12 with their full band; Nato Caliph (who was also at SXSW) will also be there.

*I ran into three-fifths of Ludo, thanks to Dave Grelle of the Feed (who also played). Although I missed Ludo's showcase because of other conflicts, Tim Convy tells me the band's video for "Love Me Dead" is going to be played on TRL on MTV tomorrow. The show airs at 3:30 p.m. here in St. Louis; via MySpace, the band says you can tell MTV to play it again by clicking here.

*Gentleman Auction House found a booking agent -- which should equal more tours.

-- Annie Zaleski

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Tags: so many dynamos, gentleman auction house, music, ludo, the feed, earthworms, bluebird, off broadway, st. louis, magnolia summer, undertow

St. Louis Bands at SXSW

At 03:08pm Mar 03, 2008

Well, the final verdict is in as to who's going to be at SXSW from St. Louis this year. Behold!

Gentleman Auction House: Big things are afoot for indie darlings Gentleman Auction House in 2008. With a record deal in hand from Columbia’s Emergency Umbrella Records, the septet is gearing up to release an EP, The Book of Matches, and then its debut full-length, Alphabet Graveyard. The latter features plenty of songs the septet has honed during its recent live shows. In other words, expect sugar-spun indie rock sprinkled with wispy harmonies, twinkling orchestration and plenty of visceral grooves, including a Rick James sound-a-like (no, really) and a reggae number that shouldn’t work -- but does. (11 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, Club 115)

Magnolia Summer: Chris Grabau – and whatever band mates he can rope into coming with him – performs as Magnolia Summer during Undertow Records’ annual SXSW showcase. That night generally feels more like a family picnic than a music industry event, and this year is no different: Caleb Engstrom, Glossary and the Monahans, among others, will join Magnolia Summer on the bill. Grabau and Co. are playing a rare local show at Off Broadway on Saturday, March 22, while new songs – which are often augmented by gorgeous fiddle parts from Grace Basement’s Kevin Buckley – are also on the horizon. (Thursday, March 13, Habana Calle 6 Patio)

Ludo: After years of playing renegade SXSW gigs for anyone who would listen, Ludo has graduated to a plum official showcase slot on the strength of its new album, You’re Awful, I Love You. This debut for Island Records showcases the quintet’s strongest songwriting yet – while maintaining its commitment to scrambling together power-pop, Moog-punk, ska and fuzz-rock. Appearing with Ludo at SXSW will be the band’s March tourmate, the Presidents of the United States of America. (8:50 p.m. Thursday, March 13, Cedar Door)

Shame Club: After Shame Club released the smoldering Come On late last year, the Detroit stoner-rock label Small Stone Records swooped in, signed the quartet and decided to re-release On to a wider audience. The label’s excitement is understandable: With touchstones as diverse as Dinosaur Jr., Sly and the Family stone and Led Zeppelin, the album is like a sequel to the Dazed and Confused soundtrack -- or a really great classic rock station where the DJs have an encyclopedic knowledge of music history to impart. Bring your earplugs, because Shame Club always turns the amps up to eleven. (10 p.m. Friday, March 14, Room 710)

Story of the Year: The Lou screamo kingpins sound rejuvenated on “Wake Up,” the lead single from their April 22-released album, The Black Swan. Recorded for new label Epitaph Records, “Wake Up” is an adrenaline-inducing punk-pop anthem that’s slick without being sterile. The quintet will be whirling and shredding its collective vocal cords on Warped Tour all summer. (1 a.m. Friday, March 14, Habana Annex Backyard)

Club-hopping at night is only part of the SXSW fun, however. After all, everyone needs a cocktail (or three) to ward off the previous night’s hangover.

Twangfest and KDHX (88.1 FM) are again co-sponsoring a two-day afternoon soiree at Jovita’s. Thursday’s line-up includes Ha Ha Tonka, Black Diamond Heavies, David Bazan, Scott H. Biram. On Saturday, locals Jon Hardy and the Public – think an indie-soul version of Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe’s trenchant power-pop – will share the stage with Wussy, Steve Poltz, the Redwalls, Chuck Prophet and more.

The St. Louis University on-campus venue the Billiken Club is also curating its own stage on Thursday afternoon, in conjunction with the Twangfest/KDHX party. Appearing will be the “This Is American Music” lineup (including the Drams and Grand Champeen); the experimental electro duo Pattern is Movement; heartfelt Neil Young-ish folkies Deer Tick; Gentleman Auction House and keyboard-prog spazzes So Many Dynamos. The latter bunch of gearheads is fresh off finishing its third full-length, which it worked on with an impressive list of collaborators, such as Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla and mixer Alex Newport (At the Drive-In).

Piano-heavy, guitar-less trio The Feed is performing at several day parties; the Ben Folds-meets-Clash act should have a new record out sometime this year. F5 Records labelmates Earthworms and Nato Caliph will also be showcasing their new material at some day parties. The former released Bottle Full of Bourbon in January, while the latter unleashed Cipher Inside last year. And finally, singer-songwriter Geoff Koch is also doing the day-party circuit, before he heads to Nashville in April to record with Wilco’s Ken Coomer.

-- Annie Zaleski

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