Once again we’re partnering with the Four Seasons Hotel Austin to give you a taste of some of the best musical acts SXSW Fest 2014 has to offer! From 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday March 12 through Saturday March 15 we’ll have live performances open to the public on the hour every hour. The musical acts will include the likes of Rodney Crowell, Shinyribs, Lucius, Wye Oak, Tinariwen, and more! No badge or wristband required. Admission is $10 each day, which will include a breakfast taco, granola, and unlimited coffee. All proceeds benefit the Seton Shivers Cancer Center.
Here’s what’s cooking Wednesday morning:
7AM – Wild Child
Founding members of local indie-folk band, Wild Child, Kelsey Wilson (vocals, violin) and Alexander Beggins (vocals, ukulele) started as an acoustic duo crafting bare bones, folksy love songs over shared glasses of wine and friendship. The pair have since expanded their musical family to seven, including Chris D’Annunzio (bass), Evan Magers (keys), Drew Brunetti (drums), Sadie Wolfe (cello), and James Bookert (banjo); their sound has followed the same pattern of distension. With Pillow Talk, their freshman album, the feel is stripped down, rustic and rootsy, but the follow up record, Runaround, is anything but. Produced by local star and fan, Ben Kweller, the sound is more fleshed out, with fuller instrumentation, added hooks, and more refined feel. The band succeeds in doing what all great bands strive to do: grow and change while preserving their divine spark– the very thing that makes them, them. Don’t miss the Austin sweethearts at the Four Seasons. Until then, check out their performance with us from last year RIGHT HERE!
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8AM – Lucius
“Sixties girl-group sounds inform lots of indie rock these days. But it rarely sounds as fresh or thrilling as Brooklyn’s Lucius,” says Rolling Stone magazine. Or as good. With incredibly rich and lush vocal harmonies, unexpected sonic twists, and a contemporary spin on some old-school sounds, Lucius is indie-pop magic. Two key ingredients to Lucius’ spell are lead singers, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, whose synchronicity and vocal blends are simply bewitching. Check out their performance with us live at the Four Seasons RIGHT HERE!
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9AM – Typhoon
When David Letterman asked Portland band, Typhoon if they were aware that they had two drummers, the band’s front-man, Kyle Morton (vocals, guitar) replied, “we’ve got three.” The band feels like a huge family, usually performing with no less than eleven members on stage with songs that often feature all eleven voices singing out together. The sound is massive–a junior orchestra of strings, drums, and horns– sounding as though it could swallow Morton’s singular voice up at any moment. If it had to be classified, you could call it chamber-pop, post-pop, and whatever genres are listed for the band, Mumford and Sons. While it’s not always fair to draw comparisons, it’s safe to say that if ya like ‘The Sons,’ you’ll also like Typhoon. “Death affirming” is the description they give themselves on their Facebook page, and after hearing their latest album, White Lights, it makes sense. The album features tracks titled, “Possible Deaths” and “Dreams of Cannabalism,” and lyrics like, “soon enough you will be dancing at my funeral.” Although it’s morbid, don’t let that scare you away. These guys are destined to be big. They’ll be with us at 9. Until then, check out their video, “The Honest Truth” RIGHT HERE!
10AM – Rodney Crowell
Country-americana singer-songwriter, Rodney Crowell will be ending our fantastic Wednesday showcase. Over the last four decades, the Nashville legend has put out twenty albums and five number-one hits. Not to mention, he’s won a Grammy, an ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award, and membership in the Songwriters Hall of Fame (and that’s just a few of his accolades). But Rodney ain’t throwin’ in the towel just yet. In fact, he’s set to release a new album, Tarpaper Sky, out April 15. The album features Steuart Smith, an old musical comrade and a man intrinsic to Rodney’s sound in the late ‘80s. But that’s not the only familiar aspect to the album. In this record, Crowell strove to let some of his most fan beloved works (i.e. Diamonds and Dirt (1988) and Life is Messy (1992)) inform Tarpaper Sky. As the song, “Long Journey Home” implies, “the simple life tastes sweeter now, you have no need to roam.” The album’s been described as your old “favorite record,” warm and familiar. Until Wednesday, we’ll leave you with one of Crowell’s number one hits from 1988 RIGHT HERE!
