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DAILY REPORTS FROM SXSW 2004
SATURDAY March 20
Austin, Texas--Friday evening proved to be reunion night at South By Southwest (SXSW).
The Texas-born, San Francisco-based Jolie Holland got things rolling at Antone's with a captivating set of haunting high-lonesome crooning which sounded much more hillbilly than Haight-Asbury.The unexpected treat for the small but attentive audience was the appearance of Holland's old Vancouver pals Trish Klein and Samantha Parton to complete the original line-up of the Be Good Tanyas which Holland co-founded.
Evidently they hadn't played together in years, so their interaction was a bit tenuous and, at times, clumsy. But no one seemed disappointed by the impromptu throwdown. Holland's new disc Escondida is set for release on Anti/Epitaph April 27.
No less delighted was the beer-hoisting crowd at La Zona Rosa for whom the appearance of Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore together as the Flatlanders was something akin to a Beatles reunion for Texans in creased denim. Just the sound of Ely and Hancock harmonizing behind Gilmore on Wheels Of Fortune was enough to put silly grins on the faces of everyone in the packed-out joint.
After catching a fit and trim Gary U.S. Bonds duet with Delbert McClinton on Every Time I Roll The Dice (which Bonds cut for his star-studded comeback album Back In 20 dropping June 1 on MC Records), it was over to the Austin Music Hall to catch the much-anticipated Big Star blowout.
Knowing that Big Star's cult following is seriously skewed towards rock writers and musicians who count for a high percentage of conference delegates, it seemed like a good idea to arrive early, even if that meant missing Dwight Yoakam.
Or so I thought. As it turned out, there was no line-up at all and nearly half the crowd cheering on the Bodeans left with the woefully bland group.
By the time the youthful looking Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens appeared with Big Star fans Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow (on guitar and bass respectively), the high school gym-like space was nearly filled with giddy fans who had never seen a Big Star performance. The cheers were deafening when Chilton kicked off the set with the familiar riff from In The Street, the theme song of That 70s Show.
Considering how infrequently they play together, this version of Big Star was impressively tight with Auer providing pitch-perfect Chris Bell counterpoint. Everything they played sounded like a hit, even the new composition - which Chilton introduced, chuckling, "I hope you like our new direction" - had the unmistakable ring of classic power pop. Can't wait to hear the new Big Star album they plan to finish recording at Ardent in April.
Tim Perlich
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