We had some down time this weekend. The new WordPress 3.1 install didn’t sit pretty with my servers…until today.

Anyways, your favorite writer that spends more time playing music than writing – that would be me for the uninitiated – is back up in it.

Probably the third interpretation of Down for A Day includes the fact that I was so sick during South by Southwest Music Conference, I only purposefully got to see 2 bands play: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Kanye West (and friends).

You can read my Kanye review in the Austin American-Statesman.

And I shot a little video of the Pains… instore at Waterloo Records. You can check that below:

One of the BlackSwanSongs’s contributors received a byline on http://brooklynvegan.com for an excerpt of the report below combined with the photos above.

Jay Z appeared very comfortable playing the role of the gracious “king of hip-hop.” Memphis Bleek dropped counterpoint rhymes, providing hardscrabble verbal interplay without the silliness of a sideman like Flavor Flav. I was a casual Jay Z fan going into the show (I bought a “Hard Knock Life” mix tape and have downloaded a couple of other records), but by the end of the show I had been become a hardcore Jay Z fan for life.

The show highlights were too numerous to list here, but they included the rock and bass bombast of “99 Problems,” the audience’s deafening call and response during “Jigga What, Jigga Who” and the booming, thuggish, palpitation-inducing low-end produced by his 10-piece band during “Dirt” and “Big Pimpin’.”

And when Jay Z wasn’t showing us Texans how his crew goes hard in Brooklyn, he spoke from the heart during his between song banter. “I know it sounds cliche, but don’t let any haters block your dream,” Hova said earnestly during one of the final breaks. Another one of the show’s more intimate moments came when he brought up vocalist Bridget Kelly for two songs. After her inspired assist on “Empire State of Mind,” Jigga Man smiled his biggest smile of the evening and said, “Damn…she put something extra on it for Texas…she put some extra bar-b-que sauce on it for Texas!”

Before Jay Z’s final curtain call, he took a break to turn on the house lights and point out individuals in all areas of the basketball arena, personalizing the show and reducing the scale as he talk to individuals, calling them out by their attire, homemades signs, dancing skills, etc.

The set list below is word-for-word identical to the setlist at the front of the stage (which I photographed). I’ve left their abbreviations and notes in tact.

SETLIST: RUN THIS TOWN

D.O.A.
Takeover
U Don’t Know
99 Problems
Show Me What You Got
Give It To Me
Diamonds
Jigga
Izzo
Jigga What
P.S.A.
Heart of City (live)
Already Home (last verse Acapella)
Empire State of Mind
A Star Is Born
So Ambitious
Dirt

—–break—–

Thank You
(PLAYBACK SET)
Big Pimpin’
Hardknock Life
Encore
Forever Young

Expectations were really high too – I mean, up until recently Kanye would be the first to tell you that he is the shit! But hommie lived up to his own hype, believe it or not. The guy has skillz. And his eight-piece band was on point. He had a drummer and a precussionist that made the beats extra tribal. The DJ showed restraint and good taste throughout. And the place nearly combusted when Common and Erykah Badu appeared from stage right, proving to be the real surprise guests.

Kanye was supposed to be a surprise, but I actually broke the story (locally, nationally and internationally through Twitter) that Kanye would be playing at SXSW. A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless, like Deep Throat) rather accidentally let me know that Kanye was coming…and then my editor was able to confirm it through a second deep source…allowing me to break the story on the Austin American-Statesman’s music blog.

It felt great breaking the story cause…I’m just a freelancer. You’d think the full-time staff writers would be breaking stories like that…but this time it was all me.

Anywho, of all the stuff I wrote during SXSW, I was most proud of the Kanye review. I felt like I nailed it. I felt like I wouldn’t be embarassed if he read it. I felt like I was golden…like my writen skills on deadline had gone golden once again.

Click here to see the review in its first publication in the Austin American-Statesman here.

By V.M. Black | Sunday, March 22, 2009, 01:05 PM

At 9:05 p.m. Saturday, Kanye West and his stable of G.O.O.D. Music artists descended upon the Levi’s/Fader Fort stage at 1101 E. Fifth St. for what would become a highlight of SXSW 2009.

Kanye West toward the end of his set: "Levi's get that check ready!"

If you had ever visited the Graphic Glass Studio on Fifth Street, you wouldn’t recognize it in its incarnation as the Levi’s/Fader Fort. All of the floor-to-ceiling “Sanford and Son”-type items in the warehouse had been removed for its transformation into a Levi’s store, complete with all the ambiance of a store from a high end shopping mall.

Likewise, West’s performance was something of a transformation, too. West was as good as he needed to be (many people had been waiting for him to play based on a rumor since the early afternoon), and it was better than it had to be (he killed for two hours). The show resembled one of those “cavalcade of stars” tours from the late 1950s/early 1960s: West would perform two or three of his hits, then he’d bring up one of his proteges from his G.O.O.D. Music record label imprint and share the stage or feature them outright. Although West (and his ego) are notorious for being his own worst enemy, he really reined himself in Saturday night; he graciously played the role of a generous headliner and an excited mentor and label boss spotlighting his stable of artists in what was a marketing coup (for all parties involved).

“Amazing” from West’s most recent, most experimental work yet, “808s and Heartbreaks” started off his set with a pitch-perfect stomp, pricking up ears with its modern-yet-tribal groove and maxed-out Auto-Tune vocals.

“Gone” – one of the best tracks from his breakout sophomore album “Late Registration” — came in quick succession. The creative DJ then elevated the crowd further with a bit of “Drive Slow” as bodies and booties bounced in unison.

West was clad in a T-shirt and sleeveless jean jacket – and only one gold necklace (and a watch that’s probably more expensive than all our salaries combined). He looked more old school, and had shed the urban-futuristic-Afro-punk accouterments that he’s recently flirted with. Considering he didn’t have a soundcheck, nor any of the enormous stage show props he’s grown accustomed to using, his performance was spot-on evidence that his talent is not based on overblown production.

West’s diction was excellent, cutting through the bombast of his live band and DJ. And it’s worth noting that his band – bassist, drummer, guitarist, percussionist, keyboardist, DJ (with now requisite Apple laptop) and backup singer – were flawless. The percussionist played electronic drums and over-sized congas in time to the DJ, emphasizing the hypnotic snare beats, providing synthetic and organic tones. The live snare and kick drum were pegging the mixing board in the red, and cleaning out earwax, just the way it should be.

Likewise, West’s band used dynamics better than most bands, which tend to play with everything turned to eleven, loud and proud, full of nervous energy, never thinking to bring it down.

The star-packed show was carefully constructed with a song cycle that built in intensity over the course of two hours and reached a crescendo when super-surprise guest Common came on stage to perform his songs “Universal Mind Control” and “The Light.” At the end of “The Light” Erykah Badu appeared out of nowhere, representing Dallas and female power worldwide. Badu then flexed her skills in a freestyle joint with Common and West. Common is one of West’s longtime friends and collaborators, and his and Badu’s arrival sparked West’s biggest, most sincere smiles of the evening.

“I (expletive) forgot the words…I got too excited Austin!” West said during his climatic hit song, “Good Life.” Then as if to help out their mentor, all of the G.O.O.D. artists and Common returned to the stage as West found his footing again. The song’s lyrical reference to West’s grandmother and his recently deceased mother (who was also his manager) seemed to elevate the song in the audience’s consciousness; everyone appeared to appreciate the moment for its realness.

Whether you love him, hate him, or are apathetic, it’s nearly impossible to deny West is something of an anomaly in pop music in that he has critical acclaim, mainstream appeal, indie rock cred, Grammy awards and platinum-selling albums. West’s albums rest alongside Radiohead records in the vinyl collections of critics and tastemakers. From the hipster Pitchfork Media set to top 40/urban radio worshipers, West has both a ghetto pass and a suburbia pass, and his Saturday evening show proved that he can rock both arenas and a small 1,500-capacity boutique micro-festival.

The four-day long Levi’s/Fader Fort event was free for all, and included unlimited free booze and drinks (but alarmingly no food – a horrible planning flaw). The Levi’s/Fader Fort was evidence that the worldwide “economic downtown” apparently has not touched neither Levi’s nor Fader Magazine as the production price-tag of the event would likely be enough to feed a small West African nation for a month (or more); also, toward the end of West’s set, he shouted “Levi’s get that check ready.” Austinites appeared to be in the minority, as New Yorkers, West Coasters and assorted folks from around the world appeared to make up the majority of the audience (I overhead too many conversations about Williamsburg and the Bay area).

Setlist
1. Amazing
2. The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (Consequence featuring Kanye West)
3. Don’t Forget Em (Consequence)
4. Gone (Consequence featuring Kanye West)
5. Drive Slow (featuring GLC)
6. Big Screen (GLC featuring Kanye West)
7. Spaceship (featuring GLC and Consequence)
8. Disperse (Consequence featuring GLC and Really Doe)
9. We Major (featuring Really Doe)
10. Plastic (Really Doe featuring Kanye West)
11. Crack Music (featuring Malik Yusef)
12. spoken word interlude by Malik Yusef
13. Diamonds Are Forever
14. Getcha Some (Big Sean)
15. Way Out (Big Sean & Mr. Hudson)
16. Anyone But Him (Mr. Hudson featuring Kanye West)
17. Stay Up! (Viagra) (88 Keys featuring Kanye West)
18. Everybody (Fonzworth Bentley)
19. Welcome To Heartbreak (featuring Kid Cudi)
20. Sky Might Fall (Kid Cudi)
21. Buggin’ Out (Consequence, Kid Cudi, Kanye West)
22. Day ‘N’ Nite (Kid Cudi)
23. Universal Mind Control (Common)
24. Get Em High (featuring Common)
25. The Light (Common & Erykah Badu)
26. freestyle session (Common, Erykah Badu, Kanye West)
27. Heartless
28. Paranoid (featuring Kid Cudi & Mr. Hudson)
29. Good Life
30. Love Lockdown

Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW 2009, SXSW 2009 reviews: Day 4

The Thursday evening Afro-punk showcase was a little underattended considering how good it was.

This was a quick review of a show that really should have been much better than it was. Dallas Austin is an amazing producer. But his talents as a performer…not so much. My original review appeared in the Austin American-Statesman here.

By V.M. Black

(Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 11:50 p.m.)

Pop-hip hop-R&B producer extraordinaire Dallas Austin used a whole lot of sound and fury during his Thursday evening set at the Afro-punk showcase, signifying that he is still finding his voice as a performer.

With five gi-normous-sized flatscreen plasma televisions covering the stage, it almost appeared that Austin was hiding behind the screens, as opposed to using them as an additional visual element. (They featured video footage of his new album’s many guest vocalists: George Clinton, Big Gipp from Goodie Mobb and several other Atlantans.) To further the appearance of identity concealment, he and his drummer emerged at the beginning of the set in Mexican wrestler masks.

Yet as Austin took off his mask, a few banging tunes started vibrating the speaker cones and motivating the audience (which had thinned a bit after Janelle Monáe’s starmaking 11 p.m. set). With a live band and an Apple laptop, Austin’s lyrical exploration of modern day societal ills was one of the more intriguing aspect of his show. Another highlight was his revisionist cover of T-Rex’s “Children of the Revolution.” The band’s original tunes were creative if not memorable, falling somewhere between the pop/hip hop glam of the Neptunes/N.E.R.D. and the rocking eletronica workouts of LCD Soundsystem.

Austin is definitely more of a producer than a frontman. He has a little bit to learn about engaging an audience and working a crowd of several hundred people (let alone several thousand). But he’s talented enough that he’ll probably figure it out eventually.

Big Boi easily put on one of the best shows during SXSW 2009.

Big Boi was one of the other fantastic shows I was lucky enough to witness at SXSW. He sleighed mostly Outkast songs, which made Andre 3000′s absence apparent…even though the show was bangin’. And I mean…super bangin’. The review below was first published in the Austin American-Statesman here.

By V.M. Black

(12:40 a.m. Thursday night, March 19, Austin Music Hall)

Antwan “Big Boi” Patton headlined Thursday evening’s Afro-punk showcase at the Austin Music Hall with the same Dirty South bravura and amped-up vocal acrobatics that catapulted his band Outkast to world-renowned phenomenon.

Curiously, Patton never once mentioned his noticeably absent Outkast bandmate Andre 3000” Benjamin. The show was billed as a Big Boi solo gig. But outside of a few new tracks off Big Boi’s upcoming solo album “Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty,” 95 performed of the songs in the set with his band were joints missing co-creator, André 3000. Big Boi’s band’s musicianship was so overwhelming superior and the production values were so spot-on that it was entirely forgivable (except when he rocked Benjamin’s autobiographical revelation “Ms. Jackson”).

Aside from that glaringly ominous omission (they say they are still a band), Big Boi carried the show over the goal line on the back of his charismatic vocal style. He’s always been able to rock his verses and choruses in an accelerated double-time tempo, and last night was no different. Big Boi killed “So Fresh, So Clean” before he asked his band to increase the pace. “Ghetto Musick” and “B.O.B.” were euphorically transcendent. The DJ’s beats ignited the audience, joining them and the performers into one nation under a groove.

As Big Boi’s band and DJ vamped on the end of “B.O.B.,” he ever-so-coolly remarked, “Come on Janelle,” wherein Afro-punk firestarter Janelle Monáe returned to the stage after her star-making performance earlier in the evening to bust her signature get-its-freak-on dance, her arms flailing as her legs pounded in lock-step rhythm to the music.

With a respectably sized multi-ethnic, multi-cultural audience halfway filling the Austin Music Hall, it was such a beautiful sight watching all of the SXSW attendees from different backgrounds, from all over the world, move, bump and grind together to the “bom, bom, bomb” of “The Way You Move.” The song was undeniable, yielding writhing bodies from kids with their parents to senior citizen-age attendees.

“We got so many (expletive) hits that I don’t know what to do,” Big Boi said with a laugh. And he was correct. The only thing was that when he referred to “we” – and when he played so many Outkast bangers – he was ultimately drawing attention back to the fact that his very talented Outkast bandmate was missing in action.

The following is a review I wrote of an artist that was entirely new to me: Maya Azucena. She was very talented, but I don’t think she was really my cup of tea; I prefer my tea much darker; she was very sunny and cheery.

This article originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman here.

(Midnight Wednesday, March 18, Mohawk Patio)

Taking the stage at midnight – shortly after Bavu Blakes had blown up the spot at the Mohawk – Brooklyn neo-soul v

Vocalist Maya Azucena wore clothes instead of paint at SXSW.

list Maya Azucena had a hard act to follow. Unfazed, Azucena used her voice as her band’s most powerful instrument, providing one of the evenings most unexpected delights as she radiated charm and finesse, revealing herself as one of the most approachable and likable divas you’d ever want to meet.

Although it might have made more sense to have hometown heroes Bavu Blakes and his Extra Plairs burn up the stage after Azucena so that the crowd didn’t thin after Blakes finished (which it did), the billing of the two artists was ultimately well-played as it allowed Azucena and her crack two-piece band to flex their own considerable skill in the aftermath of Blakes’ lyrical fury.

Guitarist Christian Ver Halen and “drum-cussionist” Ivan Katz were on point. Ver Halen never missed a lick, subtly and deftly providing the dominant musical melodies while Katz played a talking drum with one hand and a highhat with his other.

And then there was the statuesque Azucena. “She’s mesmerizing…and so full of energy,” one young woman in the audience shouted out to her friend (and in my ear) during Azucena’s clever R&B meets hip hop-soul “Junkyard Jewel.”

And it was true: it was hard to take your eyes off Azucena during tracks like “Down, Down” as her voice rattled the rafters with her fearless ability to hit the most difficult upper register notes. But Azucena seemed most stirred during her collaborations. For her song, “The Half,” she brought back up Kendra Ross (who had performed her own set at 9 p.m.) and the two bounced the chorus back and forth as if they’d rehearsed the song for years.

Likewise, the most impressive and inspired moment of Azucena’s set came during a collaboration between Azucena, Extra Plair Terrell Shahid and Blakes as she called them up to the stage for an impromptu joint (collabo) on Azucena’s best song, “G-Hetto.” Austin and Brooklyn yield some of the best musical talent in the country, and the pairing between Blakes’ freestyling flow and Azucena’s energetic precision appeared to raise the level of both of their game.

I have a feeling if Bavu lived in New York or Los Angeles, he would be much more popular than he is here in Austin. But, I’m so glad he is here. Currently, he’s Austin’s great best hope for a hip hop success story.

By V.M. Black | Thursday, March 19, 2009, 11:48 AM

(1 a.m. Thursday, The Mohawk Patio)

Bavu Blakes & The Extra Plairs did not suffer foolish monitor mixes, lead feet or stiff behinds lightly as they played the 1 a.m. highlight set during a hip hop-billed evening on the outdoor stage at the Mohawk.

“I am the mayor of Austin hip-hop,” Blakes blasted the audience (and sound engineer). After a quick stop to fix a bad microphone and an atrocious monitor mix, Blakes and his Extra Plairs clocked a fiercely tight set of rhymes and beats, putting his own stamp on the Dirty South hip-hop genre.

Bavu Blakes is ready for his close-up.

Blakes’ skills as an MC were unflappable: The easy bravado was backed up by polished skill, his charisma had all eyes in the house focused on the stage and his ability to build set momentum was unparalleled in the venue that evening. Yet, the secret ingredient of the “bounce with me” sauce that Blakes served up was potently anchored by his musical director/bassist D-Madness and his drummer, Brannen Temple. Few words can describe the synergy created between D-Madness and Temple’s lock-step grooves which laid the foundation for Blakes’ rhymes as he breezed around the entirety of the stage like a caged tiger watching his trainer dice raw meat.

And despite Blakes’ nonstop command, he graciously brought up Los Angeles rapper Karma Stewart to do two songs of her own: “On A Cloud” and “Look.” Stewart was all love and flow, staying on stage for the rest of the set matching Blakes line for line, spit for spit.

The feel of Blakes’ band was not unlike the pastiche feel created by Philadelphia’s Roots crew. Blakes even led his band through a medley (now seemingly an unspoken requisite move at hip-hop shows) as the band played snippets of “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” “Ice, Ice Baby” and Nelly’s “Hot In Herre.” With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, Blakes was mocking the pop hits in his medley, ultimately using them as a hyped-up lead in to his own would-be hit, “Southern Man.”