Ellie Arciaga and Eleanor Lonardo spent March on the road with Pickwick chronicling the band’s first national tour and giving fans an intimate glimpse behind the scenes of a travelling band. This summer they’ll be publishing a book of photos from their adventure called Letterbox, but first they’ve agreed to share some shots with Sound on the Sound and all of us who wish we could’ve been in the van with them. This second leg of the tour covers the madness of a week in Austin for SXSW….
“In our minds, SXSW is known as, ‘The Big Haul.’ For the Pickwick dudes, this was referring to eight shows in four days. As two first-timers, we knew little of what to expect; we only knew to be ready. Luckily for us, the guys navigated through the Austin madness like old pros, even managing to get some down time in to do a little laundry, and sip on some whiskey every now and again. They survived SXSW in one piece, and with one last leg through Colorado up to Oregon, home was beginning to show up on the horizon.”
The band hit’s the road again this week heading off on a North American headlining tour through Canada and then the Northeast and Midwest, but first they’ll be getting in front of the biggest crowd of their lives: today they setup between home plate and the mound to play the Seattle Mariners home opener at Safeco Field.
Tyler, The Creator and his whole amazing, impressive collective of troublemakers are, quite honestly, blowing up right now. And though I don’t find myself one to keep throwing rubies on to the gem pile, I can’t help but be head-cocked with fascination about this dark, grimy new sound infusing the world of rap. Especially when Tyler, The Creator showcases his knowledge of the new by giving slippery producer Toro y Moi the opportunity to add a little bit of sauce to one of his stark flows. The reaction? A seductive, dance floor crooner still ripe with Tyler, The Creator’s gothic flows. I want a whole album.
Both of these performers will be solidifying their popularity at SXSW.
Tyler, The Creator – French (Toro y Moi Remix)
Jason and Seth of the Maldives at Birds on a Wire Fest ::: Polaroid by Josh Lovseth
We asked the Maldives to go old-school on us for their three week tour down to SXSW and back and send us a few postcards from the road. (Click on the postcards to enlarge them, to read or admire their kitschy wonderfulness.) We caught up with the Maldives at the tail end of their tour and Josh snapped the above Polaroid at their second to last stop in Pullman, WA. It was clearly a great tour, but also typically fraught with pitfalls and difficulties, as we find out in the very first postcard …
Tour… Between Sickness Rain Snow Good Friends Good Shows Empty shows and Burritos… Tour had finally started… And… Stopped… For the Moment… Our Trailer has A Bum Wheel and We are Slightly bummed on the Side of I-5 in Between SF and LA… In the Middle of Nowhere. But… It’s Sunny… Luv… The Maldives… (Transcribed by JB).
Hey S on S,
Seth here. We are having mostly a blast, as you probably know, and but we all can’t wait to get home as well. It’s Friday night now, just before No Depression Set, We are Watching College Basketball. Lame, I know, We found a new favorite bar here in Austin called “Donn’s Depot.” An Amazing Honky-Tonk piano bar. Wish you were here! <3 Maldives.
Hello Guys, We’re here in Austin. The Boys and I have been running around Austin Tryin’ to cause some trouble. Lots of tacos. Lots of beer. Some Swiming and GREAT MUSIC! Wish Y’all were here. See You Soon. Brady.
Dear Sound on the Sound… We Have Left Austin and SXSW in our Wake and are Heading Home… I’m Sure that SXSW Stories are the Same every year (Crazy Shows, Crazy Food, Crazy People… Bill Murray), But Since Twas My First Time Attending, I Feel… Impressionable, And in Reflection… This Week I hung out with some of the Best People on the Face of the Planet… Most of the Them are from Seattle… But Austin is One Helluva Town… Can’t Wait to Go Back Next Year.
Love JESSE, The Blond Maldive.
(Under the Stamp is a really cool skull).
Find some video postcards from the tour that drummer Ryan McMackin put together at themaldivesmusic.blogspot.com.
Tour is always an adventure. Tour with 9 guys, double the instruments, a broken trailer, a killer soundtrack and over a thousands miles of driving in four days is the making of an awesome first Maldives tour vlog.
We’ll be following and sharing The Maldives tour adventures here on Sound on the Sound. Not only will we be sharing the boys’ video blogs, we’ve also equipped them with cash for the most obscene postcards they can find, postage, and a couple disposable cameras. We’ll share whatever arrives in our mailbox from the Maldives with you.
If you, like us, just can’t get enough of The Maldives you can also follow their tour blog Straight Chooglin’.
Currently dominating my playlist is NY band Dinosaur Feathers’ new record Fantasy Memorial. They playfully channel the vocal heavy, world music influenced pop that’s so in style right now into some of the catchiest, most dancinest pop songs I’ve heard in 2010. “Dancinest” is a word, right? It should be.
mp3: “Vendela Vida” by Dinosaur Feathers from Fantasy Memorial
If I could be at SXSW this week, this would be the band that I would probably have to see more than once. There sure are plenty of opportunity’s…
DINOSAUR FEATHERS at SXSW
3/18 – SXSW – Dominican Joe’s Coffee – All Your Friends Party – 2pm
3/18 – SXSW – Homeslice Pizza – Music by the Slice party – 5pm
3/18 – SXSW – Creekside Lounge – Pop Tarts Suck Toasted party – 9pm
3/19 – SXSW – Agave – Ghost Town day party – 1pm
3/19 – SXSW – Galaxy Room – Official SXSW showcase – 8pm
3/20 – SXSW – End of Ear – In-Store – 2pm
I eagerly await some west coast dates.
The Globes at Georgetown Music Fest ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth
The Globes are going to SXSW this year. Though no official announcement from the Barsuk camp has made it’s way onto the net, we’ve known of their involvement with the label via seeing them make an appearance at the Barsuk holiday party, a few words in a column by Hannah Levin, and some other more informal channels. A look at the day-by-day schedule for SXSW and the Barsuk showcase gives us a clue that maybe we should be expecting an announcement soon about the partnership:
March 18, 2010
Red Eyed Fly
(715 Red River St) (18+)
Barsuk
The Globes 8:00 p.m.
Blunt Mechanic 9:00 p.m.
Pearly Gate Music 10:00 p.m.
The Wooden Birds 11:00 p.m.
Rocky Votolato 12:00 a.m.
Phantogram 1:00 a.m.
Local labels supporting locals bands is something we can always get behind.
Macklemore ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth
This party just get’s better every year. Two stages and a hip hop showcase? This is how Seattle’s party at SXSW should be going down. It’s happening Saturday, March 20th at the Beauty Bar, starting 12 noon. It’s no doubt free, but you’ll likely need an RSVP. We’ll keep you up to date on that info as it arrives. On to the good stuff. Peep this year’s lineup:
Main Stage
The Cave Singers
The Dutchess & the Duke
Fences
The Lonely Forest
The Moondoggies
Rocky Votolato
Second Stage
Grand Hallway
The Maldives
The Staxx Brothers
Hip Hop Showcase
Dark Time Sunshine
Dyme Def
Grynch
Macklemore
Mash Hall (formerly known as They Live!)
THEESatisfaction
Um… can this party happen in Seattle?
The second stage isn’t a side stage, it’s the stage where the big bands get more time to setup. And a hip hop showcase is long overdue. The organizers definitely made this a destination party that well represents the face of the emerging Seattle music scene at this very moment.
Follow the action on twitter with @sxswSeattleParT and be a part of the action by tagging your posts #TheSeattleParty and #sxsw.
Src: Austin Statesmen
Rusty Gold from michael jeter on Vimeo.
[Warning: Video above may be NSFW. If you consider out-of-focus penis NSFW. -The Editor]
This is a tour to phone dad about. San Fransisco Americana-tinged mega-group Or, The Whale have joined forces with Seattle’s own likeminded mega-group the Maldives to make the ride down to SXSW this March a whole lot more fun. These two bands both put out strong records last year, made friends after playing a few dates together, and now they’re hoping to ride each other’s coattails a bit. Since my pop had to jet a bit early for my birthday show, this will be the show I’ll be making him the sell on. I don’t think it’ll be a hard sell at all.
The video above is a song called “Rusty Gold” from Or, The Whale’s self-titled LP, released in September of 2009.
Or, The Whale Winter 2010 Tour Dates
Feb 27th – Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
Mar 9th – Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge ^
Mar 10th – Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern ^
Mar 11th – Cottage Grove, OR Axe and Fiddle ^
Mar 12th – San Francisco, CA The Independent ^
Mar 13th – Los Angeles, CA Hotel Cafe ^
Mar 14th – San Diego, CA Bar Pink ^
Mar 15th – Tucscon, AZ Club Congress ^
Mar 17th – Mar 20th – Austin, TX SXSW
^ = w/ The Maldives
The Maldives will be playing the SXSW Seattle Party themselves on March 20th, happening again this year at The Beauty Bar, where they’ll be joined by . Then they’ll looping around back into Utah and Boise for a few dates after SXSW. Those dates are below.
The Maldives at SXSW and beyond:
Mar 20th – The Beauty Bar – Austin, TX
Mar 21st – Lola’s Saloon – Fort Worth, Texas
Mar 24th – Bar Deluxe – Salt Lake City, Utah
Mar 25th – The Bouquet – Boise, Idaho
Tickets for the Tractor Tavern show on March 10th, a bill that also includes PDX band Weinland, can be had at TicketWeb for $10 adv.
