STEVE ROCK: A Brief SXSW Overview...

We came, we saw, we walked around— a lot. I went to SXSW with zero expectations or agendas, just a long list of artists I really wanted to see and a confidence that the Love Experts would do just fine, which we did. Did I learn anything about the current state of the industry? Not really, wasn't really looking to either, but that the old cliche keeps on keepin’ on: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

As my good buddy and SXSW "hanging" partner Tom Lunt learned from one of the panels and later touched a bit on his great blog Geezers United, traditional musical artifacts as we know them now may soon be gone, but hey, as hardcore music fans and musicians, we’ve surfed all the various sea changes that the nutty music industry has washed our way before, and we’ve hung ten with them and made it to shore each and every time, so no big deal. Or in simpler terms, the Plimsouls are six feet in front of me and rocking the shit out of me just as they did in 1982, so all is definitely well!

In times like these, when the world of music is supposedly turning upside down again and coming out in some new form, I return to an eternally inspiring quote from The Clash’s Mick Jones. A few years back during one of those "ROCK IS DEAD!" periods that English music journalists always seem to be reviving, Jones was asked his thoughts on the subject, to which he replied: "Rock is dead? Fine by me mate, I’ll see you at the gig tonight..." And year in and year out it always seems to go back to that. So there I was in Austin last week, having a great time bouncing from club to club, mostly seeing longtime favorites who’s records I’ve been pushing on folks for 25 years now, who are still making fantastic music today. And geez, there’s Ray Fucking Davies, 30 feet away from me, pushing that masterpiece that is his new solo record---and all at this advanced stage of his career! How the hell are you not going to be inspired by that? And just as the inevitable fatigue from the week starts to catch up to me, BAM!—four fresh faced kids from Scotland knock me out with a set so great and passionate, I realize I’m smack in the middle of one of those moments. And so it goes . . .

And of course I can’t avoid a mention of the political here as well. Sure, I’ve read and heard a lot about the Mega Church phenomenon currently sweeping across Red State America, but until you’ve seen it up close, you just don’t realize how "mega" it really is! There’s a church the size of the Savvis Center what seems like every ten miles or so throughout Texas. And each one has its own "Christian School" attached to it, so the kids can be duly brainwashed. But fear not. There are kids locked in these schools right now who in a few years are no doubt going to rebel like motherfuckers against the hideous indoctrinations their parents are currently forcing on them. And when they do rebel, it’s a sure bet that some of those kids will wind up as the new sensations of future SXSW Festivals down the road. And whenever they do emerge, you can bet I'll probably be digging their records---or whatever the hell we'll be listening to our music on then...

Over the next few days I’ll post recaps and photos of artists I saw at SXSW. Each recap will come as its own post, making it easier for you to skip the artists you’re not interested in.