SXSW 2008: Here She Goes Now

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Express contributor Katherine Silkaitis wraps up her SXSW Music festival visit.

HEY KETTLE, HOW'D YA LIKE SXSW?

I apparently have more in common with Mr. Redd Reed than I'd like to admit. At the risk of sounding crotchety myself, I found myself at more than a few shows I didn't care to be at.

Whether they were pop-punk shows that catered to the Hot Topic / dyed hair / blue-nail-polish youngsters or shows where the artist simply didn't show up, I still took the relative disappointments in stride.

Except for Vampire Weekend.

Vampire Weekend has been getting overkill hosannas for the past six months or so. The quartet of Columbia grads is on the cover of Spin magazine's March issue, performs to sold-out shows everywhere and was on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago. (Express, too, got in on the action.)

But I've found Vampire Weekend's buzz as palatable as a week-old pulled-pork sandwich, so I've mostly avoided the group. But when I heard the band was playing at SXSW on Friday, I decided to see what I kept hearing about. I had gotten it in my mind that SNL and Spin don't give in that easily to mediocre music with great publicists, so there must be something to the hype, right?

Oh, what a letdown.

After witnessing Vampire Weekend's live act, the phrase that came to mind was "completely unremarkable." The quartet's song are just fine, its stage show is all right, the musicians' technical prowess is solid. I even heard one song I found kind of interesting, which featured a nice sing-along k,.chorus and handclaps. But the rest of the show was a blur of Casiotone keys and Paul Simon-like rhythms circa "Graceland." (In other words, South African rhythms from an Upper West Side-reared Americans.)

I don't remember the last time I felt like walking out of a show, but this one was so frustrating I nearly did it.

Luckily, Friday was filled with performances that were worthwhile.

Australian garage rockers The Vines did a rendition of OutKast's "Ms. Jackson" during its set that was pretty darn good. If you thought Andre 3000 had a good wail in the original, Vines singer Craig Nicholls' caterwauling punk-rock scream brought a whole new dimension to the song.

When Saturday came, I decided I had to take drastic measures. After all, I had been very excited about seeing a number of bands, but turns of events had kept me from seeing Del tha Funky Homosapien, N.E.R.D., Mark Kozelek and so many more. But since most of the shows I had witnessed so far were only pretty good, I wanted something great.

And I decided Spank Rock, the Philadelphia / Baltimore-based nerdcore hip-hop / booty-bass artist, was to be my saving grace.

I was lucky enough to get to the venue early enough to see the closings songs of an earlier act and it was a fortuitous bit of luck. On stage was BLK JKS, a South African psychedelic rock quartet — and it was breathtaking, both figuratively and literally, as much of the crowd was dancing, jumping and yelling along to the lyrics. (The virtually-unknown-in-the-U.S. group, whose guitarist is pictured at right, graces the cover of this month's tastemaker magazine The Fader.)

BLK JKS's musicianship was impressive, and the singer gave off an enigmatic and mysterious vibe, delivering spine-shivering accented vocals from behind large sunglasses that obscured most of his face. The songs featured Hendrix-inspired guitar riffs abetted by deep, spiritual Afro-reggae beats. The songs were long, and much of the set seemed to be improvised, but not once was there a dull moment. The music was just too good to be boring.

After BLK JKS, I bided my time before Spank Rock, sneaking off to a lounge room to chill, max and relax — and then 2 Live Crew and Pharrell Williams entered the room. If I wasn't going to see N.E.R.D., at least seeing its frontman with some of hip-hop's most legendary porn rappers was something. And to hear both parties express how much the other respected and admired their work was a pleasant and surreal surprise.

When Spank Rock finally hit the stage, the crowd was comprised of ravers, club-goers, music nerds, frat boys and a handful of journalists trying desperately to snap photos while trying not to be trampled underfoot as the crowd swelled with each song.

Imagine a Baltimore club party held in a huge tent at 6 p.m. where beer and Southern Comfort drinks have been handed out all day for free. That was Spank Rock.

Singing songs that were energetic, witty, frequently obscene and often simply awesome, Spank Rock handled the stage and the crowd as if he were born into it. He is a performer who seems infinitely cooler than you, yet gives off this nice guy / super-nerd vibe that the crowd ate up.

Already traveling with an entourage, Spank Rock also brought out a few special guests, including female rapper Amanda Blank, who was featured on Spank Rock's "Loose" track from his recent collaborative project, Bangers and Cash, with Benny Blanco. (Check the "Bangers & Cash" CD cover — a 2 Live Crew tribute. The circle remains unbroken.)

Blank, a badass skinny white girl with fake eyelashes and long nails, was Spank Rock's equal and to say the song was well-received by the crowd would be an understatement. (That's the twosome pictured at the top of this post.)

Leaving after Spank Rock would have ended my day on a high note, but I decided to stay for the last performance of the day at the venue: 2 Live Crew.

The rap group has been enveloped in controversy since a store clerk was charged with a felony for selling the group's sexually charged "The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are" album to a 14-year-old in 1987. Since then, the group has been sued by George Lucas and George Orbison, almost been the focus of a Supreme Court case, arrested for obscenity and had a member turn into a born-again Christian — only to revert to his former ways.

To say the 2 Live Crew show was a walk on the wild side wouldn't even begin to describe it. Lou Reed's lyrics might have been suggestive, but this group is downright dirty.

Performing as a duo with just Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice, the rappers covered all their hits with aplomb, clearly enjoying their chance to dance and grind with SXSW's most eligible female attendees. (Luke Skyywalker, the former face of the group, hasn't been with 2 Live Crew in more than a decade.)

The concert came dangerously close to becoming a peep show as Fresh Kid Ice lifted up a girl's skirt, showcasing her cotton-best to all who could see. (Mother's advice about fresh underwear is not only valid for car accidents). But at least 2 Live Crew's strip-club jams were as catchy as they were filthy.

And that was SXSW for me: A little bit fun and a little bit dirty, with some catchy beats (and scorching heat) smushed in between.

My biggest regret of the week: I never got to try any of that Texas barbecue.

The Velvet Underground's "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" would be disappointed, for sure.

Photos by Katherine Silkaitis