Since we’re too poor to get to SXSW ourselves, as is traditional here at GIITTV towers we ask one of our favourite bands to report back for us. This year we have Denmark based/Brooklyn born collective Alcoholic Faith Mission’s SXSW tour diary for your pleasure:
Day one – Wednesday
At 1230 AM we finally get to sleep after a cool gig at the Knitting Factory. After a week of visiting Canadian Music Week in Toronto and gigging in New York City we are getting to the final leg of our couple of weeks in North America: South by South West in Austin, Texas. Wake up at 330 in the middle of the night and take a wide range of transportation forms the next 12 hours: bus to the airport, plane to Houston, cars to Austin where we arrive mid afternoon to summerish, balmy temperatures. Being sleep-depraved, hung-over and hungry for most of the trip down here, we have been obsessing over the authentic breakfast tacos we anticipate trying in Texas, but today will not be the day. No worries, though, after a few interviews we head out to Epoch Coffee house, have
some coffee and check out Baths – a hip one-piece with virtuoso live-electronics before we play our set in front of a small, but enthusiastic crowd.
Day two – Thursday
The quest for the breakfast burrito starts at 930 AM on the south side of Austin. And we find it at a near empty tex-mex place on Lamar: chips, salsa, tortillas, scrambled eggs, refried beans, peppers. Mmm. With that ticked off on our list we drive to Filter/Dickies, do a quick video-session in a done-up hacienda-style house and continue on to a radio session for New Normal Music from LA.
The 6 of us + instruments crammed around a table in a wine cellar play 3 acoustic songs and banter with Tobi from the radio about glockenspiels and the appropriate age to start learning the accordion. The rest of the day is spent at Uncorked, a cosy-cool wine bar on the east side of Austin. On the outdoors stage we experience the sunset looking out across the wine bar’s garden, the highway and the Austin skyline. Easily the most beautiful view yet. 3 hours later we’re the most boring rockband in town lying in our beds.
Day three – Friday
After a lazy run around the neighbourhood we stay in, we drive to the south side of Austin and have a change of gastronomical scenery: exchange the chips and salsa for a pasta dish and a bloody mary. On to Beauty Bar, where the “Spot on Denmark” showcase took place. Lars from “Lars and the Hands of Light” had a baby girl 3 days ago, so we filled in for him and played a nice half-hour set. After a few hours of intense networking with the music-industry people present (from whom we get very good response…) we take the minivan to Hyatt, where we have been booked for an official second show; an acoustic show this time. Thick carpets, hushed tones, salt-rimmed martini-glasses, high ceilings, and a small but appreciative crowd. The contrast to the following show couldn’t get any bigger: at Charlie’s house 15 minutes outside the city, we play an acoustic show live (on KAOS Radio) right in Charlie’s living room amongst laid-back friends, house-party-atmosphere and Charlie’s puppy, Coltrane running around all over the place. A very cosy way to end the day. Tomorrow (Saturday) at the Swan Dive we’re on at 10 pm for our official SXSW gig. Can’t wait.
Cheers
Kasper & AFM
