Northside 2013, babay. (Photo: Joshua Kristal)
Sure, we were expecting snow earlier, but in a valiant effort to keep our minds on the sunny days ahead, a slew of festival organizers have chosen today to drop new details about their summer blowouts. Hot on the heels of the recently announced Governors Ball lineup, we now have this to share.
An unseen image of Kurt Cobain at home featured in the film “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” (© The End of Music, LLC/ Courtesy HBO)
At SXSW last month, Brett Morgen got right to the point as he introduced his new documentary about Kurt Cobain, who died 21 years ago this past Sunday: “I know a lot of you have been waiting over 20 years to see some of this footage,” he told over 1,000 people at Austin’s Paramount Theatre. “So let’s just start the fucking movie.”
Take a break from scouring Airbnb for remotely affordable places to stay during SXSW, cuz passes just became available for a couple of other first-rate festivals. First off, early-bird badges went today for Brooklyn’s own Northside Festival, set for June 8 to 14 this year. Prices are $25 for Film (around 50 films are expected), $70 for Music (around 400 bands), and $245 for Innovation (around 150 speakers).
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Dead Stars was tearing through SXSW last time we caught up with them. Today they released a video that — along with their forthcoming album, Slumber, out June 17 — will do still more to solidify them less as occasional Nirvana impersonators and more as rocking band in their own right.
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Habibi at Longbranch Inn (Photos: Ankita Mishra)
SXSW certainly isn’t for everyone– the crowds, the queues, the lack of available cabs, sure to leave any New Yorker squirming– but really, there’s no better place for discovering a whole lot of great music in not a whole lot of time. While the warm(ish) Texas weather was definitely a major selling point, the ultimate goal for yours truly (plus one talented photographer pal), was to catch as many bands as humanly possible. Despite the dark cloud of an early, unexpected tragedy (luckily, we were both fast asleep at the time of the accident), the festival re-gained its momentum. Over the course of four booze-and-BBQ fueled days, we criss-crossed Austin in search of some familiar faces. Here’s what we found.
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When Baltimore-bred musician Mike McFadden came to Brooklyn in late 2012, he brought a new album with him. Having recorded virtually all of the music by himself before the move, all he needed was a band to turn it into a touring reality. Through a mutual friend, McFadden partnered with bassist Anthony Saladino and the two formed the nucleus of Animal Years.
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(Photo: Richard Kauffman)
At Baby’s All Right, Cultfever played an energetic set for an enthusiastic hometown crowd before setting off to SXSW. The Williamsburg venue’s backdrop, a mosaic of lit-up glass bottles, cut cheerful silhouettes of the band members. Lead singer Tamara Jafar leaned over the lip of the stage, looked at the people ten feet away and crooked a finger; on demand, everyone moved up.
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At the Sailor Jerry Gypsy Lounge event in East Austin, Slothrust opened their set with the same song they always open with. Simply titled “Intro,” it’s a minute and a half of intimidating sound that boldly proves Leah Wellbaum is much more than a pretty face. The crowd head-banged as the band thumped through a blistering set, literally shaking the stage.
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Dark Sister’s matching tats.
Dark Sister, the Bushwick phenomenon comprised of Jessi Wade and Tiffany Nicole, really, really, really, really like Henry Rollins. How else could one explain why they have matching tattoos of the former Black Flag frontman’s signature?
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Dead Stars (photo: Cary Whittier)
Austin’s Club 1808 felt like a soul-food roadhouse yesterday as some young dudes who clearly dig Sebadoh worked through their tight, efficient set. In the bright sun of the backyard stage, Jeff Moore, the guitarist and frontman of Dead Stars, looked younger than he had when he played a show in dreary New York last week, and bassist John Watterberg — who was excited about playing on the bright backyard stage after a long winter of playing indoors — quickly became flushed.
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