This is the 7th anniversary of Rob’s bike accident. Please wear a helmet. If he hadn’t been wearing one that day he would not have been able to SXSW with us this year. Always go to the show and if you ride a bike, scooter, motorcycle or whatever, always wear a helmet. PSA over.

KLRU Bloody Mary Morning @ GSDM

Husbands

Our new friend, Stephanie, was very excited about Husbands and we were her way into the party so we motivated and got there for their performance. It was solid; I enjoyed them. They are playing at du Nord on the 30th and if I didn’t already have plans to be at a different show, I would certainly consider this. (Jenn)

Yep. Really glad Stephanie motivated us to get moving for this. It was great. Nice harmonies and beats make it something we could jam to, especially first thing in the morning. (Andee)

Danielle Ponder

I just listened to a World Cafe Live featuring Danielle Ponder and I had just purchased tickets to see her in May when she comes to du Nord based on the World Cafe Live and also based on friends who saw her when she lit it up at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. (I did not make either of her performances.) I wasn’t expecting to see her at SXSW until Brenda sent me a message that she was playing the Bloody Mary Morning and we ALWAYS go to the Bloody Mary Morning, so… surprise. She was fantastic! Even better than I expected and honestly, I’m not sure why she wasn’t a contender for the Jammies. It was early and it was raining, but in some ways, that enhanced her performance. (Jenn)

Totally agree with this Jenn. She was amazing. Her story only enhances the performance. Formerly a public defender, she quit legal practice to become a singer at 40-something. As she says, proving that you can do it, whatever it is that is calling to you. I’m not sure everyone has a voice like that in them but I am glad for us that she is pursuing this dream. (Andee)

Como Las Movies (with Sabrina Ellis)

First I just have to say how much I enjoyed Sabrina Ellis warming up to join Como Las Movies on stage. And it wouldn’t have felt like SX without seeing Sabrina Ellis, so this was perfect. That said, it was raining and I already had my mind on Canada House / Mariel Buckley so I don’t know that I gave this band the attention they deserved. I also may have had a beer in my hand by this time (which was *still* early) AND I don’t really drink anymore, so lightweight Jenn doesn’t have strong memories from this other than I didn’t hate it. (Jenn)

This was fun and like Jenn said, it is always fun to see Sabrina at a show but they brought more to the stage than her theatrics. Don’t get me wrong, I love those theatrics, but this band was more than that and I don’t want them to lose credit. Their Cumbia music is both soothing and a motivation to dance, even in the drizzly rain. If this is your jam, definitely check them out. (Andee)

Canada House @ The Swan Dive

William Prince

We were fortunate to catch one of his songs. He has a great voice and tends toward more country than folk in my opinion. I also saw him perfom at AmericanaFest (without Jenn but) with Hayes Carll. He’s been tapped by the folks with the TV show Yellowstone for some songs. I believe he has First Nation heritage (that’s like Native Americans) for my US peeps. (Andee)

Sadly, as Andee said we only caught one of his songs. I loved his voice and would love to try to hear him again. Today Jenn says that Future Jenn should document their daily plan better. This was a #fail. (Jenn)

Julie Doiron

This Canadian two-piece band sang in some French and some English. They were sweet and I really enjoyed them. I imagine them playing to the open landscapes of the great north with a moose and a loon as their audience. Also, props to the Canadians for their taco bar and drink tickets. Such hospitality! (Andee)

Agree on the incredible hospitality of Canada House. The taco bar was top-notch and surely the best free food that I had during SX. As for Julie Doiron and her partner, I think she also sang a song in Spanish. Multi-lingual! They were not my jam (a little too slow and dreamy — I think this might be what they mean by shoe-gaze), but I liked the international flare. (Jenn)

Mariel Buckley

I can’t tell you how much I like this person. She opened for Matt Andersen at the Cactus Cafe a month or so ago. I went because Jenn insisted I see him. He was great, but she was what really impressed me. I just really enjoy her folky singer-songwriter performance. Then we met her and let me tell you, that thing they say about Canadians is so true. She was so freaking nice! Actually all the Canadians we met were incredibly nice. Mariel takes the cake and I really just want to sit around the cabin, drink beer and play music with her while I pretend I am Canadian. That’s not weird, eh? (Andee)

I can’t tell you how happy I am that I got to see Mariel Buckley for a second time and even more so, that I got to meet her. She’s a beauty (in my best Canadian), a true gem! Her songs are sad and lovely! I did tell Andee to go see her because of Matt Andersen. Matt Andersen has a big voice and a big presence and I was in the back of the room when I saw Mariel open for Matt. I liked her; I was the one who decided we should go early for the opener (although I always think you should go early for the opener, but I don’t have my own wheels.) I do remember specifically liking some of her lyrics, but I also felt like I missed a lot. It was good to see her in a small place and be up close and really hear her lyrics. I also liked seeing her with the guitarist from Boy Golden. I would definitely see her again! She has a full band and I’d love to see her with them. (Jenn)

Balaklava Blues

I showed my brother a video of this band and he said they were missing out by not naming themselves DrumSitter since they all sit atop a bass drum. This band is entertaining and although not something I would seek out, were a fun surprise. I looked it up and they are Ukranian (via Canada). Music connects and if this is a way to show more support for Ukraine, we are all for that. (Andee)

I concur; this band is entertaining and although not something I would seek out, they were a fun surprise. Also, Andee mentioned that they all sit atop a bass drum and I believe they all sing and they all play another instrument in addition to the bass drum. The female lead vocalist played keyboards, one of the male vocalists played fiddle and the third male (who may or may not have been a vocalist; I think he was) played guitar if memory serves. (Jenn)

CBoys SOCO Stomp

Allisen & The Wy’s Guys (outside)

The only thing I remember about this band is that they played a lot of covers and the sound was pretty terrible (not their fault). We didn’t stay in the crowd long because of the poor quality sound and we could hear them from around the corner which is when I noticed all the covers. (Jenn)

The Neighborhood Bullys (indoor)

I liked this band; the lead singer was from Brooklyn and that was obvious (well, NYC was obvious) in part I’d say because of their song titles like “Fighter Not a Lover”. I thought they were enjoyable. (Jenn)

John Doe Folk Trio (outside)

Again the sound was less than par, but it’s John Doe and this girl loves John Doe in any format, the John Doe Folk Trio being just one of the configurations. Who doesn’t love a murder ballad that involves poisonous mushrooms? (Jenn)

Folk Uke (indoor)

When they said ‘Drinkers like us better than stoners.’, they weren’t wrong. They were a little too proud of the fact that they didn’t ever practice. Just because they are children of musical royalty shouldn’t mean they shouldn’t try to be good, but I think they are coasting on their schtick. One of their songs was called “Knock Me Up”. I think it was supposed to be funny, but given the state of the things (abortion and other rights being stripped away from minorities), it didn’t strike a funny chord with me. (Jenn)

Slaid Cleaves (indoor)

As was said, it might have been the first time that a show ever started early. Sadly that also meant that the show ended earlier, but I imagine it was the same length it was always gonna be… actually I think we got an extra song out of it all. Him and his band were great and I thoroughly enjoyed this show though he seemed a little low-key / tired. He’s playing at the Back Room in Berkeley on April 20th and I’m hoping to catch him there. (Jenn)

I was really happy to have finally seen Slaid Cleaves. He has been around Central Texas for a while but with a new album out, he is touring and gaining some traction. The new Chili Queen song is great. Being from the North Texas area and loving the Terlingua West Texas area, the song checks all the boxes and seems like a classic even though it is one of the new ones. His show at the 04Center is already sold out! (Andee)

Uncle Lucius (outside)

So this band played their last show 5 years ago on March 18th, but decided to reunite and were scheduled to play their first show at Gruene Hall 5 years to the day that they played their final show (also at Gruene Hall), but then in a surprise move they instead played their first show as the surprise band closing out CBoys stage on this day. They didn’t really rock my world but it could have been the circumstances; the final band after a long day of seeing music and it was outside where the sound wasn’t great and we weren’t close to the stage so I couldn’t see very well. (Jenn)

I didn’t really know this band before the breakup but if the sound had been better, I think I would have liked them more. Why is it that venues seem to think making it louder will make it sound better? It just muffled everything into an assault of sound. Hmm. that’s a good band name… Assault of Sound. (Andee)