11:22 am - Wed, Mar 30, 2011

6 notes

SXSW Recap - part two!

While the line outside was growing down the street, our special guests for the night, Greensboro, NC’s Harvard, were inside sound checking (as This Time Next Year watched on). 

I first heard about these guys in 2008 but this was my first time seeing them live and I was seriously blown away. Do yourself a favor and  check out this talented, talented band!

Following Harvard was our Walnut Creek, CA pop-punkers, This Time Next Year. The band has just wrapped up recording their sophomore full-length album with New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert, which will be out later this year. They even performed “Drop Out Of Life”, a new song off of the upcoming album! Alternative Press recently posted an acoustic version of the song HERE and we’ll be posting their set on livestream soon as well!

With seven members, all of whom are percussionists, packed onto the stage, Wild Orchid Children rocked the house with their blend of trippy, swirling guitars and explosive percussion work. And Kirk’s vocals? Mind-numbingly captivating…pretty much a musical acid trip. I wish I could have caught their set at the SXSeattle showcase the following day. Bummed I missed it, but I heard it was an amazing show.

Next up were our mad musical scientists in ORBS. Comprised of Dan Briggs (Between The Buried And Me), Ashley Ellyllon (ex-Cradle of Filth/Abigail Williams), Adam Fisher and Goose Holyoak (Fear Before) and Chuck Johnson (Torch Runner), the group performed songs off of their latest release, Asleep Next To Science. I can’t even stand how good these guys (and gal) are. I can never get enough of them! Be sure to catch them on tour right now. Dates can be seen HERE.

And if this show wasn’t already bursting with great music and talent…Gatsbys American Dream played. Did you read that? GATSBYS. AMERICAN. DREAM. It was their first show in five years and I don’t think that I, or anyone that was at the show, has recovered from it yet. They were bouncing around the stage like they never left and the crowd was shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs – even the two new songs! Not gonna lie, I spent the whole set trying to hide my ear-to-ear grin. Impossible. Their set was so much fun. Please stick around for awhile dudes, you’re so damn talented. If you haven’t heard their newest songs yet, be sure to check out “Modern Man” and “Untitled”.

Welcome back boys.

Our Tyler, TX darlings, Eisley, rounded out the evening with a set filled with older fan favorites as well as songs off of their new album, The Valley. I don’t know how they do it but their shows are always flawless – the music, their vocals, everything. Just flawless. Eisley was also our busiest band down at SXSW with an intense schedule of four full performances and at least three acoustic performances. If you still couldn’t get enough of them down in Austin, relive their set from PureVolume, which is featured HERE. The kind people at SPIN.com have also featured them as a hot new artist – check it out HERE!

And thank you again for everyone who attended, performed, sponsored, enjoyed the open bar, and watched the show online. You are all so wonderful and absolutely made my week. Thank you so much for being a part of our showcase!