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[March 19, 2010]

First day of music fest is bittersweet at South by Southwest

AUSTIN, Mar 19, 2010 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- As the first notes of Dawes' set at Club de Ville began Wednesday, I was just wrapping up a quick glance at Twitter when I read: " Alex Chilton has died." The sad news (coupled with the news flash moments later about North Texas country legend Johnnie High's passing) immediately cast a pall over South by Southwest, ordinarily a celebration of music in just about all of its various forms. The news about Chilton's death didn't spread immediately through the crowd -- I noticed, as the night went on, that more people seemed to be talking about it in passing conversations -- but it lent a bittersweet note to this California band's soul-streaked Americana. An impressive showing from a band that is buzzed about online and in print, Dawes proved once again that sturdy rock 'n' roll never, ever goes out of style.

Easy listening: The Austin Chronicle, in its review of Catherine MacLellan's sterling showcase, likened her to Gillian Welch, but I felt like the Canadian songstress hewed closer to Shawn Colvin territory (po-tay-to, po-tah-to, I know). In any case, MacLellan's show was a chance to pause amid an already crazy festival -- that Wednesday was also St. Patrick's Day didn't help matters on Sixth Street -- and savor the sounds of plainly, beautifully performed songs. Augmented with atmospheric electric guitar, MacLellan soothed SXSW attendees before sending them back out into the maelstrom of music.

Straight outta Fortaleza: One of the best aspects of SXSW, overcrowded or not, is the ability to become a human iPod Shuffle: skipping from venue to venue, roaming around town and immersing yourself in sounds from around the world. That's how I came to be in front of Brazilian duo Banda Desenhada, whose shimmering pop made me think of Stereolab for some reason. It's much more ambling and cheerful than Stereolab, but nevertheless, it was another pleasing burst of pop-rock in an eclectic evening.

The new Dylan: Think Ryan Adams via Jim James by way of the Louisiana backwoods and you've got a rough idea of what Dylan LeBlanc brings to the table. A hesitant, young singer-songwriter with a powerful voice and some engrossing tunes took to the Emo's Jr. stage (an incongruous setting if ever there was one) to not exactly silence so much as will the audience to listen. (Sadly, SXSW can't even escape the dreaded Audience Chatterbox.) Nevertheless, LeBlanc's soulful set was impressive, guaranteeing that I'll be on the lookout for his debut this year.

And, with that, night one was a wrap. Stay tuned for the antics from day two.

Preston Jones is the Star-Telegram pop music critic. 817-390-7713 To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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