The first major event of the third day of our music coverage at South by Southwest wasn't a concert, but an interview. Taipei Houston , the duo formed by brothers Myles and Layne Ulrich Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich ), came onto our radar during our research on artists performing at SXSW this year. It's true that what initially caught my attention was their famous last name, especially since they're just starting out as a band, but a quick look at some of their live performance videos available online reveals several reasons to pay attention to the duo.
We went to Scoot Inn, a bar located a little outside the more central area where everything usually happens at SXSW, and during the day, with the sun we've been having here, that can mean a less than pleasant walk, let's say. Oh, if it wasn't already clear, those who don't get paid in dollars walk quite a bit around here. But despite the sweat, everything was fine. Scoot Inn is a bar with a stage in a large open area, and there we found brothers Myles and Layne, accompanied by their manager Carina, waiting their turn to do their soundcheck.
I won't go into detail about the interview itself right now because that conversation deserves more attention. For now, I'll just leave you with the extremely positive impression that these young musicians left on us during the interview. Humble, polite guys, with a lot to say, and who really seem to know what they're talking about. Oh, and some information that might be important in the future: apparently, this was the duo's first interview, so if they ever become big names, let it be recorded here!
Our mission after returning from Scoot Inn was another interview. This time, with the Brazilian rapper Bivolt , whose show we attended on Tuesday and about which I've already written . We had scheduled this interview with her for right after her second show, which was still during the day, at Brush Square Park, in an event called International Day Stage. We ended up taking some more pictures of this performance by the São Paulo native, who, sporting another "key" look, as she likes to say, once again got Brazilians and foreigners dancing (not always and not all to the rhythm, it's true) along with her.
We conducted the short interview right there , and despite being interrupted a few times by new fans who came to say hi and enthusiastically praise the artist, we managed to get some really nice words from her about all her excitement and joy at participating in the Festival. Before parting ways, I also had the honor of trying to teach Bivolt a little bit of the Cornhole game (look it up!). Little success, considering I'm not very good at it either.
We returned to the Scoot Inn in the early evening to check out the Taipei Houston brothers' performance, and I can say that, even expecting something good, I was still pleasantly surprised. Myles' drumming is fast and precise, without being clean, if you know what I mean. Layne is surprisingly versatile, both in vocals and on bass, which he sometimes plays much more like a guitar. The sound of the two together is a good banger, reminiscent of some of their declared influences, such as Arctic Monkeys and White Stripes , and reverent to classics of yesteryear, as clearly evidenced in the duo's insane cover of "Eleanor Rigby".
Back in the more central area of Austin, we passed by a place called Creek and the Cave Backyard. The show was by Scottish singer KT Tunstall, the same one from the worldwide pop hit “Suddenly I See” from 2005. It's true that most of the shows at SXSW aren't by already famous musicians, but here and there, some events with big-name artists appear. Our curiosity got the better of us, and even though we were quite tired, we went inside Creek and the Cave and squeezed ourselves a bit into the middle of a crowd that seemed a tad older (I'm not exactly young, so I can say) than the standard crowd we've been seeing.
Regarding KT, I must say that, even though I'm not exactly a fan, I have to take my hat off to the artist. She sings very well, and despite the success and notoriety she achieved years ago, she has in her DNA the gene of the street musician, who needs to entertain their audience very quickly and all the time, something that also has a lot to do with SXSW and with the up-and-coming artists and the 40-minute performances of the Festival.
This is also very clearly visible, whether in her "one-woman-band" setup playing guitar, harmonica, and accompanying herself with recorded loops replicated throughout the songs, or in the way she interacts with the audience between songs and jokes about herself, any mistakes in the performance, and her status as someone who achieved stardom years ago and is back at SXSW, 16 years after her first performance here.
Phew, I think that's it. More tomorrow!
