come on with the rain

It is Saturday morning and Austin, Texas, is raaaaaaiiiiiny. It is peaceful though, not really a thunderstorm, just rain. I got here yesterday and went to the mall and killed about 3.5 hours before it was time for me to go down to SXSW. The mall on a Friday night was completely interesting. Oh man. Who knew all those kinds of people could co-exist in one mall?

So I was about to leave to go downtown and I start hearing all these bangs and pops, I'm not kidding it totally sounded like guns and cannons. Then dogs started barking and you could hear people going in and out of their houses, and I'm not going to lie, my heart was beating about a million miles a minute. I had no idea what was going on. And it didn't just last a short time, it lasted for at least 25 minutes. So I went outside to my car and just see a orange-ish reddish glow from above the trees and the sounds are getting louder and more frequent and at that point I was pretty sure this was what it is like to live in the Middle East. I see someone else, just as the sky goes green (yeah like night vision) and asked him what was going on, and he said "Ummm, St. Patty's Day maybe? I just figured that out that, I was pretty sure something was going down until I remembered that." Yeah. Needless to say I felt kinda goofy. Ha.

So SXSW. I don't have a wristband or music badge, but a friend was working the back door at one of the venues so I stood around back there. The bands weren't my first pick, but I got to see some really interesting stuff and didn't have to pay, so I wasn't complaining. Lots of middle-agers rocking out. This was their night. With the Dead Kennedy's Jello (sp?) V. as MC, I don't see why not.

The bands I saw:
So the first group, I don't remember their name I'll get back to you on that one, was 5 middle-aged guys playing hardcore punk. The lead singer was bald and wore a red zoot suit with white loafers, and the keyboard player also played the trumpet, to which he attached some thing that made it sound like a guitar. You could totally see these guys practicing in one of their garages after they get off of their 9 to 5's. They weren't half bad though.

Zolar X. Yeah. I need to post pictures, that says it all. These guys have been together since the 70s, and have quite the cult following. They say they are from Plutonia, Pluto, and have their own little language they speak to the audience. Dressed in black unitards with silver sequin belts and silver boots, these three also wore blond wigs and eye-liner. I'm pretty sure I have the same wig from Sing Song two years ago. I didn't care for them much, honestly. But they were funny.

Last, but certainly not least, Ex-Girl, the Japanese trio. These girls were pretty solid, and had quite the entrance. Wearing orange plasitc dresses, lobster claws and headpieces that had three, 2 foot plush cones, they did Sing Song-esque choreography too some very electronic sounding music.When they actually played and sang (in Japanese) they were pretty talented, their drummer went freaking crazy. Once the guitarist threw a stuffed frog at the bassist, and the bassist opened one song by asking the audience "Do you want to go to the moon together?????" and striking a pose.

Yeah, it was a colorful night to say the very least. Well, thats about all I have to report. I have some things to do today, and may be heading out for some more SXSW tonight if possible. I might try to some of the shows that I really would like to see, if I can get in that is.

Listening: Rabbit Fur Coat--Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins