SXSW 2009 Day One: Women Rock

I'm on a quest to hear great music for the next six days and nights at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and I intend to do it without spending a penny on food.

The challenge began at Toronto's Pearson International Airport when I redeemed a "Roll Up The Rim To Win" stub for a free coffee at Tim Horton's while I waited for my flight, which was almost fully stocked with SXSW delegates. Golden Dogs manager Graham Stairs told me the band was playing at 11 p.m. Since tonight isn't the official start of SXSW and my schedule is reasonably light, I made a note to see them.

The flight was early, registration went without a hitch and I found two energy bars on a table that I quickly scooped up for use when needed. I dropped off my delegate bag in our hotel suite, which had a fridge full of oddly named and highly potent microbrews, and walked down the street to Stubb's Bar-B-Q for the invite-only BMI party.

Those Darlins, a band from Murfreesboro, Tenn. with three attractive bass and guitar-playing and singing women and a drummer, played. The chicks were decked out in red and black and their mix of rockabilly, rock 'n' roll and alt.country made for good times. There's a chance I might see them again this week.

After sipping a free beer, it was time for the free food — and I went at it with gusto. I had two helpings of barbecued beef and turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, white bread, green beans, pickles and onions. The meat was delicious, and getting vegetables here can sometimes be tricky, so they were welcomed. Mission accomplished. I won't need to eat now until at least Wednesday afternoon.

I missed seeing Chuck Mead And The Grassy Knoll Boys while filling my face on the deck outside, but I could hear them. Mead was the singer for the entertaining alt.country band BR549. This new band follows a similar path, but lacks the depth and twang of its predecessor.

I returned inside to see Toronto's Elliott Brood, who received the highest grade of all those who received CHARTattack Rock 'N' Roll Report Cards during this year's Canadian Music Week. They were excellent, as always, but the electricity found in a packed Toronto club was missing. The audience still seemed appreciative of the set, which was cut short through no fault of the band.

I talked with the Elliott Brood members and producer John Critchley while veteran Austin artist David Garza took the stage. His rock is a bit bluesy, and he has a somewhat gravelly voice, but I wasn't too enthused.

I walked up to Serrano's Tex-Mex restaurant to see a group of online friends ("It's like a social club for music geeks," my evening companion Mira correctly asserted) before I headed to Beerland (which unfortunately isn't) with them.

Things were running late, but I got to see a handful of songs by Glossary, another Murfreesboro, Tenn. band. They opened with the first song from their new album, which had a similar melody to Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town." I've enjoyed this group down here before, and their roots rock with male and female vocals is something I'd see again.

I left for Friends Bar and saw a band that wasn't The Golden Dogs setting up. I walked to the back of the club and saw the group's Dave Azzolini and Jessica Grassia. "Shouldn't you be on stage?" I asked.

Unfortunately, their set time had been moved up by an hour and I missed them. But I see them in Toronto frequently and caught them Saturday night at the Horseshoe Tavern. I just thought they might appreciate a friendly face in the audience.

I stuck around for Limerick, Ireland's We Should Be Dead, and I was glad I did. It was also very appropriate to see an Irish act on St. Patrick's Day. The group have a cute and energetic singer/keyboardist, a female guitarist and male drummer and bassist. It was melodic indie rock with some synthesizer and an occasional big bottom end that caused the floor to vibrate, which they described with the same name as what's apparently a kind of Irish ice cream called Wibbly Wobbly Wonder.

They complained about Austin's sun and heat, which lost points with me, but they quickly regained them when singer Tara jumped into the crowd twice and walked and danced around the club without missing a note. The last two songs, singles "Zero Point Five" and "Forget Romance, Let's Dance!" put things over the top with rock 'n' roll spirit and passion and even some go-go dancing by Tara thrown in.

The U.K.'s Polly Mackey & The Pleasure Principle had a 17-year-old frontwoman, but still had a tray of Jager Bombs waiting for them at the merch table at the back of the club. The young group played rock with an alternative edge, but couldn't hold my attention for more than two songs, so I left to return to Beerland.

Austin's Grand Champeen, another band I've seen down here before, were up. They play straight-ahead rock 'n' roll with pop hooks, although a few songs were a little punkier. I heard shades of The Replacements, The Inbreds and The Super Friendz. Good music and a couple of free beers purchased by friends capped off a solid start to my Austin adventures.

It was nearing 2 a.m. when I returned to the hotel for a nightcap and to discuss the night's events and what's in store for the next week. I hit the couch at 3:30 a.m.

Amount spent on food (booze doesn't count): $0.