This year was much more satisfactory than last and didn’t over-twee it. Instead, a little more diversity and a lot more fun.

Top 10 for 2011!

1. Quiet Company, The Marq & Lipstick 24

In my anal retentia prior to SXSW, I listened to 600 bands and made a short list of about 100 that I would listen to over and over again in preparation for the festival. In my notes on these guys I had written “Epic choruses, a must-see.” Dead on in my assessment, the first time I saw these guys this year, I lamented the fact that I was at a show alone and having to dance and sing-along with a field of strangers. Far and away, my favorite band this year. You can’t go wrong with a horn section, guys who dress in tie and jacket to play, and hooky choruses.

We loved them so much we bought the t-shirt and followed them on Twitter. Not to mention, got an immediate shoutout from them on Twitter & answers to a question. Love!

2. Geographer, Betsy’s/Yelp Day Party

San Francisco based bands I haven’t yet seen dominate my top 10 this year – leading the fray is Geographer. Despite a broken leg in the group, they managed to pull off a tight and energetic set that made me want to go see them every possible chance. They are the closest thing to an actual rock & roll band we saw – straightforward and honest.

3. Uccello & The Calder Quartet, The Velveeta Room

SXSW has slowly been expanding their classical offerings. This year had a full evening of modern classical curated by Gabriel Prokofiev (who DJed). These two groups, Uccello, a quintet and the Calder Quartet, were amazing. Modern strings played with verve in a non-traditional venue. We were whooping and hollering as we watched these groups play. The Calder Quarter played some modern compositions that they had especially commissioned, making the evening even more entertaining.

4. Sugar & Gold, Toulouse/SF Embassy Day Party

This San Francisco based band had me mentally grooving and the tight quarters revealed a smile on every face in the courtyard. Eating watermelon and playing keyboards mid-day seemed perfectly natural. Can’t wait to seem them play out and about in town.

5. Yearbook Committee, Esther’s Follies

We raced to this show, only thinking we’d stay for a song or two before hitting another act. I ended up staying for all but one song of their set. They look like they met on a yearbook committee, with the sort of adorable nerdiness you recognize in all those who cut & paste images of everyone else in school. These multi-instrumentalists were interesting – breaking out a cookie sheet to make noise at one point, overlaying it all with sweet vocals. My favorite is their song Watermelon. You’ll be humming it for days.

6. The Limousines, Buffalo Billiards

This group, another SF-based band I’ve yet to see on my home turf, had a great connection with the audience. People were super engaged and delighted to rock out with this quartet. I admit to being obsessed with the lead singers wrist tattoo – super cool!

7. Lord Huron, The Stage on Sixth Street/Paste Day Party

A friend called this sound “retro civil war hipness” and they would be right. However, Lord Huron seems to do this better than most of the bands from this genre and put on an unexpectedly good set at the Paste Day Party.

8. Anamanaguchi, Mohawk (inside)

One of my favorite venues in Austin couldn’t disappoint this year – a kaleidoscope of music and videos entertained me during the set. This isn’t deep, meaningful music, but it IS fun chip bit music. Great for the work day -  doesn’t distract, and you can play along in your head.

9. Capsula, Nuvolo

This was the Spanish Iggy Pop + band. Full of histronics that included walking over to the bar and drinking someone else’s beer, this band proved to be the perfect antidote to the sweeter stylings we had been hearing. Energetic and punk en espanol.

10. The Bangles, Cedar Street Courtyard

I wasn’t going to include them in my top 10, but who am I kidding – the 16 year old inside of me was DELIGHTED to see a band I sang along to driving in my dove gray Monte Carlo in the late 80s/early 90s. They sound pretty much exactly the same and played every song you hoped they would. It was funny, I even predicted they would open with Hazy Shade of Winter and I was right. Also, the most packed show of this year’s festival for me.

Also, there is no way not to give huge shoutouts to my two favorite bands from last year, Jeremy Messersmith and The Spring Standards. We saw both twice again this year – both are on tour at the moment, too. Go see them!

All Shows!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

• Sharon Van Etten, Hilton Lobby
• The Vaccines, AOL Pop-up show at First Baptist
• Or, The Whale, Cheers
• Judgement Day, Sixth Street
• Jeremy Messersmith, The Stage on Sixth Street
• Toro Y Moi, Red 7 Patio
• Lord Huron, The Stage on Sixth Street
• Kopecky Family Band, The Stage on Sixth Street
• Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, The Stage on Sixth Street
• Sondre Lerche, The Stage on Sixth Street
• Eisley, The Stage on Sixth Street
• Ivan & Alyosha, The Parish
• Yearbook Committee, Esther’s Follies
• Ted Leo, Swan Dive
• Yeti Lane, 512 Balcony
• Tahiti 80, 512 Balcony
• Spring Standards, Esther’s Follies

Thursday, March 17, 2011

• Sugar & Gold, Toulouse/SF Embassy Party
• The Head & The Heart, ACC Day Stag
• The David Wax Museum, The Stage on Sixth Street
• The Submarines, The Stage on Sixth Street
• Capsula, Nuvolo
• California Wives, Buffalo Billiards
• The Limousines, Buffalo Billiards
• I Was Totally Destroying It, Easy Tiger
• Quiet Company, The Marq
• The Bangles, Cedar Street Courtyard
• The Sounds, Cedar Street Courtyard

Friday, March 18, 2011

• Maps & Atlases, Cedar Street Courtyard
• The Forms?, Red Eyed Fly
• Geographer, Betsy’s
• Jeremy Messersmith, Betsy’s
• Black Atlantic, Brush Square Park
• Uccello, The Velveeta Room
• Gabriel Prokofiev, The Velveeta Room
• The Calder Quartet, The Velveeta Room
• Chain Gang of 1974, ND
• Sondre Lerche, Central Presbyterian

Saturday, March 19, 2011

• Quiet Company, Lipstick 24
• Mother, Paradise
• Ha Ha Tonka, The Liberty
• The Spring Standards, Base Invasion Parking Lot
• Kitten, Brushy Square
• Anamanaguchi, Mohawk (inside)
• Pujol, Mohawk Patio
• Elephant Stone, Spill
• Intimate Stranger, Maggie Mae’s
• JEFF the Brotherhood, Mohawk Patio
• Ume, Skinny’s

Founder Cariwyl Hebert also announced quite a few fun things at the most recent event. One of these is a text fact of the week. To get this for free, text Salon97 to 41411. (As the commercials say, your text message rate still applies – hopefully you are smart and have unlimited texts, as I do.) Cariwyl has also been blogging about a composer a week. This week is Amy Beach – one of the new-to-me composers I heard at one of the very first events.  Her music is delightful.

Look out for the next event at Citizen Space on June 17th, 7pm!

As in years past (2007, 2008), here’s a complete list of all the shows I saw last week, and the top 10 shows of the week. I had the pleasure of spending the week seeing bands I’ve wanted to see for a long time (hello, The Hold Steady and The Thermals) while also checking out new-to-me bands and artists. Some of which were fantastic, and some of which were just okay. With the exception of one weird show, everything was pretty darned good.

Note: I did lose some of the notes from Wed, so I’m missing a band or two.

Star means I’d suggest checking ‘em out if you’ve got the chance.

Top 10 2009 SXSW Shows

1. The Hold Steady
2. The Thermals
3. The Little Ones
4. Drink Up Buttercup
5. School of Seven Bells
6. We Were Promised Jetpacks
7. The Peekers
8. The Emeralds
9. +/- {Plus/Minus}
10. Alessi’s Ark

WEDNESDAY

Sad to say! I can’t remember the first band we saw

Drink Up Buttercup* at Beauty Bar

This band rocked it hard – playing garbage can lids, an energetic show on a Wednesday afternoon. Would highly recommend seeing them live if possible.

Maus Haus at Emo’s Annex (IODA Day Party)

OK.

Blind Pilot* at Emo’s Annex (IODA Day Party)

Nice band I had no knowledge of beforehand — enjoyed their mellow tunes and the combo of male & female vocals. Can’t stop listening to them now.

We Were Promised Jetpacks*  at Emo’s Annex (IODA Day Party)

These guys kicked ass and evidently blew the socks off quite a few people during the week.

Future Clouds and Radar at The Dog & Duck

Unfortunately, this set turned into a bit of background music as we were near the back. Enjoyable none-the-less.

Arms & Legs at Pangea

Arms & Legs had the distinction of being the only band we saw all week to play compressed air into a microphone. Not sure it added much, but was interesting. Mellow, but a bit disappointing to see two drummers playing click tracks and not creating the potential dynamic.

Other Lives at Buffalo Billiards

Super mellow, but disappointeing in the end. Left the show to go check out other stuff.

Vetiver* at Emo’s Jr.

Something I want to check out later, but wasn’t a rocking show.

The Black Jacks at Paradise Lounge

Angus & Julius Stone* at Buffalo Billiards

Walked into this show after the Black Jacks and was stoked by the loveliness of the music. Definitely want to check out this band some more.

School of Seven Bells* at Buffalo Billiards

Amazing.

Mother Mother at Habana Calle 6 Patio

Meh. Couldn’t get into the vocals, which were so distinctive they drove the music.

THURSDAY

The Bones Royal at Peckerheads

Energetic, basic rock.

Great Lakes Myth Society at Red 7

Another show, like Other Lives, where I was disappointed. Evidently it picked up after we left, but didn’t inspire me to listen to them again.

The Hard Lessons* at Red 7 Patio

We walked outside after Great Lakes Myth Society and found ourselves totally rocking out to these guys.  Just what we needed. Plus, they did a Neil Young cover.

Trail of Dead at the Mohawk

Black and White Years* at Elysium

The Arkells* at Cedar Street Courtyard

Really want to listen to them some more.

Sam Roberts* at Cedar Street Courtyard

This Canadian brought his own crowd, but we really liked him too.

Two singer-songwriters whose names I didn’t catch at Dirty Bill’s (Yes, I wrote down EVERYTHING we heard.)

Sybris* at Prague

Caught the tail end of the set and wish we’d seen more.

+/-{Plus/Minus}* at Prague

A great way to end the second night of music. I’d been listening to their stuff non-stop before I hit Austin and it was great to see them live.

FRIDAY

Friday we agreed to take it easy, and still managed to see 12 bands!

Obits* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!

These guys were a great way to start the day.

Horse Feathers* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!

Also, really enjoyable.

American Analog Set* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!

I love this group. They are super chill and perhaps not best fit for an outdoor show offering $2 all you can drink beer. Still, I adore them and would love to see them again.

The Thermals* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!

OMS! OMS! I have been DYING to see this group and they did not disappoint. I love them. Really, better live than recorded. The best type of show. Professional, polished in terms of performance, but still rock’n'roll.

The Hold Steady* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!

You know, I don’t know why I haven’t been in love with this band forever. Being the end of a day show, they played almost 90 minutes, like seeing a full show. Blew away everything we’d seen (including the Thermals!), by executing tightly, and just fueling the end of the day. If you’re not a fan now, you need to go buy everything and go see a show!

Pete & the Pirates* at Cedar Street Courtyard for Blackberry Party

Radio friendly pop, these guys have the potential to be huge.

Beach House* at Cedar Street Courtyard for Blackberry Party

I love the sweet sound of Beach House, but after the rousing set by Pete & the Pirates, this was a little too mellow for my mood.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down* at MoMo’s

We walked in near the end and were immediately wanting to tap our toes and get grooving.

The Rosebuds* at MoMo’s

Love this band, but their live show, after all the preceeding ones in the day paled slightly. Still, worth checking out.

The Japanese Motors* at Emo’s

Enjoyed their sound but wasn’t willing to brave the crowd right away. Would have loved to have seen more of their live show.

Black Lips (featuring GZA) at Emo’s

I don’t even know where to begin with this. Basically, it seems that some members of the Black Lips ran into GZA of Wu-Tang Clan fame, smoked out, and decided to do a show together last minute. Not a good idea. I can’t dignify this with further commentary, but I will tell the story complete with hand signs, confusion and crowd responses if I see you in person.

King Khan & The Shrines* at Emo’s

They have a pom pom player. ‘Nuff said.

SATURDAY

Diego’s Umbrella* at Yard Dog

How can a band that does a highly stylized violin version of the Final Countdown be bad?

Ponderosa Stomp featuring Roy Head & Barbara Lynn at Perdenales Lofts Pavilion for the Shiny Objects & Butler Bros BYOC Vol. 4

Fun all around.

The Emeralds* at Perdenales Lofts Pavilion for the Shiny Objects & Butler Bros BYOC Vol. 4

They were definitely on my list to be seen, if possible, having found them on a Japan Nite Sampler last year. Performing in leather on a warm Texas day, they wanted to get the crowd riled.

The Peekers* at Perdenales Lofts Pavilion for the Shiny Objects & Butler Bros BYOC Vol. 4

This band had a sound I’d been seeking all week – sweet female vocals, and a lovely pop sound.

Asteroid Galaxy Tour at Maggie Mae’s

The Little Ones* at Maggie Mae’s

I’d been dying to see this band, so got right up in front and watched them rock out. Fun fun fun.

Immaculate Machine* at Habana Calle 6

A good follow-up to the Little Ones. Not as frenetic.

Alessi’s Ark* at Stephen F

What a lovely and gorgeous end to the week. Turned on to her by one of my oldest friends, Sandy, and just loved her melodious voice and sweet stage presence.

Thanks also to the awesome folks I got to share my musical adventures with:  Cloudwrangler, Kmeelyon, Weegee, Chim Chim, Tornado Magnet, Sandy, and the RVIP Lounge!

This years SXSW was so overwhelming, even moreso than the first year.  I didn't see as much music this year, choosing instead to spend quality time with various friends and just go with the flow. Still, did see some great stuff, learned about some new bands, and just hung out with friends.

I wish I could say I did a good job keeping up with my sched.org, but mainly, each day I'd pick a bunch of stuff and see if I could make it all.

Here's some of the things that I noticed this year. A lot of the bands were genuinely grateful that audience was there. Often times you get the "thanks for coming out, woo [insert name of city]" but the tonality of the thanks just felt warmer and more real. Perhaps the competition and time slots made artists just feel happy that folks showed up to their show rather than someone else.

The other things that seemed in the ether to me were bands that didn't look like the genre they played in. This is me using every stereotype in the book and subscribing to it. But still, when I saw Grand Archives, I would have *sworn* they should have been a metal band. Cut Copy were just guys in jeans in t-shirts, no matchy matchy club clothes. This happened at least five-six times. Either I'm aging, or bands have finally decided they don't need to look a certain way to fit into parameters.

And it seems that long hair is making a resurgence. Not just any long hair. It's got to be an above the shoulder bob-type hair cut. With curly/wavy hair. Like the guys in Longwave.

Last year I was able to come up with a ranked order of shows, which proved impossible this year. Mainly due to Liam Finn. He was so incredible that everyone else paled in comparison. Shows were frenetic, with him playing both guitar and drums, within a single song. His partner for the shows had at her disposal a tambourine, cowbell and cymbal, not to mention a rocking voice. Both used a variety of looping devices, but the energy was unbelievable. Blew everything else away.

The A-Sides
British Sea Power
Cut Copy
Helio Sequence
Grand Archives
Longwave
Matt & Kim
Rufus Cappadocia
The Weakerthans
Tigercity
What Laura Says Thinks & Feels

Full Schedule with my in-the-moment notes

Wednesday

Aleigh/ poet like an acrobat @ the hideout
Full rich vocals, needs more originals though loved the johnny cash covers
+ A fellow consumator!

The Wedding Present @ emo's annex
Old faves in a two piece set up miss the drums

[went do dinner & a movie, so missed some tunes...]

Simian Mobile Disco at La Zona Rosa – so that's where all the lasers
from the 70s went. Good! Not chemically prepared.

Thursday

British Sea Power @ the Mohawk my new favorite – 3guitars drums
keyboard & violin. Buy

No Age @ the Mohawk – loud for a guitarist and drummer with a
bedazzled audience. Short songs punny banter.

Cut Copy @ the Mohawk – bring back the 80s vocals & sensibilities
filtered through the indie rock lens. Made me want to dance. Buy love
watching a band enjoy their own set as much as you do

Martha Wainwright @ Austin conventpn center – daniel lanois jumped on stage too! Just okay – she can sing but not familiar enough to fit in with all the fans who were there

Rufus Cappadocia – the 18th floor of the Hilton Garden inn – plays the cello as a guitar. Not the most dynamic performer but music is more interesting than that. Buy. Went "far out" – almost like metal violin

Noah & the Whale at Friends- great investigate further – A day for strings

The Whigs – Austin music hall – just a few songs not my thing

Yo La Tengo – austin music hall – warmed up to falsetto harmonies & multi-instrumentalism, great catalog miners but drawn out instrumentals get boring

The Weakerthans at Cedar Street Courtyard love them! Just solid indie rock

Devotchka – one song, which seemed to be my relationship with them all week – just one song. but not enough to compel me to stay or to listen.

The Octopus Project – emo's – excellent showmanship

Friday

Liam Finn @ dirty dog – in love with the next gen of the Finn family.
Amazing set. Buy

Los Campesinos – cedar street courtyard – great sound, perhaps biased
by beers in the sun. Energetic. Check it out

Cut Copy @ SESAC day stage at ACC – excellent repeat

Random foray to I <3 comix party

Superchunk @ Parish – mac solo

Crystal Castles @ emo's – I'm a poor judge of electronica, indiscriminate at best. This was a quick, crazy show but definitely enjoyable.

Aloha @ Habenero Annex Patio – arrived and the show just felt dry and uncompelling. Made me wonder if this would be better recorded than live, having liked the few songs I had heard before this.

Grand Archives @ Bourbon Rocks – I heard one song and wished I'd been here instead of at Aloha – so much so I took efforts to see them the following day. My notes from this say "CHECK OUT LATER"

Helio Sequence @ Bourbon Rocks Patio – front row standing for this show brought me up close so I could see how psyched the drummer was to play. Every time he smiled, I did too. These guys were great.

Saturday

Longwave @ Cedar Street Courtyard: Excellent. And when did big hair come so back into vogue?

Liam Finn @ ACC: Yes, AGAIN!!! I must own everything he has done.

Tokyo Police Club (Acoustic) @ YR Day Stage: just ok

Grand Archives @ Cedar Street Courtyard: Love the harmonies, their aesthetic/looks don't match the sound, buy

What Laura Says Thinks & Feels @ EMC Hilton Garden Inn: Despite the shittiest band name ever, we totally unexpectedly caught this band and they were great! Can't say no to a band with keyboards attuned to organ-intensity. Mellow, cool & great harmonies. Brushes on drum – a sucker for that. Fucking awesome keyboards, lots of "ooh aahhs" – feels like the prom music I never had.

The A-Sides @ EMC Hilton Garden Inn: another act that had us leaping out of our front row seats to dance along. There's a coolness to a concert in a conference in a hotel, but this group got everyone on their feet and rocking out. Straight ahead rock-n-roll. Buy!

Tigercity @ Lambert's Patio: how fun were thes guys? How can you not love a band that looks nothing ike what they sound? How can you not love a band where one guitarist is wearing a pink shirt with a moose and the star a multi-colored boa. Passionate fans and fun.

The Autumns @ Maggie Mae's: a little rough – where indie bands

Matt & Kim @ Mohawk – started with a cover of Europe's the Final Countdown – a perfect end to the week. Great tunes while we sat on the patio, drinking and talk.

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I have to admit, this seems like it's been the year to get "cultured." There's been symphonies, and operas, and plays. There's been concerts and lectures. I've been fortunate to fall into the circle of Kevin Smokler, who has organized a series of blogger nights. This past weekend was a lovely event at the SF Conservatory of Music . This school provides a series of ongoing musical events, covering a wide variety of orchestral/symphonic music.

The physical structure is located in an area of San Francisco in the thick of it, and is a beautiful modern building that has recently been renovated so that multiple musical events can happen. We were treated to a lovely bit of wine and cheese, and chat with the staff.

Lisa Petrie, Senior Manager, Communications for the school, talked to us a little bit about the facts and figures, and a little bit of the history of Blueprint. Blueprint is designed to showcase new and innovative works, and modern music. The particular performance we viewed was entitled Synesthesia: Bridging the Senses, bringing together new musical experiences. I did feel that there were definite visual and auditory pieces to the performance, but I would challenge Blueprint, in titling a performance thus to reach out to all five senses, to truly bridge that gap. Fortunately, us bloggers had the advantage of pre-performance snacks, but olfactory sense stimulation could have been interesting, seeing as synesthesia is about that unknown link some have between the senses, with a crossover into new territory.

Small quibbles aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

The first two pieces pieces (Eight Colors for String Quartet and Sept Papillons) were ones that I don't know if I would ever listen to if recorded, but live provided an interesting sense and something intellectual to ponder. Some of this comes from the integration of non-Western elements in the case of the former, and the latter the language of opera and nature as the story of seven butterflies.

The next piece, written by local composer Jay Lyon, based on Rimbaud's Voyelles was more challenging. It was a piece of orchestrated jazz, overlaid with MC work by WiseProof, and multiple vocals including spoken word. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the mix was off and the MC dominated what was an already layered piece. I would love to hear a recording of this, just to see what a better sound mix would provide.

Philip Glass' Facades followed intermission, and featured a digital projection by Elliot Anderson. While the visuals were interesting, I would have almost preferred to listen to this moody somber piece in the dark and allow my own imagination to do the work. If anyone has ever attended Audium, you'd understand the value of sitting and listening to a variety of sounds in the dark. Still, the orchestration and instrumentation were lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed this. Seated next to me, Tyler responded at the end of the piece with "blissful" and I'd have to agree.

The final performance of the night was Les Illuminations by Benjamin Britten. Ambur Braid, a soprano brought rousing spirit to the music. I hadn't heard this particular piece before, but am well familiar with Britten's work, as he was a prolific writer of music in this century, and his music is often sung by church choirs.

The last two performances were conducted by Nicole Paiement, the Artistic Director and Conductor at the school. She came and spoke to us after the performance, where some of our group asked her about "new music" and what defines it. Much like our experience at Swarm Gallery, the question arises, how can we trust our own judgment about art? Should we be able to make our own choices or do we defer to those "in the know?" I think Nicole's assessment of this vein of questioning was to say that we have to sit with the experience and be our own judge. I would agree. It is important for us to take in the art that speaks to us, no matter the medium. But it is also incumbent upon us to push beyond our comfort levels to experience new things. This enables us to continue to grow and to find the next unseen horizon. Or merely to see it with new eyes. Or new senses.

I cherished our evening at the SF Conservatory of Music and look forward to the opportunity to return. For those of you looking to push your own boundaries, and to experience something new, the SF Conservatory of Music has generously offered 2 free tickets to a show if you mention that you read a post about the show and mention "SF Blogger" upon calling the box office. Take them up on it. And call me to go with you.

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In the past 2 weeks, I've seen three different musical events and over the course of the summer, had a chance to see both the symphony (twice!) and the ballet at Stern Grove, and several concerts. At each of these, I've been struck by how much my education in the arts prepared me to work in the business world.

I'll never forget in one of my b-school classes a operations professor talking about how we needed to think about how amazing it was to go watch a theater performance and how every night a performer gets to the same spot on the stage at the same time and that the various elements from wardrobe to lighting to props and actors have to all work closely together to put together a coherent production. He encouraged us to be as diligent in the workplace. (He had obviously never worked in the theater, because no two performances are the same, but the semblance is there…just like at work.)

However, in watching the myriad of performances (primarily live music) that I've seen this year, I've thought a lot about what I learned from various artistic experiences I've had and how I've applied that to the work force. Here's my short list:

• There are real deadlines and then there are deadlines.

In the theater, you HAVE to be ready to go opening night. There's no extra time, you have to be prepared to go on, even if you don't feel like you've rehearsed enough, or if not every seam has been sewn. Tickets have been sold and the lights are going to go down. It also means that there are a lot of sleepless nights as needed to prepare yourself for that first show.

By the same token, there were times as a dj when I'd forget that I needed to pick a new song. You know what, there's times where we could just called it a "two-fer" and be done with it, no listener the wiser.

I treat my current job much the same way. If there's a real deadline and I need to meet it, I'll be ready to go and ready to work to the deadline. If not, there might be some time to play with.

(Some day if you're good, I'll tell you about how deadlines rarely matter, but maybe that's just the ENFP in me talking. And for non-life saving jobs.)

• Speaking in public requires a connection with an audience

I worked as a dj for 5 years across college and graduate school, did theater (primarily technical theater) in college, and also was a demonstrator/educator at the Orlando Science Center for a short while. Each of those jobs required me, as I still have on my resume, "to delight and entertain the public." It helps that I'm fairly outspoken and that I like to talk. (Being a goodly combination of Southern and Italian means it doesn't stop either.) But, until I was an adult, I was fairly shy and reluctant to talk unless I knew people fairly well. This meant that getting up and teaching even kids about science was difficult. Yet, I was so excited about lightning, or pulling tablecloths out from big stacks of glasses, that I lost my fear along the way.

Right below being able to get along with people, one of the best job skills anyone can have is being able to express an idea and tell other people about it. It's one thing to be able to write, but it's another to engage someone and draw them in to what it is that's so exciting to you. The thing is, that requires being able to read your audience and adjust as you see eyes roll or attention wander. I learned those skills from the harsh audience of 7 – 9 year olds to start, then from my peers as I moved into radio and into the odd foray into acting.

• All projects need to be broken down into their components, sometimes specialists are needed

It's just like the first "research" paper you ever wrote in elementary school where your teacher gives you all the different steps (e.g. develop the topic, take notes, create an outline, write a draft, etc.). Putting on a show requires the same level of detail and has so many components. If you've got a theatrical production, you're going to have production designers, lighting designers, prop people, costumers, actors, possibly musicians, a paint crew, goodness knows what else. Each show gets broken down into its discrete pieces and a holistic project plan is pulled together. (No wonder MS Project looked so familiar the first time I saw it.) There's one person overseeing the effort (in theater, the director) and she or he spends time figuring out the best way to allocate resources for the development of the production. This is just like any large project in the work place, and I won't belabor the analogies.

Working in this way teaches you to appreciate the people who are specialists and who have talents you don't possess. Watching friends learn lines or become a different person is a rare gift, just like the stellar analyst, or person who just can envision the way a product should look.

• Writing is re-writing

How I used to dread hearing that phrase from creative writing teachers. Good grief, how many times can one write a story? Yet, invariably I'd find that a story was that much more compelling because I had taken the time to deconstruct the elements and rebuild it in a way that said something profound or rare.  In the business world, I find that I often write reports, walk away from a short while, and then re-write them. I tend to find succinct ways to express myself, or connections between 2 pieces of information that had hitherto seemed unrelated. By allowing myself breathing space, but also drawing on the discipline of revisiting, I find that my writing is more compelling to the intended audience.

I will continue to add to this list over time. After all, that's my creative license, isn't it?

UPDATE 10/16/2007:

• Sometimes the middle doesn't count as much as the start or the finish

When I was in a church choir as a child, our choir master once said, it's more important to start and finish well than to start ok, have a great middle, and then sort of flop at the end. He's right. I find that with work projects it's much the same. Some of them can be a complete beast, but the end result is so fabulous that you only remember the good part at the end. Your co-workers may feel ths same way.

• Characters studies help to understand people

One of the things I do in research is to develop personas, or characters, based on the data we have on hand. I think working in the theater gave me a good sense of how to flesh someone out, without making a caricature or stereotype out of them. Much like the best acting, I can disappear into the person I create to understand how they interact with products, marketing or the company in general.

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I received an email from my dad the other day about his entry into the replace the Florida state song contest. Turns out, people were a little tired of Swanee River, originally composed by Stephen Foster. The lyrics are definitely not the most modern, and refer to an antebellum era that doesn't fit the social moires of today.

Dad

My dad, after retiring as a Spanish and Italian professor from Rollins College, has begun writing lyrics. He's then partnered with a local jazz combo to play contemporary versions of these songs, for a soft vibe. (I love calling him and hearing him say he can't talk, because he's "in the studio.") Most of his songs are more spiritual in nature, but he does do the odd song here or there of a different bent. He decided to enter this contest and put together some lyrics in both Spanish and English to reflect the culture of Florida.

He sent me this recording of his song, with him singing. I called this morning and asked him how he did the recording and it turns out he's pimped out his Mac as a mini-studio and sang directly into the microphone over the track a friend of his recorded. Way to go! (You have to understand my dad is 73!) Now, his singing is a little off-key, but one of the requirements of the contest is that it can be sung by anyone. I feel that this is it.

Anyway, for your auditory pleasure, I present Cancion Floridiana. Once I have an English language version, I'll post that as well.

Song submissions are due October 1. My Dad is kicking things off. Hats off to you, Poppy!

01 CANCION FLORIDIANA

Dad

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Originally written for the "fun" email group at work, October 28, 2005. You can see my updates at the end of the post, I'll try to keep it fresh.

Top 10 of all Time

1. The Pixies playing under the name "Black Diamond" at the Rocket Club in Tampa, crowd of 200 people right before their last tour before they broke up the first time, 1991. I was so close to the stage Black Francis and Kim Deal sweat on me. Followed by a show 2 days later of a 1500 or so at the Beach Club in Orlando. (Hey, this was the same tour referenced by Grieder below.) Their show at the Greek in Aug 2004 was awesome as well.

2. Big Audio Dynamite/UB40/The Pretenders/U2 – Bernabeu Stadium – Madrid Spain – for $12!! Summer '98

3. Sugar – CMJ Music Showcase/ Random Warehouse in SoHo (NY) – Fall 1992 – one of their first public appearances, this show was one of the loudest I've seen. But it made me sad I never saw the Du.

4. Yo La Tengo – Venue? Atlanta – Fall 93/ The Social Orlando/ Fall 93 – I saw them multiple times this tour and they never played the same set list twice. Fantastic entertainment.

5. The Dismemberment Plan – The Social – Orlando, FL – Summer 2003 – Final tour before they went bust – I love them, the show went on for a long time, and they managed to include all the crowd favorites.

6. The M's – Bottom of the Hill – Feb 2006/ Rickshaw Stop – March 2006 – I went to see Archer Prewitt (of The Sea and Cake) and these guys opened. He sucked and they rocked. I went to see them again a month later with high expectations which they managed to exceed.

7. Broken Social Scene – The Greek – July 2006 – This ensemble musical act was compelling, putting on a show, playing their music in a new way, and downright entertaining. Too bad the band they were opening for (Bloc Party) sucked.

8. Sarah McLachlan – Venue? Ybor City, FL – 1994? – I know I lost all cred by saying this show was so awesome, but literally the lights went on and the small crowd refused to leave. She ended up coming out for an unexpected third encore. (Don't get me started on the encore, the biggest waste of time…)

9. Pearl Jam – The Edge – Orlando, FL – 1991 – This was before they broke big, and I got to hang with the band before the show. Just a lot of vitality and energy in the show. Not to mention a crowd gone wild.

10. The Spitvalves – Will's Pub – Orlando, FL – December 2003 – You know how a friend says "hey, I'm in this band…" OMG, I had never gone to one of their shows, not being the biggest ska-core fan, but they knew how to rock it. Sadly, since disbanded.

Worst shows? In no particular order

Yo La Tengo – The Station – Fern Park, FL – 1992 – They walked off stage after 2 songs and never came back on

Stereolab – The Fillmore – 2004 – Boring. I can sit home and listen to their music for free and it sounds exactly the same.

Tortoise – Bimbo's – 2004 – Ditto my review for Stereolab.

John Wesley Harding – The Junkyard – Orlando, FL – just not that great

The James Taylor Quartet- Bimbo's – 1996 – The show was so bad the 'zine I was writing for refused to publish the review.

And, as aforementioned, Archer Prewitt wasn't so great and Bloc Party was so bad I left.

UPDATE: 04/10/2007:

Replacing Pearl Jam and nudging everything from #2 on down would be the Rachel Fuller/Pete Townshend + Special Guests show I saw at La Zona Rosa in Austin for SXSW 2007. See the SXSW write-up for more details.

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I *finally* had the pleasure to attend SXSW — an event I've been dying to attend since my years working at Ink19 and WPRK. (Although to be truthful, PRK was all about the CMJ).

I know I'm a wee bit behind writing this up for all of you who have asked for show reports, and apologies this isn't in the long form, well-written voice of my reviews of yore. Despite my love of indie rock, I did manage to break out of the mold a wee bit, in fact, some of my fave shows of the week falling outside of that genre.

I have a chronological listing of shows I saw, but realized this would be less useful than some sort of rating of the top shows, so I've got both, with 1 line reviews, captured in real time. (photo from sanfranannie)

Treo

TOP SHOWS I SAW

#1

Artists: Rachel Fuller with Special Guests, including Pete Townshend featuring Mika, Martha Wainwright, Willie Mason, Joe Purdy, and Alexi Murdoch

Venue: La Zona Rosa

Notes Captured in the Moment:
am going to buy willie mason album show was mellow, yet fantastic; mika – epic yet needs more stage presence ; rebecca fuller did an inspired & playful set ending w/joni mitchell torch song 'blue' ; joe purdy totally played piano & then pete t. Joined to play let my love; martha was strong & charismatic performer who touched me; alexi murdoch ; INTIMATE ; final set by pete w/rebecca on piano & him singing dulcet tones

Memory:
One of the top 10 concerts I've probably seen (and yes, I keep a list). Just one of those rare moments when you realize you're seeing a legend you've watched through the years and who helped you grow as a person, surrounded by other bright young lights.

I called my brother that night to tell him what I'd seen. I can't imagine any better tribute to our childhood than to think about sharing this show with him. Xan, I wish you'd been there with me.

#2

Artist: The Budos Band

Venue: Emo's Annex

Notes Captured in the Moment:
awesome, will see them again – top 5

Memory:
I actually twitted about how they got the crowd up and dancing. I loved the fact that they shifted sets around and I just happened to catch them. *I* actually danced, which means it must have been hip-quakin' good. And it was. I went out and bought the album so I can dance at home too.

Kudos to DJ Tiki Tim for introducing me to this band a year ago, which is the main reason I wanted to see them.

#3

Artist: The Annuals

Venue: The Beauty Bar Patio

rocked the house live with humor (full set)

Notes Captured in the Moment:
Shows in Chronological Order

Memory:
This was the last show of the night at about 1am. These guys managed to have an insane amount of energy and all these funny moments, including one wherein the bassist threw his mike on the ground, realized he needed it, and then crawled over to get it. Lots of musical multi-tasking. And a show I never would have expected from their album.

#4

Artist: Sharon jones & the Dap-Kings

Venue: Emo's Annex

Notes Captured in the Moment:
this land as soul/funk, guys on stage & amazing show

Memory:
Sharon Jones knows how to put on a show  – whether drawing up audience members to sing along. Her voice is amazing and robust and the Dap-Kings make it feel like a party. I was hard pressed to leave the show, since it seemed like with Sharon, the party was gonna go all night long.

#5

Artist: The50kaitenz

Venue: Elysium

Notes Captured in the Moment:
fuck yeah! Japanese punk/pop – fun, energetic & fast – one of my fave shows this week

Memory:
You've got three guys in black suits, white ruffled fancy shirts playing punk rock. What could be more perfect? It was the sort of live experience I'd been craving all week.

#6

Artists: Octopus Project and Black Moth Super Rainbow

Venue: Elysium  

Notes Captured in the Moment:
psychedelic indie rocktronica that made me feel amazingly musically stoned

Memory:
I really enjoyed this show. I went by myself since I didn't want to miss it. It felt more like watching art – we had video projections and a theremin, two bands playing together. It was enjoyable music, but way too short.

#7

Artist: Snowden

Venue: Emo's Annex

Notes Captured in the Moment:
the indie rock band that makes me dance, a live show that expands upon recorded music (full set)

Memory:
Bassist Corinne Lee is hot. I was so excited to hear them live, since I love Anti Anti, and they didn't disappoint. I think a different venue would have done them better than an outdoor stage with poor sound quality.

#8

Artist: Beirut

Venue: Emo's Main

Notes Captured in the Moment:
amazing neo-gyspy slow tunes w/accordian, horns, guitars, ukes, clarinet, strings, mouth organ, and megaphone (full set)

Memory:
Beirut's lead singer is really young, but seems to have the vision driving everything. Someone to watch and see how they evolve.

#9

Artist: Menomena

Venue: Emo's Main

Notes Captured in the Moment:
tight & talented

Memory:
I can't expand much beyond my notes, they struck me as being very tight, with incredible musical agility.Bummed to have missed them in previous visits to San Francisco.

#10

Artist: Girl Talk

Venue: Emo's Main

Notes Captured in the Moment:
booty shakin' & body quaking

Memory:
I'm still trying to figure out how a guy with a laptop makes for a compelling shows. But it was. I think I was the oldest person there. Or maybe not. I know that a young boy, probably six, raced through the crowd to get a photo and the nice guys in front of me held him up so he could get a great shot. Adorable. But as to the music, Girl Talk is a mash up artist extraordinaire and he managed to make for a good show, which is quite surprising in some sense.

Honorable Mentions

Apostle of Hustle
Dub is the Weapon
The Pipettes

SHOWS IN ORDER

Wednesday

urban_mermaid & lilbear @ austinist

Photo by Tantek

• Apes & Androids @ austinist party @ the mohawk – look like kiss, sound like queen (4 songs)
• Apostle of Hustle @ ioda party @ emo's annex – songs about mescaline in spanish (full set)
• The Black Angels @ ioda party @ emo's annex – loud & rawking (most of set)
• The Pipettes @ la zona rosa – girl group excellent (full set)
• Emma Pollock @ emo's main – blah (most of set)
• Beirut @ emo's main – amazing neo-gyspy slow tunes w/accordian, horns, guitars, ukes, clarinet, strings, mouth organ, and megaphone (full set)
• The Mountain Goats @ emo's – mellow with a rousing closer of thin lizzy's the boys are back in town (full set)
• Illinois @beauty bar patio (2 songs) worth further investigation
• The Annuals@beauty bar patio – rocked the house live with humor (full set)

Thursday

Day 2 of Music

• Peter Buck & Robyn Hitchcock @ rhapsody party @ the mohawk – poor sound mix dampened what had the potential to be an amazingly mellow show
• Mika, Martha Wainwright, Pete Townshend, willie mason, Rebecca Fuller, joe purdy, alexi murdoch @la zona rosa – am going to buy willie mason album show was mellow, yet fantastic; mika – epic yet needs more stage presence ; rebecca fuller did an inspired & playful set ending w/joni mitchell torch song 'blue' ; joe purdy totally played piano & then pete t. Joined to play let my love; martha was strong & charismatic performer who touched me; alexi murdoch ; INTIMATE ; final set by pete w/rebecca on piano & him singing dulcet tones
• rhett bennen @ the parish – packed show w/jazzy overtonesp
• starsailor @ the parish – strong acoustic set & a powerful voice
• badly drawn boy @ the parish – attitude, not all that fab in person
• the pipette's@emo's – one trick pony? Can't decide – better sound here than friday (partial set)
• dave smallen @ emo's annex – (2 songs) powerful voice for an acoustic set

Friday

• snowden @ emo's annex – the indie rock band that makes me dance, a live show that expands upon recorded music (full set)
• menomena @ emo's – tight & talented
• girl talk @ emo's – booty shakin' & body quaking
• peter, bjorn & john @ emo's – despite their new-to-them equipment a rousing get the house jumping set that will lead to big things
• the50kaitenz @ elysium – fuck yeah! Japanese punk/pop – fun, energetic & fast – one of my fave shows this week
• the m's @ red7 – sloppiest set i've seen them play (perhaps due to the alcohol they had ingested) still their harmonies & guitars & drums made me happy
• you am I @ dirty dog- paid almost no attention so couldn't be that great
• sloan @ dirty dog – not much to say
• apples in stereo @ dirty dog – live show loses some of the melodics & harmonies i have come to expect

Saturday

• budos band @ emo's annex – awesome, will see them again – top 5
• sharon jones & the dap-kings @ emo's annex – this land as soul/funk, guys on stage & amazing show
• octopus project PLUS black moth super rainbow @ Elysium – psychedelic indie rocktronica that made me feel amazingly musically stoned
• robert gomez @ buffalo – 9 piece mellow orchestra rockin' me calmly
• midlake @ buffalo – mellow harmonies
• dub is the weapon @ flamingo cantina – got into that stoned from the music space, had to leave before lee "scratch" perry joined the stage, last show of the week

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