King Kahn and the Shrines

First up was King Kahn and The Shrines at Waterloo Park. Now I don’t know how but somehow from our Motel to the park it went from chilly and cool to hot as hell. But no matter, we got there just in time for King Kahn to be introduced and watched from the back only to realize very quickly that this was better experienced up front. So we made our way to the front and sure enough the experience was night and day. Instead of distant and pleasant the band ripped up with a Otis Redding inspired craziness. Fun stuff to be sure and aces moves from the guy in the bari sax but in the end I think everyone agreed that the club is the better place to experience this kind of band. Big stages like this just never do the trick.

Rusted Shut

We’d planned on seeing Explosions In the Sky but that was sidetracked along the way. I also missed Tara Jane O’Neil so, like many things, at SXSW you take what you can and don’t sweat what you missed. But after a lot of hanging around in Austin, we finally got back on course with Rusted Shut and holy shit the motherfuckers delivered. Kill Kill Kill hell yes! My chimp brain needed some ass whoopin’ and Rusted Shut was just the ticket. So after screamign and shouting to Rusted Shut I asked Don what he was on and he replied “On? Motherfucker I haven’t touched a gotdang drop all day!” snarled Don. Well, if that don’t beat all.

Box Elders

We then headed over to Red 7. The Box Elders were playing. It was nice 60’s inspired power pop and the guywas wearing a nice combo of a gold suit and black shorts but while pleasant, not very much to write home about. After all we were there for…

Jack Oblivion

Now the Oblivions are a great band, but while I was aware of the Reigning Sound and Greg Oblivion’s solo stuff, I had to plead ignorance to Jack Oblivion’s solo stuff. Thankfully from the first ring of his guitar and the rough and energetic sound of the band it was probably the most fun show I saw at SXSW - a perfect way to close up. Dancing our asses off to a fine example of American Rock and Roll with a band that was tight as hell but loose enough to convey all the chaotic energy that many Americana bands often forget is core to rock and roll. That’s not to say that these guys were hanging from the rafters to get the crowd riled up. They didn’t need to - the music did it for them - well, at least for me and my friends. When SXSW ends with drunken dancing, I think we done good.

Rock and Roll, Motherfuckers.
See you next year. that’s a wrap.

My SXSW 2024 Posts:

Jameson and Lonsetar SXSW 2024 Part I: (Link)
Jameson and Lonsetar SXSW 2024 Part II: (Link)
Jameson and Lonsetar SXSW 2024 Part III: (Link)

Also,

April’s recap (Link)