About the time I started looking for a place to stay in Austin for SXSW this year, my enthusiasm waned and I began considering a stay in San Antonio instead. This reconsideration isn't because I dislike hip after-hour parties peppered with people happy to shmooze me until my inability to help their career becomes apparent; it's not an aversion to sleeping on floors or sharing a friend's couch with his dog; it doesn't even have anything to do with the glassy feeling I sometimes get around large groups of Californians. If I stay here it's because of the wealth of good music happening at local venues as national acts stop for a night in San Antonio on their way to or from the over-stylized, over-populated, over-priced college town an hour north of us.
On Thursday, March 14, Casbeers hosts the Bottle Rockets and Say Zu Zu. The Bottle Rockets came early to the alt-country scene, and a special soft spot for Doug Sahm helps to separate them within the genre. At Strutter's, three ex-members of Murder City Devils perform as the newly formed Dead Low Tide, along with the ex-Unsane frontman's new vehicle Pleasure Forever, Cutthroats 9, and White Heat. Tacoland brings back Geraldine and Land of the El Caminos, two good-time, noisy powerhouse rock bands whose constant touring often includes San Antonio. Systems in Station opens.
Bob Log III, Boxcar Satan, and Suzie Bravo play at Saluté on Friday, March 15. If you haven't seen Fat Possum records' helmeted one-man wonder, be sure to catch him — there is no musician I can compare him to or sound I can explain that gives any insight into this true original. Touch and Go's Boxed Up are at Tacoland with the Perturbed, the Baghdad Bombers, and Shit City Dreamgirls.
The following night, Tacoland hosts NYC metal bands JJ's Paradise Players Club, the Brought Low, and Speedloader.
On Sunday, March 17, the metal continues at Saluté with New Jersey's super-heavy southern-styled stoner-rockers Half Way to Gone, with the Suplecs and 9 lb. Tongue. It's padded head-banging good enought to keep me — and hopefully you — in town this week. ♦
SXSA
The Bottle Rockets, Say Zu Zu
9pm
Thursday, March 14
Casbeers, 1719 Blanco Road
732-3511
Dead Low Tide, Pleasure Forever, Cutthroats 9, White Heat
9pm
Thursday, March 14
Strutter's, 2718 N. St. Mary's Street
737-2141
Geraldine, Land of the El Caminos
9pm
Thursday, March 14
Tacoland, 103 W. Grayson
223-8406
Bob Log III, Boxcar Satan, Suzie Bravo
9pm
Friday, March 15
Saluté, 2801 N. St. Mary's Street
732-5307
Boxed Up, the Perturbed, the Baghdad Bombers, Shit City Dreamgirls
9pm
Friday, March 15
Tacoland
JJ's Paradise Players Club, the Brought Low, Speedloader
9pm
Saturday, March 16
Tacoland
Half Way to Gone, the Suplecs, 9 lb. Tongue
9pm
Sunday, March 17
Saluté
