Culture

A Tale of Two Bands at SXSW

Not all South by Southwest band experiences are created equal. Some groups unleash their music on writhing crowds of adoring fans, while others play to bartenders in empty rooms. Most fall somewhere in between. I followed two groups -- Grooms and Weekend -- to get a behind-the-scenes look at SXSW Music from the view of bands that play there.
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Grooms at SXSW 2011

When I meet up with Travis Johnson from Grooms, he’s talking with his mom, Susie, outside the Palm Door where he’s about to play. Susie lives in Dallas and had some business at SXSW, so she came out to see him. Travis is flustered from having to drive into Austin in heavy traffic and find a parking spot, but he doesn’t show it. It takes a few hours of hanging out with him to be able to get a read on what he’s thinking. Like Weekend, Grooms is also a trio, with Travis singing and playing guitar, Emily Ambruso on bass and vocals and Jim Sykes on drums. Onstage they are at once explosive and introspective, a little shy but not afraid to make a racket. While executing his complex guitar riffs, Travis often springs up onto his toes, falls backward away from the mic or lifts his guitar over his head. The band seamlessly moves from guitar-picked grooves to cathartic crashes to sweetly soft soundscapes, all in a matter of minutes. Grooms' singer/guitarist Travis Johnson chats with his mother, Susie, at SXSW. At the Palm Door, Grooms play a set of all new songs, and it kicks ass. Unfortunately it’s an early show and not many people know to come in from the deck outside, where DJs have previously been spinning. There are fewer than 20 people listening intently in the large venue. The response, after driving all the way from Brooklyn where Grooms frequently play to full houses, is a little disheartening. “How did it sound?” asks Travis. I tell him it sounded great, which it did, but I know it’s a small concession. It's an all too common scenario at SXSW, where bands don't quite connect with the crowds of people who would be interested if only they got a chance to hear the music. As Grooms' members pack up, I talk to Travis' mom and aunt, Melanie, who also arrived before the show. His mom is glowing and proud. She tells me how she used to sing Travis songs by The Beatles when he was young to get him to fall asleep.

Photos: Keith Axline/Wired.com

See Also:- Photos: Scenes From SXSW as Bands and Fans Swarm Austin