Music & Film Fri Mar 16 2007

SXSW Tour Diary - Day Two With Office (Music From Midnight Movies and Robbers On High Street)

By Craig Bonnell

Here's more from our resourceful band Office; they party, get free stuff and hang in hot tubs down in Austin at SXSW so you don't have to! Office play next today at 5:15 at the Fader Party at The Fort.

(Hot tub party with Office and Robbers On High Street)

"Yesterday was a banger, from start to finish. Scott and I woke up early and ate the mediocre, overpriced breakfast at the hotel, rounded up the troops and headed to our afternoon show at the Nylon/Diesel house. The house is in the middle of a residential neighborhood outside of the main festival area and was a classy little joint with a large live room and several loungy nooks.

We played to a virtually empty room (only Nylon folks and our posse were there), but it was nice to warm up in front of our friends and prepare for our big label showcase coming up later that night. After our performance we were whisked into a dressing area where they hooked us up with free jeans and did an interview for Nylon TV (Nylon Mag's webcast). The swag train led us to free sneakers and Bloody Marys after we left the day's first party and before we loaded in to the Ritz.

All of our Scratchie/New Line buddies were already there as we schlepped in our gear. There were some rousing acapella renditions of mid-90s favorites (think Candlebox and Collective Soul) as we awaited our soundcheck. After everything was deemed aurally satisfactory, we headed to 1887, a café in the swank Driscoll Hotel. We dined boisterously in the 19th Century French-bistro style dining room, riffing on Alanis Morisette's take on irony, baby names and joke immunity (Erica's new nickname is Joe Community, for her penchant for making gay jokes and liking the ladies).

We retired to our manager's room upstairs to watch The Office (isn't it ironic?), take disco naps and put our faces and wigs on. Once outfitted, I took to 6th St. to soak up the ambience and get psyched for our first really big show down here. Jesus freaks preached from their soapboxes as kids with every type of terrible haircut pranced along the main drag. I shopped for a porkpie hat and came up empty.

As I arrived at the Ritz for our Scratchie/New Line Showcase, Detroit's The Sights were killing with their brand of garage-psych. Organs, riffs and Leslie speakers spinning in resplendent glory. LA's Midnight Movies followed with their rich, Velvet-y drone punctuated with lovely female two-part harmony. Then it was our turn. We wereamped up with adrenaline as we looked out into the packed room and did our best to bring the house down. By sets end we were drenched in sweat and completely drained. Robbers on High Street followed and were brilliant as usual. Some of us Office kids ended up on stage for their final song for a little incidental hand percussion. Albert Hammond Jr. let the crowd sweat in anticipation as he waited in the alley to make his entrance. He and his band plowed through their set precisely, leaving little to chance.

By night's end we were exhausted, and there was only one thing we could do: hop in the hotel hot tub with our boys from Robbers. All I can say is that there was a lot of love in that tub, and I think at least some of it was only platonic. We returned to our rooms wet and reeling, in our underwear and suitcoats. Now it's time to do it all over again!

(p.s. I'll try to get some hot tub pix to you. They are hilarious!)"

[mp3]: Patient Eye - Midnight Movies

[mp3]: The Fatalist - Robbers On High Street