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sxsw2012 Wed Mar 14 2012
SXSW 2012 Tour Diary: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Day 2
The latest update from Billy Bungeroth of JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound from down in Austin at SXSW. Photos and video from the band create a lively multimedia montage.
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Day 2
SXSW is a madhouse and it hasn't even started yet. We have two shows to play tonight before official heck in begins tomorrow — one for a Google Party the other for an Innovate Chicago party. We wind up setting up at the first gig and the schlepping our equipment six blocks through a sort of Wrigleyville meets Mardi Gras with Mumford and Sons lookalikes standing on every corner atmosphere to the next. The sets are and the good band continues to play well. In all honesty though we got upstaged by an awesome quartet of thousand year old Japanese punks superheroes called Peelander Z. Basically the Peelanders dress like power rangers or giant squids and bowl themselves across the stage — literally bowl while playing Shonen Knife meets the Ramones dlacored punk.
Our second gig goes great, no squids no problem. Lots of folks dancing. I'm not sure what I expected but this is a scene like no other. In a week I'll be better equipped to say. It's crowded, which stinks, but it's with music, which rules.
The day off has us swimming at a watering hole called Barton Springs and it has me thinking *mdash; I'm getting the feeling that this band is getting better and is going to make good on the promise of some of the hype. That's not to say I believe the hype. I'm quicker to side with our detractors rather than our supporters most days. But the shows are solid, real solid. It's not Pitchfork. It's not retro soul. It's not always hip. And it's not mass appeal. But I'm beginning to see its something else entirely. It's genuine.
I'm not sure if that will sink or swim amongst the rest of competition. But I'll be sure to keep you posted regardless.
-Billy
See JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound's full SXSW schedule below:
Monday 3/12/12
8pm
Flamingo Cantina
515 E. 6th St, Austin, TX
Wednesday 3/14/12
4pm
Presented by: Dog Fish Head & Blurt Magazine
Gingerman Pub
301 Lavaca St. (at 4th), Austin, TX
5pm
Presented by: Brooklyn Vegan
Hotel Vegas
1500 E. 6th St., Austin, TX
Thursday 3/15/12
1:30pm
Presented by: Paste Magazine
Stage on Sixth
508 East 6th St., Austin, TX
4:30pm
Presented by: Let's Get Messy
The 512
408 E. 6th St., Austin, TX
Friday 3/16/12
Noon-7pm (band plays around 5pm)
Presented by: Bloodshot Records
Yard Dog Gallery
1510 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX
3pm
Presented by: Bloodshot Records
Jovita's
1619 S. 1st St., Austin, TX
Saturday 3/17/12
TBA (around 1pm)
Presented by: Ryan's Smashing Life
Rusty's
405 East 7th., Austin, TX
7pm-2am (band to play at 1am)
Presented by: Bloodshot Records
Red Eyed Fly
715 Red River, Austin, TX
