SXSW 2009 Sampler #2: California Bands


Los Angeles veterans Earlimart will be at Home Slice Pizza on Saturday, March 21, for a free show featuring other bands as well. See if Aaron and Ariana are keeping their vow to release a new album every year.
Earlimart: Cigarettes and Kerosene from Hymn and Her (2008)
MySpace | Website | Label: Majordomo Records
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic
Photo by alt-gramma at the Echoplex


The Shys from San Clemente, CA, have a White Stripes-influenced sound and are very busy at SXSW with shows at various venues from Thursday, March 19, through Saturday, March 21. Check their MySpace page for specifics.
The Shys: Mercy from You’ll Never Understand This Band The Way That I Do (2008)
MySpace | Website | Label: Aeronaut Records
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic
Photo by Jason Lee Parry

Juliette Commagére is now solo from Hello Stranger, but she hooked bandmate Joachim Cooder (son of Ry) as husband in a recent onstage ceremony in Las Vegas that was officiated by Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Puscifer (here). She’ll be at The Rusty Spurs on Saturday, March 21, at 8 PM with Echo and the Bunnymen! Following that she’ll be touring the British Isles and Europe.
Juliette Commagére: Hearts from Queens Die Proudly (2008)
MySpace | Label: AeronautRecords
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic

Andy Cabic’s Vetiver, currently based in San Francisco, ranges from easy acoustic to subtly electric. Vetiver’s fourth studio album, Tight Knit was released a couple of weeks ago, so their shows at Emo’s Jr. on Wednesday, March 18, and the Radio Room on Thursday, March 19, will be showcasing their new stuff. This track starts off low-key but builds to a bluesy climax that gives an idea what a live show must sound like.
Vetiver: Hurry On Sundown from Thing of the Past (2008)
MySpace | Website | Label: Subpop Records
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and Subpop Store

And now for something completely different: Los Angeles band Casxio channel Michael Jackson falsetto through a funky Motown dance groove. They’ll be performing various shows all four days of SXSW, so check out their MySpace page. This track is from an as-yet unreleased and untitled album.
Casxio: Seventeen
MySpace | Website | Label: Unsigned!

One more: The Warlocks of Los Angeles demonstrate the influence 70’s psychedelia and electric fuzz and drone of Roky Erickson, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Their fifth album, The Mirror Explodes, will be released later this year. Catch them at several dates in Austin, beginning with the Vulcan Gas Co. 2 on March 15 and culminating with the Tee Pee Records/LA Record Party on the 21st.
The Warlocks: Red Camera from The Mirror Explodes (2009)
MySpace | Website | Label: Tee Pee Records
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic

And note that Lower Heaven (see my show review), who are also playing Psychfest 2 in Austin next week along with The Warlocks, will be staying in town to play a bunch of SXSW shows. Check their MySpace page for all the dates and venues.

7 Responses to “SXSW 2009 Sampler #2: California Bands”

  1. Agnes says:

    Have downloaded ‘em all and looking forward to listening later on. Great post!

  2. alt-gramma says:

    Thanks, Agnes! SXSW is a huge, huge source of good, new music. I still wanna go.

  3. Agnes says:

    Oh me too, like you wouldn’t believe! They don’t have anything even remotely like that here in Oz.

  4. Agnes says:

    It is incredibly for me to like every single song in a multi track post, but I love every single one of these songs. That Casxio track in particular is unreal!

    I tip my hat to you my friend…

  5. alt-gramma says:

    I like all of these a lot too, not to mention I’ve been an Earlimart fan for years. I will have more SXSW samples this week that I am also extremely impressed with.

  6. jam sandwich says:

    Don’t forget Sleepy Sun out of Santa Cruz! I believe they are playing with Vetiver.

  7. alt-gramma says:

    Right! I’ll try to work Sleepy Sun in this week too.

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