SXSW is arguably one of the greatest things about Austin. I went full force this year (through a bit of scheming, guess who ended up with an artist’s badge?), spending day and night wandering downtown.

(me loving life, downtown. photo by mike the 2600 king)

It’s a little late to go into details about the festival, but I will say that of all the great acts I caught (Blitzen Trapper, Man Man, Billy Bragg talking about facists, Bon Iver, Half Japanese, DJ Klever, etc), Akron/Family was easily the greatest performance of the week. I’ll even say, without reserve, that it was probably the greatest show I’ll ever see.

I wasn’t sure how to describe, Akron/Family, so I checked Wikipedia: “folk-influenced experimental rock.” It sounds pretentious, but I suppose it probably works pretty well. Their albums are all remarkably different, with songs ranging from mellow and twangy to chaotic and almost tribal. It’s always a good idea to listen to a complete album of theirs, as opposed to skipping around. This is especially the case in their latest album, Love is Simple (2007). For the record, their self-titled (2005) is easily my favorite album.

(stolen from the interwebz)

Regarding the live show, I can’t really explain it and expect to do it any sort of justice. Everyone danced and created makeshift percussion instruments (banging two shoes together, grabbing aluminum cans), there was no break between songs, and at the end of the show we ended up singing in the middle of Red River Street. Instead of going in to more detail and reminiscing while getting cheesier with every word, have a few of my favorite Akron/Family songs:

Running, Returning (my favorite)

Shoes

Ed is a Portal

Let me know what you think!

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