These guys are perhaps the most blogged about band on the internets. Well, at least top 10. So yes, I’ve heard of them. Their most recent album Post-Nothing, follows two successful previous albums– 2008′s Lullaby Death Jams and 2007′s All Lies. I’ve unintentionally avoided them thus far, but hearing their “garage rock” sound (as they describe it) live gave me a new impression of them.

Japandroids aka JPNDRDS is a two piece band from Vancouver, BC. This ‘band’ started in 2006 as a creative outlet for the post-teenage angst of Brian King and David Prowse. Originally intending to be a trio, the boys decided to forgo the logistical nightmare of having a ‘lead singer’ and do it themselves. As a consequence, Japandroids are 1 guitar, 1 set of drums, and 2 vocalizers. Like many of my favorite bands, Japandroids take a two piece band and make it sound like a five piece.

Bear in Heaven

Brooklyn psychedelicists Bear in Heaven are riding high on the success of their latest disc Beast Rest Forth Mouth. The band’s sound is  characterized by textural, spacious three- to four-minute pop anthems with towering choruses.  It’s a sound that doesn’t have to be loud and bombastic to feel huge and important.

Lovesick Teenagers (with gratuitous homemade Labrynth editing)

Major Lazer: A packed out Cedar Street Courtyard saw quite the midnight performance. You know Major Lazer . . . the Jamaican commando who fights vampires and monsters. One look at this video will make you understand why I wore a condom into the show, and received a tetanus shot immediately after.

GZA with The Black Lips (pic above): It’s been 15 years since Liquid Swords came out and I wore oversized Tommy Hilfiger sweaters. And though the GZA’s flow is not what it once used to be, it’s hard to complain about this performance of Shimmy Shimmy Ya (R.I.P.).

Slum Village are known for slinging funky, old-school, soul-filled hip-hop stylings pioneered by early 90′s underground icons like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Slum Village formed in the mid-’90s and gained recognition with their debut album Fantastic, Vol. 2, an album featuring appearances from D’Angelo, Q-Tip, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Over the years, the hip-hop outfit has endured the loss of founding member Jay Dee and MC Baatin, but have continued to persevere, demonstrating their passion and dedication to the art of hip-hop.

Links

Myspace

Official Site

Kicking off with Vasoline, the band followed up with Wicked Garden before performing two (of 4) new tracks off the new album – “Between the Lines,” the aptly named ode to his drug-taking past, and the chugging, more mid-tempo “Hickory Dichotomy.”  Then more blast from the past with “Big Empty,” “Sour Girl” and “Creep.”

The Doors Robbie Krieger, who paired with the band (and bassist Robert DeLeo’s young son) on “Roadhouse Blues” closed out an overall great show. The sound was a bit muddled from the loud speakers (as seen in the click below), but everyone was singing along so there was little chance to hear Weiland to begin with.

“Between the Lines”

Kidz in the Hall – Traffic

Double O and Naledge, the producer/DJ and lyricist/MC, will be showcasing tracks from their latest album, Land of Make Believe, at SXSW. Mixing traditional boasts and classic hip-hop swagger with some high-quality rhymes and genre-expanding productions, Land of Make Believe is a flashy rebirth for the hip-hop Kidz in the Hall, one as colorful and bright as the album’s ‘80s-inspired cover. Its nothing but feel-good hip hop and whether you’re attending the festival or not, you should probably listen to the Kidz.

Schedule & Other Links:

Myspace

Facebook

From deep in the cosmos of Iowa comes the first of my notable bands, Mondo Drag, orbiting the planet’s garage, psych, space, sludge and stoner rock. With a wall of sound all their own, an arsenal of guitars, and a head full of clouds, the psych rock quintet channels sounds from the past. One listen to their myspace and you can pick up the influences of Sabbath, Vanilla Fudge, Blue Cheer and countless other successful acts from the late 60s/early 70s. Sometimes the past sounds refreshingly new.

Their last album New Rituals off Alive Records has become one of my favorite new listens. The album is characterized by spacey song intros, powerful grooves and soaring vocals from lead singer Nolan Girard. Girard is backed up by Jake Sheley (guitar), Johnnie Cluney (drums and vocals), John Gamino (keyboards and sax), and Dennis Hockaday (bass).

Schedule & Other Links:

Official Band Site

Facebook