The story so far rig rundown. The sheer volume of SXSW's music celebration can be overwhelming for anybody. This Walk the Texas Capitol facilitated more than 2,200 groups in over 100 settings, crossing five days. They’ve finally added a tech conference, a music-poster grandstand, comedy summits, and a film celebration.
From the PG privilege in 2015, we included an execution display, an equip expo report, and a call-out for SXSW groups to observe this year. And those things are, as it were, spotlighting a bit of what happens in Austin each year.
The Live Music Capital of the World has faced challenges lately. This is partly due to gentrification in downtown. This change has made room for many SXSW events since it began. The NASCAR-like promotion and bold corporate support limit the festival's DIY roots. But the groups and craftsmen still treat the booming occasion all the same—it’s almost performing.
The Story So Far Rig Rundown
SXSW is not at all like any other music-based celebration in the world. Thousands of groups surge on 6th Road and the encompassing grounds as many of them perform not a few times amid the week, but various times a day.
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You’ll often see groups racing down the walkway with gig packs and pedalboard cases, eager to make their next performance. Most SXSW entertainers share some common traits. They have a hunger for growth, both nutritionally and artistically. They show dedication and a love for playing music for future fans. Also, they have a passion for their gear.
We talked to 20+ groups of all diverse sorts, almost their setups counting the stoner-metal. Courtney Barnett, the senior indie favorite, joins sunny shoegazers Best Coast.
Hometown psych-rockers The Shinning Light Social Hour also shine. Plus, the fun-loving masked luchadores of El Conjunto Nueva Ola add to the mix. Tap through to explore the rigs and players' reasons behind some groups featured at SXSW 2015 in Austin.
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1. Elder’s Scratch DiSalvo
Guitarist Scratch DiSalvo stoically leads the Boston control trio by letting his riffs do the talking. The psych-stoner-rock band blends rise to components from metal juggernauts Rest and Sabbath by composing and performing long, rambling rippers.
DiSalvo employments his eminent ability to help things in the vein of Rush’s Alex Lifeson (tune in to the colorful pizazz in melodies like ‘Compendium’ off of Legend, which has a ‘Natural Science’ vibe in its opening).
The band’s most-recent discharge, Legend, is a 5-song, 58-minute epic that equalizations between teeth-rattling overwhelming and melodic surrounding sections in a way that never makes the hour of music drag.
Guitars
Unlike the band’s complex music, DiSalvo favors using one guitar and one guitar only—his Gibson USA SG ’61 Reissue. “I love this guitar. It has great playability and a nice, wide tonal range for an SG.
It has the slimmest neck I've ever felt. It's very light, so it's easy to carry. You can wear it comfortably around your neck for hours during visits. I can get everything from tearing trebly leads that hurt the ears to rich, thick chords, thanks to the stock ’57 Classic pickups.” Amps
While many groups at SXSW moved their guitars and pedalboards from bar to bar, DiSalvo brought his whole setup with him during his week in Austin. My essential head is a Sound City 120, modded to the specs of a Hiwatt DR103.
Anyone who has heard that amp knows it has classic British crunch and wicked clean sounds. Yet, Sound City amps lack great volume and don’t sound as good. I picked this head up from a companion who modded it and I knew immediately I needed it.
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It’s not as clean as a Hiwatt. It has some static sounds and often picks up the local pop radio station. Still, I love it, quirks and all. Right now I’m using a Marshall 1960A and an Orange PPC412 cabinet.
The Marshall has G12T-75 speakers, while the Orange has V30s. Neither is perfect on its own. Yet, the darker, more hosed Orange cab blends nicely with the treble from the Marshall. It works, but I’m looking for ancient Marshall cabs with V60s.
Left to right, beat to foot: Boss TU-2 tuner, TC Electronic Same X2 Looper, EarthQuaker Gadgets Bleak Reefer fluff, MXR CAE Wah, Dunlop volume pedal, EarthQuaker Gadgets Expedite Ace reverb/delay, MXR Carbon Duplicate delay, Dark Expressions Toneworks Pharaoh fuzz.
I at long last caved after nearly a decade of denying to get a pedalboard. The appeal of being able to have all of my normal pedals prepared without setting up and breaking down at long last won me over. My setup presently has ended up more differing than in past years—I attempt to let my amp and guitar do most of the talking without anything as well over-the-top or shrewd.
I have a few fluffs (one for cadence, one for leads) that are my fundamental apparatuses. I adore utilizing the Pharaoh fluff for overwhelming, chunky riffing and my (cherished and exceptionally restricted) Terrible Reefer for screeching twists and peculiar phase-shifty grime.
The Celerity Ace is an awesome pedal for making a difference in reproducing a few of the lusher soundscapes from Lore, whereas my Carbon Duplicate is my go-to for straightforward slapback delay sounds. My most recent expansion would be the TC Electronic Likewise Looper—I don’t utilize it much, likely twice per set, but it truly opens up conceivable outcomes to play studio melodies more precisely live.
2. The London Souls’ Tash Neal
To say guitarist Tash Neal was happy to endure through the warm, long lines and overrated lagers in Austin is a modest representation of the truth. Approximately three years prior, Neal was in a life-threatening car crash that required brain surgery, the expulsion of a piece of his cranium, and a medically induced coma.
Since the occurrence, Neal and drummer Chris St. Hilaire have sharpened their retro-rock sound by joining Enormous Star-esque power-pop catchiness with a bit of psych-rock freakout on their sophomore collection, Here Come the Young Ladies, discharged earlier this year.
Right presently I have a Vox AC30 since it’s a solid amp that you can pick up at any guitar store. It’s off-the-shelf, and it sounds awesome. I’m not like most folks you likely cover in that I don’t shop a lot—only when I need to.
I don’t have a pedalboard, and the onlytime I used a pedal other than a Boss TU-2 tuner is a clean boost to make the AC30 break up a fair tad prior. I fairly utilize an input boost to boost my flag and not cut it: I like for the sound to be from my playing and the amp.
3. The Stone Foxes
We all know the awkwardness that comes when bandmates act out and show their lack of skills. But when the Stone Foxes begin playing melodic chairs onstage, it invites in a crude, undiscovered vitality source for the band and swarm. Lead guitarist Ben Andrews plays guitar, banjo, slide guitar on a cigar-box guitar, and fiddle.
Lead artist Shannon Koehler plays harmonica, drums, and guitar. Drummer Brian Bakalian plays bass, while bassist Vince Dewald hits the drums. During their high-energy sets, the Foxes switch positions with such skill and fitness that you’ll wonder what their true instrument is.
The Foxes’ sound draws from classic blues tunes. They amp up the intensity and perform without holding back. Their music has a risky, anthem-like feel, like early Cage the Elephant. In a live setting, you listen to indeed more impacts, like nation, shake, and a touch of Bay Area psych jam.
I use two overdrive pedals: the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver and the Frantic Professor’s Small Green Ponder. I keep the drive turned all the way down. This setup boosts the amp and adds a little coarseness without too much color. I also have two other pedals: the MXR Carbon Copy for short delays and the Boss DD-5 for longer ones. Plus, there's a Boss TU-2 Tuner.
4. Made Violent
Two things truly matter to us—making as much great music as we can, and visiting as much as we can. We never need to halt doing this,” says guitarist Ransack Romano. This cite represents where the trio are in their youthful careers as they prepare their make a big appearance self-titled EP.
The Modern York millennials bring a bold, skuzzy sound. This style hasn’t been heard much since the garage-rock waves from bands like the Strokes, the Hives, and the early Kings of Leon. Crunching guitars, catchy rhythms, and sing-along choruses are a winning mix that these artists will keep using for a long time.
The current hatchet that I have the most fun with is a Bumper Custom Shop Jazzmaster. It has a Novak PAF in the bridge for more yield, and a Dominance balanced bridge that makes it essentially indestructible. I don’t change guitars during shows. I need one that can take a beating for the whole set. This one does that well, thanks to the upgrades.
Pedals are a colossal part of my fix. Being the only guitar player in Made Savage, I need to have a parcel of diverse sounds to keep the live show interesting. I’ve been using JHS Pedals for overdrive both in the studio and onstage since the band started. The SuperBolt has been the sound of the band since the beginning.
I’ve moreover been messing around with the Your Confront by Wren and Cuff—it’s an old-school fluff with a part of flexibility. I’ve always used the classic Electro-Harmonix Heavenly Vessel Nano for spring reverb. I love its simple, one-hand design. One of my favorite impacts is the Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte delay.
It’s set to a speedy slapback for a double-track impact and has a boundless rehash delicate switch. I’m always searching for ways to help creative cooks, especially with writing. The right impact can in some cases bring an idea out of lean discourse. Other pedals I have for extra flavoring would be the EarthQuaker Devices Tone Work and the JHS Emperor.
5. Lazyeyes
Sure, Brooklyn has ended up a trendy personal sanctuary. But, if you’re making marvelous, soundscape-infused shake melodies, at that point what’s the issue?
The trio—Jason Abishai on guitar and vocals, Paul Volpe on bass, and Jeremy Sampson—released their second EP, Modern Year, on January 6, 2015. The new group of tunes shows a new twist in their unique pop style. The guitar tones also have a bit more edge. The tunes sound clearer. This is due to strong surf-rock riffs, lasting delays, and deep reverb.
I wanted a pedal with strong overdrive that was easy to use and clear in sound. I attempted over 25 pedals at Fundamental Drag Music some time recently. I landed on the JHS Super Bolt, and it was also great to pass up. (Additionally, I had been at the store a long time.)
The AMT Gadgets Bass Packer is what I use for a more volume boost amid solos and a few choruses. The Way Colossal Aqua-Puss is my primary delay pedal since it’s the ideal combination of a vintage, analog delay and tape-based reverb.
It’s super simple to control as well. I use the Electro-Harmonic Memory Boy for extra chorus and delay. When I turn on the Aqua-Puss too, it creates an awesome effect. Everything gets routed through my Bumper Hot Pole Exclusive combo. I cherish that amp’s reverb tank—it’s so great, there’s no need for an extra pedal!
6. Badflower
Many of the groups we’ve secured from SXSW are pros based inside a melodic subgenre of another subgenre. That’s not Badflower. They’re a brazen shake band from L.A. who builds floor-cracking tunes on the backs of tarnished, dual-guitar parts that are combined with guitarist/singer Josh Katz’s cinematic narrating that bargains with digital-age ethics, lowlifes, and the fears and evil spirits one holds interior.
Lead guitarist Joe Morrow composes and executes winding, bowing guitar riffs that work flawlessly over the best of bassist Alex Espiritu and drummer Anthony Sonetti’s solid, musical backbone.
7. Happyness’ Benji Compston
On the surface, Happyness appears like just another band cashing in on the resurgent ubiquity of mellowed indie rock. They do have a recognition in their music in that they consolidate Pavement’s mind, the pop sensibilities of Unbiased Drain Inn, and the alleviating grouchiness felt in numerous groups of the class (Sparklehorse comes to intellect).
Whereas they’re a youthful band, the London-based trio has a mysterious capacity to take you to a totally distinctive outline of intellect like the sun-setting effortlessness that is “Orange Luz.” One thing is beyond any doubt: with Happyness you’ll appreciate the journey.
8. Downtown Boys
To call this sextet another fair ska-punk band would be a damage to their on-and-offstage panache. They portray themselves as a “bilingual political sex move punk party from Providence.” Leading the way is powerful vocalist Victoria Ruiz.
She often shouts and cries, almost like she’s Henry Rollins’ little sister from Dark Hail. The Downtown Boys’ music is a quick burst of proto-punk energy. Their two-minute songs feature fist-pumping beats and call-and-response yells. They tackle tough topics like the prison-industrial complex, prejudice, queerphobia, capitalism, and boredom. Their sound challenges listeners to wake up and think.
9. Ryan Corn
The Missouri-born singer/songwriter has a celestial voice that reminds you of the ballad-y sides of John Mayer or Marc Broussard. Korn needs a backing band that has volume and flashy theatrics. They make up for this with deep lyrics.
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Their verses tell stories of pain, misfortune, and recovery. Corn's simple arrangements may not be groundbreaking, but his execution is near-flawless. His detailed narrating provides a tasty treat for your ears and heart.
While sluggishly browsing for a modern guitar one day, I was immediately drawn to this vintage, small-body Gibson Blues Lord. And after playing it for the firsttime, I was in love. The shallow body makes for a warm tone that’s just right for my fashion of music. With the wonderful sunburst wrap-up and vintage Gibson headstock symbol, the Blues Ruler is my go-to guitar for touring.
10. Best Coast
Do you crave catchy early ’60s surf-pop? Imagine sounds like My Grizzly Valentine mixed with baritone guitars and lo-fi punk vibes from Cloud Nothings.
The music come from a former news understudy who writes about love, loneliness, weed, and lazy cats. If so, Best Coast is your pack. After dropping out of college in New York City in 2009, guitarist and singer Beth Cosentino returned to Southern California.
There, she teamed up with her musical partner, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, to write songs. The duo offers bold sounds, but they also connect with Shoreline Boys-like tracks.
These songs feature catchy hooks, singable choruses, and meaningful lyrics that flow smoothly through layers of reverb. Best Coast is poised to take over wireless with their Virgin-backed collection, *California Evenings*. Their singles “Feeling Ok” and “Heaven Sent” are already getting airplay after two free discharges.
Most of our sets feature melodies where I use the Squier Vintage Altered Baritone Jazzmaster. It’s tuned A to A. This guitar adds a moody, melodic touch to songs like "Insane For You" and "The As It Were Put.
