hello breakfast.

Nothing like cinnamon toast, fresh coffee, and honey crisps to start off a new autumn day.

winter in the city

Post-SXSW

It's been a couple days since SXSW concluded, and there's a warm feeling in my heart that people all over the world now are looking back fondly on their experiences, missing the Austin streets overcrowded with bands, music fans, journalists, hipsters, photographers - people of all human threads from all human lands united in a shared enthusiasm for music.

A few visual highlights from SXSW:

Arms

Parenthetical Girls

KVRXplosion

Ninjasonik

look at dem hipsterz...

Motel Motel

Harlem Shakes

Pete & the Pirates

The Spinto Band

Hymns

Harlem Shakes (again)

Their show gives new meaning to orgasmic:

Austin during SXSW is a sight to behold - a sea of plaid and Ray-Ban glasses overflowing with a remarkable enthusiasm for music felt in every corner of the city. Over a thousand bands from all over the world, all thrilled to be there and even more thrilled to see the same shows we're thrilled to see. The interaction you can have with artists is unmatched - it's a unique experience being able to wait in lines, enjoy shows, and rave about music with the bands you respect - and seeing the mutual respect between artists is inspiring. There's something truly special felt in this overarching, free-flowing love for music, and it's an atmosphere recreated nowhere else.

It almost makes me reconsider my original plan to spend next spring abroad. Almost.

Radiohead

Here is my obligatory post on seeing Radiohead live. Twice, in fact. I realize this is coming more than a week after the fact, which is ridiculous considering my ridiculous love for Radiohead. Anyway, I went to the Houston show on May 17th and then the Dallas show the following day, which sounds a bit crazy, but was entirely worth it! Here are some photos:

These are from the Houston show:

radiohead heads


a hardcore fan


noel fielding, is that you?!

RADIOHEAD


jonny on 'pyramid song'




thom and jonny on 'faust arp'


videotape




'there there', ridiculously amazing live




the following four pictures are 'planet telex', amazing lights








thom's eye during 'you and whose army?' just hilarious


this is idioteque




still idioteque...




take a bow, dear lovable genius mr. thom yorke



Wow. Definitely the most perfect band I will ever see live. As you can see from the photos, the show was visually stunning. In a respectable effort to reduce carbon emissions on their tour, Radiohead created an energy-saving, LED-lit stage, which provided for one hell of a visual experience. The lights and visual elements gave greater life to the music and elevated the whole concert experience, making this tour possibly their best series of shows ever. Leave it to Radiohead to create a groundbreaking concert that's both the most environmentally innovative and overall brilliant show I've ever been to.

Between the two setlists, I had a near perfect Radiohead experience. I was pleasantly surprised with how much they changed it up within just two nights. Houston saw some untraditional choices from albums like OK Computer ('Lucky' and 'Climbing Up The Walls'), but they were fantastic to see and hear live. 'Planet Telex' was an absolute thrill; the lights were most incredible on this track, the energy was enlivening. Played toward the end of the concert when I had given up hope of hearing anything from The Bends, this live performance truly gave new life to the song and to the show.

Dallas saw more classics as well as a few personal favorites not played in Houston, which were amazing to see in concert. Notable were 'Bangers & Mash', on which Thom played drums, and 'A Wolf at the Door', on which I nearly exploded. They opened their first encore with 'Fake Plastic Trees', the most beautiful concert experience I've ever had. The entire audience was alit in a sea of lighters, everyone peacefully united in love of the music. With 'Exit Music' and 'The Bends' finishing off the 1st encore, it was almost overwhelming. Their closer, 'Paranoid Android', fulfilled everything and sent me home in a state of euphoria.

There were great songs played both nights as well. Much of In Rainbows (all of it was played in Dallas). 'There There' - probably one of the greatest songs to see live, with Ed and Jonny both taking up drums. 'Idioteque' (Thom dancing), 'The National Anthem', 'Pyramid Song' (Jonny playing his guitar with a bow), 'You and Whose Army?' (hilarious comic relief as the camera zoomed in on Thom's eyes + great great song).

Aside from how amazing this tour is, I really feel lucky to have been able to see them at this point of their career. Through their setlist, spanning all their albums with the expected exception of Pablo Honey, you can really witness the fluid evolution of their music throughout the years and marvel at the consistent brilliance of it despite its intensely varied nature. You also get to see the band revisit all these creative moments in their past, with the same passion and emotional intensity, from their present state, one that seems much more at peace with themselves, freed from the tensions that plagued previous parts of their career and genuinely enjoying themselves. It's a beautiful thing to see.

And with that I've fulfilled one of my life goals: to see Radiohead at least once in my life. It has also given rise to another life goal: to see Radiohead as many times as possible within my lifetime. I can't wait till the next show.