A-brewing…
March 12, 2009
Hello, dear readers. As the title suggests, changes, they are a-brewin’ here at Kunstwollen, the blog for the aesthetically-minded citizen.
First, next week will begin Kunstwollen’s first extensive coverage of an aesthetic event. As we speak, hundreds of nerds, computer geeks, film geeks, music executives, musicians, music junkies, musos, PIBs, etc. are heading down to Austin, TX for the annual convergence of creativity and ridiculous fun known as the South By Southwest Music/Interactive/Film Conference. Being an Austin native, SXSW (as it is colloquially know) is the highlight of every year for me. This year, however, may be my last. And to go out with a bang before I take London by storm, I have officially registered for the conference and obtained a coveted music badge.
Jarvis Cocker will grace SXSW with this pontification.
So what does this mean for you, people of the internet? It means Kunstwollen will briefly shift gears into SXSW-freakout mode. I’ll be locked in a condo in cold and rainy Port Aransas, TX for the next few days, so expect ample SXSW preview coverage. Then, once the festival descends upon us, I will make an attempt to keep the good interwebs up to date on conference and festival doings. Of course, Kunstwollen will retain its art historical focus, but now that will shift to skinny jeans, American Apparel, cheesy stage lighting, and the aesthetic nightmare known as Metallica.
However! To begin the coverage! I am getting increasingly excited about Late of the Pier, an act out of one of my favorite places on the island of Britannia, the East Midlands. Upon first listen, back in my Sheffield days, I didn’t think too much. Typical false 1980s nostalgia, I thought. But, in recent days, I’ve returned to their debut album Fantasy Black Channel and realized my initial evaluation was horrifically flawed. They’re more than the typical electronic fare. In fact, their debut comes across as a full frontal belly flop onto a sticky disco floor on student night. And that is a very, very good thing. Here’s a track particularly illustrative of this phenomenon, “Heartbeat”. And, as watching the video reveals, the kids have quite a sense of the visual. Good on them.
Although Late of the Pier tickles my fancy for dance-electronica, the British import I am most excited for is none but Sheffield’s greatest, Jarvis Cocker. Jarvis won’t be playing this year (though I haven’t given up hope on that one just yet), he will be delivering a lecture he debuted at the Brighton Festival last May. It’s entitled “Speaking the Unspeakable with Jarvis Cocker” and tackles many different issues dealing with lyrics and apparently embellished with lots of examples and a slick PowerPoint setup. Now, there are few musicians on this planet who I would want to listen to ramble for two whole hours, but Jarvis Cocker is at the top of that very short list. Based on interviews I’ve read and Jarvis’ contributions to the Live Forever and Made In Sheffield documentaries, I expect nothing but intelligent, insightful, and downright brilliant musings from Britpop’s favorite creepy uncle.
I hope I’ve whetted your appetite for more SXSW coverage and if you’ll be at the conference or festival or any parties associated with either, I would love to run into you and discuss or swap Twitters or what have you.
Until next time.
Late of the Pier will be showcasing at La Zona Rosa at 10:30 on 3/18 and at Aces Lounge on 3/20 at 1am. Jarvis Cocker will speak at the Austin Convention Center on 3/18 at 3:00.
