Brad Knutson

If you've ever frustratingly referred to places like Ukrainian Village's Rainbo Club and Empty Bottle as "nothing but a sea of hipsters," DO NOT go to Austin, Texas in the middle of March.

Every year, nearly 1,500 bands and well over 10,000 music-industry professionals flock to the capital of the Lone Star State to participate in the annual rite of passage known as the South By Southwest Music Festival and Conference. Walking down the city's notorious 6th Street bar district during the four days of the music festival, you'll see an endless barrage of leather, shades, tattoos, guitar cases and perfectly messed hairdos. It literally looks like everyone you pass by is in some form of a band because, well, they probably are.

In fact, the festival, now in its twenty-first year, bills itself as "the largest recording industry conference in the Western Hemisphere." Many devoted attendees refer to SXSW as "spring break for music people" due to the endless number of parties that go on before and after the officially sanctioned showcases at night. Quite literally, there are enough parties and live performances to keep you busy drinking and watching bands for about fourteen hours each day.

However, in addition to some serious partying, there's also some serious business that transpires at the festival. Along with the annual CMJ festival in New York held in the fall, SXSW has become an essential stop every spring for unsigned bands hoping to get a record deal and even established acts looking to bolster their industry presence. Rather than spending months on the road in hopes that someone will eventually "discover" them, bands can just make one trip to Austin and play to more label reps, booking agents and talent brokers in a week than they ever could in a full year of touring. If you have a new band, a new record or even a label, you essentially need to be at SXSW, as getting your music into the right hands can mean the difference between selling thousands of records and traveling the country this summer or selling a couple hundred and tending bar on off-nights.

Enter two of Chicago's most promising local bands: Office and The 1900s. In the past year, both bands have fostered an incredible outpouring of attention in the local scene amongst fans and critics alike, and it seems like only a matter of time before each will be taking the country by storm with their infectious indie-pop hooks and irresistibly charismatic live performances. With both bands now having debut full-lengths in the works for release later in 2007, last month Office and The 1900s loaded up their vans to make the 1,100 mile trip to Austin in hopes of taking that next step toward national stardom. Of course, as many Chicago bands before them would attest, making the jump from local heroes to national sensations can be a maddeningly insurmountable task. Nonetheless, if there is a golden ticket to indie fame, you're most likely to find it hidden somewhere along Austin's 6th Street.

This year, Office headed down to SXSW with the distinct advantage of having a successful run at the festival last spring and scoring a deal with James Iha's Scratchie Records last fall. The 1900s, however, weren't even accepted to the festival last year and were jumping into things this time as complete virgins. While the bands would appear to be on equal footing in the local scene, these factors put the bands at two very different ends of the SXSW experience.

The first gig of the week for Office was early on the first day of the festival, at a half-indoor/half-outdoor bar called Emo's that was the home of Metro's Chicago band showcase in honor of the venerable local venue's twenty-fifth anniversary. Walking up to the second stage where Office was due to play in about thirty minutes, it appeared as though they may be playing to a rather sparse audience. It was, after all, still fairly early in the day (especially by rock-star standards), so undoubtedly many people where still making their way into town and getting checked in. However, almost like clockwork, the place filled up five minutes before Office took the stage. Despite the early time slot and a less-than-desirable venue made worse by stifling humidity and poor ventilation, the band managed to put together a rousing performance that even got the typically cooler-than-thou SXSW crowd clapping along. However, there was no time to bask in the glory, as the band had to tear down their equipment immediately after their last song, load up the van and then dart out to another locale for a round of interviews.

The next afternoon I finally caught up with the band in a rare idle state while they were waiting to soundcheck for that evening's Scratchie/New Line showcase, which would essentially serve as the band's formal introduction to the music industry as the label's most promising new act for 2007. Despite a busy first day, a live webcast performance earlier in the afternoon and arguably their most important live performance as a band to date looming on the horizon, everyone was completely loose and looked as if they had yet to even break a sweat since they arrived in Austin. As usual, Office leader Scott Masson was jovial and ready to tackle any topic thrown his way; everything from the inconsequential details of their van trip from Chicago to the philosophical quandary of balancing artistic credibility with commercial success.

"With this label [Scratchie Records], it's the kind of thing where we can do what we want, [yet] it still has a big enough presence in the market where we can share it with as many people [as a major label]," notes Masson. "A lot of people might want to be a part of that whole machine that forces money on a ton of people and has huge promotion budgets, but we prefer to be in a band where you let people come to you if they chose to like you."

The band was warned about the huge crowd anticipating the show. "The boss at our label sent me a text message the day before the showcase warning me that the majority of the people were RSVP-ing for Office, and to bring our best foot forward...How's that for pressure? Last year, I would have gotten really bent out of shape about this pressure, but when I received that text message, I actually replied back to my boss with a simple statement: `I can't wait to blow their faces off.'"

Later that night, Office went on to play their showcase at the spacious Ritz, a former theater-turned-bar located right in the heart of the 6th Street district. After tearing through another raucous set, the band stuck around the venue to watch their much-hyped labelmates Robbers on High Street and Albert Hammond, Jr. of the Strokes close out the night. Afterwards, the Office team even joined forces with the Robbers crew for some gratuitous rock-star hot-tub post-partying back at their hotel. On their big showcase night, things couldn't have gone much better for the band.

For their buddies in The 1900s, things didn't go nearly as smooth. Entering the festival for the first time, and lacking the support of a label, a manager or even a booking agent, The 1900s first official SXSW showcase slot was decidedly less high-profile. Fittingly, they were relegated to a small, obnoxiously bright bar located all the way at the very end of the 6th Street bar district. Despite the less-than-desirable location, The 1900s did manage to corral a strong contingent of Chicago faithful to their performance, including Sun-Times rock critic Jim DeRogatis, who was busy taking notes in the back corner.

It seemed like they had managed to pull off a great set, though the perception on stage was quite different. Apparently the band was plagued with numerous technical problems throughout, making for a very unhappy and uptight group of already stressed individuals. Afterward, I tried to catch up with various members of the band who had widely scattered to the outdoor patio, but conversations were short and answers not very forthcoming. Fortunately, I would come to realize this was not their typical demeanor--but rather just a case of a band recovering from its first beat-down at the hands of SXSW.

"Technically, that show was a disaster," says singer Edward Anderson. "Everything was fucked up, breaking, missing...but luckily we kept smiling and pulled through." Accounting for much of the band's problems during the set was the fact that they had actually grabbed the wrong guitar amps prior to going on stage. "We were told the band after us would lend us their amps (we didn't bring ours)--a Fender and a Marshall. We couldn't find them, but we found a Fender and Marshall amp in the back room and assumed those were for us. When we finished playing, the owners [of the amps] rushed the stage and started freaking out [since] they had to start playing in a few minutes. I felt really bad, but we wouldn't have had a guitar amp to use if we hadn't heisted one."

Unlike Office, The 1900s crew couldn't just stumble down the street and drown their sorrows inside the comfy digs of a posh downtown hotel. Like a lot of other struggling bands that have to finance their own trips, The 1900s opted to just find a house to crash at for free. As luck would have it, keyboardist Mike Jasinsky's sister lived just outside of Austin, and she and her family were planning on heading out of town for a spring-break vacation. On the trip down however, the band's visions of non-stop after-hours parties at their own personal rock `n' roll bunker were suddenly dashed when Jasinsky called his sister and found out that the family vacation was cancelled. So, rather than getting to revel in hot-tub debauchery, The 1900s had no choice but to drive out to suburbia and quietly retire for the night with a family of four.

Fortunately, a new day brought bright sunshine and a much brighter outlook for the band. Holding down the opening slot of an impressive all-day lineup of both local and big-name national acts at Schubas' 11th Annual "SXSW Round-up" day party, the band rose to the occasion and rocked an enthusiastic outdoor crowd fueled by free food and booze. In addition to drawing their usual allotment of Chicago faithful, the band also scored some significant points with the national crowd, thanks to the high profile of the party's co-sponsor, Spin magazine. Mingling in the crowd with the band afterward outside the performance tent, they seemed like a completely different group of people than the night before. Everyone was loose, smiling and joking with each other as one big happy family. "We separated quite a bit in Austin," notes vocalist Jeanine O'Toole, "but at the Schubas party we were all in one place for a while, feeling good about the show we'd just played, [talking] with Chicago friends, making new ones."

After a full afternoon of quality bonding time for the "Hundos," as they like to refer to themselves, it was time to hop in the van and head out to play their third and final show of the festival at a small hole-in-the-wall bar at the other side of town unimaginatively named "The Hole in the Wall." The place wasn't anywhere near the main SXSW venues, but instead right next to the vacant University of Texas campus where the student body was on spring break. Needless to say, they didn't exactly play to a packed house, but nevertheless the band made the most of it and finished off their first SXSW tour of duty with their second flawless set of the day.

Of course, when Office played their third set of the week, the setting couldn't have been more different. Masson and company found themselves in the midst of all the action, with a prime late-afternoon slot at arguably the hottest day party spot of the whole festival, The Levi's/Fader Fort. Besides boasting one of the best day-party lineups of the entire week, this venue also attracted a swarm of rock celebrities and industry bigwigs, undoubtedly due to its somewhat limited access to the masses (i.e. had to know someone to get in) and the copious amounts of free booze and Levi's swag. Once again, the band was impervious to the pressure and kicked out the jams in style while the likes of Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon looked on in the wings. I guess this kind of thing probably doesn't happen to most musicians in their lives," Masson says. "Damon Albarn and Mr. Simonon are two great artists who have had a direct impact on Office, so that was exciting for me."

Office's additional experience and newfound industry pull certainly made their trip this year a bit more glamorous, but in the end, SXSW 2007 was a smashing success for both bands. The day after playing the Schubas party, The 1900s graced the cover of the Sun-Times Weekend section, thanks to a glowing SXSW dispatch from DeRo, and they were also featured as the "band of the day" at Spin.com. "The highlight [of the festival] was getting a fresh perspective of how incredible the Chicago scene is right now," Anderson says about his inaugural SXSW experience. "All of us [bands] have known it for a while, but I think this might be the first year where the rest of the country begins to realize what we have going on here."

Like The 1900s, Office stumbled a bit last year in their first SXSW endeavor, so their smooth ride this time around was especially gratifying to Masson. "It was our chance to sort of counter-attack all the disappointments we faced [last year]," Masson says. "I think we proved to a lot of people that we are, in fact, a real band and not some `they-sing-about-cubicles-and-power-suits' type of band, which a lot of folks still seem to think we are."

Despite his band's success this year, however, Masson is actually looking forward to leaving the whole scene behind for a while. "Office is at a stage where it makes sense for us to focus more on our touring, writing and recording... I don't want to end up being in some band that shows up wherever the industry is hanging out," he says.

After the turbulence at the beginning of the fest, The 1900s ended their trip on a high note. "I was surprised at how laid back and cool everything was there," Anderson says. "There wasn't desperation in the air like I was expecting...the whole festival is impeccably run and actually fun. Too many loud rock bands, but still...can't wait for next year."

The Aftermath
Looking back at the Austin experience

(2007-04-03)

Also by Brad Knutson

Old School Sessions
When most people think about the birth of hip-hop, "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang is probably the first thing that comes to mind. However, true hip-hop fans know that while Sugarhill had the first hit single, the true pioneers of the genre were DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa
(2007-01-16)

Hooked on the Groove
When a Peter Hook DJ set was first scheduled last year at Smart Bar, it definitely seemed like it was a unique one-off type of event. However, just a few months later, Hook's name showed up again on the Smart Bar bill. While the return was a bit of a surprise, at that point I don't think anyone was expecting the influential bassist for both Joy Division and dancefloor legends New Order to quit his day job. Now, however, as he returns to spin records in Joe Shanahan's basement yet again, it`s beginning to look as though we may, in fact, have to add "internationally touring DJ" to Hook's already illustrious resume
(2007-01-02)

Discovery
According to their press bio, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay first met each other at a North Paris party where de Rosnay was "spitting in a girl's hair." Apparently this made quite an impression on Augé, as not long after the two began working on music together
(2006-10-31)

Spin Control
After more than a decade of work and five albums for local indie stalwart Thrill Jockey, German electronic duo Mouse on Mars is back with a brand new record and a brand new label
(2006-10-31)

Spin Control
(2006-10-03)

Tip of the Week
(2006-09-19)

Spin Control
(2006-09-12)

New Joints
(2006-09-05)

Soundcheck
(2006-09-05)

Tip of the Week
(2006-08-29)

The Politics of Dancing
(2006-08-15)

Tip of the Week
(2006-08-01)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment