SXSW Day 2: Buzz Bands, Quincy Jones, Kanye West March 19, 2009
- Indies
By Cortney Harding and Michael D. Ayers, Austin, Texas
While Austin is still full of the young, cool, and beautiful drinking their way through the hype machine, there are signs the recession has had an impact on the festival. Parties that offered lavish spreads last year have cut back to putting out bowls of pretzels; many of the open bars have closed.
Lines are still long, but clubs aren't as packed as they've been in years past, and a scan of the crowd on 6th Street reveals a much more diverse group -- it appears more locals, along with people of diverse age and ethnic groups, have come out.
Many of the most buzzed about acts are established -- Jane's Addiction play a party tonight (March 19), and the Decemberists have been packing rooms. As far as up-and-comers, South African rock act BLK JKS and alternative soul singer Janelle Monae have been Twittered about by plenty of attendees.
The hottest rumor of the festival: Rappers Common and Kanye West will "battle" on Saturday night. - Cortney Harding, Austin, Texas
Quincy Jones Reflects At SXSW Key Note
Veteran music industry professional Quincy Jones delivered the SXSW key note address earlier this afternoon at the Austin Convention Center. Jones reminisced about his extensive history in the pop and jazz worlds, recollecting his early days with Dizzy Gillespie as well as his storied history with Michael Jackson.
His years of insight also yielded many industry nuggets, citing that the studios he worked in always yielded a "mutual sense of love and respect," over the years. Jones also recalled the time when he worked on "Thriller" and only spent $569,000 to make the biggest selling album in history. "Anyone that says they've figured out how they can sell more than 50 million records, they're lying," Jones said. "And smoking kool-aid."
Other themes that were woven through his speech included the racial barriers he and black artists have overcome throughout the years, as well as the need for artist versatility in terms of sustaining a career. Yet with all the diverse methods of writing and recording these days, Jones admitted that he still writes on score paper.
As one of the most successful producer's and artists' of the modern era, Jones has been a force within pop music, which was a giant leap from his humble origins in the south side of Chicago. He detailed his early childhood of idolizing gangsters and an early career of petty theft. At age 11, Jones recalled breaking into a local recreation center in Washington, "to steal some lemon meringue pie." After a food fight, he ended up breaking into an administration office, where he laid eyes on a piano. It was at that point, he told the audience, that he knew he wanted a different life. - Michael D. Ayers, Austin, Texas
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