Camiele’s SXSW Experience—Cheer Up Charlie’s

Big Phony

After the nostalgia of The Queensuitcase and the punk growl of the Guten Birds, we get a bit of a mellowing out. Though I’d seen Bobby’s performance at St. David’s Bethel Hall, I’m always eager to see more of him live. The earnestness when he sings is matched only by his goofiness when he’s sharing banter with his audience. Though still fighting a bit of a cold, he managed to give just as intimate and honest a performance as he did two nights prior. He was also the first and only artist to (almost) get me to shed tears. Honestly, his performance of songs Waiting on a Breeze and But I Will Everyday, as simple as it is, will always touch something deep in me. And that’s where he gets you. There’s always something in his music that connects and resonates, beats with a pulse and the cadence of your heart. It helps that he’s just so incredibly human on stage that you feel as though you’re having a conversation with a close friend, sharing the highs and lows of life over a glass of whiskey, something he even invites with one of his newer tracks.

What fascinates me about him is just how humble he is. He makes self-deprecation an art, even getting in the habit of giving away his music for free. (“If you like what you hear, my brother’s running my merch table. But if you don’t have any money, you can just steal it.” Okay… what?!) Despite or maybe because of that, the atmosphere he creates is comfortable yet as as lively as if he were one of the rock bands he’s sandwiched between. Honestly, the stage is a good place to hide in plain sight if you’re an introvert, and though he manages to take pokes at himself with a smile, one can really sense the love he has for his craft and for sharing it with anyone who’ll listen.

Trash

Before their performance, I’d never actually heard of them, but their poster clued me in that they were Taiwanese. Not because it probably said as much somewhere at the bottom. I only saw their picture… and the slice of extra sexy and unnecessary that is their lead guitarist and vocalist, A-Yeh. Now, don’t laugh at me, but when I saw him I thought, “Holy shit! Is that Jackson from GOT7?” Yeah, I’m lame, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. But what makes me even more of a lame-o is that thought actually made me realize they were from Taiwan. (For those unfamiliar with GOT7 or K-pop of any kind, for that matter, Jackson Wang is one of two members of Chinese descent in the JYP group, being born in Hong Kong—though for some reason Taiwan stuck in my head, thus how I came up with Taiwan for the band’s country of origin. Yeah, go ahead and roll your eyes at me. I was doing the same thing as I sat there thinking this nonsense!)

Then they ascended the stage for their final sound check. A-Yeh gave out this guttural growl at the end of a higher note, and when I tell you girl’s draws were set aflame…! I’m not quite sure what these people had against my underpants, but they were getting either destroyed or snatched left and right. Tell you what, if I make it back to Austin next year, I’m packing double what I brought this year.

Though I only got to stay for half their set, I have to say I instantly became a fan. Their brand of rock is a combination of straight-up metal, Brit rock, and honest-to-goodness grunge. It’s thick and harsh and loud and full of magic. Theirs is the type of sound that definitely burrows itself in one’s body and makes a home. I could feel their thump and growl hours after we left Cheer Up Charlie’s.

The last day of SXSW was truly something special for me. It was the culmination of a week of brilliant performances and even more fantastic opportunities to interact with artists who I’d come to respect. This final showcase capped what will be an experience that I will not soon forget. The music was incredible; the artists were both kind and open; the food was amazing. Everything that makes SXSW the festival it is was amplified for someone whose first experience was interviewing a traditional-heavy metal fusion band from South Korea. The emotions and sensations I felt that week will never leave me. I wish bigger and more exciting things for every artist I saw and got the chance to talk to, and I wish nothing but more success for SXSW in the future. As cheesy as this is going to sound, I mean it with all my heart: Thanks for the memories.