Even though J Roddy Walston and The Business reside in Baltimore, they have performed several times in Atlanta, most recently including Star Bar, and they are always met with a warm reception. In Austin, the crowd was red-hot for all of The Business’ sets. During their performance at Red Eyed on Thursday, there was minimal chatter or bar lines. As soon as they walked onstage, the dispersed crowd quickly huddled to the front of the stage and stayed mesmerized for the band’s entire set. The room was amazed and astonished at what they were witnessing- a true rock and roll band. Between J Roddy Walston’s attack of the piano with clawed like hands or bassist Zach Westphal’s pulsated neck and intermediate head thrashing, The Business is the type of authentic Americana rock act our parents bragged about seeing in the 1970s. Even actor Colin Hanks’s eyes seemed to dart around the room as if to say, “Does anyone else see this?!” He was not alone. At several of The Business’ shows throughout the week, that seemed to be the general consensus: shock, awe, and pure enjoyment.
Austin is known as the live music capital of the world and it is easy to see when live music venues are created everywhere. The foyer of The Pita Pit served as the venue for Atlanta’s Mack Messiah performance featuring Young Orchids’ Kyle Gordon on drums. Proving that he really is everywhere, Atlanta nightlife staple, Kenny Crucial lead his band to a short energetic show, which drew a crowd from passersby.
Thursday night, several of the week’s biggest showcases played out at different venues across town featuring quite a few Atlanta and adopted Atlanta artists. BMI took over Maggie Mae’s for a killer showcase that occupied both floors of the venue with some of SXSW’s most buzzed about artists. Aslyn set the bar high with a strong performance and large devoted crowd. She played many songs off of her recent album The Dandelion Sessions, including “Trying to Drive,” a duet with Zac Brown that she performed just as powerfully solo, and “Wally,” a bouncy yet emotionally charged powerhouse of a song. As Aslyn wrapped her performance downstairs, The Rocketboys took to the stage upstairs. With vocals reminiscent of Pictures and Sound’s Luke Reynolds, The Rocketboys produce an interesting mixture of piano driven hits that are ambient yet make an impact.
While the BMI Showcase continued to produce noteworthy artists and draw a crowd of fans trying to enter, The Favorite Gentlemen and Ticket Alternative party got under way at the picturesque The Belmont. Considering many of the southeast’s most promising artists are signed to Favorite Gentlemen Record Label, their joint showcase party with Ticket Alternative was a hit. All Get Out and Death on Two Wheels played their second shows at SXSW and managed to increase their energy and stage presence. Harrison Hudson, Winston Audio, and Shotgun Lover also performed on the blockbuster bill. Check out ALL of Mixtape Atlanta's photos from Thursday- including stage and party pics- here!
Kim Burdges
