I think I’ve finally recovered from the events of last week here in Austin. SxSW took over my town, leaving the streets and people a mess while filling the airwaves with tunes from every genre of music. There were Americana bands playing on rooftops next to dubstep raves, metal shows in between hip hop sets, punk rock icons punching promoters and droves of half-naked men and women looking for a hole or a pole to hump. If you could manage to filter all that out, there was actually a lot of great music to be had. We already saw my coverage of Dark Castle’s set at the Thrasher Magazine Death Match, so let’s take a minute to soak in some bass.

Ever since 2006, I’ve been going to Trouble and Bass shows in Brooklyn and lemme tell ya, the guys have come a long way from packing it into Club Boogaloo on the South Side of Williamsburg. When people talk about music scenes blossoming, I can name a few bands but the label that’s blossomed before my eyes is T&B. From their early days of 4×4, dubstep and riddem beats, the guys have become a full-blown bass army. I caught up with them at this year’s SxSW Trouble and Bass showcase at Barcelona and tried to take as many photos as I could before the club got packed at 6pm.

2011 SxSW Recon: Trouble and Bass Showcase at Barcelona

The last show I caught at the Thrasher Magazine Death Match SxSW showcase was Brooklyn’s NAAM. I’ve seen these guys countless times and they’re easily one of the better doom metal bands in NYC. I know that’s not saying much but their performance was quick and to the point. From bloody knucks, to big beards and breaks, NAAM brought a good mix of the sludgy shit we all love to the showcase.

2011 SxSW Recon: Thrasher Magazine Death Match – NAAM

The whole time bands were playing at the Scoot Inn, skaters were outside shredding the Thrasher Magazine mobile half-pipe. It was a great break from photographing bands and the mob-scenes that engulfed Austin.

2011 SxSW Recon: Thrasher Magazine Death Match Half-Pipe Photos

When I was trying to figure out how I’d review The Body‘s performance at the Thrasher Magazine Death Match here at SxSW, I remembered my review of All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood I wrote last year.

“It is my opinion that it takes unique individuals to create engaging music, regardless of the genre. While genres will influence the individuals, there is something within them that drives and motivates them to create something new and fresh. Countless examples exist and yet only few truly succeed at producing quality and original sounds. Lee Buford and Chip King make up the Body and no, that’s not an homage to the Judea-Christian belief of the body of Christ, more of an allusion. In fact, Buford and King are about as far from religious as you could get, citing influences ranging from Manson to Body Count.”

As a metal band, you want to express your personality on stage as much as you do on the album and The Body did just that!

2011 SxSW Recon: Thrasher Magazine Death Match – The Body

With all the doom and death (metal) surrounding the Thrasher Magazine Death Match showcase at the Scoot Inn, I was glad to see Brooklyn-based Liturgy on the bill for Thursday. While I’m not the biggest fan of their first EP, Immortal Life, their album Renihilation hit a bit closer to my taste. The guys put on a great live show and since they went on before Zoroaster, the crowd was a bit bigger than The Body’s.

2011 SxSW Recon: Thrasher Magazine Death Match – Liturgy

Since their first self-titled release, through Dog Magic, Voice of Saturn and Matador, I’ve been a huge fan of Zoroaster. Regardless to what you might think, the South reigns fucking supreme over doom metal and Atlanta is one hotspot that is ready for battle. At the Thrasher Magazine Death Match Zoroaster showed how they wage war in the South. They fight with the right equipment, with massive, crushing riffs and vocals.

2011 SxSW Recon: Thrasher Magazine Death Match – Zoroaster

Now I’m gonna be really brief here with this band. I grew up in Wilmington, NC where the music scene revolved around a handful of bands. One of those bands was Weedeater. At the time, I remember being in highschool and seeing them in 1999 at a local spot. All I could think was that Weedeater front-man Dixie Dave was like Ozzy but on more drugs. Here we are, over a decade later and I’m still seeing them live. Yesterday at the Thrasher Magazine Death Match, Weedeater absolutely blew every other band straight out of the fucking water.

2011 SxSW Recon: Thrasher Magazine Death Match – Weedeater

That concludes my coverage of bands but we all know that the real fun is people watching. I headed out each night with my 35mm film camera loaded with some B&W and shot photos of all the crowds. As a part of my ongoing Recent Roll series, these photos came out fan-fucking-tastic!

Recent Roll: The Freaks Come Out at Night in Austin

- Prolly