Below please find a first-draft of our estimates of whether the following SXSW 2009 Showcase bands are likely to put on a good show or not, based purely on the music samples these bands submitted to the SXSW website. This chart also demonstrates the difference between "listenability" and whether I would want to see the band live. For a full explanation of my tastes and rating preferences, click here. This list will be updated, so check back as the festival approaches.
| Five Star Bands |
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| Artist |
Song |
Time |
Rating |
Live |
Description/Genre |
Comment-Reminds Me of... |
| Le Castle Vania |
Zero Machine |
4:48 |
***** |
*****! |
DJ Electronic Rave Remix |
Samples Smashing Pumpkins "Zero" |
| Out From Animals |
No Place Like Home |
3:04 |
***** |
*****! |
Alt Aggressive Dance Pop Rock |
|
| Pendulum |
Propane Nightmares |
2:36 |
***** |
*****! |
Alt Aggressive Dance Rave Rock |
Seems like mushy electronic, then mosh pit aggression |
| Scissors For Lefty |
Ornamental |
3:59 |
***** |
*****! |
Alt Indie Pop Rock |
Lame day party show last year, but going to give them another chance. |
| Shiny Toy Guns |
Ghost Town |
3:43 |
***** |
*****! |
Alt Punky Electronic Girl Chant Rock |
Veruca Salt, Devo, Powerman 5000 |
| Teenage Bottlerocket |
Pacemaker |
2:30 |
***** |
*****! |
Alt Punky Rock |
The Clash, The Jam, Billy Idol |
| The Golden Filter |
Solid Gold |
5:29 |
***** |
*****! |
DJ Electronic Girl Remix |
|
| Backseat Goodbye |
Summer Drive Song |
3:36 |
***** |
***** |
Happy, Groovy, Pop Acoustic Rock |
Violent Femmes, America (Ventura), |
| Black & White Years |
Power To Change |
4:35 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Indie Dance Rock |
|
| Bloodgroup |
Chuck |
3:43 |
***** |
***** |
Industrial Rave Dance |
Matrix Soundtrack, |
| Dananananaykroyd |
Pink Sabbath |
3:14 |
***** |
***** |
Hard Alt Indie Punky Pop Rock |
Innovative Alt Indie Rock, Jimmie Eat World, Paramore |
| Elemeno P |
Baby Come On |
3:14 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Punky Indie Rock |
Red Hot Chili Peppers Chant; Proclaimers, |
| Elliott Brood |
Write It All Down For You |
3:58 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Indie Pop Rock |
Hooters meets Violent Femmes |
| Frank Turner |
Long Live The Queen |
3:26 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Acoustic Indie Rock |
Soft Violent Femmes meets Offspring |
| Geeks |
GET BACK |
3:32 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Punky Indie Pop Rock |
|
| Gramercy Arms |
Automatic |
2:21 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Indie Pop Rock |
? |
| Greg Camp |
Cat's Game |
4:03 |
***** |
***** |
Upbeat, Alt Prog Synth Rock |
Peter Schilling, Cure (In Between Days) |
| Japanther |
Um Like Yer Smile Is Totally Ruling Me Right Now |
2:11 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Punky Slap Rock |
Living End |
| Kap Bambino |
Red Sign |
2:13 |
***** |
***** |
Electronic Industrial Punky Rave Remix |
Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Whirlwind Heat |
| Kiernan McMullan |
Ballad Of A Shallow Man |
3:16 |
***** |
***** |
Groovy Funky Alt Indie Rock |
Jason Mraz |
| Les Handclaps |
Cacti Are Delicious Fruit |
3:04 |
***** |
***** |
Synth Dance Prog Pop |
Go Team |
| Los Pirata |
La Telepatia |
2:19 |
***** |
***** |
Latin Alt Surf Punky Rock |
Dick Dale, Ramones |
| Medi And The Medicine Show |
Excuse My French |
2:44 |
***** |
***** |
Progr Punky Rock |
Devo meets The Knack |
| Natalie Portman's Shaved Head |
Slow Motion Tag Team |
3:16 |
***** |
***** |
Electronic Alt Dance Rock |
Powerman 5000, |
| Ra Ra Riot |
Dying Is Fine |
2:43 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Churning Indie Pop Rock |
soft Kaiser Chiefs, |
| Rachel Goodrich |
Little Brass Bear |
4:15 |
***** |
*****? |
Goofy Bohemian Indie Spoken-Shuffle Rock |
Michelle Shocked (without politics) |
| Sonpub |
BEAT IT UP haha |
3:47 |
***** |
***** |
DJ Funky Midid Remix |
DJ who doesn't overuse riffs. |
| The Clutters |
9999 (Ways To Hate Us) |
3:09 |
***** |
***** |
Punky Prog Synth Pop Rock |
Sex Pistols meets Berlin |
| The Cocktail Slippers |
Give It To Me |
3:08 |
***** |
***** |
Punky Pop Rock |
Veruca Salt |
| The Cute Lepers |
Terminal Boredom |
2:08 |
***** |
***** |
Calif Surf Punk Alt Rock |
|
| The Dollyrots |
My Best Friend's Hot |
3:10 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Punky Pop Rock |
The Donnas, Veruca Salt |
| The Emeralds |
ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU |
3:09 |
***** |
***** |
Jap Surf Punk Rock |
Jap Punk--Kitchy but fun |
| The Gin Riots |
The Polka |
3:22 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Punky Indie Rock |
The Subways, |
| The Hot Kicks |
Pretty Little Face |
3:25 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Hard Rock |
Weezer, Jet, |
| The Shitsez |
Next Big Thing |
2:37 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Punky Electronic Girl Chant Rock |
Veruca Salt, Devo, Pippettes |
| The Twelves |
Works For Me |
3:36 |
***** |
***** |
New Disco Synth Rock |
|
| The Von Bondies |
This Is Our Perfect Crime |
2:57 |
***** |
***** |
Rock |
|
| The Woggles |
It's Not About What I Want (It's What You Got). |
2:42 |
***** |
***** |
Hard Mod Rock |
The Kinks |
| We Are Standard |
LAST TIME |
4:08 |
***** |
***** |
New Disco Synth Rock |
|
| Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer |
Death or Radio |
3:19 |
***** |
***** |
Alt Hard Chick Rock |
Veruca Salt; Let's Hold Hands and Listen to Shitty Bands |
| A Good Fight |
The Drama |
3:44 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Punky Pop Rock |
MxPx, Offspring, Weezer, Sugar Ray |
| All Get Out |
Water And God |
3:32 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Synth Pop Rock |
|
| Amber Smith |
Hello Sun |
2:44 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Prog Synth Rock |
Peter Schilling; The Cure; Early New Order |
| Arsenal |
Estupendo |
5:13 |
***** |
**** |
World Dance Disco |
Enrique Iglasias, |
| AwkQuarius |
Let's Hit The Town |
4:04 |
***** |
**** |
Dance Funky Rap Disco |
Will Smith; Jamarquari |
| Bishi |
Never Seen Your Face |
3:05 |
***** |
**** |
Electronic Rave Girl Dance |
Lily Allen |
| Bomani Armah & Project Mayhem |
Read a Book |
3:16 |
***** |
**** |
Funny, Attitude Rap |
The Knux |
| Casxio |
Seventeen |
3:30 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Rock Disco |
Cool "Ring My Bell"; Jamaquari |
| Cousin Cole |
I'm On Fire (Cousin Cole's Bad Desire Remix) |
5:35 |
***** |
**** |
DJ Remix of Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" |
PM Dawn, Moby |
| CY |
StandUp |
4:28 |
***** |
**** |
Rap Dance |
Nard Dance, DMX (Up in Here, Up in There) |
| Debayres |
I love you |
3:25 |
***** |
**** |
Latin World Acordian Girl Disco |
female Enrique Iglasias |
| Dekadens |
Fire in the hole |
1:58 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Punky Dance, Girl-Chant Pop Rock |
Donnas with hard dance beat |
| Dressy Bessy |
Simple Girlz |
2:28 |
***** |
**** |
Girl Punky Rock |
Veruca Salt, Blondie |
| Elastic Band |
A Little Bit Of Lovin' |
3:00 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Bohemian Pop Circus Rock |
Sound of Noise at the Pulp Fiction Circus |
| Erin McCarley |
Love, Save the Empty |
4:15 |
***** |
**** |
Girl Singer Songerwriter |
|
| French Horn Rebellion |
Up All Night |
4:14 |
***** |
**** |
Electronic Prog Rock |
happy New Order meets Moby |
| General Fiasco |
Rebel Get By |
3:22 |
***** |
**** |
Indie Pop Rock |
Kaiser Chiefs, |
| Hypernova |
Viva La Resistance |
3:04 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Aggressive Pop Rock |
Kaiser Chiefs, |
| Jon Kennedy Live |
Live Test |
4:51 |
***** |
**** |
Shuffle Folky Funk Remix |
Moby Meets Folk Mandolin |
| Jucifer |
Traitors |
2:28 |
***** |
**** |
Metal Hard Rock |
|
| Kakkmaddafakka |
Crazy on the dancefloor |
3:24 |
***** |
**** |
Ska Jazzy Art Rock |
|
| Kill The Noise |
ALL TOO VIVID (Kill The Noise REMIX) |
6:04 |
***** |
**** |
Electronic Industrial Dance Remix |
late New Order, |
| Killola |
Cracks in the Armor |
3:35 |
***** |
**** |
New Wave Hard Rock |
Devo, Berlin, Blondie |
| LECHE |
Huye |
3:34 |
***** |
**** |
Electronic Alt Dance Rock |
Phil Glass intro, |
| LoCura! |
Una Ola |
2:45 |
***** |
**** |
Latin Girl Groovy Guitar Rock |
Gypsy Kings, Rodrigo y Gabriella |
| Magneta Lane |
Lady bones |
3:14 |
***** |
**** |
Aggressive Girl Churning Rock |
|
| MC Lars |
Hipster Girl |
3:43 |
***** |
**** |
Satirical Alt Punky Pop Rap Rock |
Offspring |
| Miniature Tigers |
Cannibal Queen |
2:42 |
***** |
**** |
Soft Groovy Acoustic Rock |
|
| Modern Skirts |
Soft Pedals |
3:14 |
***** |
**** |
Soft Loungy Groovy Acoustic Rock |
Trashcan Sinatras, |
| Mom |
Josh Likes Me |
5:04 |
***** |
**** |
Acoustic indie Rock |
Intersting acoustic guitar work |
| Muck and the Mires |
Doreen |
2:21 |
***** |
**** |
Straight Punky Rock |
|
| My Federation |
Bus Stop Lovers |
3:58 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Synth Pop Rock |
|
| P-L-A |
Presto |
4:43 |
***** |
**** |
Rap |
Non-angry ebonic rap |
| SpecialThanks |
You say GOOD BYE |
2:20 |
***** |
**** |
Girl Punky Rock |
Veruca Salt, The Fools |
| Susan Marshall |
Oh My Soul |
5:00 |
***** |
**** |
Groovy Funky Girl Rock |
Slow Amy Winehouse, |
| Terra Naomi |
You For Me |
3:15 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Indie Girl Singer Rock |
upbeat Lisa Loeb, |
| The Dangerous Summer |
The Dangerous Summer |
3:35 |
***** |
**** |
|
The Edge plays for Foo Fighters, Paramore |
| The May Fire |
No Clone |
3:33 |
***** |
**** |
New Wave Hard Rock |
Blondie, Berlin |
| The Medic Droid |
Fer Sure |
4:16 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Synth Pop Rock |
|
| The Postelles |
123 Stop |
2:32 |
***** |
**** |
Progr Indie Rock |
|
| The Quarter After |
Sanctuary |
5:02 |
***** |
**** |
Alt Rock |
Early R.E.M. |
| Val Emmich |
Get On With It |
3:29 |
***** |
**** |
Rock |
The Cure without the whining |
| We Should Be Dead |
Forget Romance, Let's Dance! |
3:49 |
***** |
**** |
Hard Churning Chick Rock |
The Go-Gos, Blondie |
| Cary Brothers |
Ride |
3:35 |
***** |
*** |
Soft upbeat spacy alt rock |
Upbeat Sundays, Upbeat Moon Seven Times, |
| Chanel Campbell |
Cry Cry Cry |
4:00 |
***** |
*** |
Soft Alt Rock |
Lisa Loeb, Jewel |
| Dirty Heads |
Stand Tall |
3:11 |
***** |
*** |
Reggae |
Bob Marley |
| Disaster Us |
Never Into You |
2:51 |
***** |
*** |
Hard Irish Rock |
The Proclaimers |
| DJ Eleven |
So Simple (DJ Eleven remix) |
3:32 |
***** |
*** |
DJ Midi Rap Dance Remix |
Moby |
| Dmitry Fyodorov |
Leisure |
5:30 |
***** |
*** |
DJ Midi Rap Dance Remix |
Moby |
| Emma Lee |
That Sinking Feeling |
4:05 |
***** |
*** |
Girl World Cha-Cha Lounge Soft Rock |
KD Lang, Nicole Atkins in the Islands |
| Eugene Francis Jnr & The Juniors |
Beginners |
3:33 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Synth Pop Rock |
|
| Five Times August |
Beautiful Girls |
4:18 |
***** |
*** |
Clean Churning Softer Rock |
|
| Hatcham Social |
So So Happy Making |
2:44 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Prog Pop Rock |
|
| Jackie Bristow |
Crazy Love |
3:38 |
***** |
*** |
Soft Girl Groove Singer Rock |
Lisa Loeb, Squeeze (Tempted) |
| James Intveld |
Walk With Me |
3:30 |
***** |
*** |
Country Honky Tonk |
Rick Trevenio, |
| Jill Barber |
Oh My My |
3:42 |
***** |
*** |
50s soft lounge singer songwriter |
Marilyn Monroe, Blossom Desiree, Lisa Loeb |
| Josh Pyke |
Make You Happy |
2:56 |
***** |
*** |
Shuffle Straight Rock |
|
| Kendra Ross |
I'm So Okay |
4:45 |
***** |
*** |
Soft R&B |
Alicia Keys |
| Los Coronas |
Bigwave Riders |
3:27 |
***** |
*** |
Surf Punky Rock |
Dick Dale |
| Lost Bayou Ramblers |
Cote Gelee |
4:05 |
***** |
*** |
Country Cajun Zydeco |
Beausoliel, Buckwheat Zydeco |
| Luke Doucet |
Blood's Too Rich |
5:08 |
***** |
*** |
Straight Country Rock |
George Straight, Gin Blossoms |
| Madi Diaz |
Nothing At All |
2:55 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Groovy Girl Indie Rock |
Nicole Atkins, Lisa Loeb, |
| Marli |
Dirt |
3:20 |
***** |
*** |
Country Acoustic Singer Songwriter Rock |
Melissa Etheridge, Lisa Loeb |
| My Dear Disco |
White Lies |
7:26 |
***** |
*** |
Happy Girl gay disco dance |
Debbie Gibson meets Unwritten Law |
| Natccu |
Command Z (English Version) |
3:24 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Funky Disco Rock |
Creature |
| Nevertheless |
Longshot |
3:08 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Aggressive Pop Rock |
|
| P Kellach Waddle |
Spanish Caprice for Solo Bass |
3:40 |
***** |
*** |
Solo Bass Jazz/Classical |
Amazing musicianship |
| Pale Soul |
Blade Runner |
5:06 |
***** |
*** |
DJ Electronic Rap |
|
| Palomar |
walk on |
3:15 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Sweet Folky Irish Rock |
Cranberries |
| Pierre de Reeder |
That's The Way That It Was |
2:47 |
***** |
*** |
Acoustic Soft Folky Pop Rock |
The Turtles |
| Pompeii |
Rabbit Ears |
2:47 |
***** |
*** |
Softer Groovy Singer Rock with Folky hint |
|
| Raydibaum |
maleeixo el temps |
2:52 |
***** |
*** |
Alt World Pop Rock |
Gin Blossoms |
| Sean Rowe |
Wrong Side of the Bed |
4:26 |
***** |
*** |
Groovy Funky Alt Indie Rock |
Lou Reed on steroids. |
| Shawn Sahm & the Tex Mex Experience |
Why Don't Ya |
3:03 |
***** |
*** |
Country Honky Rock |
|
| Susan Hickman |
Sunday Paper |
3:33 |
***** |
*** |
Girl Country Pop |
Dixie Chicks |
| The Cloud Room |
24 Hr Heartbreak |
3:34 |
***** |
*** |
Upbeat, Alt, Churning Prog Acoustic Rock |
Joe Jackson (Steppin Out), Church |
| The Details |
Capture and Develop |
2:58 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Indie Pop Rock |
|
| The Iguanas |
If You Should Ever Fall On Hard Times |
2:52 |
***** |
*** |
Soft Country Rock |
The Derailers, |
| The Matches |
Wake the Sun |
3:40 |
***** |
*** |
Chant Anthem Rock |
Proclaimers, |
| The Steps |
Dagger |
2:23 |
***** |
*** |
Alt Indie Rock |
|
| Whitey Morgan and the 78's |
Crazy |
4:12 |
***** |
*** |
Country |
Hank Williams Jr. |
| Ace Enders |
Reaction |
4:02 |
***** |
** |
Alt Punky Pop Rock |
MxPx, Offspring, Weezer, Sugar Ray |
| Alessi Laurent-Marke |
The Horse |
1:53 |
***** |
** |
Soft spacy alt rock |
Sundays |
| Amy LaVere |
Killing Him |
3:05 |
***** |
** |
Soft Groovy Rock |
8 1/2 Souveniers; |
| Ariel Abshire |
Exclamation Love |
5:05 |
***** |
** |
Alt Soft Acoustic Shuffle Rock |
|
| Bart Davenport |
A Young One |
3:16 |
***** |
** |
Sunday Slow Groove Soul |
The Delphonics, Bobby Womack |
| Chad Hudson |
All About The Music |
3:30 |
***** |
** |
Country Honky Tonk |
Johnny Cash with Waylon Jenning singing |
| Clinton Sparks |
Get Down |
4:10 |
***** |
** |
DJ Disco Rave Remix |
|
| Daniel Martin Moore |
That'll Be the Plan |
3:56 |
***** |
** |
Soft Alt Acoustic Rock |
|
| David Kirton |
Green Camouflage |
3:50 |
***** |
** |
Reggae |
Bob Marley |
| Earlimart |
Face Down In The Right Town |
4:49 |
***** |
** |
Alt Soft Breathy Rock |
|
| Elizabeth Wills |
FLY |
3:47 |
***** |
** |
Alt Groovy Girl Indie Rock |
|
| Good Old War |
Coney Island |
2:44 |
***** |
** |
Alt Acoustic Indie Rock |
|
| Grupo Fantasma |
El Sabio Soy Yo |
3:56 |
***** |
** |
Latin Salsa |
|
| Harlan T Bobo |
Left Your Door Unlocked |
4:39 |
***** |
** |
Soft Country Acoustic Rock |
|
| Hey Negrita |
Burn The Whole Place Down |
3:42 |
***** |
** |
Rhythmic Folky Country |
|
| In Stereo (perCeptie & Kapabel) |
Dag |
3:40 |
***** |
** |
World Rap |
|
| Jay Nash |
Over You |
4:01 |
***** |
** |
Soft Acoustic Singer Songwriter |
|
| Jay Semko |
International Superstar |
3:43 |
***** |
** |
Country Honky Tonk |
|
| John Cruz |
Missing You |
4:39 |
***** |
** |
Acoustic Coffee Shop Folk Singer |
|
| Josh Charles |
Pickin' Up The Pieces |
4:18 |
***** |
** |
Acoustic Folk Rock Singer |
|
| Jypsi |
Now That's All Right With Me |
2:50 |
***** |
** |
Country Girl Pop |
Country Gin Blossoms |
| Keaton Simons |
Without Your Skin |
3:48 |
***** |
** |
Dirgy Slower Rock |
|
| Little Miss Higgins |
In the Middle of Nowhere |
2:50 |
***** |
** |
Folk Blues Singer Songwriter |
|
| MC Frontalot |
Diseases Of Yore |
3:18 |
***** |
** |
DJ Bubblegum Rap Pop |
Moby |
| Melissa McClelland |
Cry On My Shoulder |
4:52 |
***** |
** |
Soft Countryish Singer Songwriter |
|
| Nate James |
Take It On The Chin DEMO |
3:41 |
***** |
** |
Shuffle Country Soft Groovy Rock |
non-eclectic Lyle Lovett |
| Nell Bryden |
What Does It Take |
1:54 |
***** |
** |
Shuffle Country Groovy Rock |
|
| Question |
Seat layed back |
4:21 |
***** |
** |
Rap R&B |
|
| Stoney |
Skyline |
3:52 |
***** |
** |
Irish Progr. Rock |
Echo & Bunneymen, Church, |
| Ten Out of Tenn |
Hologram |
3:49 |
***** |
** |
Alt Soft Bouncy Rock |
|
| The Belleville Outfit |
Caroline |
3:44 |
***** |
** |
Trad Jazz |
|
| The Gala Band |
James |
3:15 |
***** |
** |
Soft Jazzy Groove Rock |
|
| The Painted Birds |
So Beautiful |
3:47 |
***** |
** |
Softer Acoustic Rock |
|
| Young Love |
Black Boots |
3:54 |
***** |
** |
Synth Alt Churning Dance Rock |
|
| Angus & Julia Stone |
Mango Tree |
3:44 |
***** |
* |
Alt Soft Acoustic Shuffle Rock |
|
| Autumn |
RAIN DOWN |
4:34 |
***** |
* |
Alt Soft Country Rock |
Lisa Loeb |
| Ed Vallance |
The Modern Life |
3:25 |
***** |
* |
Arty Bohemian Acoustic Rock |
Wall of Voodoo, |
| Jen Lane |
Grey Skies |
2:11 |
***** |
* |
Soft Country Groovy Acoustic Singer Songwriter |
| Milow |
You Don't Know |
2:48 |
***** |
* |
Acoustic Indie Alt Rock |
|
| Say Hi |
Northwestern Girls |
3:42 |
***** |
* |
Alt Indie Softer Pop Rock |
|
| Telerama |
Cruz |
3:10 |
***** |
* |
Girl Loungy World Rock |
|
| Wayna |
Mr. Duracell |
5:31 |
***** |
* |
Slow R&B |
Corrine Bailee Rae |
| Location Location |
Starpusher |
3:36 |
***** |
|
|
|
