Remember when going to SxSW was about showcasing new talent and great indie labels? Hell, remember when you could actually get into the clubs to see the bands you paid that $400 badge fee for? Ah, those were the days…
Now that we’re on to the days of parties being thrown by both Paris and Perez Hilton, we can all stop crying for the good ol’ days and just see how gaudy the whole damn affair can become. And since we’re good at starting rumors, let’s start with the one that has Metallica — with John Madden replacing James Hetfield — playing Stubbs on March 21. Of course the John Madden part is a hoax (can he even play guitar?) and it was started on the Metallica message board, so there’s nothing substantiated at all, but lets try to imagine the cluster-fuck that would ensue with Metallica playing a 1500 capacity venue while there are already approximately one-million people converging on downtown Austin.
And in other big SxSW news, it looks like Cringe will be there again this year! Oh wait, you don’t know who Cringe is? Maybe you know them better as the band that Rachel Ray’s husband is in. Normally, this would be the part where we start making jokes, but it turns out Rachel Ray has pretty good taste in music (last year she had Holy Fuck and The Raveonettes play) and she’s planning another soiree in Austin this year. Aside from Cringe (who plays every show she books apparently), rumor has it that Ray is looking to expand her showcase to “10 to 12″ bands, and while not all the acts have been confirmed, apparently The Hold Steady and The Airborne Toxic Event have already committed. With another source citing there will be a “big name” added in the coming days.
We’ll hold off on other rumors for the time being. After all, it’s not like Radiohead is going to be there. Or are they?
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January 29th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
cringe? good thing they went with the verb most associated with rachael ray…two birds with one stone!
March 5th, 2009 at 5:35 am
Hello. Great job. I did not expect this on a Wednesday. This is a great story. Thanks!