Palehorse Does SXSW 11:26 PM

Sleeping Horse Pills is pleased to announce the return of the Palehorse!  A contributor since the very first paper issue of SHP, Palehorse has shared everything from tips for online gambling to recipes for bachelors on a budget.  The Palehorse climbs back in the saddle with a recap of his experiences during SXSW 2011.  We sincerely hope that it is the straw that breaks the camel's back of your tolerance for "all things SXSW" this year.  We would have gotten it to you sooner but the Palehorse, just this moment, recovered from his hangover.

PALEHORSESOUTHBY2011  by The Palehorse

Oh, Dear SHP Readers.... how I've missed you! Since my last contribution, a lot has changed in my life. I started going to a new yoga class, added French and Italian to my List Of Foreign Languages I'll Never Take The Time To Learn and finally, gave up on flossing.
A month or so ago, Rocky found me on Gchat to see if I'd toss some scribbles his way for SHP 2.0. I sent him a draft about the time, after hitting up Mugshots for last call, I awoke a few days later to find out I had been bought by a wealthy businessman to be his son's "live-in friend" for a week. Rocky is apparently a fan of Richard Pryor. He started typing in ALLCAPS, and the conversation was over. That next morning I received a fax that simply read: SXSW RECAP! (he also added a few obscene drawings).

My favorite part of SouthBy is the schedule. The 70 page list of free events from Wed-Sun. Breaking that down -by day, -by priority, -by trash and of course, -by free booze. I seriously lose interest in world news, sports scores.... My daily focus for 5 days is the time and location of an artist I wouldn't mind checking out. At the same time, I love to stray off the path I've created and meet up with a group for some cheap drinks at Sidebar or catch a random band here and there. I just love having OPTIONS! That's how it's been the last few years, running around from Noon-2am everyday. I seriously doubt I'll be able to continue that pace in the years to come.

This year's Southby may be one of my favorites. Everything about it: the weather, the friends, the new venues and no severe damages like lost ID/phone, or arrest! Just a couple bruises and a few scrapes...

Palehorse + Free SXSW Beer = Awesome

Saw some old faves (Menomena, Ted Leo, J Mascis, Cave Singers) who, of course, were spectacular. Odd Future at MessWithTexas was like nothing I had ever seen, and I don't think I ever will again. Got a chance to see Thee Oh Sees in two very different settings, and their energy for both was to the MAX. Definitely a band you have to see live rather than form an opinion based on recordings.

There were countless times this year that were so enjoyable and amazing, but these 3 for me were extremely surprising and magical:


MELLOWHYPE and BASSDRUMOFDEATH: DeVille, Wed. afternoon.



I had already been walking around for a couple hours, hopping into various venues to find freebies. After meeting up with SuperSonic James at RedEyedFly and downing all the free Trumer Pils we could, we decided to go see what exactly a MellowHype was.

I knew very little at the time:

1. It had something to do with OddFuture.
2. It was their first SXSW performance.

It turned out to be the "performance to beat" for the rest of the week. Hodgy Beats and Left Brain were on fire and unlike previous years, DeVille was not packed at all. Of course, when the entire Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All crew jumped on stage, people started to Lose.  Their.  Shit! I think BASSDRUMOFDEATH knew they would have to come out and just kill it for the crowd energy to stay on the same level and they did not disappoint at all. It was a 1-2 punch of hiphop/garagerock that left us in awe and set the bar for the rest of the week.

GAYNGS: Red 7, Secret Guest Slot. Wednesday night.



What. A. Wednesday! After Club DeVille and an Eastside Bar Tour, I knew I had to make my way to Red 7 for the Jagjaguwar Showcase, since it would be the only chance for me to catch the Cave Singers during this SouthBy. They were honestly the only reason I was going to the Showcase, and to me, worth the $20 I was assuming would be the door price along with waiting in line for 30 minutes at the very least. As I walked up to the club, a line 20 deep had already formed, everyone wearing wristbands or dangling badges. Just to make sure I wasn't wasting my time, I went and asked the door girls if they were even accepting cash for entrance into the showcase. "Oh, the line for cash starts here" she said, and pointed two feet to her left, reaching out her hand for my money.
SuperSonic James was able to get in just as easily and as we were discussing how we had just waltzed in for $15 while $300 wristbanders were STILL waiting in line, a crowd started to form onstage. After two notes of the guitar soundcheck my jaw hit the floor. I had completely forgot there was a Suprise Guest and had already chalked Gayngs up as a band I wouldn't get a chance to see this week. They played a relatively short set, but you could tell just how much fun they were all having that night. I had their album in my Top 5 of last year, and it's an album you MUST listen to from start to finish to truly enjoy. That usually makes it more difficult to transition to a live performance, but Gayngs has figured out what needs to be added and what parts are better suited just for the record.

WYEOAK:  Swan Dive, Brooklyn Vegan Day Party. Friday afternoon.



Friday was the start of my four-day hangover.

This didn't stop me from drinking, though I probably should have passed on the free tequila mixes that were constantly flowing. But hey, free is free. I feel like I walked about 20 miles on Friday alone. The original plan was to meet up with Rocky at Scoot Inn for Odd Future and Pentagram so I slurped down my third disgusting margarita and trekked to the Eastside. Walking up to Scoot, the line literally wrapped around the entire venue and into the streets. A volunteer kept shouting, "We're at capacity, you're not getting in!" but no one was moving, listening. I informed Rocky of the bad news and decided to head back to the Brooklyn Vegan party. After grabbing some free vegan treats outside, I decided to check out who was playing inside. The above video is the song I walked into (if you look closely you can see me). Not knowing anything at all about Wye Oak, they completely blew me away. First, the sound quality at Swan Dive was spot on. Every band I saw there benefited from it greatly. And of course, if you're a girl that shreds on a guitar, you've got my attention. Maybe it was the fact that I had just previously struck out on a show I really wanted to see, but Wye Oak's set gave me my second wind, and prolonged that shitty hangover feeling until Saturday.

Medium Rotation: Shock of the New 1:26 PM

Here are a couple new records I got recently.  Medium Rotation:  Shock of the New will feature records that aren't necessarily new, but they will be recently acquired and so therefore new to me.  You can hit the players to listen to the tracks.  The recording is shitty because it's just me holding a mic up to my shitty speakers.  I like that though.  It reminds me of when I would sit in front of my boom box with my finger on the pause button so I could try and record a new song off the radio onto a cassette.


OFF!  Compared to What / Rotten Apple 7"  Tour Version 

OFF! went into the studio in February to record a couple tracks for this new 7" on Southern Lord.  They wanted to get it done quick so they would have something for the tour and it shows because it's got the same live and urgent sound that exemplifies everything this furiously focused punk outfit has done so far.  This is the limited Tour Version of the record which features a sweet Vans print by Aaron Edge Design and heavy ass blue vinyl.  If you missed out you probably won't be able to get one unless you see them on their current tour.  The official Southern Lord release is scheduled for Record Store Day in April and I think they are releasing a couple of cool versions then as well.

The original lyrics to Compared To What by Gene McDaniels sound as if they were written just so Keith Morris could yell/snarl/scream the fuck out of them.  The song was made popular by Roberta Flack and OFF! has written completely original music for this version.  The B-side is Rotten Apple and although it never seems like OFF! is trying to re-live or re-create the glory days of punk, this track confirms that they are still pissed off(!). 




Destroyer / Black Mountain Quiet Weather Singles Series

I recently got to see Destroyer perform during their tour in support of their new album Kaputt.  The sound is completely different than anything they have ever done before and Daniel Bejar has put down the guitar, preferring to concentrate on delivering his intricate manipulation of the English language while taking countless sips of any alcohol within reach.  The new album is incredible and it's awesome seeing them pull it off live.

I got lucky and found this 7" split at the merch table.  There were only 500 copies pressed in 2004 by Spirit of Orr Records.  It's on white vinyl and Black Mountain's Bicycle Man is the B-side to the Destroyer track Jackie, Dressed in Cobras.

The Destroyer track is basically just Daniel Bejar recording a demo of Jackie, Dressed in Cobras at home.  It sounds awesome because it's a simple little jam with Bejar recording a few vocal tracks of his insanely cool lyrics over the top.  It is from (before this new album) the era of Destroyer that I have always enjoyed most, 2004's Your Blues spanning back through Streethawk: A Seduction and Thief.  The New Pornographer's released their version of the song on 2005's Twin Cinemas.  It's nowhere near as good as this demo.  I've never been a New Pornographers fan and I have always wondered why Bejar continues to give them what is always their best material.

I was unfamiliar with Black Mountain until listening to Bicycle Man on the B-side of this record.  It immediately reminded me of Dead Moon.  These Canadians have got a sound I like:  Take the barest minimum of chords and then play them as hard and as tough and as dirty as you can.

SXSHP 8:36 PM

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film and Music festival is set to once again descend upon Austin.  In its 25th year, this annual springtime event has become the bloated, over the top display of excess and debauchery that one would expect from such a celebrated convention of independent films, talented young bands and most importantly, the by-product of their exploitation; HUGE piles of money.

Although the Film part of the festival is gaining momentum, the Music has always been the big draw with SXSW  boasting over 2,000 performers playing in more than 90 venues in Austin during four "official" days of the festival.  The "official" title is an important part of learning how to navigate this carnival.

SXSW has lost much of what made it so special in the beginning.  Although it has always been a music industry trade conference in the guise of a festival, it really was a way of showcasing exciting new talent and giving them exposure and an opportunity to play for people who could help make their dreams come true.  Who hasn't heard the legendary tales of bands being signed while sharing a steaming piss trough with a record executive at Emo's after a good set.  You could end up shaking hands with some record label asshole so fucking high on coke that everything sounds like heaven to him and end up on a world tour by July.  Now, it just seems like an excuse for music industry folks to come party and eat BBQ once a year.

Despite the beast that is SXSW, the last 5 years that I have attended in varying degrees, I have made some amazing memories....

-  Getting tattooed with the Destiny Friends crew.
-  Seeing Fucked Up play the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge at 2am and yelling "J!  Hey J!" while trying to get the attention of J. Mascis who was also in attendance.
-  Verne H. Coleman and I getting free wristbands for showing up too late to Yo La Tengo at the Parish.
-  Interviewing Georgia Hubley after a set at the French Legation.
-  Throwing Dice on the Mugshots pool table.
-  Pelican killing it at 9am with free beer.
-  Early incarnation of Fleshlights playing a set in a front yard next to the French Legation.

Fucked Up on Lamar Pedestrian Bridge 2am ©Esther Lin

So, despite having to deal with a ton of pretentious assholes, the usual hipster, scene-maker bullshit and getting gouged by every business in town right along with the tourists, SXSW can be a shitload of good times!

Sleeping Horse Pills Guide to Making Future Memories at SXSW:

-  Fuck your Badge!  90% of the people that have badges hanging around their necks are assholes that treat you like shit because you are a true fan getting in their way of enjoying a company sponsored circle jerk.  If they look down their nose at you, I suggest sticking a finger down your throat and puking Hot Dog King and free beer all over their sweet kicks.

-  Get there early for free beer and food.  Get your shit together man, hangovers are not allowed.

-  Don't do anything "official".  There are enough free parties and every band that matters will play these with as much if not more gusto as the badge or invite only shows.

-  Don't get a tattoo anywhere near 6th street.  You will be woefully overcharged.  Check out Triple Crown on the East Side.

-  Learn to play Craps or Cee-Lo.  Dice are super portable, you might get bored, gambling is fun and you might win back some of the money you spent at all the free shows.

-  Don't take anything from anybody passing out "free shit" on the street.  It's worthless crap and you will end up with an armload of trash advertising consumer goods from A-Z.

-  The blow and booze and pills and shitty Tex-Mex is gonna fuck with your insides.  If you get to a safe, "non-festival" toilet, take your time and take advantage.

-  If you can't get in somewhere, suck it up and move on.  You probably don't want to hang out with those assholes anyway.

-  Purchase the bulk of your illicit substances just before the craziness starts.  Meeting up with your guy if he's not already tapped out will be hard during the week.  Don't stock up too soon though because if you're like me, you'll taste it and then you'll be trying to meet up with your guy during the week.

If you have any memories or survival tips please share them in the comments.  Enjoy yourselves and I hope to see one or two of you going wild in the streets!

The Nam Diaries 9:07 PM

"Are you smoking that shit so's to escape from reality?  Me, I don't need this shit.  I am reality.  There's the way it ought to be, and there's the way it is."
                                                                                  - Sgt. Barnes

Karg survived the mountains of north Vietnam with the hospitality of the Hmong people and his teenage guide Ang.  Then he came down from the cliffs and plunged into the deep waters of Ha Long Bay.  Now, along with his companion Jimmy, the bartender from Wisconsin, Karg travels south along the coastline ever closer to Saigon.  But before he reaches Ho Chi Minh City, Karg finds himself stuck in Nha Trang.  Although he is no FNG when it comes to ignoring moderation with alcohol, Karg fights a losing battle with booze on the beaches of Nha Trang and The Sailors Club.  But the worm definitely turns for Karg and sometimes feeling good's good enough.  Hit the jump to continue reading.  Free your mind and the ass will follow.