South By Southwest (SXSW) is Austin’s biggest party and it’s thrown by a town that knows how to party. This is the reason why people love Austin. People from all over the map (both regionally and philosophically) can feel welcome in Austin. It’s a fun place. This year I ran into something that is not unusual for the typical SXSW visitor – I was shut out of a really good showcase. While I covered a lot of film, music and a little interactive action during the week, it felt like a slap in the face to miss out on Mychildren Mybride (our March cover story) and For Today, who both played in a small fenced-in area under a tent called Emo’s East. I’m not one to try to force my way through a line of people with any sort of press credentials, so I waited and waited and finally made the difficult call. The place was at capacity, so they would only let people in when other people left. It got to be frustrating when you’d see four people leave, though, and no one come in. I had a friend inside who’s a part of the media, so I leaned on him to report on what he saw. Thank God for Clutch!
On Thursday night I was stoked to catch Impending Doom at the Scoot Inn over on E. 4th. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the 6th Street and Red River scenes, the seeming calm of East Austin was primed to be shattered by the face-ripping metal showcase which was also the kick-off show of the much anticipated Metal Alliance Tour. Late in the evening, Impending Doom took the stage ready to blister SXSW with their brutal blend of metal and message. Their set was well worth the wait as the warm spring night was again electric when Doom churned out “Murderer” from their eOne debut album, Baptized In Filth. Before the crowd could recover, Brook and the boys went right into “There Will Be Violence” and “For The Wicked.” But, the band’s biggest surprise came when they quickly said, “OK, we’ve got one more for you tonight before we go.” Even for an all-too-short-SXSW-set, this was short! I suspect that it was due to DevilDriver going long and breaking down all their equipment on stage (a band faux pax). But, my disappointment quickly turned to heavy metal joy as Impending Doom wrapped up the night with “More Than Conquerors.”
On Friday, the big white tent at 6th and Red River across from the ghost of Austin’s famous alternative venue, Emo’s, could hardly contain the crowd and energy overflowing from a full day of heavy music. The showcase included amazing sets by To Speak of Wolves, Gideon and many others including heavyweights Mychildren Mybride and For Today.
Mychildren Mybride immediately kicked everyone in the teeth by launching into their set with their new single “On The Wings Of Integrity pt. 2.” Lead singer Matthew Hastings commanded the crowd from his perch atop the stage monitors. When asked, “How many people have heard of Mychildren Mybride?” the audience went wild. They were rewarded with the fan favorite “Terra Firma” and then again as MCMB ripped into the song that will be the band’s next video, “God Of Nothing,” leading the frenzied pit in a lyrical chant of “We were bathed in blood that is not our own!” MCMB closed their set in a proper bookend fashion by whipping up the pit with “On The Wings Of Integrity Pt. 1.”
The night wore on and it seemed the crowd would have nothing left after the brutal swirling pit, stage dives and chaos brought on by a heavy set from Stick To Your Guns. But, then Mattie Montgomery’s familiar scream tore through the tent with “I WILL NEVER BE SILENT!” For Today had arrived to shake and challenge the sweaty swirling masses as hard as they’d seen all day. For Today ripped through a set that played like a hardcore greatest hits list. But, for all the energy the crowd was pushing towards the stage, Mattie was pushing back; you could see him praying over the crowd as the songs flowed over them and boldly stating, “We come to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the King above all kings!” before launching “Fearless” – the first single from their highly anticipated Razor & Tie release, Immortal. Then, a challenge was thrown down from the stage: all demons and sickness were to leave the tent and the crowd had to decide if they were indeed unafraid and unashamed to stand up and make a difference in the world for Him. As they were called to decide the spiritual battle anthem, “Seraphim” blasted Austin’s night sky. Before leaving the crowd that was crying for more, the band ended their set with the well known “Devastator.”
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