SXSW Music: Day 3, Kate Walsh, Billy Bragg and a Perfect Song
by Phil Gallo/The Set List
A real rarity arose Friday, and in a sea of hyperbole, it almost feels like I am feeding right into the machine.But after catching two performances by Kate Walsh, I am convinced she has penned a perfect song in "Tonight."
Perfection, it's all in the eye of the beholder, but to me, this is a case of a song constructed and performed in a way that feels unchangeable. What she has to say, how she says it and the manner in which just a bare acoustic guitar backs her are unimpeachable; there's no need for addition or subtraction.
Like Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," another perfect song, "Tonight" relies on emotional honesty that displays a range and instrumentation that provides a subplot while complementing the lyrics.
Walsh, a 24-year-old from Brighton, England, whose U.S. debut "Tim's House" has been released by Verve Forecast, wrote "Tonight" about one-night stands. As she expresses an acceptance of her situation, she finger-picks in a higher register, a hint that inside there's fear and tears. Her guitar strumming builds - heavy breathing and a rapid heartbeat? - and she enters with a verse of resignation before rising to a moment of exultation.
The song calms down and a feeling of recrimination arises, turning the song's ultimate point to human need and the emotional gap created by romantic indifference. It's a powerful piece and a marvelous accomplishment for a young writer whose musical vocabulary is just beginning to develop. For more critical analysis of the day's shows, go here.
Elsewhere on Friday:
HOURS SEEING SHOWS: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 3 p.m.-1 a.m.
PERFORMERS SEEN: 16
ACTS INTERVIEWED: One
BEST SETS: My Brightest Diamond at Central Presbyterian Church; Laura Marling at Ninety Proof Lounge
BILLY BRAGG TO THE RESCUE: Amid performances of songs from his new Anti- album "Mr. Love & Justice," the fabled Brit storyteller-protest singer urged a gathering of music managers to put up a fight for the future."The real enemy of people wanting to make a better world is cynicism. ... I have been doing this for 25 years. When I raised a glass (at my 50th birthday party last year) I was grateful that I had been able to do what I dreamed of doing. Everything else is icing. (The focus) needs to be on the kids with their first contractual opportunity. Their careers are the ones on the line. (They play music) for people with 30,000 songs on their computers and they're not bandits or thieves. Engage withs world and on their terms. Stand up for this. The public doesn't care about rock stars but they do care about kids. Overcome cynicism. It's down to us." With that he launched into the glorious "I Keep Faith."
ARTISTS AS FANS: Part of the fun of SXSW is seeing established acts enjoying others. Mick Jones of the Clash and Carbon/Silicon, for example, has been spotted on the street sharing cigarettes and stories with young musicians and Friday he and current bandmate Tony James took in Duffy's set at the Fader/Levi's party. My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden asked her audience during a midnight show what acts people had seen and liked. She received a single response: Lightspeed Champion.
COOL INSTRUMENTS OF THE DAY: Worden's enriching set included her playing the kalimba - and African thumb piano - backed by her string quartet. The duo Ladyfingers uses guitar and an open-backed six-sting banjo, an instrument from the 1930s that found favor for a short while with jazz guitarists of the day.
A real rarity arose Friday, and in a sea of hyperbole, it almost feels like I am feeding right into the machine.But after catching two performances by Kate Walsh, I am convinced she has penned a perfect song in "Tonight."Perfection, it's all in the eye of the beholder, but to me, this is a case of a song constructed and performed in a way that feels unchangeable. What she has to say, how she says it and the manner in which just a bare acoustic guitar backs her are unimpeachable; there's no need for addition or subtraction.
Like Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," another perfect song, "Tonight" relies on emotional honesty that displays a range and instrumentation that provides a subplot while complementing the lyrics.
Walsh, a 24-year-old from Brighton, England, whose U.S. debut "Tim's House" has been released by Verve Forecast, wrote "Tonight" about one-night stands. As she expresses an acceptance of her situation, she finger-picks in a higher register, a hint that inside there's fear and tears. Her guitar strumming builds - heavy breathing and a rapid heartbeat? - and she enters with a verse of resignation before rising to a moment of exultation.
The song calms down and a feeling of recrimination arises, turning the song's ultimate point to human need and the emotional gap created by romantic indifference. It's a powerful piece and a marvelous accomplishment for a young writer whose musical vocabulary is just beginning to develop. For more critical analysis of the day's shows, go here.
Elsewhere on Friday:
HOURS SEEING SHOWS: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 3 p.m.-1 a.m.
PERFORMERS SEEN: 16
ACTS INTERVIEWED: One
BEST SETS: My Brightest Diamond at Central Presbyterian Church; Laura Marling at Ninety Proof Lounge
BILLY BRAGG TO THE RESCUE: Amid performances of songs from his new Anti- album "Mr. Love & Justice," the fabled Brit storyteller-protest singer urged a gathering of music managers to put up a fight for the future."The real enemy of people wanting to make a better world is cynicism. ... I have been doing this for 25 years. When I raised a glass (at my 50th birthday party last year) I was grateful that I had been able to do what I dreamed of doing. Everything else is icing. (The focus) needs to be on the kids with their first contractual opportunity. Their careers are the ones on the line. (They play music) for people with 30,000 songs on their computers and they're not bandits or thieves. Engage withs world and on their terms. Stand up for this. The public doesn't care about rock stars but they do care about kids. Overcome cynicism. It's down to us." With that he launched into the glorious "I Keep Faith."
ARTISTS AS FANS: Part of the fun of SXSW is seeing established acts enjoying others. Mick Jones of the Clash and Carbon/Silicon, for example, has been spotted on the street sharing cigarettes and stories with young musicians and Friday he and current bandmate Tony James took in Duffy's set at the Fader/Levi's party. My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden asked her audience during a midnight show what acts people had seen and liked. She received a single response: Lightspeed Champion.
COOL INSTRUMENTS OF THE DAY: Worden's enriching set included her playing the kalimba - and African thumb piano - backed by her string quartet. The duo Ladyfingers uses guitar and an open-backed six-sting banjo, an instrument from the 1930s that found favor for a short while with jazz guitarists of the day.
Michael Jones is the film festival editor at Variety.com. 
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