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There’s always something to see at South by Southwest. Whether it’s on stage or on Sixth Street, somebody is watching, and increasingly, somebody is capturing it for posterity. Some of the moments from SXSW 2016.

Claire England and Peter Richards of Seattle’s Dude York play at Cheer Up Charlie’s in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Fans of the Aussie band Big White sing along at the Aussie BBQ, one of the most popular events at SXSW every year. (Photo by Meri Simon)

John Moreland, an Oklahoma singer who was one of the most anticipated acts at SXSW, played during a daytime party at the club Bungalow in Austin. (Photo by Meri Simon)

The Oklahoma singer John Moreland paid tribute to his home state, as well as other subjects, in ink. (Photo by Meri Simon)

What’s more tempting than a big crate of balloons that you can fall into? Lipton Tea provided that opportunity for SXSW attendees just off Sixth Street in Austin. (Photos by Michael Mayer)

Any good vintage clothing sale in Austin will always include cowboy boots. This selection was at the Motel San Jose, site of a series of concerts. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Craig Almquist and Philadelphia’s Cold Fronts play at Cheer Up Charlie’s in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Michael Mayer)

Women in the guise of golden tennis playing statues show off on Austin’s Sixth Street during SXSW. (Photo by Michael Mayer)

Mitski Miyawaki, who heads the band known as Mitski, plays at the club Barracuda in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

A fiddle player showed off a green Mohawk on St. Patrick’s Day in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Sean Tillmann, leader of the band Har Mar Superstar, is well-known for odd dress choices. And he often ends shows in just his underwear. This show was at the North Door in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Michael Mayer)

A pew plopped down in the middle of Sixth Street prompted passers-by to pose for pictures with a spiritual slant. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Austin’s South Congress is home to many art galleries, and these music fans took time to stop into Yard Dog, a gallery that also hosts bands each day of the festival. (Photo by Michael Mayer)

Alex Luciano of the band Diet Cig stands on an amplifier on Friday, March 18, at Waterloo Cycles during SXSW 2016 in Austin, Texas. The drummer is Noah Bowman.

The operators of the Motel San Jose party in Austin provided a photo booth on wheels. (Photo by Meri Simon)

The Guacamole Showdown was a SXSW event in which bands offered up their own guacamole recipes and let music fans try them. Totebags were silk screened on the spot with bands’ recipes. (Photo by Michael Mayer)

The Strumbellas, a Canadian roots band, plays at Lambert’s Barbecue in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Lydia Loveless sings at the Motel San Jose’s SXSJ (South by San Jose) concerts in Austin for SXSW. The bass player is Ben Lamb. (Photo by Michael Mayer)

The Violin Monster (reachable at www.violinmonster.com) plays for passers-by on Sixth Street in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Nick Harris of the Columbus, Ohio, band All Dogs plays at Cheer Up Charlie’s in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Jamie Schefman of the Los Angeles band Partybaby played at the Hype Hotel in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

The Blind Shake, a band from Minneapolis, played the backyard of the venue Side Bar in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

The band Mothers played Lambert’s Barbecue in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Max Kerman, lead singer of the Canadian band Arkells, plays at the Canadian Blast BBQ in Austin during SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

The Australian band Oh Pep! plays at the Parish in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Liv Bruce, drummer for the New York queer punk band PWR BTTM talks between songs at the club ScratchHouse in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Ben Hopkins of the New York queer punk band PWR BTTM plays at the club ScratchHouse in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

Bedazzled outfits and acoustic guitars were part of the look of the band Escondido at the Parish in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

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The band Hinds from Madrid, Spain, plays on Wed. March 16 at a venue called Hype Hotel as part of SXSW 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Meri Simon)

By Michael Mayer
Photos by Meri Simon

The Year of the Woman? No, Geraldine Ferraro did not bring a band to Austin for South by Southwest. But it was hard not to notice that so many of South by Southwest’s buzziest names were women. From pop bands like Hinds, Sunflower Bean, Mitski and Diet Cig to standout solo performers like Aurora, Frances and Lapsley (all of whom coincidentally are compared to another woman who goes by a single name — Adele), it seemed like the girls had taken the Live Music Capital of the World by storm.

These performers all had been touted by tastemakers such as Brooklyn Vegan, Pitchfork and NPR and all played to huge, curious crowds.

In its 30th year, the South by Southwest festival has changed a lot, though those changes were pretty predictable. The tech segment of the fest now dwarfs film and music. And the music segment, which formerly featured big parties and headquarters for record labels and radio stations, is now dominated by those who want to stream you music: Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, and TuneIn, among others.

But what has stayed the same is the spirit of discovery most attendees brought with them. There were more than 2,100 bands in Austin this year, and it’s not just industry types who were looking for the next star; music fans with no reason to be there except to find new bands to love seemed to make up the bulk of the crowds.

Over the next couple of days, I’ll list as many of the bands that stood out as I can.

Mitski Miyawaki, who heads the band known as Mitski, plays at the club Barracuda in Austin for SXSW. (Photo by Meri Simon)

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The Heavenly States
When: 9 p.m. Thursday, June 11
9:30 p.m. Friday, June 12
Where: Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., San Francisco
Tickets: $12 advance, $15 door; www.bottomofthehill.com, 415-626-4455
Online: Listen to “Oui Camera Oui” on iTunes, and “Delayer” on Spotify or other online outlets. “HISS” is available at www.theheavenlystates.com.

By Michael Mayer
mmayer@mercurynews.com

The Heavenly States were on the verge.
The Oakland indie rock band had released its third full-length album, “Delayer,” and it was receiving raves from critics and fellow musicians. Six years of building its brand in Oakland was starting to pay off. They’d been adventurous in their touring as well, becoming the only American rock band to play in Moammar Gadhafi’s Libya.

But existence as rockers just knocking on the door of success was getting tough in the pricey Bay Area. And the Great Recession wasn’t helping matters.
So they packed up the remnants of their East Bay lives and moved to Austin, Texas, in 2012.

“We left ‘Brokeland’ for cheap living and cheaper lovin,” band co-founder Ted Nesseth said in an email interview. “(San Francisco and Oakland) were good to us, and we have strong ties there, so it was hard to leave. But we decided to start up incognito here and try to earn our way into it, and it’s gone well.”

And now they’re making their first trip back, with shows set for Thursday and Friday at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, and they’re bringing with them a work they think is a game-changer. It’s their first full-length album since “Delayer,” and it’s an artistic and technical triumph.

The album is called “HISS,” and even though Nesseth and co-founder Genevieve Gagon want you to hear it, you won’t find it on iTunes, Soundcloud or anywhere else that trades in just musical ones and zeros. Its 25 songs are on vinyl, and vinyl only. Three big, luxuriously weighty slabs of vinyl. It was recorded to 2-inch analog tape, assuring the “warm” tones sought by vinyl aficionados. The band employed three different production houses for the snakeskin-embossed cover and full-color interior and inner sleeves. It’s not inexpensive at $50, but considering that some of the major labels are charging close to $30 for single albums, it’s a fair price.

“And limited releases like these, they not only hold their value, they can double or triple in price,” said Vinny Esparza, a buyer for Amoeba Records in San Francisco.
The band’s decision to skip the digital market was not taken lightly.
“We don’t want to reach everyone. We only want to reach people who want to reach it,” said Nesseth, noting the prevalence of “blasé” listeners who dip in and out of music on the Internet, never really committing themselves to the time needed to absorb a major work like “HISS.”

“We wanted to get a very specific thing made the way we wanted it made as our sort of life achievement for ourselves and a few people. If we can’t do it again, then we can’t do it again.”

Musically, it’s an extension of the sound that had propelled the Heavenly States into the taste-making Noise Pop festival, and onto prestigious concert bills with bands such as Spoon and the New Pornographers. Spoon’s Britt Daniel had placed “Delayer” on a personal Top 10 list he compiled for the Pitchfork website, and he sought out the band to open when Spoon landed a three-night engagement at the Fillmore in 2008.

Their sound leading up to “HISS” had been guitar-riff dominant, borrowing from folk rock and power pop, layered with orchestral elements featuring Gagon’s rich keyboards and distinctive fiddle. It was packed with ear-worm hooks but with more sophisticated arrangements than simple pop usually allows. Lyrics were smart, poetic and dense, and Nesseth and Gagon didn’t shy away from provocative political statements. They ripped oil companies and the war in Iraq, and one song on a 2004 EP was simply a recitation of the names of Iraqi civilians killed in the invasion.

“HISS” moves the band’s sound more toward the orchestral, featuring string arrangements by Gagon and a much more prominent use of her piano. Nesseth’s irresistible guitar riffs are still there, but “HISS” feels like the work of a band that has matured, and the 25 songs run the gamut of emotion and intensity. And Gagon, who had mostly served as a backing singer on earlier releases, takes quite a few lead vocals, and the diversity in voice contributes to the album’s richness.

When the first songs on “HISS” were born, the band had been on a path to release a set of coherent shorter EPs, serving almost as chapters in a serial novel, according to Nesseth. The first, “Oui Camera Oui,” featured some of the band’s strongest songs, including “Berlin Wall,” which showcased Spoon’s Daniel on backing vocals. And the band’s sly sense of humor came to play in the final track, “Careful With That Review, Eugene,” in which comedian Eugene Mirman simply reads withering criticisms of the band from typically toxic Internet comments.
But the move to Austin forced a change in plans, and “HISS” eventually came together as one giant piece.

And if you can set aside the time to listen to it all at once, Nesseth thinks you’ll get the biggest payoff.
“It’s interesting that during this time (of writing and recording the album), binge-watching was born for TV series. We’re just bringing binge to aural consumption,” he said. “Deciding to kick it all to the curb to sit down and read a long book or listen to a big record qualifies as a bold move.”

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By Michael Mayer
Photos by Meri Simon

From: Chicago, Ill.
Website: http://www.robbiefulks.com/

Robbie Fulks is a great singer, crack guitarist, an accomplished songwriter. But mostly, he’s an entertainer. In his longtime hometown of Chicago, he holds a weekly residency at a neighborhood club where he’ll play a night of Michael Jackson covers, or bring in a string quartet to accompany his own country-inflected rock. His lyrics are funny and thoughtful, his between-song banter alone is worth the ticket. Judging from a SXSW journal he kept for a Chicago website (yes, he’s also a great writer) he doesn’t really like South by Southwest, but anyone who saw him in Austin probably wouldn’t believe it.

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By Michael Mayer

From: Nashville, Tenn.
Website: http://diarrheaplanet.blogspot.com/

Yes, it’s the worst name in rock. But the word kept spreading around Austin: “You’ve got to see these guys.” A massive four-guitar attack, hard rock hooks galore and a sense of humor. At no point are fewer than two of the guitarist soloing away, with power chords and multiple voices in support. They called for crowd surfing early on, offering custom made band T-shirts as rewards. The live show is so great, it might doom the band’s recorded music in comparison, but if live is all there was, it’d be enough.

An entire hour show on video

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By Michael Mayer

From: Austin, Texas
Website: http://starapplekingdom.com/artists/cotton-mather/

The Cotton Mather legend goes back to 1997, when its perfect power pop album Kontiki was discovered and promoted by Noel Gallagher of Oasis and the band briefly basked in the spotlight before its return to obscurity and dissolution. In 2012, songwriter Robert Harrison re-formed the band to hype a deluxe re-release of the album. What was supposed to have been a couple of shows turned into a true reunion, with a single that lives up to the band’s legend and a promise of a full album to come. Harrison is brilliant with pop arrangements, and his Lennon-like vocals, layers and layers worth, couldn’t be any more perfect. The band played just one short set at SXSW, but the little Ginger Man club was packed with longtime fans and the new songs he played were well-received.

A video trailer for the Kontiki re-release

Live video of the song My Before and After off of Kontiki. This from the band’s 2012 reunion shows at SXSW

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By Michael Mayer
Photos by Meri Simon

From: Washington, D.C.
Website: http://www.exhexband.com/

Ex Hex is guitarist Mary Timony’s latest collaboration, following her stints in Helium, Autoclave and Wild Flag. After a long run with the drony noise pop of Helium in the 90s, she joined with Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss to form Wild Flag, which was a big hit at SXSW two years ago with its brighter, pop-punk. Ex Hex, a trio, follows in the Wild Flag tradition with lots of guitar hooks and sing-along ooh-ooh-ooh vocals. There’s only a few singles so far under the Ex Hex name, but a full album is coming.

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By Michael Mayer
Photos by Meri Simon

Great rock music comes from all over the world and SXSW is good at finding it in spots you might not expect. One of the highlights in this year’s long parade of garage rock/power pop bands was AJ Davila from Puerto Rico. Former leader of Davila 666, he’s just released a solo album called “Terror/Amor” that is one of the best things you’ll hear this year. The lyrics are in Spanish but it’s otherwise like any great garage rock you’ve ever loved. It’s ragged and rambunctious and the hooks never stop. The shows were equally fun. He’s touring a bit in the continental U.S. right now; keep an eye out.

Here’s a little video preview of a few cuts from “Terror/Amor” and it’s also on Spotify.

A great mostly acoustic performance of “Ya Se” from the album

AJ Davila at Hotel Vegas during SXSW. (Photos by Meri Simon)

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By Michael Mayer
Photos by Meri Simon

City: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Website: www.mandolinorange.com

SXSW can be loud and unrelenting, so an oasis of acoustic calm like Mandolin Orange can really stand out. The combo’s Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz trade off on guitar, fiddle and the eponymous mandolin in a mix of country, bluegrass, folk and stirring vocal harmonies. Comparisons to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and the Civil Wars are apt, but the band has carved out its own sound over its three albums, the latest of which is a tale of Marlin’s healing process after a near-fatal accident. This was Mandolin Orange’s first SXSW and in their initial performance they were able to tune out the distractions and win over a crowd in one of the festival’s typically odd venues, the lobby of the Hyatt Regency hotel.

Emily Frantz of Mandolin Orange in front of a crowd in the Hyatt Regency hotel lobby.

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