Underground Bands and Indie Music Reviews

Many of you may already be aware of the great underground, indie conferences and festival going on in Austin, Texas. This exhilarating event for both musicians and music lovers alike, is known as the South by Southwest (SXSW).

This year will mark the 24th annual Music and Media conference. This event has grown in years to become a MUST attend show for any and all networking in the music world. If you are in a band that is wanting to get big, if you are a booking agent looking for gigs, if you are a manager or a record label company and looking to sign on new musicians, the SXSW is where you need to be. And if you aren’t there and I just described you, get on a plane asap.

This years SXSW event will be showcasing nearly 2,000 bands/musicians from around the world. Each day will be filled with musical acts performed throughout roughly 80 stages in downtown Austin, TX.

During the day managers, promoters, press, record labels, artists, booking agents, etc. gather for business. For some this is a first-look at the future musicians.

This has got to be one of the most thrilling events of the year. I have got to admit that I am extremely jealous of my friends who are able to be there and I wish I could be there. So if you go, tell me how it is.

Check out the highlight of the festivities: http://sxsw.com/

Introducing a great American band … Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. This exciting group is comprised of lead singer Alex Elbert and the beautiful and talented Jade Castrinos.

Evans was previously in a successful band called Ima Robot that signed with Virgin in 2000. After the break up with his band and then girlfriend, Evans moved out of his house and joined a 12-step addiction program. Then he began working on a story about a special being named Edward Sharpe that came to earth to help mankind…but kept falling love with girls instead.

Evans then met Castrinos and began touring the country in the summer of 2009 with a bunch of musical friends and became known as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. They haven’t been around too long but have already found some passionate friends and followers.

Their song Home was voted number 15 on the Triple J Hottest 100, in Australia, 2009 which is the largest music pole in the whole world.

They seem like one big happy family, kind of like the Partridges with a little more edge. Since seeing this video of 40 Days Dream I have been dying to see them, I missed them by 2 days when I was in Chicago.

They only have one album out so far and my favorites are Home and Janglin. There is something about Jade’s voice on Home that I really like, about half way through when they say “Jade Alexander”, check it out in the video posted above.

I hope to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros sometime before I die and we are all really excited to hear the great music that they will share with us in the future.

Canada is making a name for itself in the indie music world. With bands like Arcade Fire and Great Lake Swimmers coming out of Canada, you can’t ignore our friendly neighbors to the north. There’s just too many good indie artists coming from there. Chad VanGaalen is no exception.

Chad is a musician and animator from Calgary, Alberta. Releasing two LPS since 2005, Chad’s newest album, Soft Airplane, was released in September 2008. When I was introduced to this album about 6 months ago, I fell in love with it instantly. With his music weaving in and out of different genres and sounds, Chad really seeks to display his personality and sheer talent through his songs.

I guess you could call Chad a “one-man band”; his songs are laced with guitar, banjo, percussion, synthesizers, and other home-made instruments that he has made. But all these instruments don’t clutter the songs; they just work together, and they do it well.

Chad uses all these instruments to dabble into different genres. You could listen to his banjo or guitar-driven folk songs “Willow Tree” or “City of Electric Light”, or if you’re more into synth-driven pop, try “Phantom Anthills” or “TMNT Mask”, which sound like more focused versions of a kid toying with his Casio keyboard samples.

All of his songs are complemented by his thoughtful lyrics and his high, whispy voice. His voice could be described as a cross between Devendra Banhart and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes.

I would say if you like Bright Eyes or Pedro the Lion, you would probably like Chad VanGaalen. Check out his MySpace or go to Sub Pop Records to listen to all of his latest songs.