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Music

Perception vs Reality: Before & After SXSW with Nothing

Spoiler: They played drunk!

You always remember your first time. It’s awkward, it’s probably a little messy, and weird parts of your body are going to be sore afterwards. There’s a lot of strange stuff going on, a lot of unfamiliar sweat and niggling worries lurking beneath the ostensible “fun” of it. It’s not something you know how to discuss with your mom, and part of you still thinks, “That was it?!” Maybe it was worth it and beautiful magical things will follow, or maybe it was just a decent way to waste some time, but no matter how it all goes down, you’ll never forget your first SXSW.

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We caught up with a handful of SXSW bands before and after the madness to see how their expectations of Austin’s yearly media orgy stacked up to the cruel reality of navigating a drunk-choked Red River at 2am. Did they “make it”? Did a shiny-suited A&R guy from some major label dinosaur ooze by their showcases and make all their dreams come true? Did they start drawing up blueprints for a Doritos temple of their very own? Maybe. From bar crawls to swimming basses, our willing subjects came, they saw, and best of all, they got the fuck out in one piece.

This may be Nothing's second time through the SXSW meatgrinder, but it's their first official label-endorsed foray into the fray. The Philly shoegaze troupe have made all kinds of waves with their debut release for Relapse, Guilty of Everything, and despite members' hardcore roots (the band was formed in 2001 by Horror Show's Domenic Palermo) the album's focus is firmly on shimmery Swervdriver-meets-Slowdive swells. How did these unabashed 90's dudes feel about SXSW 2014? We tracked 'em down to find out.

The expectation…

NOISEY: This is Nothing's first time playing SXSW, and you've got a few killer gigs lined up. Are you excited for the festival?
Nicky Money: We played last year under the name of a friend’s band who had to drop off a showcase. We've got some tight shows so we're stoked on that, but it's truly a mess down there and I cringe thinking about being around that many people.

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Have you been to SXSW before as an attendee or, or is this your full-on first experience walking into the belly of the beast?
I would never attend if not performing. No offense to anyone. There's not a band in the world that could pull me into that sea of humans.

What kinds of stories have you heard about the SXSW experience?
The same general consensus. A lot of tiring bullshit to meet people you really don't want to, but like I said w'ere getting to play with some great artists this year in more structured events so maybe things will get easier.

How do you think your performances are going to go?
We’ll probably play really drunk.

Are you sharing gear? What’s your parking strategy?
As much as we can, but people trip over that shit too much. I'd rather carry my shit down two blocks through a sea of morons because you can't park anywhere near the venue then to have to try and ask some shithead to borrow his and have him be all uneasy about it.

Are you touring down, or just coming down for the festival? Where are you crashing?
Currently crammed with 10 dudes (Weekend and ourselves) in a hotel in Atlanta. This our 6th day, I think? It'll be the same until we separate.

What bands are you hoping to see while you're down there?
Excited to see the boys in Powertrip. Be cool to check out Hyuna. There's plenty.

…and the aftermath

Overall, how was it? Was it as manic as you expected it to be?
As stated before it's like paddling through a sea of the worst people imaginable. I stayed in the hotel when I could.

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On a scale of 0 to David Hasselhoff, how hungover were you after all was said and done?
On the drive to Dallas I became deathly ill, and haven't been able to figure out if it's the flu or withdrawl.

What was the best thing that you saw, did, or witnessed (or all three) during this year's SXSW?
A very close three-way tie. Rolling Stone got Future Islands, So So Glos and ourselves together to rap a bit and have a knife throwing competition outside of Austin. Then there was the Bridge Show with Perfect Pussy, Ex Cult, and ourselves. It was probably my favorite show Nothing has ever played. Finally, Fader Fort. Drank a ton of Captain Morgan for free. Had a green room next to Rick Ross, met Future and Bun B, saw Erykah Badu play, and played in front of an insane amount of people who def didn't understand what was going on. It was tight. Oh, and got to hang with Roky Erikson for a minute.

Was the bridge gig as much of a shitshow as one would expect, or did it go smoothly? Where were the cops?
It was hectic. Generator was acting funny at first and wouldn't power anything. Hundreds of kids were just standing around waiting. The cops were literally chilling parked right on the river side. I don't really know how we got through it all.

How did the rest of your shows go? How many did you end up playing, and where?
We played a bunch and they were all pretty good. Run For Cover, Relapse, Thrasher/Converse, Brooklyn Vegan/Life Or Death, Ground Control, Fader, Bridge, and an Absolut event.

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Between parking, playing, and sweating, did you get a chance to catch any bands while you were down there?
Missed Hyuna, all that matters.

What was the worst band you saw (or walked by) all week?
There was that one outdoor stage that constantly had the worst music every time you'd walk or drive by. Rock Fest? Fuck man, brutal. Sad. Either that or us a couple of times.

What was the absolute worst 'tear my hair out fuck this band' moment of SXSW?
Every time I stepped foot near 6th St.

Do you think the organizers were right to carry on with the festival after the car accident?
It's only a matter of time before things of this nature start happening. Humans can't coexist and you keep dumping more in and this will always be the result. You'll see, this is just the start.

Now that you've survived this year’s SXSW, do you think you'll go back next year?
Yeah, probably so.

We talked to Perfect Pussy, Eagulls and Yautja, too.

Kim Kelly is not your friend, but she is on Twitter. - @GrimKim