Hot Freaks! @ SXSW - De Novo Dahl, Sea Wolf, The Polyphonic Spree

March 23rd, 2007 by Rachelandthecity

One of the best events I attended this year at the South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conferences and Festivals held March 9-18 in Austin, TX was the Inaugural Hot Freaks! Blogger Curated Music Experience. Produced by two local Austinites, the two day event was booked with the help of some of the top music bloggers in the world, including Frank from Chromewaves, Dodge from My Old Kentucky Blog, Jax from Rock Insider, Matt from You Ain’t No Picasso, David from Largehearted Boy, and of course, Chris from Gorilla vs. Bear.

Not only did I get to check out some old favorites of mine, including Catfish Haven and The Broken West, but I came across two bands that are now at the very top of my new favorites list.

I actually first wrote about Nashville’s De Novo Dahl back in the summer of 2005 but then read of several members leaving the band. So it was quite a surprise when I walked into the sidebar at The Mohawk and witnessed the band loading onto the stage in all of their Nudie suit glory.

While I think most expected the band to bust out their best honky tonk impression, instead they wowed the crowd with their upbeat blend of pop hooks and high energy stage presence. When I made it back to Memphis from the trip, I immediately booted up my copy of their debut record Cats and Kittens. How could I have forgotten what a fantastic song “Be Your Man” is?

De Novo Dahl - Be Your Man - MP3

I wanted to check in with lead singer Joel J. Dahl to see what the latest scoop with the band was, but instead got dragged off to the next performance. As far as I can tell, the band has finished recording their next as-yet-untitled album which is due out in the fall on Roadrunner Records. In the meantime, the band is currently on tour. It’s a show I highly recommend. Also, check out this tune from the upcoming record:

De Novo Dahl - Shout - MP3

My other great discovery at The Hot Freaks! show was the wonderful Sea Wolf. Jax and I had a pretty hilarious IM convo last night about openly declaring our love for Los Angeles based Alex Brown Church, the man behind the Sea Wolf moniker. He can walk down my southern stream any time he wants!

I guess if I had to describe the music I would call it post-folk. It’s dreamy, literate college rock fueled by the perfect melodies for wearing cardigan sweaters and reading poetry under an oak tree in the park.

Church and co. recently signed to Dangerbird Records, home of their good friends and rehearsal-studio-mates, Silversun Pickups. Currently there are plans for an EP to be released this Spring and look for an LP in September. Believe me, Sea Wolf is going to be huge - right now I am sustaining my excitement for their EP by listening to these two songs on repeat:

Sea Wolf - Black Dirt - MP3

Sea Wolf - You’re a Wolf - MP3

Finally, if you haven’t heard already, the very special secret guest at The Hot Freaks! show was The Fragile Army. You might know them as The Polyphonic Spree. There were almost as many people on stage as there were in the audience, but it was definitely the best performance I saw all weekend. Luckily for you, you can check out what all the fuss was about by viewing the video Scott from Stereogum filmed while standing next to me during the show. The Spree recently signed to TVT records and their new album, coincidentally titled The Fragile Army, will be released this June. The new songs sound amazing. Have you heard their cover of Nirvana’s “Lithium” from the Wait EP? You should…

The Polyphonic Spree - Lithium - MP3