One of the most stunning aspects that Akron/Family brings to the album and the live show is the fact that they are completely engaged in their own sound. This comes through most noticeably in their completely unabashed devotional Raise the Sparks (definitely watch this video… it is the band at their finest… only problem is the vocal recording is not mixed quite right). They have no problem wandering into gospel territory with a kind of tribalistic sound because they are so sure (or at least nonchalant) in their own sound. This was especially pointed in Chicago where their gospel blues influence stood out as a historical thread (something they explicitly mentioned). This made it that much harder to switch gears into a different kind of scene and sound for acosta and my second night of music. We somehow stumbled on a South by Southwest (the world’s premier indie music festival in Austin, TX) pre-game show at the Hideout. The show rampaged from noon until midnight miming the style of SxSW. Bands played 30 minute sets, back to back to back. Acosta and I were there a little late (say 7:00 to 11:00) to see The M’s and Maritime specifically. The music was fine and the venue was great but there was a palpable difference in the two nights of music.

The first difference was in the setup. Akron/Family played in the standard “opener-main band” configuration while The M’s, Maritime and a whole host of others played from 12pm to 12am, mirroring the SxSW festival. So the big difference was in the focus between one band and a long set and a whole slew of contenders (we only saw The Zincs, The M’s, Maritime, and Velcro Lewis and His 100 Proof Band) only playing 30 minute sets or so. The other striking difference was the median age of the concert watchers. Normally I find that acosta and myself are just about average age at this point for most of the indie scene in Chicago. You have a your college students and then you have people trailing off from there as they get older. However, everyone at the Hideout was older than us, and probably by a good 5-10 years. The last difference was how “official” it seemed. The Empty Bottle is a staple of the Chicago indie scene and although I am not well versed in the politics and society involved it has always seemed to be a key establishment. However, it has never seemed pretentious or assuming. The Empty Bottle schedules great lineups yet maintains its low key attitude.

The Hideout (at least this night… seeing as it is my only experience) had the exact opposite effect. They were definitely high energy. The announcer was the same announcer as the Pitchfork Music Festival. It was the “official” send-off for the SxSW bound bands. I couldn’t imagine it being more “official” and still being indie. They even had corporate sponsors (Goose Island and the Chicago Reader… hardly corporate America but still). The leather jacketed 40 somethings in front of us even spent most of the time taking pictures with their Blackberries. The announcer very clearly wanted the bands playing that day, the festival, SxSW, and the greater Midwest indie scene to fit into a grand musical tradition ranging from American Roots music through Woodstock and to the present day. The announcer specifically name checked Woodstock and The Newport Folk Festival. Even if indie music is that important 30 years hence it seems a little presumptuous. It would have been only a minor annoyance if it had a ring of truth to it. Perhaps it was just the bands we saw but no one in the line up seemed like a Jimmi Hendrix, Electric Bob Dylan, or The Who. Its exactly that kind of grandstanding amongst the indie crowd that really rings hollow unless you find yourself truly blown away by the bands. Theatrics aside, it was a fine show although it makes me wonder how people survive Austin during SxSW.