Ryan Adams at SXSW in 2001

In early 2001, Ryan Adams was riding high on the critical acclaim of his debut solo album Heartbreaker (Sept 2000), while simultaneously letting off some punk steam through the recording of the excellent Pink Hearts sessions (starting in December of that year).

The set that he played at South by Southwest that year was heavy on Pink Hearts selections, some of my favorite unreleased songs by him. In my book, the 1-2-3 punch in this set of “Candy Doll,” “Gimme A Sign” and “Mega-Superior Gold” would be one that I’d pay good cash to see again. I love those songs.

RYAN ADAMS at SXSW
March 16, 2001
Introduction
Candy Doll
Gimme A Sign
Enemy Fire
I Don’t Wanna Work
Starting To Hurt
Mega-Superior Gold
Red Red Red Red Wine
Testy, Testy
Charmed

ZIP: RYAN ADAMS AT SXSW 2001

[stream it here, thanks to the original taper]

Travel notes from D.C.: Saw Raconteurs last night at the 930 Club; more on that super-loud awesomeness later. And hey, you know what’s really nice? Waking up East-Coast early in a hotel room and crawling a few inches from the bed over into one of these things. Yeah. That’s what I’m talkin about.

The “Yeah, I’m Not in Austin” sulk club

Yes, I’ll just come right out and say it: Hello my name is Heather. I am a blogger, and I am not at SXSW this week.

If you are like me find yourself constrained by money, or work, or life (or a combination of the three) and are not partaking in the musical bacchanalia on the streets of Austin right now, let’s find something to salve our wounds, shall we?

The good people over at Austin Sound have put together a quality 21-song sampler of local Austin talent that will be playing shows in pubs and clubs and parking lots at SXSW. I’ve had an enjoyable afternoon listening to these tunes — here are a few that caught my ear:

Power To Change – The Black and White Years (MySpace)
They were invited by former Talking Head/Modern Lover Jerry Harrison to record their debut full length at his California studio. You can hear why.

Mary Jo – The Brazos (MySpace)
The Brazos just want to hold you in their arms and sing to you over jangly ethereal guitars in a lovely, warbly voice about how they came to you singing sad songs when the evening called. The Cure meets Explosions In The Sky?

Gunpowder – Black Joe Lewis (MySpace)
Where did this young guy come from?! Apparently he’s been hiding in a cryogenic tank in the Stax vaults since 1966, and has emerged to start work on an album with Spoon’s Jim Eno. Go figure.

Darksided Computer Mouth – White Denim (MySpace)
I missed these guys at NoisePop the night I got in, but this is frenetic and relentless from the get-go, and I feel disoriented. I like it.

Muzzleloading Evangelicals – The Archibalds
A modern fusion of the warmer, countrified Beck tunes and an expansive ’70s country rock feel. Breezy and plucky, and I’m sure would sound good with some BBQ in my hand.

DOWNLOAD: The entire Sound Advice Vol II: The Latest Toughs (An Austin Sound Compilation) or snag individual tracks over here.

And maybe I’ll see you in Austin next year.