Joey Sweeney reports: For months, it was all we thought about: Must rep Philly at SXSW. This is the year. This is the time. For we must.
And so we did. Mostly because we couldn’t believe nobody else was doing it already. This year, 23 Philly bands ó yes, 23 ó made the trek to South By Southwest in Austin, TX, easily the world’s largest music industry conference. Our show featured only seven of those acts, but they were (and remain) among those bands here nearest and dearest to our hearts. (To Dr. Dog, Man Man, Spintos and more: Next year, we promise!)
Having partnered with our friends at Move To Philly (yes, the ones featured in that article), we rented out the Tillery Street Theatre, a small community arts space located off the main drag, on Friday afternoon, when many were already looking for a respite from the non-stop commotion downtown. We’re proud to say that the vibe at this thing was unbeatable. We had burgers, we had dogs (both hot and fluffy), and we had plenty of friends from both home and elsewhere. At times, it almost felt like we were back home. How about a few snaps, then?

The Yah Mos Def begged us not to take this picture. Not only did they set it off at our party, but they rocked the ¸ber-crazy Red Bull Afterparty the night before in a surprise gig that featured even dirty dancing than that time the mummy strippers started dancing all up on Ricky Coldhands. But yeah, they totally look like dorks in this picture.

The Teeth: “When you’ve given your best, and you expect others to as well, try Saucony.”

There’s something very John Wilkes Boothe about this picture: Feather Mills takes in The National Eye.

Here’s a gang: Mickey Walker of Mazarin, Laris Kreslins of Arthur/MoveToPhilly and Kristaps Kreslins of Barmacy (DC) share a moment assessing the coolness of laminates.

The Capitol Years: If only Non D. Plume could see them now.

Blood Feathers creating previously unsuspected A&R kiniptions. Their set was a true highlight of the whole SXSW experience this year. Call your ma, tell your pa: Our best band of 2006 prediction (made sometime in ’05) is turning out to be dead on.

Dave Doughman of Swearing At Motorists: Every time he puts on these glasses, somewhere, someone spontaneously combusts.

And of course, Mazarin: Pro gear, pro attitude.

And that was about the size and shape of it. For us here at Philebrity, we can honestly say that we were honored to be a part of all of these bands’ SXSW trips; it seemed important, for us, just to do this, to make a statement that precious few other cities in America or elsewhere are able to make. The quality of bands here, the free-spirited nature of the city and the cheeky attitude we all seem to have been born into have finally coagulated. And we were amazed to run into so many people down there who knew what we were talking about before we even finished getting it out: That something is happening here, and it demands attention simply because it’s too good to miss. If you were at SXSW and you somehow did miss it, however, don’t sweat it: We’ll be back next year, and we’ll even give you a ride.

The Philebrity/Move To Philly Party at SXSW could have not happened without the generous support of the following:
GPTMC
THE PHILLY FUN GUIDE
STICK AND MOVE
ARTHUR MAGAZINE
HONEYMOON MUSIC
MYPHILA.COM
SHINER
VITAMIN WATER
and REDRUM

In addition, Philebrity would like to deeply thank the following: Everyone at ALL?GO/Tillery Street Theatre, Jersey Dan Bisogno, Ruth Carpenter, Tim Cullen, Dave Doughman, Jay Finnigan at Shiner, Kendra Gaeta, Laris Kreslins, Chris McKenna, Joseph Siwinski, Todd Siwinski, Chuck Stephens at Tight Spot Records, Jonathan Valania, Elaine & Paul Williams, and without a doubt, the bands. Thank you all so much.

For lots more photos, check the brand spankin’ new Philebrity Flickr page.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 19th, 2006 at 4:05 pm.