Scenes from SXSW 2011

Dylan sends his regards: New West Records party highlights Houston bands at SXSW

Robert Ellis' new album, "Photographs," is due out this summer
Photo by Susan Darrow
New West Records president George Fontaine exhanges a laugh on stage with RobertEllis at SXSW.
Photo by Susan Darrow
Sergio Trevino from Buxton at the New West Records party Thursday afternoon
Photo by Susan Darrow
Old 97's frontman Rhett Miller, from left, with KPFT radio host Rick Heysquierdoand CultureMap contributor Susan Darrow
Rhett Miller on stage at the New West gathering
Photo by Susan Darrow
Dave Alvin debuted new songs at his Bug Music showcase.
Photo by Susan Darrow

The annual New West Records party, a South by Southwest (SXSW) tradition, long ago established itself as a key Thursday afternoon destination for music industry insiders. Yesterday, the bash at the Belmont on Sixth Street shone a light on some of Houston’s brightest rising musical stars.

George Fontaine, the Houston-based president of New West Records, is a firm believer in the local music scene, recently signing deals with both Buxton and Robert Ellis. At the Belmont yesterday, Fontaine (who’s also part of the group behind the rebirth of Cactus Music), told CultureMap, “There’s something going on in Houston. I’m really excited about the scene there now and having the chance to give these young bands a shot.”

Indie-folk rockers Buxton have been garnering rave reviews, with labels like “one of Houston’s finest bands” to “the best thing to come from La Porte since the Battle of San Jacinto.” Buxton’s rambunctious opening set at the New West fete got the afternoon off to a rousing start, and afterwards lead singer Sergio Trevino reflected on the critical acclaim and the band’s recent signing.

“It’s all happened so fast,” he said. “Now it’s time to live up to people’s expectations. There’s so much going on…it’s like a big wave. We’re just happy to be a part of it.”

Robert Ellis followed next, with a full-band gig that showcased his hard-driving country style, featuring songs such as “Comin’ Home” and “What’s In It for Me.” Ellis has already attracted quite a local following with his danceable, honky-tonk gigs around town. His album, titled Photographs, is due out on this summer.

New West’s line-up continued with Ponderosa, a group that hails from Atlanta with a taste for enjoyable Southern classic rock.

The afternoon ended with a rocking rave-up set from Dallas alt-country darlings, the Old 97’s. Spotlighting old favorites and new songs, including tunes from last fall’s New West release, The Grand Theatre, Volume I, the band offered up an especially rollicking version of “Champaign, Illinois,” for which frontman Rhett Miller wrote new lyrics to the melody of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.”

Of course, permission was needed to use the song, so the band’s manager reached out to Bob Dylan’s manager. According to Miller, word got back that Dylan liked the song, but he wanted to read the lyrics.

“So we sent him the lyrics,” Miller said, “and we got an email back saying, ‘Dylan likes the lyrics.’”

Heady praise for a young songwriter —the kind of email you store in your “Save Forever” folder. But the Old 97’s aren’t resting on their laurels. Miller tells CultureMap the band’s follow-up album, The Grand Theatre, Volume Two, will be out this summer.

More From SXSW: Dave Alvin and The Guilty Ones

Dave Alvin, the Grammy-award-winning master songwriter and roots-rock legend the Los Angeles Times magazine called “The King of California,” returned to SXSW Thursday night at the Dirty Dog on Sixth Street with the debut of brand-new songs and a brand-new band.

For many years, Alvin toured with his longtime compadres The Guilty Men, but following the death of his best friend and bandmate Chris Gaffney, he’s been performing lately with an all-female backing band in support of his album Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women. Alvin’s official showcase Thursday marked the first performance by a new co-ed line-up, “The Guilty Ones,” with some of Austin’s finest: guitar-slinger Chris Miller, Lisa Pankratz on drums and Brad Miller on bass; and Seattle’s Christy McWilson joining Alvin on vocals.

Alvin blazed into the set with his “Harlan County Line,” recently written and recorded for the critically acclaimed FX series Justified. When the Justified producers (longtime Dave Alvin fans) heard the song, they loved it immediately – and wrote Alvin and his band into the script. Alvin appeared in the opening sequence of the February 23 episode of the show.

Alvin introduced another new song with the words “This is about something that happened in Houston, Texas,” and then launched into a tribute to Johnny Ace, the R&B star who tragically (and accidentally) shot himself to death at Houston’s City Auditorium on Christmas 1954.

After finishing with an exciting, electric version of “Marie Marie,” Alvin promised CultureMap he would return to Austin (and Houston) soon on tour in support of his new studio album due out this summer.

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Movie Review

Sheriff Bob Odenkirk is back in over-the-top new action movie 'Normal'

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Bob Odenkirk in Normal.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first three John Wick movies, has essentially had a blank check to do what he wants in the movie landscape since 2014. In recent years that has meant writing the action series Nobody for Bob Odenkirk, who has turned from a comedian into an unlikely action star in his sixties. Kolstad and Odenkirk are teaming up again in Normal.

A film that tries to evoke Fargo in multiple ways, Normal finds Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) serving as a temporary sheriff for the small town of Normal, Minnesota after the previous sheriff died. Knowing he’s just a steward until a new sheriff is elected, Ulysses takes a live-and-let-live approach to the job, letting the deputies (Ryan Allen and Billy MacLellan) do the grunt work and trying to stay out of everyone’s way, including Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler).

A bank robbery attempt by two non-citizens upsets his best-laid plans in more ways than he can imagine. Not only is he forced to confront a crime not often seen in a town like Normal, but the robbery uncovers secrets that turn the film into an all-out bloodbath. Soon, almost everyone in town becomes involved in what comes to resemble a war, along with — you guessed it — Yakuza henchmen from Japan.

Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Kolstad, the film is a slight twist on the everyman-turned-hero character Odenkirk played in the two Nobody films. While Ulysses is in law enforcement, he prefers to use words instead of weapons, and it’s only when he’s pushed to the brink that he crosses that line. Naturally, his skills are beyond what anyone would expect of him, allowing him to match up well with people half his age.

The film is not a comedy in the traditional sense, but instead aims for laughs by catching the audience off-guard with its ultraviolence. Some characters are dispatched in shockingly unexpected ways, with one of the only natural reactions to the jarring nature of their deaths being laughter. That’s not necessarily the case for other killings, which range from blasé to sadistic, and the only reason they count as entertainment is because the filmmakers have primed the audience to accept them as such.

After a relatively solid setup, where Wheatley and Kolstad seem to take their time getting to know the main characters, the second half of the film is pure action that dispenses with good storytelling. Like many action movies, there are double crosses, surprise revelations, and more, but the filmmakers don’t seem to care about making sense of any character arcs. All they care about is delivering mayhem, and they succeed on that front.

Odenkirk has perfected the mild-yet-intimidating nature of his action characters, and it is satisfying to see him get the better of those who have done him wrong. He doesn’t run or jump like fellow 63-year-old Tom Cruise, but — with the help of fast-paced editing — he still makes for a credible action hero. The only other actors of any note in the film are Winkler, who’s a nice presence with his sardonic personality, and Lena Headey, whose small role doesn't match up with her experience.

You have to have a certain mindset to enjoy a film like Normal, but if you can abide its over-the-top bloodiness, it’s a serviceable action film. Few would have expected Odenkirk to take on these kinds of roles at this late stage of his career, but he’s making the most of his opportunities.

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Normal opens in theaters on April 17.

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