Music

SXSW Diary: The Return of Miles Kurosky

by Michael Joffe

Here’s a little test – mention the words “south by south west” to anyone who has more than a passing interest in live music. If they get a dreamy, far-off look on their faces as they imagine a concert-goer’s utopia, all cheap beer, tasty barbeque and terrific music from morning to night under a hot Texas sun, then they’ve never been. Veterans of the festival know that the reality of South-by is one of aching feet, massive drunken crowds on 6th St, impossible schedules and conflicts, and generally being inundated beyond the edge of reason by marketing, media and oh yeah, music. And that for all of the exhaustion and overwhelmedness of it all, there’s no place they’d rather be than Austin, Texas during spring break.

SxSW is entering its 24th year and is, without question, the top industry event in the world for showcasing new and independent music – the key word there being, “industry”. Even though the collected amount of talent descending on Austin is enough to make any music fan salivate, they’re there on business; to impress prospective labels, managers, promoters and the media. And if a massive four-day, city-enveloping party ensues in the process, then so be it.

The general populace is far from shut out, though – recent years have seen a secondary but almost equal festival rise on the shoulders of the official one, with unofficial day shows open to everyone running from noon till midnight and featuring most every artist playing SxSW proper looking to maximize their exposure and experience whilst deep in the heart of Texas. The net result? Four, fourteen-hour days straight (at least) of music of every shape and size, all vying for eyes and ears by offering free swag, beer and food.

Many of the acts are young up-and-comers hoping to make an impression, others are big, established names enjoying being near the top of the food chain when it comes to artists participating in the festival. And somewhere in between, you’ve got guys like Miles Kurosky. Kurosky fronted late-‘90s/early-‘00s indie-pop heroes and Elephant 6 associates Beulah and after a run of brilliant records and general commercial indifference – certainly no unique story – they called it quits in 2004. Ever since then, Kurosky has been toiling away on a solo record which, as each year passed, became more and more a thing of myth. “The Desert Of Shallow Effects” was finally released earlier this month and a handful of appearances at SxSW would be some of his first appearances in over half a decade.

The first of these was Wednesday afternoon at a day show at Red-Eyed Fly, and Kurosky was clearly trepidatious about the sort of response he might get or if he’d even be remembered. Those fears would be quickly put to rest as it became clear that though he’d been away a long time, his fans were still waiting and somehow, based on the youthfulness of some in attendance, he’d even gained new ones. The new material – which could have fit easily on any Beulah record – was greeted warmly and Kurosky would visibly relax as the set went on, cracking a few jokes about formerly being in Pavement, and eventually closing things out with a pair of Beulah classics in “Landslide Baby” and “Emma Blowgun’s Last Stand” to roars of approval. SxSW is a known as an opportunity for bands looking to make their marks in the world, but it’s also the perfect place for new beginnings.

Written by: Frank Yang