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AUSTIN, TX- For most of our SXSW artist coverage, we’ll keep it relatively short and sweet. We have over 80 artists to cover, so cut us some slack! 😉 We’ll basically be formatting each post into two parts: (1) Why our contributor wanted to see this act and (2) what our contributor thought of the performance”. Easy peasy. If you want to learn more about the act, make sure you click through to their social media links to get in the know. You won’t be disappointed!
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Why I Wanted To See Low: Day 3 of SXSW was a wild one. It included bands that I wasn’t too familiar with going in, but was definitely curious to check out. One such band was Low, who were part of a long showcase at Stubb’s Austin. Definitely one of the more venerable acts of the night, they’ve been around since the early 90’s, Low was an originator of indie rock music at a time when punk and heavy rock were at the peak of mainstream consciousness. They don’t tour often anymore so getting a chance to see them live at ‘South By’ was a really cool opportunity.
What I Thought Of Low’s Performance: Low took the stage dressed in black from head to toe, and they dove into their set with some slow moving guitar strums, a deep bass-line and a rhythmic drum beat. Their music transcended the name, Low. It consisted of underlying bass chords that gave the performance a very calm and heavy feel.
The band consists of trio Alan Sparhawk (guitar and vocals), Mimi Parker (drums and vocals), and Steve Garrington (bass guitar and keyboard). I really enjoyed watching Mimi smash her drum kit as she contributed to the sonic wash with her booming, alto vocals. Low played songs from over 20 years of recorded music (11 studio albums!), as well as the new single they released in February, an inspired cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”
The cover, which was a highlight of the performance for me, was executed sublimely. The single, the proceeds of which go towards the Duluth, Minnesota branch of the NAACP, was sung beautifully by Mimi, and contained modern electronic synths that showed a bit of downtempo shift in their sound. It appears they’re not stopping anytime soon when it comes to producing new music, so I’d recommend giving a listen to their discography.
Follow Low on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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