Seeing Zola Jesus at the beginning of a festival like SXSW is a perilous activity, because the singer's so good at her job that you might end up holding the rest of the performers to an impossibly high standard. The first time I saw Zola Jesus was last year, on the first night of CMJ, and I spent the subsequent four days complaining that every other band was terrible. Last week at the Fader Fort, she was the final performer of the day, ... Read More

Every year, the Fader Fort at SXSW is a watershed event for festival goers, particularly those with small wallets and no badges. Last week’s edition was as insane as ever, with enough free beer to keep you tipsy for four days’ worth of indie hip-hop acts and experimental punk bands. I came, admittedly, for the free beer, and also to see Zola Jesus, about whom I will never stop rhapsodizing. But the Fader Fort is like Hotel ... Read More