First thing today, I went to hear Quincy Jones deliver his keynote speech and wound up sitting two rows in, trying my best to remain on the far side of starstruck. Nevertheless, his comments were nothing short of inspiring. The venerable musician, producer and humanitarian spoke for nearly three hours, overlapping his book signing at 3:30.

 

It was not a long winded address, but full of warmth and charm and spotted with proverbs he picked up along the way. Wearing a ring given to him by Frank Sinatra, he casually mentioned the more memorable moments from his award winning career, among them working with his friend Ray Charles, producing Michael Jackson's Thiller – the best selling record of all time – touring with Lionel Hampton and playing with Dizzy Gillespie, and making records with Willie Nelson and Herbie Hancock. It was a thrill to hear this man, 60 plus years in the music industry, talk of these things in such an easy, leisurely way.

 

Eventually Jones turned to the state of the recording industry, and asked attendees to tell their friends to “stop stealing music,” but went on to say he was open and looking for any creative idea that could reinvent the model in a way that profits everyone. As the monologue entered the third hour, Jones introduced two of his most recent discoveries: Bianca Ryan, a teen singer, and Alfredo Rodriguez, a Cuban ex-pat and pianist. Together they performed “God Bless the Child,” and Rodriguez himself played an impassioned, stunning arrangement on the waiting Steinway grand. A great way to start the afternoon!

 

I shot down to Red 7 to check out the remnants of the Found Magazine and Quack Media party and caught Southern California's No Age, who had the crowd moving more than I'd seen since I arrived, playing overpoweringly loud, up tempo rock.

 

I moved then to the Central Presbyterian Church, with incredible reverb, perfect for the acoustic set. Girls from San Francisco took the stage shortly after 7 p.m., with their mellow surf style pop, and mentioned their first album would be forthcoming in June. Next was Canada's The Rural Alberta Advantage, who combined bright harmonies and creative percussion with a roving cadence both primal and strikingly complex. They were followed by Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear, who packed the house, with their distinctive ethereal sound. Playing for nearly an hour, the band was gracious and unassuming, casually mentioning that the last SXSW festival they played was four years ago, “unofficially, at a pizza shop.”

 

I took a cab to the old Safeway on I-35 for the Rock the Rabbit party, headliners as of yet unannounced. The hype was wildly speculative, no one knew who to expect. L.A.'s Keenan Bell took the stage first, amping up the growing crowd with their tough, yet stylized “hip rock.” Party DJ Bassnectar followed, looking like Cousin It with a bobbing mat of long hair, throwing down solid remixes of Nirvana, M.I.A. and Nine Inch Nails. And then...out came the Jane's Addiction drum kit, followed shortly by the mischievously grinning Perry Ferrell and the way-too-cool Dave Navarro. The band was clearly stoked to headline, and Ferrell pranced and tumbled around the stage, a wild, uncontrollable thing. The audience was elated and screaming; moshing started, there was some crowd surfing. Narvarro leaned into the crowd railing his Ibanez, Ferrell bounced around, came down into the crowd, then hopped back on stage. “Been Caught Stealing” was a unanimous crowd pleaser, and the group encored with “Stop, ” Perry Ferrell all the while swinging a bottle of Veuve.

 

An incredible, sweaty night, I could take no more. For now, enjoy the photos!

 

Photo Credit: James Trevenen