Gallery: 10 Must-Hear Bands Ready to Shake Up SXSW
01eclectic-method
The South by Southwest music festival, now in its 25th year, is stuffed with more bands than any human can possibly hope to see in five short days. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/sxsw-2011)You could try wrapping your ears around the [unofficial SXSW torrent](http://www.sxswtorrent.com/) — a 6.58-GB download jammed with more than 1,000 songs — or you cold cut to the chase with Wired.com's shortlist of influential and newcomer noisemakers worth checking out. Spanning the sonic signatures of art, rock, soul, punk, gaze, hip-hop and pop, our SXSW music picks have either made a healthy impact already or are poised to at the conference, which runs Wednesday through Sunday in Austin, Texas. We asked each of them to explain why SXSW-goers should check them out over the hundreds of other acts playing this week and got some free downloads to help them make their case. We also asked who else they're interested in seeing at the festival. __Above:__ Eclectic Method --------------- __Sonic signature:__ U.K.- and Brooklyn-based [Eclectic Method](http://www.eclecticmethod.net)'s Jonny Wilson, Ian Edgar and Geoff Gamlen are [multimedia masters](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2009/06/eclectic-method-remixes-the-future-of-open-video) of the highest order, who splice and dice disparate, kinetic beats, samples and clips and feed them through a next-gen sound system that can shake an entire city. __Listen: "Outta Sight" by Eclectic Method (featuring Chuck D)__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/EclecticMethodChuckD_OuttaSight.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/EclecticMethodChuckD_OuttaSight.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/EclecticMethodChuckD_OuttaSight.mp3) "We remix media for a dance floor," Wilson told Wired.com. "It's a party but you'll see stuff like [Tim & Eric](http://www.timanderic.com) go up against the latest Charlie Sheen outburst over dubstep. It's different every night, because we make it up every night, and pull what's happening now back to when video was first invented." __Now appearing:__ Method's latest single "Outta Sight," with Public Enemy's legendary hard rhymer [Chuck D](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_D), premiered last week, and its spoof of the batshit Sheen is viewable below. But the group's live set is an unclassifiable good time, and is at [full-strength in SXSW](http://www.eclecticmethod.net/cat/livedates), where Eclectic Method will be soundtracking parties, as well as playing standalone showcases Thursday night at the [Austin Music Hall](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS15086) and more. __See also:__ "Diplo," said Wilson. "Also, we love [SXSW's interactive week](http://sxsw.com/interactive) as well as drinking and catching up with Austin friends we only see once or twice a year." [#iframe: http://www.youtube.com/embed/jpG83qBOxTI?rel=0](660x401)|||||| *Image courtesy Boris Draschoff*
02ancient-astronauts
Ancient Astronauts ------------------ __Sonic signature:__ Kabanjak and Dogu make up Germany's astronomically beat-happy DJ duo [Ancient Astronauts](http://ancientastronauts.de), named for Earth's rumored [alien settlers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronauts). Like all great hip-hop and electronic music, the group's danceable sonic output is as powerful in person as it is through the headphones. __Listen: "Worldwide" by Ancient Astronauts__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/07-Worldwide.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/07-Worldwide.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/07-Worldwide.mp3) "We like the beats to be in your face, while the funk should shuffle with a heavy groove," Dogu told Wired.com. "That's how it was done back in the day. But we also tighten our music with modern production and Kabanjak's live instruments. We don't want to steal, we want to modulate." __Now appearing:__ You can take that spacewalk on the duo's new effort In Bass and Time, released March 8. Or check out one of [Ancient Astronauts' many shows in Austin](http://ancientastronauts.de/dates) for a body-rocking trip through time. "We try to bridge musical gaps between genres to make our DJ sets a journey through the history of music, from the past to the present to the future," said Dogu. "We love to see people dancing, not just shaking their heads and watching us DJ. Wear your smile!" __See also:__ "We want to see Shawn Lee, Adrian Young, Belleruche and DJ Yoda, as well as our [ESL Music](http://www.eslmusic.com) label mates Ocote Soul Sounds, Funk Ark, Nickodemus and Frank Mitchell Jr.," said Dogu. "Actually, we'll be playing with people whose music we love and appreciate like J-Boogie, Nappy Riddem and DRM from the Bastard Jazz Camp." *Image courtesy Tobias Freytag/Fad Photography*
03and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead
And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead ----------------------------------------- __Sonic signature:__ Straight outta Austin, [Trail of Dead](http://www.trailofdead.com) has returned to its home base armed with a mind-wiping new concept album, [Tao of the Dead](http://trailofdead.com/home) (above). It's a refreshing return to the blistering noise of Madonna and Source Tags & Codes, yet still as cerebral as newer work like The Century of the Self. __Listen: "Summer of All Dead Souls" by And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-03-Summer-Of-All-Dead-Souls.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-03-Summer-Of-All-Dead-Souls.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>"The noise is slowly refining," band lyricist, singer, artist and guitarist [Conrad Keeley](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2009/02/trail-of-dead-i) (below, left) told Wired.com. "It's like slow-aging wine. Not quite ready to be corked, but approaching its prime with steadfast determination." __Now appearing:__ Trail of Dead kicks off an extensive [spring tour](http://www.myspace.com/trailofdead/shows) with a 1 a.m. headliner at the [Beauty Bar/Palm Door](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13019), a free Friday in-store performance at [Waterloo Records](http://www.waterloorecords.com/cdstoreevents.html), and back-to-back Saturday shows at the Brooklyn Vegan Day Party and The Blind Pig. The band's way past being stressed about it. "It's relaxing now," Keeley said. "Back in the day, it used to be so stressful, because typically you only played one showcase, and that was your make-or-break moment. Nowadays, it's much more common for bands to play five to 10 shows. When it's spread out like that, it's not nearly so nerve-wracking. "But I still look forward to the peripheries \[of SXSW\]," he added. "Outside the festival, the limestone bedrock of Austin and the hill country remains unchanged and still beckoning the intrepid traveler. I'd recommend anyone visiting to take a day trip into one of the many surrounding towns and visit a classic town square in any number of places, with the old antique stores and canneries and tanneries and authentic pit barbeques, oil-drum grills, swimming holes; that's the stuff I miss the most about the Lone Star. Keeps you more occupied than a one-legged mule in an ass-kicking contest." __See also:__ "I was really hoping to see Liz Phair," Keeley said. "But usually the acts I want to see, I rarely get to see. It's par for the course." [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/trailofdead1.jpg)
04yoko-ono
Yoko Ono/Sean Lennon -------------------- __Sonic signature:__ Born and raised in Japan but schooled, if you will, in New York's flourishing art scene, [SXSW speaker Yoko Ono](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MP990207) helped John Lennon produce immortal anthems like "[Give Peace a Chance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Peace_a_Chance)" and stunning albums like [Imagine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_%28song%29), as well as formulate the pair's peace and art activism throughout the early '70s. Her solo efforts helped recode avant-garde, alternative and dance music in the late '70s and early '80s, and she has since worked with or been covered by everyone from Elvis Costello and The Flaming Lips to Cat Power, Peaches and DJ Spooky. (Check out Spiritualized's heavy reboot of Double Fantasy's "Walking on Thin Ice" below for more on Ono's renewable resourcefulness.) "At the risk of being even more blasphemous than making [porn for God](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2010/11/jonathon-keats-god-porn), I believe that Ono is a more significant and interesting and original artist than John Lennon, and would in fact rate her in my top 10 favorite living artists in any genre," conceptual artist and frequent Wired contributor [Jonathon Keats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathon_Keats) told Wired.com by e-mail, right before we passed out from the shock. "Her instruction paintings in particular seem to me to be the ultimate redemption of art through the negation of all it had previously been and had been expected to be: the logical conclusion of Dada and its antidote." <object height="81" width="100%"><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F1449466" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed></object> __Now appearing:__ While she won't be performing at SXSW, she will chat about her life's work — and, inevitably, [John Lennon's legacy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_lennon) — Friday morning at the [Austin Convention Center](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MP990207). __See also:__ Sean Lennon. Ono's son performs Saturday night with Charlotte Kemp-Muhl as [The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS11832) (below), whose 2010 debut album, Acoustic Sessions, concerned itself with dark matter, Schroedinger's cat and robot empaths. Lennon's appearance is part of his [Chimera Music showcase](http://sxsw.com/node/6713), which features artists from the label and is capped with a [1 a.m. performance by Ono](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13271).  *Yoko Ono image courtesy Synaesthete (2009). The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger image courtesy Chimera Music*
05ringo-deathstarr
Ringo Deathstarr ---------------- __Sonic signature:__ Is it karma that head-trip noisemaker [Ringo Deathstarr](http://www.sonicunyon.com/records/artists/ringo%20deathstarr) is playing the same SXSW festival featuring John Lennon's soulmate Yoko Ono as a keynote speaker? Who cares? The band name mashes The Beatles and Star Wars, so we're in. __Listen: "So High" by Ringo Deathstarr__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-So-High.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-So-High.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-So-High.mp3) "I think The Beatles did the most mentally to us," Texas-bred vocalist and guitarist Elliott Frazier told Wired.com. "But super-duper Star Wars fans we are not. We like the films OK." The Beatles might have warped Ringo Deathstarr's fragile mind, but the band sounds like it leaped screaming out of [My Bloody Valentine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bloody_Valentine_%28band%29)'s blown amps. Check out the free MP3 of "So High" at left and the video for "Imagine Hearts" below: The former recalls MBV's Ecstasy and Wine compilation while the latter is a dead ringer for [Loveless](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loveless_%28album%29)' "Only Shallow." Perhaps that's why Ringo Deathstarr's music has been called *starrgaze*? "We just used *starrgaze* from some old local paper review," Frazier said. "But we put some more energy and versatility into what we are doing, I think. We're not singing every song the same, or having the same sound on every song." __Now appearing:__ Whatever critics want to call the band, they're calling them often: Ringo Deathstarr's new full-length, Colour Trip, released March 8, has been landing attention from most corners of the mediaverse. Expect to hear Colour Trip's evocative, loud anthems at length at every one of [Ringo Deathstarr's 12 SXSW shows](http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ringo+Deathstarr/events), including a Friday blowout at [Easy Tiger](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13283). "You should see us, because you can't really know what to expect," Frazier said. "Because we sure as hell don't." __See also:__ "We don't know of anyone who is playing besides Young Prisms. I guess I need to look at the big schedule." [#iframe: http://www.youtube.com/embed/N3xATi5s9-A?rel=0](660x401)||||||
Magne Sandnes,Sandnes06megaphonic-thrift
The Megaphonic Thrift --------------------- __Sonic signature:__ Norway's powerhouse noisemaker [The Megaphonic Thrift](http://www.sonicunyon.com/records/artists/the%20megaphonic%20thrift) released its kick-ass debut effort, Decay Decoy, stateside on March 8. But its stunning shocks and sonics hearken back to a time — overlorded by legends like Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine — where sheer volume, energy and ambition dominated the proceedings. __Listen: "Candy Sin" by Megaphonic Thrift__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/05_Candy_Sin-1.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/05_Candy_Sin-1.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/05_Candy_Sin-1.mp3) "We hail from the school of electric guitars," bassist Linn Frøkedal told Wired.com. "We were born in the '80s, and the music that followed throughout the '90s is of course a part of our expression, especially alternative guitar music from the United States. The noise element in our music is extremely important, but we still try to keep focus on the melody." Not a problem. Check out the free download of "Candy Sin" or the new video for "Talks Like a Weed King" below and you will find that the Bergen-bred Megaphonic Thrift — which features former members of bands Casiokids, The Low Frequency in Stereo and Stereo 21 — has fully, and loudly, done its musical homework. __Now appearing:__ The Megaphonic Thrift shreds three shows at SXSW, starting Wednesday at the [Austin BFFs Day Party](http://austinbffs.eventbrite.com). It then pounds out two heavy sets Saturday, kicking off with the American Art Authority Day Party at 4 p.m. and wrapping with an 8 p.m. headliner blast at the [Speakeasy](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13836). Protect your grill, said Frøkedal. "Our live shows are face-melting," said Frøkedal. "People who love loud guitars, melodies and a musical landscape leaving chaos in its aftermath should get a kick out of it. It's a vicious assault on mainstream trash." __See also:__ "There really isn't much time for us to check out shows with our tight schedule," said Frøkedal. "But we look forward to partying at our Norwegian friends' shows: Harrys Gym, Casiokids, Datarock, Altaar and Årabrot. We're also really excited about getting to see Ringo Deathstarr live for the first time." [#iframe: http://www.youtube.com/embed/r3hPPs6t7DM?rel=0](660x401)||||||
07little-dragon
Little Dragon ------------- __Sonic signature:__ Formed in 2006 but already blowing minds, Sweden's stellar [Little Dragon](http://www.little-dragon.se) specializes in electronic soul music that's utterly transfixing, thanks in part to its hypnotic Swedish-Japanese singer, Yukimi Nagano. The band has already captured the hearts and minds of heavyweights like DJ Shadow, Gorillaz, TV on the Radio and Outkast, and it's set for an even greater crossover once its evolved next effort, Ritual Union, arrives later this year. __Listen: "Blinking Pigs" by Little Dragon__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/09-Blinking-Pigs.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/09-Blinking-Pigs.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/09-Blinking-Pigs.mp3) "For the album, we just kept on experimenting, searching, dancing, laughing, crying and recording," drummer Erik Bodin told Wired.com. "All in a Little Dragon 2011 kind of way." __Now appearing:__ If you think electronic music can't work up a crowd, then check out Little Dragon performing "A New and Never Never" live in the video below. Then stop by the band's [Friday show at Lustre Pearl](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14907) or its Saturday headliner at [Filter magazine's Culture Collide showcase](http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/news/entry/american_rag_presents_filter_magazines_culture_collide_at_cedar_street). "Yukimi's home-designed tambourine is worth checking out for sure!" said Bodin. Until then, trip out on the free download of "Blinking Pigs" or the song's surreal video below. Good luck getting that haunting tune out of your head. __See also:__ "Hopefully, we have time to watch all the bands of course," said Bodin. "But if we can't, we must at least see Nite Jewel and say hello, and meet up with TV on the Radio." [#iframe: http://www.youtube.com/embed/sBno_Eujf1g?rel=0](660x401)|||||| [#iframe: http://www.youtube.com/embed/yfG5JLbjvdI?rel=0](660x401)||||||
Copyright: Richmond Lam08the-dears
The Dears --------- __Sonic signature:__ Since 2003, Canada's next-gen art-pop standout [The Dears](http://www.thedears.org) has been fairly compared to everyone from Pink Floyd to The Smiths. But the band has managed to carve out its own respectable name with a series of sonically alluring full-lengths, including recently released third effort, Degeneration Street. __Listen: "Blood" by The Dears__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-Blood.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-Blood.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/03-Blood.mp3) "We've been refining [our epic sound](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/listening_post/2008/10/missiles-away-1) for over a decade," Dears architect, singer and guitarist Murray Lightburn told Wired.com. "We explored it, came back with all the data and processed it into the packed noise it is now." __Now appearing:__ Like the aforementioned Little Dragon, The Dears possesses more than enough soul to stir a crowd, as Lightburn unabashedly explained. "We absolutely decimate every stage we play," he said. "Ask anyone. My sweat will baptize you. You'll hear the angels. You'll be saved." Unbelievers should check out The Dears' SXSW sets Wednesday at [Spill](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS12303), Friday at [Mellow Johnny's](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14792) and at [other venues in Austin](http://www.thedears.org/tagged/shows). Go gently into that good night, sonic heathens. __See also:__ Lightburn wasted no time disclosing who else he wants to see at SXSW this year. "Yoko Ono," he said. "And Death From Above 1979. And whoever is serving me [Irish Car Bombs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Car_Bomb) for my birthday on St. Patrick's Day." [#iframe: http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ty41BuLsc1A?rel=0](660x525)||||||
09a-place-to-bury-strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers ------------------------- __Sonic signature:__ Brooklyn's [A Place to Bury Strangers](http://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com) has been reclaiming so-called shoegaze, darkwave and space rock for the 21st century since releasing its intense, self-titled 2007 debut. And it's been doing so by using guitarist and vocalist [Oliver Ackermann's handmade pedals and tech](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/listening_post/2008/10/shields-up-a-pl), and launching wall-of-sound live shows that defy noise and building codes. __Listen: "Don't Save Your Love" by A Place to Bury Strangers__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/Dont-Save-Your-Love.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/Dont-Save-Your-Love.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/Dont-Save-Your-Love.mp3) "We're capturing sounds for the subconscious by recording familiar sounds and environments to evoke memories," Ackermann told Wired.com. "Also, we're still experimenting with recording things in strange ways, lighting stuff on fire, running microphones as speakers and speakers as microphones, electrocution." __Now appearing:__ This year, Ackermann's unrepentant noisemaker of a band is previewing material from its forthcoming third album in a [gripload of SXSW shows](http://www.myspace.com/aplacetoburystrangers/shows) Wednesday through Friday, including a throwdown at [Billboard magazine's showcase](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS14537), a raucous set at [Prague](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS13878) and Rachael Ray's party at Greenhouse. "If SXSW-goers like some crazy, fucked-up, over-the-top shit," said Ackermann, "then maybe they want this to go, 'Tadow! Boom!'" __See also:__ "I want to see all bands that start with the letter *T*," said Ackermann. "Tamaryn, Thee Oh Sees, Twin Shadow, Times New Viking, True Womanhood and Twin Tigers." [#iframe: http://www.youtube.com/embed/HFa4a56j52o?rel=0](660x525)|||||| *Image courtesy Vanessa Gaudin*
(C) by GR DIGITAL 2 User10zoobombs
Zoobombs -------- __Sonic signature:__ Since 1994, Tokyo's veteran garage thrasher [Zoobombs](http://www.thezoobombs.com) has mashed unhinged '60s psych-rock with postmodern snarl. If you haven't heard [Zoobombs' noise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoobombs) yet, do yourself a favor and download the free MP3 of "Highway a Go-Go" at right and tear your brain out. __Listen: "Highway a Go-Go" by Zoobombs__<object data="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/highway_a_go_go.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF" height="20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="200"><param name="bgcolor" value="FFFFFF"></param><param name="src" value="http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/plugins/dewplayer-flash-mp3-player/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/highway_a_go_go.mp3&showtime=1&bgcolor=FFFFFF"></param></object>[__Free download__](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/03/highway_a_go_go.mp3) "We respect good music that opens people's minds," Zoobombs guitarist and singer Don Matsuo told Wired.com, apologizing for his rough English. "Music changed my life, so I owe a debt of gratitude to those whose music already existed. I just find it in the air and play it with care. It's totally hard to explain. It's a religious confession, but more natural." __Now appearing:__ Zoobombs has been touring all month supporting the March 29 digital reissue of its debut album, La Vie en Jupon. That includes stops at SXSW, most notably Thursday at [Habana Bar](http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS12391). They're looking for some lively crowds to take them to sonic nirvana, if you will. "If people like us, they give us strong vibes and it drives us wild," Matsuo said. "Takes us to the higher point. That's the most delightful thing for us. That's what we are looking for." __See also:__ "We're looking to enjoy each and every happening at the festival," Matsuo said. "Seeing great artists who are famous or not, even trouble. We can learn from it. We can't wait to join in and get involved."
