Super Double SXSW Man

[March 22nd, 2006] The streets of Austin during South by Southwest look like they've been overrun with Hyde look-alikes from That '70s Show. Twentysomethings with intentionally greasy hair and oversized shades line the streets looking for—or trying to be—the next big thing. Then there's Scott Garred. Though Garred's been around the music block more than a few times—as singer-guitarist for former Austin favorite Silver Scooter and as the core of Portland's Super XX Man—you'd never guess it by his humble demeanor and elementary-school teacher looks.

He's down in Austin for the annual music industry festival with Super XX Man, the current band he shares with guitarist Zach Boyle, accordion player and wife Michelle Garred, and flutist-drummer-vocalist Ali Wesly. Since Michelle is, as Scott put it, "mega preggers" (due in May), Scott has recruited two past members of Silver Scooter—bassist Shawn Camp and drummer Tom Hudson—to help him out in Austin. I joined this resurrected combo of Silver Scooter and Super XX Man, one of 18 Portland acts amid the 1,300-plus bands playing SXSW's 20th birthday. What I found amid a sea of music-industry shmoozing and hipster posturing was a reunion of musicians, friends and fans centered on one binding force: Scott Garred's songs.

THURSDAY, March 16, 4 pm, Super XX Man practice at Music Lab studios

Scott, Zach, Shawn and Tom—who've known each other for 15-plus years—are about dive into a three-hour crash-course practice session intended to whip them into shape for the three shows they've got lined up over the next two days. From the offset, it's clear that Garred—who's wearing a severely faded Hush Records T-shirt—is not used to singing with a full, electric band, and it takes a few songs for his vocals to adjust. There is a friendly tension, a definite push and pull between players who want to rock and a singer whose subtlety is often his strength. When the band takes a crack at "You Dream Fast"—a upbeat pop tune with a contagious, reeling chorus—Tom asks, "All right if I use [drum] sticks on this one?"

THURSDAY, 10:30 pm, the Long Winters at the Parish II

After post-practice enchiladas and a few margaritas, Zach and I both end up at the Long Winters show, where singer-guitarist John Roderick is sporting long hair, a mustache and orange-ish glasses—again, that sort of '70s indie-rock pedophile look. When told the PA isn't loud enough for the audience, the Seattle musician quips, "We leave those down so you can hear yourselves talk shop about the music industry."

THURSDAY, 11:30 pm, the Twilight Singers at Friends

In line for the Twilight Singers, Zach and I are told we will not be getting in despite our media/band badges. Zach heads back to the Parish, but I stick it out and eventually make it inside. Leadman Greg Dulli instructs the club to turn the lights down before playing "Martin Eden." When he sings, "You know how I love stormy weather," the digital camera flashes against the dark stage eerily mimic a lightning storm, which alone makes the wait so worth it.

FRIDAY, March 17, 1 pm, Super XX Man, Peek-A-Boo Records Day Party at Bella Blue Boutique

It's a cool, breezy afternoon, and the free beer is a-flowin'. Scott and Zach warm up (they're playing first on their own) as photojournalist Kelly West tells me her Silver Scooter story. "They were my favorite band in college," she explains. As a student photographer for the University of Texas' Daily Texan, she was determined to shoot one of their shows. Once she did, it led to her touring cross-country with the band in 2001. We pipe down as Scott covers the Roger Miller tune "Where Have All the Average People Gone?" He holds his ukulele high near the microphone and strums thoughtfully, eyes closed and a twisted smile on his face. When he's finished, he lightheartedly plugs Super XX Man's upcoming 10th release, X, as the band's "greatest hits re-recorded." The album is a collection of songs spanning Super XX Man's oeuvre, re-envisioned by the current lineup and sporting a cute portrait of the band by Hush Records founder Chad Crouch on the cover.

SATURDAY, March 18, 1 am, Centro-matic, Misra Showcase at Maggie Mae's

Zach claims that SXSW is special because "the bands aren't just on tour playing for the crowd; they're playing for their peers, too." During Centro-matic's set, I notice Long Winters bassist Eric Corson rockin' to my left, Okkervil River drummer Travis Nelsen head-bobbing to my right and David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) dropping a beer off for Centro's keyboardist, Scott Danborn. The Denton, Texas, players drive Zach's point home by playing every single song like it's their last.

SATURDAY, 11 pm, Super XX Man at Molotov

This is it: Super XX Man's last show at this year's SXSW. The bar is slick—it has those icy strips that keep your drink cold—and vast, but among the crowd are the warm, familiar faces of a friend from Tokyo who housed Silver Scooter on tour once, Peek-A-Boo peeps, ex-Silver Scooter members and girlfriends. Unlike the Peek-A-Boo day party, though, the chatty bar doesn't accommodate Garred's solo lullabies like "Up, Up, Up" very well. When Super XX Man employs its full-band capabilities on the rollicking chorus of "You Dream Fast," the dramatic build of "Hey Louise" or "Steamboat Jean," it's clear why Garred enjoys coming back to Austin: It's damn fun.

SATURDAY, 1:15 am, late-night grub at Magnolia Cafe

In between bites of yet another enchilada, Scott says, "I've done SXSW a lot, and it's never as good as it was this week." He relays a story about playing an Irish pub once on St. Patrick's Day: "Playing a ukulele over a crowd of people drinking green beer is really hard to do." I ask Zach to describe Scott in three words. He says, "Genuine, sincere and loving." Scott's thoughtful for a moment, then says, "I'm the quality of the people I surround myself with." And he is.