All this said, I have to say the absolute highlight of the festival this year was the illustrious rockabilly goddess Imelda May. Hailing from the rockabilly shores of Dublin, Ireland, Imelda and her band have a great traditional sound. It was as though the band stepped out of a time machine from the 50′s hidden behind the stage. Her presence and vocal chops were matched by her band that were each masters of their respective instruments. The drummer was one of the most energetic percussionists I’ve seen in recent memory.

I think it was quite apropos to have a rockabilly band at the bluegrass festival. Both styles have very close recent ancestry. In many ways they are both red headed step children (or perhaps kissing cousins) of traditional country/folk/blues music.

Roky Erickson and Will Sheff – Austin, TX from Roky Erickson w/ Okkervil River on Vimeo.

If you haven’t checked out Scott H Biram yet, do your ears a favor and have a listen to this video. His old school, unpolished country/rock sound channels the spirit of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Muddy Waters, Bruce Channel, The Beatles and countless others. He’s one of Austin’s great gems and he’ll be playing the Red Eye Fly on June 20!

From Scott’s myspace:

Rock ‘n’ Roll ain’t pretty and neither is Scott H. Biram. The self proclaimed ‘Dirty Old One Man Band’ successfully, and sometimes violently, lashes together blues, hillbilly and country precariously to raucous punk and godless metal. ??Biram ain’t no dour ass singer/songwriter either, sweetly strumming songs about girls with big eyes and dusty highways. HELL NO!!! His singing, yodeling, growling, leering and brash preachin’ and hollerin’ is accompanied by sloppy riffs and licks from his 1959 Gibson guitar and pounding backbeat brought forth by his amplified left foot. The remainder of this one-man band consists of an unwieldy combination of beat-up amplifiers and old microphones strung together by a tangled mess of guitar cables.??Years of non-stop touring have honed his assault to a fine edge; his wide-eyed throw downs in the First Church of Ultimate Fanaticism routinely lead giddy followers to a fiery baptism.??Scott H. Biram wont die. On May 11th, 2003, one month after being hit head-on by an 18-wheeler at 75 MPH, he took the stage at The Continental Club in Austin, TX in a wheel chair – I.V. still dangling from his arm. With 2 broken legs, a broken foot, a broken arm and 1 foot less of his lower intestine, Biram unleashed his trademark musical wrath.??When Scott H. Biram took the stage at his 2004 SXSW festival showcase right after Kris Kristofferson he was quoted as growling “They said that was a hard act to follow….I’m a hard act to follow motherfuckers!!” The stunned crowd looked on.?

Bingham will be playing a solo acoustic show at the Cactus Cafe with The Flatlanders on Thursday.

Deer Tick – An excellent band from Brooklyn that is difficult to pigeon hole. Great singing and songwriting upholding my observation that all indie bands with “deer” in their name are good.

Pete & The Pirates – A very fun British punk/pop band that has a great live presence.

Easy-Star Allstars – The best Pink Floyd / Radiohead cover band you will ever experience live!

The Hold Steady No strangers to SXSW or Austin, The Hold Steady has got to be one of the best live rock bands touring today.

Heartless Bastards – An indie jewel from Ohio that played four shows at SXSW 2009. I can’t wait to hear all the great records these guys put out over the next few years.

Dead Confederate – An excellent hard rock act from Athens, Georgia.

Ume – A very fun three piece rock group from Austin.

I love this video. What a great place the Topanga Roadhouse to see somebody like Ryan Bingham play. (via muzzle of bees)

He’ll be playing Shady Grove on April 30 and Texas Union Ballroom on June 4.