'Dixie Chicks Lite' prove to be heavy

AUSTIN, TEXAS

The joking nickname for the Court Yard Hounds going into the South by Southwest Music Conference was Dixie Chicks Lite, since the new group is a side-project by Chicks sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire. Turns out, though, the group is actually pretty heavy.

Robison and Maguire, who both live in Central Texas, took the stage with a band of veteran Lone Star sidemen for a SXSW showcase Friday night, playing songs from an album due May 4. While still laced with Chicks-style violin, mandolin and sweet harmonies, the music was spiked with lots of electric guitar and weighted lyrics that purportedly reflect Robison's recent divorce from country singer Charlie Robison.

Friday night was also a twangy night for Minnesotans, as both Trampled by Turtles and Romantica played their official SXSW showcases and benefited from being on strong lineups with heftier stars (opening for Shelby Lynne and Justin Townes Earle, respectively).

For the Turtles this was the band's first appearance at the Austin fest despite years of steady touring. As singer Dave Simonett said, "We waited until we knew we could get a good slot, and it'd be worth the trip." The plan worked.

It was also the first SXSW for British buzz band the XX, which finished off its week of performances in grand style with an eerie, dark, late-night set inside the Central Presbyterian Church (nearly everything with a roof in downtown Austin becomes a rock venue in mid-March). XX co-leader Romy Madley Croft added to the hedonistic vibe by wearing a Lady Gaga T-shirt as she stood before the altar.