AUSTIN, TEXAS
A crop of promising new female singer/songwriters emerged from the pack of 1,700 bands during the final run of the South by Southwest Music Conference -- many with familiar sounds, and at least one with a familiar face.
Actress Zooey Deschanel ("Elf," "Almost Famous") followed in the footsteps of Minnie Driver, Julie Delpy and other thespians by coming to SXSW wearing her singing cap.
She defied skepticism at an afternoon party performance by her new duo with Americana/indie-rock star M. Ward, dubbed She and Him. They played a set of old-school alt-country on an outdoor stage Saturday afternoon that was one of the warmest moments of the fest.
Other buzzed-about songstresses ranged from the truly unconventional to the rote. In the former category, New York's quirky balladeer My Brightest Diamond (Shara Warden) gave a divine performance with a string section inside Central Presbyterian Church late Friday night (a sure sign of how big SXSW has become: Even the downtown churches served as rock venues all week). Also, Jersey girl Nicole Atkins wound down a successful SXSW run with a performance on the Current (89.3 FM) broadcast stage that proved she has a powerful soul-pop voice -- even after a hectic, tiring week.
Hot Welsh contender Duffy, however, proved to be more looks than talent as she sang cutesy, bubbly soul music Saturday night. In an odd billing, her outdoor set at Stubb's was followed by the return of Austin's most original and legendary musicians, psychedelic-rock pioneer Roky Erickson, who is doing well -- and sounding well -- after decades of mental illness. His presence hit home the fact that SXSW isn't just for the babes and/or baby acts.
Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658
