Shocking news flash: The Roots are great at music, and even better at playing it in front of you.
The hottest party of the week to happen in the daytime was MOG’s day party at the Mohawk on Red River. To my knowledge, it was the only party handing out water bottles AND getting people in the line so excited they started literally climbing the walls to catch a glimpse at what was happening. Don’t believe me?
In case you don’t know, MOG is an online community that focuses on sharing songs, a music library, videos and thoughts on music. They had the luxury of cramming what’s normally a biker bar (and the place I go every month to watch pro wrestling in Austin) full of thirsty, festival-worn SXSW-goers on St. Patrick’s Day. If you see anybody in the pics not wearing green, pinch your screen.
Last year MOG brought in Big Boi, so they’ve set a precedent as the party crew willing to drop a huge, exclusive name on the week. This year they topped themselves by bringing in The Roots, the only band in the known universe good enough to make a tuba hip-hop. Playing tuba is daring enough. Making playing tuba awesome is even harder, and hardest of all may be wandering into the crowd with the tuba, climbing a set of steps and playing it in the middle of everyone. That’s what happened, and if you weren’t there, you should be wishing you were.
The Roots weren’t the only important act performing — MOG also brought in Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü and Sugar fame, playing Sugar’s 1992 album “Copper Blue.” Between the patio deck and the extremely-hard-to-get-to inside stage, Mohawk and MOG put together a line-up featuring Blitzen Trapper, The War On Drugs, G-Side, Cloud Nothings and more. That’s crazy, but I guess that’s why people were climbing the walls.
A few more pictures for your enjoyment:
