|
   |
||||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
Music :: Going for the Silver "Silver City" by Sarah Borges. (Blue Corn Music) by Danielle Dreilinger A Boston alt-country artist releases her debut album and fights for fame at the South by Southwest music festival.
A band that plays gigs long enough in Boston roots bars risks being dismissed as a go-nowhere "bar band" -- fine for a beer, but nothing anybody would pay $12 to hear. What's an aspiring artist of Americana to do? Release an album and then pursue recognition at the gigantic South by Southwest music festival (SXSW) in Austin, TX, that's what. The long-awaited debut from Sarah
Borges pulls her firmly out of the bar trap. "Silver
City" is tough and assured, twangy enough to be interesting and driving
enough to be fierce. Borges adopts the persona of a tough girl who's still vulnerable
to hurt. She attacks the high notes in Unquenchable longing drives the women in these songs. The protagonist of And she's even better live. Singing about a girl "standing there with a mouth like a magnet and a smile like the heat of a gun" sounds good recorded but really sears on stage. So Borges brought her album and band to SXSW, searching for a booking agent, European and Texan tour opportunities, and generally put the meat on the grill. Borges definitely has the ephemeral "It." The problem is she's not the only one. Alt-country singer Kathleen Edwards has a similar image: gutsy, dirty boots, and likes her whiskey. Edwards also has a new album out, "Back to Me," and was at SXSW. And when it comes to public recognition, the two occupy different planes.
Edwards was the alt-country "It Girl" at SXSW this year. (Because it's based in Austin, SXSW devotes a decent chunk of time to alt-country, but there really isn't room for more than one woman roots star.) Borges arrived in Austin with her face on the cover of "3rd Coast Music," a Texas music newspaper, whereas Edwards has "made it" in the old-fashioned talk-show sense: she recently appeared on Letterman. On a purely artistic level Borges bests Edwards in some departments. When Edwards downshifts into introspection, she far too often grows musically sleepy and lyrically trite: "There are some things I can hardly say/you've got me feeling a brand new way." On "Silver City," with the exception of the limp Teenage Fanclub cover "Mellow Doubt," Borges gets quiet only to turn on a slow burn. With Edwards garnering a lot of attention, Borges's experience at SXSW illustrates what "making it" usually means today. Matt Rucins, a Chicago club booker and band manager, remarks, "The days of all these people running up to you [after your SXSW show] and saying 'we want to sign you' are gone." As Borges put it, "You've got to conquer the world in little sections." Fortunately for Borges, the Americana community has a solid internal network and, currently, comparatively high attention from the rest of the music world. Her team has strong connections in the alt-country scene: the "Silver City" radio promoter is based in Nashville, and the record label and publicist in Texas. Her manager Jeannie Smith specializes in the genre ("Americana," "alt-country," and "roots" are synonymous.) Borges's SXSW schedule made her focus on the Americana niche market clearly evident. She book-ended her "official" performance with "unofficial" showcases at venues that court the Americana audience -- Threadgill's and D&L's Texas Music Caf?The Threadgill's show capitalized on the "3rd Coast" cover and drew about 60 listeners despite chilly temperatures. With a total of four shows plus afternoons staffing the Berklee College of Music trade-show booth, Borges had her ducks in a row. And she stayed up late to perform, not party.
However, no amount of elbow grease and talent can completely overcome bad logistics. The official showcase promises the most exposure because it's marketed to SXSW attendees, unlike the unofficial shows they have to track down themselves. Unfortunately, the venue booked for Borges's official showcase closed down shortly before SXSW, Smith said, replaced by the Crowne Plaza hotel lounge. And the lounge was a lousy room: hard to find, narrow, drably carpeted. Smith reported that hotel staff had to unlock doors to let people in, and missed some attempted guests. It probably didn't help that Edwards was playing elsewhere at the very same time. All in all, about 30 audience members showed, including some of Borges's musician friends. Taking the brighter view, Borges pointed out that the show helped internal marketing even if it didn't reach many outsiders. "It was important just because anyone affiliated with the label was going to be there," she said later. "It's always nice to show up and deliver the product." In the end, Borges sold 67 CDs -- most at the unofficial alt-country gigs -- and gained contacts for the future, Smith said. "People from clubs throughout the country have seen Sarah and said 'oh, if you're ever in our area please come out and play.' So I think that we will start seeing things pretty quickly." Borges continues to be an idealist. "I'm probably really na? but I honestly and firmly believe that if you're good at what you do, people will notice," she said. But at SXSW, she poured in as much determination as talent. "Music is a business, like anything else," she stated. "You've got to really be aware not only of pitfalls but also of opportunities." Or, as she sings on "Silver City," "Good things come to those who can't wait." With drive on both the art and business fronts, Borges stands a better chance than most.
MORE ARTS HEADLINES
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
