SXSW at Central Presbyterian Church
Since 2006, Central Presbyterian Church has been a venue for the SXSW Music Festival. Naturally, we're quite proud of the beauty of our space and the work done by our volunteers, but we really don't need to do any bragging - there are plenty of reviewers, bloggers, and general World Wide Web writers who do all the "bragging" that we need!
Free Press Blog Home: SXSW 2008 Day Four
The evening started out with Jandek performing at the Central Presbyterian Church. ... Inside the church, with its lush acoustics it sounded massive and warm like nothing I'd have expected from the albums I'd owned. It was very spiritual, patient, and as ethereal as a dream cloud. It was an inspiring and emotionally engaging highlight of SXSW for me. Honestly!
-- Ramon Medina
March 16, 2008
Time Out Chicago: The TOC Blog
Clare and the Reasons at Central Presbyterian Church
Instead of hip-hop, I aimed for a quasi-religious experience with the Asthmatic Kitty showcase at the Central Presbyterian Church. Not realizing that the church itself is still an ongoing concern in the space, I was a bit dumbstruck at the holiness of the low lighting, and the hushed sounds of Doveman, who were finishing up a set on the altar. I immediately wondered if this visit would count as my Palm Sunday obligation.
Clare and the Reasons were next on the bill. ... But Clare Muldaur isn't afraid to poke a hole in her own balloon, ... by substituting her usual curse word in "Better Without You" with the phrase "Kenny G," in deference to the religious surroundings.
-- Scott SmithMarch 15, 2008
Pitchfork: SXSW: Saturday
There's something about churches. Peter and the Wolf played Central Presbyterian, and the minute I walked into the sanctuary, everything just felt calmer.
-- Dave Maher
March 13, 2008
[ CPC likes Pitchfork - in 2007,
Amy Phillips said: ]
The best venue at SXSW, hands down, is the Central Presbyterian Church, which is exactly what it says: a church. The audience sits in the pews, there's cookies and coffee available in the courtyard, and the staff thanks you for coming when you leave.
IGN: SXSW 2007: Rage Against The Machine Removed
Another thing of note was the fact that up until this point Morello had been rather attentive to dropping swear words from his songs. He would omit them altogether or drop his richly gruff baritone down to an inaudible whisper whenever one popped up. At this juncture in the evening, however, he slyly stated "I was told by the nice ladies backstage to keep the swearing to a minimum, but..."
-- Spence D.
March 20, 2007
Rolling Stone: Donovan Photo Gallery
You see: Is that the sound of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" filling the air? Donovan, handing out some deeply religious experiences to the fans at Central Presbyterian Church.
-- Photo by Noah Kalina
March 14, 2007
SXSW 2008: Mark Kozelek and No Age
Despite its reputation for sweaty clubs and packed outdoor tents, some of the best music at SXSW is performed in churches. The two church venues provide a refreshingly different vibe as church members sell cookies and tea for a dollar. Finishing up our cups of tea (how civilized) we talk with the beekeeper whose honey we pour into our green teas.
Tonight singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon) is performing a solo acoustic set in the larger of the two churches - the beautiful Central Presbyterian church a couple blocks north of the sixth street craziness. ... As a solo performer, Mark is delicate and spacious - his guitar and voice amplified just enough to accentuate the hall's natural reverb without overwhelming it.
-- Brian EysterMarch 16, 2008
The Austin Chronicle: Music: Review - Castanets
"This show is brought to you by IFC, Yaris, Dell, and Jesus," lead Castanet Raymond Raposa joked. "He put some good money down on this Festival." The setting was strange but perfect: a towering ceiling, unparalleled acoustics, stillness. And before the gigantic crucifix affixed to the sanctuary wall, Raposa and his four bandmates thickened the air, ...-- Darcie Stevens
March 14, 2008
donewaiting.com » SXSW Day 1 Recap
Next up I went to the Central Presbyterian Church to see Bowerbirds, a band my friend Eric Metronome recommended. The thing about this venue is that yes, it's a church! I sat in a pew and they played in front of a giant cross. Really great place to see a rock show actually.-- Robert Duffy
March 13, 2008
NPR: Temporary Texans: A SXSW Blog
"A Bar Is Just a Church Where They Serve Beer"
For one thing, a bar may well be a church where they serve beer, but every SXSW, the Central Presbyterian Church turns into a bar where people actually shut up and stop networking long enough to listen to shows. The awed hush and ample seating more than compensate for the lack of alcohol; I guess they didn't want the sound of clinking bottles to detract from the music, huh?
-- Stephen Thompson
March 17, 2007
LiveDaily: SXSW Review: Duncan Sheik at Central Presbyterian Church
There's something slightly sinister about seeing a rock show in a church--almost like you're doing the wrong thing.
Luckily, though, the act was mellow pop-rocker Duncan Sheik, so the guilt was easier to bear. When his time to begin came around on Thursday (3/17), his sound check wasn't complete, so, as he waited for the kinks to be worked out, standing front and center before an eager congregation, he spoke: "It's very hard for me to resist preaching."
His set was stellar, in large part because the acoustics of the church nave were on his side.
-- Tara HallMarch 17, 2007
LiveDaily: SXSW Review: Tom Morello at Central Presbyterian Church
My biggest question prior to seeing Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello--a.k.a. The Nightwatchman--play a solo-acoustic set Saturday (3/17) at Austin's Central Presbyterian Church was: Will the pay-off be greater than simply experiencing the novelty of seeing Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello play a solo-acoustic set in a church?
Thankfully--and, I admit, somewhat surprisingly--the answer was "Yes."
-- Jon ZahlawayMarch 19, 2007
Pop Finally Starts Paying Attention
The most memorable event, and one of the hottest tickets, was Saturday's late night Anti- Records Hootenany at the Central Presbyterian Church, with its huge banner proclaiming "Deliberately Diverse and Fully Inclusive." Savvy Elders welcomed the half-staggering crowds (more than one friend smuggled in a six-pack) with fair trade chocolate (the best!) and hot cocoa for sale.
-- Linda RayMarch 30, 2006
Your Webmaster got a chuckle from an error by another writer on the same page: "[Harry Shearer's show] was also aggravated by the fact that it was held in a frackin' Baptist church."
SXSW 2008: Mark Kozelek from cunningrabbit, Mar 14, 2008
Peter and the Wolf -- SXSW 2008 from cch1667, Mar 13, 2008
SKYE SXSW from Skyestube, Mar 24, 2007
Space City Gamelan at Central Presbyterian Church
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Photo by B.C. Walker, from The Signal to Noise Blog: STN@SXSW windup by grrrrshon, March 17, 2008
The Austin Chronicle: Music: Review - The Cowsills: "Even without their late brothers, Barry and Bill, the Cowsills made a joyful noise in the acoustically lovely setting of Central Presbyterian Church."
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Photo by Todd V. Wolfson, from review by Margaret Moser, March 13, 2008
Jo Mango at Central Presbyterian Church
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Uploaded to Flickr on March 15, 2007 by -Dons
Keren Ann SXSW (Central Presbyterian Church) 002
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Uploaded to Flickr on March 20, 2007 by baonguyen
Central Presbyterian Church Gig: "The weirdest gig I've ever been to was here at SxSW. They do say "keep Austin weird"..."
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Uploaded to Flickr on March 30, 2006 by ben-yacobi.com
2008: on cpcaustin.org (plain) // on 2008.sxsw.com (pretty)
2007: on cpcaustin.org (plain) // on 2007.sxsw.com (pretty)
2006: on cpcaustin.org (plain) // on 2006.sxsw.com (pretty)