While we pout over missing Coachella, we can at least be excited over Erasure's upcoming tour: Vince and Andy kick things off at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, one of the most prestigious theaters in the world and a genesis of not-gay-friendly country music. Once can only imagine what that show will be like. We'd be most interested in the Bowery's "mini-show" on May 20, which will undoubtedly give the small audience a more personal experience. And maybe chat with the boys a bit. Very cool.

The concert goes along with their Union Street album, their first major acoustic release. Listen here:

Erasure's "Boy" [Real Media]
Erasure's "Boy" [Windows Media Player]

For concert dates, click on the jump:

[Read On ...]

Part 3 in the South By Southwest Series

New Zealand-based Coco Solid labels themselves as hip hop artists, combining heavily-produced house music with rap lyrics. We're not familiar with the New Zealand music scene, but we wouldn't call Coco Solid "hip hop." We say it's electroclash. Not that it matters. We love the odd beats and the random lyrics. Pure, sexy fun.

We hung out with the Coco Solid crew after their set, introducing ourselves to all the gays who work for them (love their sexy New Zealand accents!), and we promised we would come down for Gay Ski Week in September. And hopefully we'll be able to catch their performance again while we're there. Already a hit Down Under, they're just starting to take to the Northern Hemisphere; this is the music you'd listen to in a club somewhere in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, with hot skinny artsy guys who you know are great in bed. Yeah, we've thought about this a lot. Those accents got us in the mood.

Play ABC

One SXSW evening we were feeling particularly adventurous, so we ventured over to "Japan Night," a collection of Japanese punk/rock bands who promised to be more fun than a marathon of Iron Chef. While we didn't partake in the mosh pit, we did stare wide-eyed at the spectacle of crazy Japanese rockers wiggling around on-stage, thrashing their guitars and proclaiming their love for all things American.

The standout act was Tsu Shi Ma Mi Rae, who were everything you'd want from a Japanese girl band: a trio of the cutest little women you have ever seen, who bounced around singing their heads off, yet looked like they were going to fall over from the weight of their instruments.

Unlike the "garage-band" noise common in much of the festival, the gays are more patient when it comes to uncommon fare like this. It's fun, it's catchy, and who doesn't love tiny Japanese women bopping around? These are the songs you listen to while taking those long boring road trips. If nothing else, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Rae will keep you awake.

Play Big Seeds
Play Ebihara Shinji

Tsu Shi Ma Mi Rae's official site
Another Tsu Shi Ma Mi Rae site

And go read their Myspace page. Cute.

South By Southwest is the premiere music festival for "discovering" new talent--bands from all around the world flock to tiny little Austin, TX, to fill the numerous downtown bars and theaters and play their hearts out in the hopes of signing with a label, or introducing themselves to new fans.

We arrived at the festival with our energy drinks in tow, ready for marathon days and late nights as we tried to soak in as much as we could; and after hearing more bands than we can comprehend, we compiled a list of our five favorites. We'll feature one each day. Some have been around, some are new, some are new only to America--but we hope to hear more from all of them.

1) Goldfrapp
British "electro-rock" Goldfrapp is a mix of disco, synthesizers, and glam-rock; perhaps resembling a re-tooled Debbie Harry (from Blondie), Allison Goldfrapp's breathy lyrics seem slow at first, but it's a more subliminal vibe. By the end of the song you're singing along and you don't even realize it. This is the music you'll hear when you go to gay cocktail parties. Very glamorous, total diva, authentically British, Allison Goldfrapp will pick up in America where the Scissor Sisters left off.

Play song: White Horse (our favorite)
Play song: Ooh La La