Those wily Alaskans, Portugal. The Man stopped by Synthesis Weekly Managing Editor Ryan Prado’s apartment above the Senator Theater in Chico,CA a few days back during their tour with Minus the Bear to chop it up and perform a few of their amazing songs acoustic as part of our Live @ Ryan’s video series. Check out the band belting out “Church Mouth” above and stay tuned to our YouTube channel for more songs and an interview with the guys.

Video Matt had a banner weekend, hitting up the Stockton, CA date of the Rockstar Get a Life Tour to meet up with The Used, Straylight Run, Street Drum Corps and artist Alex Pardee. Check out The Used performing The Bird and the Worm above, and check out the rest of the footage, including two more live cuts from The Used on our YouTube channel NOW!

As promised, here is the first installment of Video Matt’s most recent Paramore escapades. This video features the band performing their hit song “Misery Business” live and acoustic at the Hard Rock Cafe in Sacramento,CA. Stay tuned for a lot more Paramore footage, or just subscribe to our YouTube channel and get updated instamatically every time Video Matt gets stoked.

The Godfather, doing what he did best. Though the date is unmarked, this is most definitely 68-69ish. “Mother Popcorn”– so funky it’s almost criminal…

Even with South by Southwest prices in full effect, drinks at the Creekside Lounge on 7th Street were pretty cheap. A healthy glass of Jameson on the rocks cost only $4.50. As of right now, I wish they were a little more expensive.

Wednesday afternoon, though, a couple glasses of whiskey seemed like the perfect accompaniment to a performance by Joseph Arthur, who was playing out back. Starting March 18th with Could We Survive, Arthur will release five albums in 2008. Though the artist is known for his tinkering with electronics, Arthur’s set at the Creekside was very stripped down, performing only with a harmonica and an acoustic guitar.

The tall, lanky singer/songwriter, complete with dark sunglasses, proved that his songs were just as strong in these simplified forms. Arthur was somewhat aloof in his delivery, but very colloquial in his rapport with the audience, relating his frustration with some of the new equipment he was using during the set even dedicating the final song to a fan in a Styx T-shirt who had shouted out a request. Though the sound mix was a bit uneven depending upon where you stood, Arthur’s warm, raspy voice held a packed patio’s collective attention through out.

[Photo by Ryan “Daddy” Prado]

Clutch and Murder by Death, live at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City, MO, February 28th, 2008. Check out the full review written by Crystal K. Wiebe at Synthesis.net. More photos by Lisa Horn after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »