SXSW 2012

Freshkills’ first self-released EP, Here For the Backlash, was a sharp stick in the eye for snarkier-than-thou internet hype mongers. The band built a tight local following on the backs of two LPs (2006’s Creeps and Lovers produced with Joel Hamilton, 2008’s Freshkills with Alex Newport) and a notorious live show reminiscent of when rock ’n’ roll was the most confrontational art form around. Singer Zachary Lipez doesn’t carve his arms with broken bottles of Bud or assault the audience with his mic stand. He breaks down that fourth wall psychologically, whether it means stopping dead in his tracks and staring down the front row, or shouting out friends and foes by name.