Back in March, during my annual trek out to the SXSW Music conference, I managed to see Silversun Pickups twice, including a slot opening for Metallica at the "secret" show that my buddy from Activision snuck me into. Silversun were good in Austin, but not as completely, utterly ON as the night I saw them in San Francisco, where they were so amazing that you could literally feel a somewhat bored, early crowd perk up and instantly become fans. It was shocking, actually, a spike of energy I don't often feel at live shows. Don't dismiss Silversun as LA hipsters or Pumpkin-biters, they've got their own sound going on. The fact that they can make all that noise happen with a single guitar on stage is pretty damn impressive, too. This video from Swoon features hot girls playing musical chairs, so watch it for the ladies, if nothing else.

One of my favorite bands.
TwiGGyYou have the best taste, Kramer.
02:24 PM CST