SXSW Dispatch | Seattle's in the house at SXSeattle

The crowd ebbed and flowed with the lineup at Saturday afternoon's SXSeattle party at the spacious Palm Door. Seems that for all the buzz of the combined lineup, it's impossible to maintain a full house for six hours. The house was packed to capacity at 3 p.m. for local buzz-of-the-moment Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, who turned in a sweaty, spazzy set of dance pop and had the crowd in a frenzy.

The stage was backdropped by familiar Seattle logos: Caffé Vita, Vera Project, a "City of Music" banner. Inside was hot and humid and not so comfortable; on the breezy back deck, Seattle music industry luminaries lingered in the shade and sipped light beers.

By the time Barcelona went onstage around 3:45, the audience had thinned, perhaps owing to the band's formidable mediocrity. Out of all the interesting, original rock coming out of Seattle, these disposable popsters get signed to Universal? Then again, I don't get much from Death Cab for Cutie or Coldplay, who these guys emulate.

For instance, Past Lives. Sure, the punkish-rock quartet is too weird for mainstream, major-label tastes, but they still deserve their due. In their SXSW set, they played some new songs, all wiry and rigid and genuinely engrossing.

Even with the diminished attendance, Common Market and Blue Scholars played in high gear, as if both crews were riding the final momentum of a weekend's worth of shows. Sabzi, DJ/producer/background vocalist for both groups, started things off with the gorgeous instrumental track off Common Market's new EP, before MC RA Scion — all gleaming smile and faux-diamond earring bling — tore into tracks from "Tobacco Road." Mic in hand, Scion took off into the front rows during blues-funk anthem "Trouble Is." Common Market's final track included Blue Scholars MC Geologic, making for a seamless transition into Blue Scholars' set.

"I saved a little big of my voice for you guys," Geo said. He recognized fans from all over the West Coast gathered close to the stage and, beaming, dove into "808 Love." Like RA Scion, Geo exhibited the kind of confidence that comes not from boasts and fronts but smarts and a true love for the music he makes.

Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com