She and Him Give Photography Lesson at SXSW

There was no chance that the crowd packed into Cedar Street Courtyard to see She and Him Thursday night at SXSW was going to listen to the guy who asked people to refrain from taking pictures of the band. So, after a barrage of flash photography, singer Zooey Deschanel offered a tip for snapping photos in low light.

"Just set it on a longer exposure," she advised. "It'll look cooler and it won't blind us."

Even so, it was pretty dark, but light mattered less than sound as Deschanel and collaborator M. Ward (supported by a five-piece band) focused on songs from their new album, 'Volume Two,' due March 23, along with a handful of songs from 2008's 'Volume One.'

The arrangements were by necessity more stripped down than the album versions -- no strings, for example -- but the tunes were still plenty intricate. The Chapin Sisters sang lovely harmonies on new song 'Thieves,' a punchy rhythm drove 'I Was Made for You' and Deschanel played an organ vamp on 'Sentimental Heart,' her voice cracking a little as it rose and fell with the melody.

The group included both covers from the new album, with Deschanel plinking away on a quad guitar for Skeeter Davis' 'Gonna Get Along Without You Now' and Ward dialing in a jangling guitar solo on NRBQ's 'Ridin' in My Car.'

They finished the set with 'In the Sun,' the first single from 'Volume Two.'