AFP Music: On SXSW
Speedy Ortiz SXSW Shows
South by Southwest (SXSW) is the Coachella of the American South. Much like over-hyped Indio music festival, this Texas alternative has skyrocketed in size and popularity in recent years. What began in 1987 as a local music festival has grown into an epicenter of not only music, but also culture. The SXSW events calendar has expanded exponentially and now includes film premiers, like Bridesmaids and Tiny Furniture, and speakers, like Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash and Jimmy Wales.
The coverage of the festival has grown at an equally alarming rate as well. Now-a-days it seems everyone has a tent, a representative, a something at Southby. This year’s festival in particular, which began on the 13th and will conclude on the 22nd, seems to be THE place to be. From McDonalds to Meerkat, brands have coated the festival in free gear and hashtags. This has been a rising trend, year to year, and in response, some claim SXSW has lost some of it’s original purpose amidst all this commercialization. The same or similar was said about Warper Tour, Burning Man and Sundance once they outgrew their underground status. It was only a matter of time before people started claiming the same of SXSW.
In 2013, Andrea Swensson wrote a piece for NPR’s the record entitled “Why I’m Not Going To SXSW This Year“. In her piece, Swensson admitted, “I can’t help but feel that it has strayed far away from its original premise as a grassroots gathering place for new, undiscovered talent and increasingly feels like a big ol’ Times Square billboard-sized commercial.” Swensson makes a valid point. SXSW is no longer the guarded secret of music community. As a result everyone knows about it and everyone wants a piece or to take part. The problem is not everyone joining the conversation and/or the community of SXSW subscribes to its intentional message. They might just want to attend so they say they did. This isn’t to say that everyone new to SXSW has come down with a bad case of FOMO, but undoubtedly some have.
The Guardian, in a recent SXSW show review, poised the question, what is SXSW “actually for: is it a festival, a music industry showcase for new bands or an opportunity for the local hipsters to demonstrate that their new outfits are on fleek?” The author, Alex Needham, makes a similar point to Swensson. They both point out how much SXSW has changed. Needham focuses specifically on the increasing hipster population specifically rather than the overall demographic shifts in the types of festival attendees. Another person to acknowledge the out-of-control hipsterdom was Jimmy Kimmel. The comedian returned to the festival for another series of Lie Witness News. In the segment, Kimmel quizzed SXSW attendees on bands that didn’t exist and watched as they desperately and blatantly lied about knowing the acts.
We’ve all done it. Fibbed about knowing this opening band or that obscure act. Of course we have that album, know that band, heard that track. No one wants to get caught not knowing what the new big thing is. As listeners, we all want to seem cool and knowledgeable, especially on the days when the music community and surrounding conversation feels a bit more like high school. Kimmel’s segment (which may have marked the peak of the commercialization of SXSW) called us out on this behavior and rightfully so. People need to stop pretending that they’ve always known about Diarrhea Comet and just go to shows, because even amongst all this popularity there are still bands of all genres finding genuine exposure at SXSW.
It is still a space where you can wander into a show and find your new favorite band. Whether you’re in Austin right now, flying in for the final weekend, live streaming sets off of Twitter or stuck elsewhere still doubting the purity of SXSW, here are some acts that prove that the festival even in 2015 is still a place for good music:
This California duo capped their lengthy winter tour with a series of SXSW shows. Pre-order their LP “Before The World Was Big”, which comes out June 2nd via Witchita Recordings, now so that by summer (at which point Cleo and Harmony will have no doubt won the world over) you can say you knew them when.
After two successful shows at SXSW, Deerhoof is still kicking and there is still sort of time to see them (if you run.) The indie rockers will continue on their US tour with Of Montreal after the festival if you miss their show today. The band plays the Breakthru Radio Party at The Liberty at 4:30PM. The show is free with a RSVP, but 21+.
Courtney Barnett’s album releases in three days in the US, but is already out in Australia and we should be jealous. If her past EPs, A Sea Of Split Peas (2014), How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose (2013) and I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris (2014), are any indication of the Melbourne native’s talent, Barnett’s debut may be one of the best of the year. Catch Barnett at the Radio Day Stage Austin Convention Center on Friday at 5:00PM if you haven’t already.
Best Coast is just what we need as we enter this reluctant spring. They give us cheery, pop tunes while we’re stuck in winter. If you’ve managed to escape to Austin, catch them at the UPROXX House on Saturday at 11:30PM and be sure to listen to their upcoming album California Nights.
Speedy Ortiz has already played a half dozen or so SXSW shows with bands like Failure, Spoon and Pile, including the Spotify Party at The Spotify House and the Pitchfork Party at The Mohawk. Catch their sets TONIGHT at the Exploding In Sound Records/Stereogum Party at HOLE IN THE WALL at 5:25 and/or at the Yahoo Showcase at Brazos Hall at 11:20PM.
-Zoe Marquedant
