Every year at this time Austin, TX becomes the center of the music universe. Artists migrate from all corners of the globe, traveling by bus, plane, train orhitchhiking via grizzled trucker to play as many shows as possible. Also, Justin Timberlake you guys!
Pop ‘stache will be out, representing in full force, keeping Austin weird, but before things got too crazy, we caught up with a few of the artists that were en route to Austin and asked them a few questions about the SXSW experience.
Rayland Baxter
P’s: Is this your first time playing SXSW? If not, how many times have you been there?
RB: This is the third year for me.
P’s: What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when planning for SXSW?
RB: Having a dry and air-conditioned place to go is crucial. Bring swimming trunks and plan for an incredibly unique and wild musical experience.
P’s: What’s the most stressful/most fun part about preparing for SXSW? Is it something that creates more of a sense of anxiety or excitement?
RB: A little bit of both. The stress comes from lack of preparation for me. So this year I think we are all attempting to be as prepared as possible. The most stressful part of planning for SXSW IS the planning.
P’s: How many shows are you playing/planning while at SXSW?
RB: We will play 9 shows this year.
P’s: What are your expectations for SXSW? What are you hoping to get out of it going forward?
RB: My expectations are to introduce the passer by to my music and hope that they bring it back to wherever they’re from and maybe even come to a live show or two in the future.
P’s: What other artists are you looking forward to checking out while in Austin? What other artists, that are currently on your radar, do you think are poised to breakout following SXSW?
RB: I’m stoked to see The Kingston Springs. If Blake Mills is gonna be there, then I’d like to check him, he’s great. But really, I hope I come across some cool music that I’ve never heard of. Caitlin Rose is a swell listen as well. I heard hologram Jimi Hendrix was maybe showing up. I’m there.
P’s: What’s the craziest story from SXSW past?
RB: Hmmmm…my buddy Benjamin (he play bass for David Vandervelde) couldn’t find any of us one night last year…and his phone was dead, so he slept under the highway underpass for the night, woke up, went to the bmi brunch at the Four Seasons hotel for free and then went on to play 4 shows that day. He was in great spirits when I saw him later that night. It made my day.
P’s: When and where are you playing while at SXSW?
Go to my Instagram @raylandishere and you can see my personal schedule.
The Kingston Springs
P’s: How many times have you been to SXSW?
TKS: No, this is our third year in a row at SXSW.
P’s: What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when planning for SXSW?
TKS: Go with the flow.
P’s: What’s the most stressful part about preparing for SXSW?
TKS: SXSW is always a great time, but parking sucks.
P’s: How many shows are you playing while at SXSW?
TKS: We have five confirmed.
P’s: What are your expectations for SXSW? What are you hoping to get out of it going forward?
TKS: Party and do a little business. Meet some nice people (ladies). Hoping to progress both mentally and physically and recover quickly.
P’s: What other artists are you looking forward to checking out while in Austin?
TKS: Stoked to see Rayland Baxter, and The Orwells are cool dudes.
P’s: What’s your craziest story from SXSW past?
TKS: Our drummer was homeless for a couple days. He ran off with some “nice people,” but linked back up with us for our last show.
P’s: When and where are playing while at SXSW?
- March 14 – Papi Tino’s at 7 p.m. RSVP
- March 15 – The Parishat 12 p.m.
- March 15 – Lamberts at- 2 p.m.
- March 16 – The Black Heart at 12 p.m. RSVP
- March 16 – Rusty’s at 12 a.m.
Sol Cat
P’s: How many times have you been there?
SC: This is actually our second year at SXSW as a band. Our guitarist, Johny, worked at SXSW for a few years while he was a kid.
P’s: What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when planning for SXSW?
Honestly, the most important thing to remember is that nothing is important. It’s a massive party with all of your friends. You need your equipment, a little bit of clothing and your rage face.
P’s: What’s the most stressful part about preparing for SXSW? Is it something that creates more of a sense of anxiety or excitement?
SC: The most stressful part for us this year was handling the purchase of our tour vessel and all the headaches that go along with insurance and servicing it and whatnot. Your van can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. We tried to buy The Weeks’s old van, but being the kind souls they are, they told us we wouldn’t even make it out of Davidson county with it. So, we had to drive four hours north to Lexington, KY and four hours back only a day or so before we took off.
P’s: How many shows are you playing while at SXSW?
SC: We are playing three showcases and are crashing a house party while in Austin. Though showcases are fun and legit, there is still something so personal and rad about house parties. Our band loves all opportunities to destroy a living room.
P’s: What are your expectations for SXSW? What are you hoping to get out of it going forward?
SC: Honestly, we are still in a stage of just sharing our music with as many people as possible. Our expectation, as well as hope, is that as many people as possible hear our tunes and are able to dance and have a good time.
P’s: What other artists are you looking forward to checking out while in Austin?
SC: Since there are so many amazing artists playing during the week, it’s impossible to name them all. Here is the few off the top of our head that we really dig:
- Night Beds – Our friends since day one at university. They just signed with Dead Oceans and will be playing the Pitchfork showcase as well as a few more. Their drummer’s birthday is Wednesday, so we will be partying hard at our showcase at the Blind Pig that night.
- Mac Demarco – His raw tones and honest appeal has seriously been pumping us up over the past few months. We’re beyond pumped to see his set Wednesday At Scoot Inn.
- The Weeks – We don’t even have words to describe how amazing these guys are. We play with them the night before we get into Austin, so our party will begin a little sooner I suppose. But, they are play something like six showcases and you can bet that we will be at close to every one.
P’s: What’s your craziest story from SXSW past?
SC: Last year we had just finished our showcase with Audiotree around 3 p.m.. which was packed with about 500 people raging on one tiny little open bar. We then continued to meet our buddy Brad from Cage The Elephant where our guitarist Johny managed to get in a rowdy whiskey contest with Brad, which ended with Johny spitting a double shot all over Brad’s face. Minutes later we lied about who we were and snuck back stage to Mac Miller and stole as much Mountain Dew stuff as possible. Somewhere around there is when it all fell apart.
We all lost each other. On top of that our cell phones were dead, so we just roamed around yelling each other’s names. That didn’t work. The next, day we found pictures of our bass player on the front line of an anti-cop march, our drummer apparently roamed around until about 6:30 a.m., just giving up on life. The rest of us somehow one at a time made this poor old lady we met previously drive us back to our hotel. All the while, add alcohol, sleep deprivation and other questionable substances.
P’s: When and where are you playing while at SXSW?
- March 12 – Blind Pig at11 p.m.
- March 13 – Papi Tinos at 8 p.m.
- March 14 – Shiner Saloon at 8 p.m.
The Weeks play all week, but the show on Saturday, March 16 Stubbs will be dope. They play at 1:30
Moon Taxi
P’s: Is this your first time playing SXSW?
MT: This will be Moon Taxi’s first time playing SXSW, but I believe it will be everyone’s first time experiencing the festival as well.
P’s: What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when planning for SXSW?
MT: Well, I don’t really know. For us and other bands, travel is a huge thing. Austin isn’t terribly far from Nashville, but it’s still quite the trek. We’ve made sure that we have some gigs on the way to and from SXSW.
P’s: What’s the most stressful part about preparing for SXSW? Is it something that creates more of a sense of anxiety or excitement?
MT: Right now we’re all just excited. We haven’t performed in Austin since 2008, and a lot has changed in Moon Taxi since then. The five of us are comfortable enough with each other on and off stage (“trusting” might be a better term) that nerves and anxiety don’t play much of a role anymore. I’m sure some anxiety and stress will creep in once we get tossed into the hectic schlepping of gear from one gig to the next, but that won’t be a surprise.
P’s: How many shows are you playing while at SXSW?
MT: As of right now we’re down for two on Monday, March 11, and three on Saturday, March 16.
P’s: What are your expectations for SXSW? What are you hoping to get out of
it going forward?
MT: 2012 was a really great year for us. We put out a new record and had several killer festival spots. 2013 is shaping up to be a very similar path. We’re hoping that SXSW will get us in front of some brand new faces and keep that forward momentum rolling.
P’s: What other artists are you looking forward to checking out while in
Austin? What other artists, that are currently on your radar, do you
think are poised to breakout following SXSW?
MT: I’ve heard lots of talk about ZZ Ward, Ivan and Alyosha, and the Lone Bellow, so I expect people to keep chatting about them after their sets, which hopefully we’ll get to catch. Were excited about Atlas Genius and The Joy Formidable, since both of their recent albums are amazing. Alt-J is blowing up right now and we would love to check them out. Foxygen is another group that’s really great, as well as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, DRGN KING, Local Natives, and the list could go on forever.
I think we’re on a bill with Roadkill Ghost Choir on Saturday, and I’ve heard those guys are phenomenal. Then there are all of the bands from Nashville that will be there like Luella and the Sun, Leagues, Caitlin Rose, and Brooke Waggoner just to name a few.
P’s: What’s the craziest story from SXSW past?
MT: I actually asked a friend that lives in Austin if he had any crazy stories, and he talked about seeing some unknown band called Head and the Heart open for Delta Spirit two years ago. Look at Head and the Heart now! He also told me he ran into Andrew WK at some dive bar after a show and wound up hanging out with the guy for a bit. The five of us are looking forward to having crazy stories of our own after this year.
P’s: When and where are playing while at SXSW?
- March 16 – Doritos Bold Stage at 1 p.m.
- March 16 – The Place To Be at Empire Automotive at 5 p.m.
- March 16 – Official Showcase at Buffalo Billiards at 11 p.m.
Ben Dukes
P’s: Is this your first time playing SXSW?
BD: This is my first SXSW appearance, and I’m pumped to be a part of such a great festival. The energy surrounding the festival is incredible, and it has launched a number of careers. Just being a part of it is very special.
P’s: What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when planning for SXSW?
BD: I think the most important thing to keep in mind is the product. The music has to be good.
It doesn’t matter how well you promote, how many people you get to put eyes and ears on your act, if you fall short in the performance, you’re not going to be memorable. You have to bring something to table.
P’s: What’s the most stressful part about preparing for SXSW? Is it something that creates more of a sense of anxiety or excitement?
BD: The whole process in preparing for SXSW has been fun for me. It’s been a learning experience, when it comes to dealing with time management, logistics, accommodations, the whole nine. I’m booking the tour myself, and this has been a very important part of it. Between hiring sub-players, getting them all the material, practicing up with my guys who are on the whole tour, etc., it’s a very time-consuming but very worthwhile undertaking.
How many shows are you playing while at SXSW?
BD: At the moment, we’re planning to play the official showcase, and that’s all. You never know what can happen when a bunch of musicians are in one area, though. Spontaneous shows have been known to crop up out of nowhere, and you never know when one band’s van is gonna break down. So, we’ll be ready for more shows, should the opportunities arise.
P’s: What are your expectations for SXSW? What are you hoping to get out of it going forward?
BD: My main expectation is to get in, throw down and just have a blast playing music. That’s what we do. For us, it’s a pleasure to be on stage and pass a little of ourselves out to those who listen. I expect to walk away from Austin with great memories and some new fans, and probably some new acts to follow as well. Tour deals, record deals, those will come in time and if they begin at SXSW, that’s awesome. I’d really love to catch the attention of a tour rep who can put us on with a major act touring regionally or nationally. Either way, I want to expand our reach, which I think will be accomplished by SXSW and the tour surrounding it.
P’s: What other artists are you looking forward to checking out while in Austin?
BD: I really want to catch Shooter Jennings. I’ve been a big fan of both his Dad’s music, and the direction he’s taken himself as well. Ashley Monroe is a favorite of mine, and I’d love to catch her as well. I think Tyler Bryant is going to explode soon. He follows us at our showcase, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store.
P’s: When and where are you playing while at SXSW?
- March 14 – The White Horse at 11 p.m.
Featured Photo by Beat Beat
