[SXSW Interview] Cheers Elephant, SXSW Veterans
Photography by Andrew Zeiter
Watch Cheers Elephant for even a fraction of a sogn and you can tell they've been doing this for awhile. The majority of the upbeat, indie rock from Los Angeles by way of Philadelphia has been playing together since grade school, plenty of time to get to know one another and smooth out the rough spots in any performance piece. Unlike most somewhat-traditional four piece bands I caught throughout the whirlwind that was SXSW, Cheers Elephant (which may have one of the best band name-backstories there are) had life, excitement and personality lost amongst many 'rock' bands today. Frontman Derek Krzywicki, who has a name only I can truly appreciate, is a breath of fresh air onstage, playfully moving his hips in a faux Elvis impression, gliding across the stage, managing to not interrupt a guitar solo while carefully executing yoga-like moves. If he is the hook then the music is the sinker as the rest of the band backs up his front-of-stage heroics with a general aesthetic that perfectly lent itself to a mid-afternoon day in Austin, Texas. Before they got onstage I was able to link up with the guys from Cheers Elephant and chop it up about their packed schedule of twelve shows in a week, how the world has treated them and everything in between just before they took the stage at the Big Picture Media showcase at the Thirsty Nickel on Wednesday March 12. Read the full conversation here.
[SXSW] Music Festival 2014 Recap
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski
In 1977, a water skiing Henry Winkler wore a leather coat and life preserver and attempted to 'jump the shark' in a move that become synonymous with the beginning of the end of a good thing. In that regard it was the long-running "Happy Days" sitcom. Last week in Austin, Texas, it was the South by Southwest Music conference that took the leap from humble beginnings to corporate cash in it's own rendition of 'jumping the shark'. No one pointed it out better than TDE-signee and Oxymoron artist Schoolboy Q, who interrupted his set at the Complex House several times to address several SXSW sets he played for 'yuppies' while his real fans stood outside unable to get in. Alas, the 2014 edition of SXSW couldn't have been described better. An armful of wristbands, garnered through careful planning and RSVPs was instantly trumped by a litany of barriers between them and the artists they had traveled to see. When it began in 1987, the festival was a place for new and unsigned artists to get recognized and for true fans to catch them before they hit the big time. Today, to put it the words of my Journalism professor, it is essentially 'one big blow job'. Despite a lack of a real industry, or perhaps because of it, record labels funnel top-tier artists to the highest bidders, who more often than not come with long guest lists that leave fans sitting outside wondering where all the public transportation in this 'city' is. Even the Illmore, the exclusive house party that has become a staple of the fest, running late into the night with star-studded performance, seemed a bit too big this year in it's new home at a sterile youth center.
For me, the best part of the week was living vicariously as if the SXSW Schoolboy Q encountered was somewhere else. I hustled interviews with true rising acts in Philadelphia-based Cheers Elephant, who's onstage presence is obviously culled from years of performing together and who I'm sure saw a significant boost afterwards, The Tontons, a Houston indie/soul group with a personality to match that hit SXSW on the heels of their latest project, the well received Make Out King and Other Stories of Love. Then there was Radkey, the trio of young brothers, aged 16, 18 and 20 respectively who single-handedly got me back into punk rock with one of the wildest, most raw sets I have seen in a long time, and 17-year-old Bishop Nehru who very well may be the second coming of Nas, The Lonely Biscuits, a band of Belmont University students who stopped down to ATX between projects and mid-terms. They weren't a sit down with Rick Ross, or an in-depth on Phantogram, but the stories I was able to dig up throughout my time at SXSW made me proud to be able to say I saw through the thick haze of bullshit and gerrymandering that descends on the city for a week and actually seek out acts that benefited from the experience.
To be sure, it was two Chicago artists who not only embodied all that SXSW should be, but capitalized on it to continue their independent, organic rises out of their hometown. A year ago, Chance The Rapper ran around SXSW playing sets in anticipation of his yet-to-be-released album, Acid Rap that turned 2013 into a roller coaster of experiences for the 20-year-old MC. At that time, Vic Mensa was still performing as part of the band Kids These Days, which broke up soon after Chance dropped his project on April 30. The two close friends arrived again in Austin at wildly different points in their careers. Chance, with just about every accolade possible under his belt is becoming the biggest independent artist in recent memory, while Mensa, fresh off a plane from Norway, put on a marathon of sets throughout the week that had crowds buzzing in the street about the kid from the Midwest with the funky, different flow to him. Chance's only show was cut short by Fire Marshalls, an ode to his popularity and a crux of the festival at large while also picking up a Woodie award with Austin Vesely for the "Everybody's Something" video. As independent, self-funded artists, Chance and Vic may have embodied the spirit of what SXSW is supposed to be better than anyone else in Austin this week.
In 1977, Fonzie made history by ruining a good thing while ten feet in the air on water skis, in 2014 Lady Gaga did the same by performing beneath a carefully-placed canopy of Doritos bags. Corporate money has always been prevalent (early 2000s 'ringtone rap), and it's just another chapter in the money making something so genuine so utterly unrecognizable.
[SXSW Journal] Day 4
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski
The weekend in Austin started off quickly with several interviews on the docket early. My feet, blistered, sore and just generally unhappy about the situation, slipped into a pair of Converse boots with the thought it would help with all the moving. Strapped up and ready to go I headed out to The Blind Pig on 6th Street to talk to The Lonely Biscuits, a four piece jam/hip-hop/indie group from Nashville. The Belmont University students were on the back end of a wild collection of shows throughout SXSW and played a fitting mid-afternoon set after we had a chance to sit down and talk. As soon as I was done there, I raced across town to the Omni Hotel where I was to interview New York City’s rising star, 17-year-old Bishop Nehru. Sans photog for the week, I was able to get the lovely pair of Rasha Mosa and Asia Ashley of The Lab3l to lend a hand for what ended up being one of the more interesting interviews I’ve done in awhile. We discussed the theory of the ‘twenty year loop’, his ties to Nas and what we can expect next, words on that coming soon.
After that it was off to 502 Brushy Street on the other side of the highway to catch Chicago local Taylor Bennett perform at the House of Aura showcase. Technical problems led to him doing a rousing acapella performance before launching into a full set list. A trip to the Rap Genius Ranch ended up just getting me more miles on my ragged feet as we made the trip just a bit too late to catch Nas actually talking about Illmatic. It was at about this point I realized the ridiculousness of this ‘festival’ and how impractical a town Austin really is. There is a ton going on in ATX for SXSW, so much in fact you can find music just about anywhere you go. However, once you walk up to that venue with your Bomberman-looking arm of wristbands, trying desperately to find the one for this particular venue, you’ll likely find there is an extra hierarchy above your ‘credential’ (i.e. it’s a corporate party with people who don’t really even like the music), or you’ll be directed to a mile-long line with a shrug and a ‘good luck’. So, I spent a good amount of time Friday walking to shows like SaveMoney’s set at Clive, only to hear Tumblr only likes folks in badges and decided to pack it in and meet up with some familiar faces at D.B. Riley’s on 6th where Marrow played an absolutely fantastic SXSW debut. Going back to Austin being impractical, keep in mind there is little to no public transportation, the highway system is like a toddler’s SimCity game and they have a train that literally runs like every three hours in a straight line down one street. Sorry guys, you have a way to go before you get true ‘city’ status. Anyway, after Marrow injected happiness into the souls of D.B. Riley’s patrons, I decided it was time to get out of the city and ended up at a mansion party about 20 minutes outside of town where we partied through the night. Looking forward to the last day, ready to get back to Chicago.
Marrow at D.B. Riley's
Taylor Bennett at House of Aura
The Lonely Biscuits at The Big Picture Media Showcase
[SXSW Journal] Day 2
Photo by Asia Ashley
I started the day by drinking a large cup of water and putting on three pairs of socks. The second night of my SXSW had gotten cut short due to Austin Fire Marshalls with weak capacity rules and my feet weren’t getting any better after subjecting them to what was essentially a barefoot marathon in Converse. With my feet neatly packaged into my Bucketfeet sneakers, I set off for my busiest day yet since getting to ATX. Catching a ride downtown by the grace of friends, I was able to make it to the Big Picture Media showcase at the Thirsty Nickel where I met up with The Tontons for the first time since we met at last November’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, also in Austin, and caught up on all the band has been through in the few months since the festival that seemed to be their big stepping out party. I had expected to talk about their new album, Make Out King and Other Stories Of Love and the big rise in popularity they’ve seen since. Instead we talked about burst appendixes and the intricacies of Spenzo’s hit song “Wife Er” which is plastered on seemingly every pole in town, staring down a familiar face on the opposite side of the street as Lil Herb’s Welcome To Fazoland gets a big push down south. After the Tontons, I had the chance to talk to another BPM client, the Philadelphia-by-way-of-Los Angeles indie rock foursome Cheers Elephant. Interviews from both acts are coming soon, but check out the short Instagram previews for some fun facts about both.
After watching both perform, I hiked my way down sixth street to The Fader Fort presented by Converse, slipping in and managing to snag a free drink in time to catch one of my most anticipated bands, Elmhurst, Il-based punk band The Orwells who showed why their building a buzz as one of the leaders of a new school of the genre, as lead singer Mario Cuomo, always an enigma, was at his best in front of the Converse chucks mosaic of the Fader Fort. Writhing on his back onstage, standing in the crowd, singing with his fans, the frontman made sure to leave his mark one of the most popular unofficial showcases at SXSW. The longtime family friends played good, played hard; and then walked offstage. One of TDE’s latest signees, Isaiah Rashad took the stage afterwards, another act with a lot to prove. The Chattanooga native did just that, working through his catalogue and tracks of his latest project, Cilvia, even bringing out label-mate SZA who performs there later this week. After Rashad, my photographer Asia Ashley and I ran to our next interview. Continuing on the punk trend that had been established at the Fader Fort, we arrived at The Hangar Lounge just in time for St. Joseph, Missouri-based punk trio Radkey who put on one of the most authentically punk rock sets I’ve ever seen. The three brothers, Solomon (16), Isaiah (18) and Dee (20) absolutely killed their set and set themselves as a perfect complement to an act like The Orwells in the rise of punk rock again. The preview of that interview is also below. After that, I cruised sixth street, watched people pack the sidewalk outside of the G.O.O.D. Music event on 4th and Brazos and managed to not get caught up in the ugly car accident that left two dead and several injured after a motorist ran his car into a crowd watching the Mohawk/Tyler, The Creator show. Wednesday was also the first day of the vaunted IllMore after party, long known as the premier after party for SXSW. Moved to a larger complex this year, the event, put on by IllRoots and Scoremore felt more concert-like than last year, having traded the old plantation-style home and surrounding grounds for a modified indoor skating rink. Big Sean took the stage and ran through his hits, joined onstage by Travi$ Scott after several DJs rocked the crowd, fueled by a steady supply of Red Bull and Tito’s vodka. Overall, not a terrible day at all despite the tragedy that took place last night. Check back in tomorrow for more updates!
The Tontons:
Cheers Elephant:
Radkey:
SXSW 2014 Announces Expanded Lineup
Yesterday, South by Southwest organizers announced the full lineup for this year's massive week-long music-industry meet and greet in Austin, Texas. Included in the avalanche announcement to perform at official showcases throughout the six-day event were Melsisa Etheridge, Action Bronson, Allen Stone, The Dum Dum Girls, Vic Mensa, Mobb Deep, Charlie XCX, Big Freedia, Cody ChestnuTT, The Tontons, and many more that joined the bulging roster of over 1,200 acts slated to perform during SXSW 2014.
According to the Associated Press, "In 2013, more than 25,000 people saw 2,278 acts during the festival." The official announcements run alongside the ever-increasing number of unofficial, and often feature more headlining acts. A list of artists announced yesterday I'm looking forward to can be found below, and a full list can be accessed here. The rest of the country may have celebrated 2014 on Dec. 31, but with this latest announcement, SXSW 2014 organizers have set the groundwork for the music industry's true beginning to the new year.
Artists Announced:
3LAU (Las Vegas NV)
Ariel Abshire (Austin TX)
Action Bronson (Queens NY)
A.Dd+ (Dallas TX)
Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys (Austin TX)
Adelaida (Valparaiso CHILE)
Priscilla Ahn (Los Angeles CA)
Air Review (Dallas TX)
Akka (Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS)
Alaclair Ensemble (Quebec CANADA)
Alligator Indian (Asheville NC)
Lisa Alma (Copenhagen DENMARK)
Alpha Consumer (Chicago IL)
Alpha Rev (Austin TX)
Dave Alvin (Los Angeles CA)
American Aquarium (Raleigh NC)
American Authors (Brooklyn NY)
Animic (Barcelona SPAIN)
Keren Ann (Caesarea ISRAEL)
A-N-T (Houston TX)
Antal (Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS)
Anthm (New York NY)
Archie Pelago (Brooklyn NY)
Adam Arcuragi (Los Angeles CA)
Juliette Ashby (London UK-ENGLAND)
Andrew Ashong (London UK-ENGLAND)
The Atlas Moth (Chicago IL)
Atropolis (Astoria NY)
Federico Aubele (Buenos Aires ARGENTINA)
awaken! (Venice CA)
Awill (Oslo NORWAY)
Baby Bee (Houma LA)
Badbadnotgood (Toronto CANADA)
Liam Bailey (London UK-ENGLAND)
The Ball & Chain (Vilnius LITHUANIA)
Band of Skulls (Southampton UK-ENGLAND)
Lee Bannon (New York NY)
Jef Barbara (Montreal CANADA)
Barcelona (Seattle WA)
Bobby Bare, Jr. (Nashville TN)
Cy Barkley and the Way Outsiders (Nashville TN)
Basecamp (Nashville TN)
Battle Lines (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)
B. Dolan (Providence RI)
The Bear (Muscle Shoals AL)
Bearcubbin’! (Portland OR)
Bear Hands (Brooklyn NY)
Beat Culture (New York NY)
Beautiful Bodies (Kansas City MO)
Cory Becker (Los Angeles CA)
Bent Denim (New Orleans LA)
Bent Shapes (Boston MA)
Cindy Lee Berryhill (San Diego CA)
Josh Berwanger Band (Lawrence KS)
Betty Who (New York NY)
Beware Of Darkness (Los Angeles CA)
Big Dirty (Austin TX)
Big Freedia (New Orleans LA)
BioShaft (Caracas VENEZUELA)
Bipolaroid (New Orleans LA)
Diane Birch (Portland OR)
Birth of Joy (Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS)
Bishop Nehru (Rockland NY)
Bituaya (Caracas VENEZUELA)
Black Atlass (Montreal CANADA)
Black Books (Austin TX)
Black Cobain (Alexandria VA)
Black Drawing Chalks (Goiania BRAZIL)
B L A C K I E (Houston TX)
Blacklist Royals (Nashville TN)
Black Milk (Detroit MI)
Black Tusk (Savannah GA)
Black Violin (Miami FL)
Bloodgroup (Reykjavik ICELAND)
Blue Eyed Blacks (Nashville TN)
Hugh Bob and The Hustle (Milwaukee WI)
Body Parts (Los Angeles CA)
Haley Bonar (St Paul MN)
Boogarins (Goiânia BRAZIL)
The Bots (Glendale CA)
Brazos (Brooklyn NY)
The Bright Light Social Hour (Austin TX)
Bronze Radio Return (Hartford CT)
Bronze Whale (Austin TX)
Brothertiger (Brooklyn NY)
Hollis Brown (Queens NY)
Marcus Brown (Austin TX)
Tyler Bryant and the Shake Down (Honey Grove AR)
Buffalo Daughter (Tokyo JAPAN)
Basia Bulat (Toronto CANADA)
Christian Burghardt (Portland OR)
Bett Butler & Joël Dilley (San Antonio TX)
The Cactus Blossoms (Minneapolis MN)
Cage The Gods (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)
Calculon (San Diego CA)
California Wives (Chicago IL)
Kirin J Callinan (Blue Mountains / Sydney AUSTRALIA)
CALLmeKAT (Copenhagen DENMARK)
Fabrizio Cammarata (Palermo ITALY)
The Casket Girls (Savannah GA)
Jackie Chain (Huntsville AL)
Chalk And Numbers (Brooklyn NY)
Vaadat Charigim (Tel Aviv ISRAEL)
Charli XCX (London UK-ENGLAND)
Charlotte OC (Blackburn UK-ENGLAND)
Chatham Rise (Minneapolis MN)
Cheerleader (Philadelphia MN)
Cheetah Chrome (Cleveland OH)
Cherry Glazerr (Los Angeles CA)
Cody ChesnuTT (Atlanta GA)
Chlöe Howl (Maidenhead UK-ENGLAND)
Chocolate Tiger (TAIWAN)
Chrissy Murderbot (Chicago IL)
Circa Zero (Los Angeles CA)
Clear Plastic Masks (Brooklyn NY)
Cocktails (San Francisco CA)
Coin (Nashville TN)
The Cold and Lovely (Los Angeles CA)
Collie Buddz (Bermuda BERMUDA)
Wendy Colonna (Austin TX)
Andrew Combs (Nashville TN)
Como Asesinar a Felipes (Santiago CHILE)
Congorock (Los Angeles CA)
Cosmonauts (Fullerton CA)
Cough (Richmond VA)
The Creases (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
Creepoid (Philadelphia PA)
Crew54 (Central Texas TX)
Crooks (Austin TX)
Denzel Curry (Miami FL)
The Cush (Fort Worth TX)
Cut Snake (San Diego CA)
Cymbals (London UK-ENGLAND)
The Damn Quails (Norman OK)
Douglas Dare (London UK-ENGLAND)
Bart Davenport (Los Angeles CA)
Nicholas David (Minneapolis MN)
Marie Davidson (Montreal CANADA)
Mikaela Davis (Rochester NY)
Dead Earth Politics (Austin TX)
Dead Ghosts (Vancouver CANADA)
Dead Leaf Echo (New York NY)
Dear Boy (Los Angeles CA)
Death By Unga Bunga (Oslo NORWAY)
Jerry David DeCicca (of The Black Swans) (New Braunfels TX)
Deep Cotton (Atlanta GA)
The Deep Dark Woods (Saskatoon CANADA)
The Defibulators (New York NY)
Delhi 2 Dublin (Vancouver CANADA)
Della Mae (Boston MA)
Dënver (San Felipe CHILE)
Desert Noises (Provo UT)
The Deslondes (New Orleans LA)
Madi Diaz (Los Angeles CA)
Dinner And A Suit (Nashville TN)
Dinosaur Bones (Toronto CANADA)
Marianne Dissard (Paris FRANCE)
The Districts (Philadelphia PA)
Divers (Portland OR)
DJ Amen (San Francisco CA)
DJ Babychino (Austin TX)
DJ Buddha Stickygreen (Missouri City TX)
DJ Dimepiece (Chicago IL)
DJ Halo (Oakland CA)
DJ Hella Yella (Austin TX)
DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia (Memphis TN)
DJ Richard (New York NY)
Doctor Explosion (Oviedo SPAIN)
Dorrough Music (Dallas TX)
Dots Will Echo (Ridgewood DE)
Dott (Galway IRELAND)
Dr. Awkward (San Diego CA)
Dreamend (Savannah GA)
Daniel Drexler (Montevideo URUGUAY)
Driver Friendly (Austin TX)
Dr. Rackle And The Sound Griots (New Orleans LA)
DTCV (Los Angeles CA)
Dubb Sicks (Austin TX)
Dugas (Winnipeg CANADA)
Andrew Duhon (New Orleans LA)
Ben Dukes (North Hollywood CA)
Dum Dum Girls (New York NY)
Dyse (Berlin/Dresden GERMANY)
Mia Dyson (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
DZ Deathrays (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
East India Youth (London UK-ENGLAND)
East Of The Wall (Asbury Park NJ)
Eaux (London UK-ENGLAND)
Echosmith (Los Angeles CA)
Ana Egge (Brooklyn NY)
Electric Eye (Oslo NORWAY)
Eliza and the Bear (London UK-ENGLAND)
Carrie Elkin (Austin TX)
Eminence (Belo Horizonte BRAZIL)
Equals (Austin TX)
Eros and the Eschaton (Greensboro NC)
Escondido (Nashville TN)
Escort (Brooklyn NY)
Melissa Etheridge (Leavenworth KS)
Et Tu Brucé (London UK-ENGLAND)
Evans the Death (London UK-ENGLAND)
Ex Hex (Washington DC)
Factor & The Chandeliers (Saskatoon CANADA)
Falcons (Los Angeles CA)
The Family Crest (San Francisco CA)
The Family Rain (Bath UK-ENGLAND)
Farewell Fighter (Nashville TN)
Deniro Farrar (Charlotte NC)
Fat White Family (London UK-ENGLAND)
Favored Nations (Adelaide AUSTRALIA)
Fé (London UK-ENGLAND)
Fences (Seattle WA)
J Fernandez (Chicago IL)
Fictionist (Provo UT)
Fires Were Shot (Austin TX)
Harvey Sid Fisher (Hollywood CA)
Fismoll (Poznan POLAND)
FKi (Atlanta GA)
Flagship (Charlotte NC)
Float Fall (Leuven BELGIUM)
Fly Golden Eagle (Nashville TN)
Fofe y Los Fetiches (San Juan PUERTO RICO)
Folk Family Revival (Magnolia TX)
Foot Patrol (Austin TX)
Elijah Ford & The Bloom (Austin TX)
Forests (Taipei TAIWAN)
Foxtails Brigade (Oakland CA)
FOXTROTT (Montreal CANADA)
Lyla Foy (formerly WALL) (London UK-ENGLAND)
F.R.E.E. - Forever Radical Edifying & Exalting (San Antonio TX)
French Horn Rebellion (New York NY)
Friendly Savages (Austin TX)
The Front Bottoms (Bergen County NJ)
Fuel (Harrisburg PA)
The Futures League (Los Angeles CA)
Galcher Lustwerk (New York NY)
Gambles (New York NY)
Gang Of Youths (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
Gap Dream (Akron OH)
The Garden (Orange CA)
Gardens & Villa (Santa Barbara CA)
Gareth Emery (Los Angeles CA)
Martin Garrix (Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS)
Howe Gelb (Pennsylvania PA)
Gentlemen Hall (Boston MA)
Gerald G (Austin TX)
Gezan (Tokyo JAPAN)
GF Soldier (New Orleans LA)
Ghost Beach (New York NY)
Ghxst (Brooklyn NY)
Glitches (London UK-ENGLAND)
Gloryhound (Halifax CANADA)
Glossary (Murfreesboro TN)
Gnaw (New York NY)
Gochag Askarov Ensemble (Baku AZERBAIJAN)
Louise Goffin (Los Angeles CA)
Gold Beach (Austin TX)
Lynval Golding and Contra Coup (Madison WI)
Louise Gold & the Quarz Orchestra (Berlin GERMANY)
Goldroom (Los Angeles CA)
Good For Grapes (Vancouver CANADA)
Gorgon City (London UK-ENGLAND)
Gramma’s Boyfriend (Minneapolis MN)
Grand Analog (Toronto CANADA)
Grayskul (Seattle WA)
A Great Big World (New York NY)
Grieves (Seattle WA)
Gringo Star (Atlanta GA)
The Griswolds (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
Grizfolk (Venice Beach CA)
Grmln (Santa Cruz CA)
Growl (Austin TX)
GT Garza (Houston TX)
Guantamano Baywatch (Portland OR)
Gulp (Cardiff UK-WALES)
Noah Gundersen (Seattle WA)
Habibi (New York NY)
Hablan Por La Espalda (Montevideo URUGUAY)
Haerts (New York NY)
Happy (Kyoto JAPAN)
The Harlequins (Cincinnati OH)
The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer (Vancouver CANADA)
Heidi Harris (Astoria NY)
Hauschka (Dusseldorf GERMANY)
Dave Hause (Philadelphia PA)
Hawk & Dove (Brooklyn NY)
Heathers (Dublin IRELAND)
Ryan Hemsworth (Toronto CANADA)
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas (Detroit MI)
Katie Herzig (Nashville TN)
Heymoonshaker (Paris FRANCE)
Lilly Hiatt (Nashville TN)
High Tension (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Judith Hill (Los Angeles CA)
His Electro Blue Voice (Como ITALY)
JP Hoe (Winnipeg CANADA)
Holiday Mountain (Austin TX)
Holychild (Los Angeles CA)
Holy Esque (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)
HolySexyBastards (Valencia VENEZUELA)
Honeyblood (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)
The Hood Internet (Chicago IL)
Hospitality (Brooklyn NY)
Hospital Ships (Austin TX)
Hozier (Dublin IRELAND)
Cymien Hughes and The God Phaktorr (Dallas TX)
Humboldt (Valparaíso CHILE)
Humming House (Nashville TN)
Hundred Visions (Austin TX)
Hunee (Los Angeles CA)
Hunter Hunted (Los Angeles CA)
Eric Hutchinson (New York NY)
HyunA (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)
Ice Eater (Fort Worth TX)
Imarhan (Timbuktu MALI)
Indian Summer (Cheltenham AUSTRALIA)
In-Flight Safety (Halifax CANADA)
Inner Oceans (Denver CO)
Jacuzzi Boys (Miami FL)
Jameszoo (’S-Hertogenbosch THE NETHERLANDS)
Ruby Jane (Austin TX)
Jetta (London UK-ENGLAND)
Jitterbug Vipers (Austin TX)
Fletcher C Johnson (Brooklyn NY)
KatieGotBandz (Chicago IL)
Sean C. Johnson (Del City OK)
The Jones Family Singers (Bay City TX)
Stanley Jordan (Sedona AZ)
July Talk (Toronto CANADA)
The Jungle Giants (New Farm AUSTRALIA)
Kashmere Stage Band’s Thunder Soul Orchestra (Houston TX)
Ethan Kent (Dallas TX)
Mikal kHill (Charlotte NC)
Kid Astray (Oslo NORWAY)
Kill It Kid (Bath UK-ENGLAND)
Emily King (New York NY)
Emily Kinney (Santa Monica CA)
Kishi Bashi (Athens GA)
The Kite String Tangle (Strathpine AUSTRALIA)
Kiven (Los Angeles CA)
Jordan Klassen (Vancouver CANADA)
Sonny Knight And The Lakers (Minneapolis MN)
Oumar Konate (Bamako MALI)
Krampfhaft (Utrecht THE NETHERLANDS)
The Krayolas (San Antonio TX)
Kristy Kruger (Denton TX)
La Canalla (Sevilla SPAIN)
Dawn Landes (Brooklyn NY)
Jon Langford & Skull Orchard (Chicago IL)
Language Room (Austin TX)
Larry g(EE) (Dallas TX)
La Triple Nelson (Montevideo URUGUAY)
Le Chat Lunatique (Albuquerque NM)
Leftover Cuties (Venice CA)
Lemaitre (Oslo NORWAY)
Julian Lennon (Liverpool UK-ENGLAND)
Leopold and His Fiction (Austin TX)
Les Claypool (Sebastopol CA)
Let’s Buy Happiness (Newcastle UK-ENGLAND)
Li’l Cap’n Travis (Austin TX)
Lily & The Parlour Tricks (New York NY)
Little Fyodor (Denver CO)
The Littlest Viking (Whittier CA)
Little Wesley (Austin TX)
The Living Room Project (Austin TX)
Lo’Jo (Angers FRANCE)
The Lonely Biscuits (Nashville TN) The Lonely Wild (Los Angeles CA)
The Lonesome Heroes (Austin TX)
Liz Longley (Nashville TN)
Lost Bayou Ramblers (Lafayette LA)
King Louie (Chicago IL)
Lydia Loveless (Coshocton OH)
Lovelife (Los Angeles CA)
Lovely Quinces (Split CROATIA)
Mike Love (Oahu HI)
Lovers (Portland OR)
Low Cut Connie (Philadelphia PA)
Lowell (Toronto CANADA)
Lucky Loc (Hillsboro TX)
The Lumiphonic Creature Choir (Brooklyn NY)
Rosu Lup (Oaklyn NJ)
Lyenn (Brussels BELGIUM)
Annie Mac (London UK-ENGLAND)
Machinedrum (New York NY)
Magic Mouth (Portland OR)
The Magic Numbers (London UK-ENGLAND) Mahogany (Brooklyn NY)
Mallory Knox (Cambridge UK-ENGLAND)
Mandolin Orange (Carrboro NC)
maNga (Istanbul TURKEY)
Manic Sheep (Taipei TAIWAN)
Man Or Astro-Man? (Atlanta GA)
Marianne’s Wish (Nicosia CYPRUS)
Maribou State (Berkhamstead UK-ENGLAND)
Marmozets (Yorkshire UK-ENGLAND)
Felix Martin (Caracas VENEZUELA)
The Mary Onettes (Jönköping SWEDEN)
Matrimony (Charlotte NC)
Matt the Electrician (Austin TX)
Tom Maxwell and The Minor Drag (Carrboro NC)
The David Mayfield Parade (Nashville TN)
Ian McLagan (Austin TX)
MC Lars (Oakland CA)
Mean Creek (Boston MA)
Meat Market (Oakland CA)
Me and the Bees (Barcelona SPAIN)
Rod Melancon (Los Angeles CA)
Lubomyr Melnyk (Winnipeg CANADA)
The Melodic (London UK-ENGLAND)
Vic Mensa (Chicago IL)
Meta and The Cornerstones (New York NY)
Lori Meyers (Madrid SPAIN)
Miami Horror (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Mideau (Salt Lake City UT)
The Migrant (Copenhagen DENMARK)
Tor Miller (New York NY)
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Mire Kay (Malmö/Stockholm SWEDEN)
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Chris Mitchell (Houston TX)
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Ian Moore (Seattle WA)
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Moving Units (Los Angeles CA)
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Mr. Lewis and The Funeral 5 (Austin TX)
Mr. MFN eXquire (Brooklyn NY)
Mt Warning (Strawberry Hills AUSTRALIA)
The Mud Howlers (Mexico City MEXICO)
Mujeres (Barcelona SPAIN)
Nick Mulvey (London UK-ENGLAND)
My Education (Austin TX)
Mystery Skulls (Los Angeles CA)
Nabiha (København N DENMARK)
Natig Rhythm Group (Baku AZERBAIJAN)
Natives (Southampton UK-ENGLAND)
Natural Child (Nashville TN)
Neighbours (Pittsburgh PA)
John Mark Nelson (Minneapolis MN)
Neon Hitch (London UK-ENGLAND)
New Bums (San Francisco CA)
New Desert Blues (Whiteley UK-ENGLAND)
The Niceguys (Houston TX)
Night Riots (San Luis Obispo CA)
Night Terrors of 1927 (Los Angeles CA)
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No Coast (Kokomo IN)
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Nothing (Philadelphia PA)
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Oberhofer (Tacoma WA)
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Off! (Los Angeles CA)
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Morgan O’Kane (Brooklyn NY)
OK Sweetheart (Seattle WA)
Okta Logue (Frankfurt Am Main GERMANY)
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Bernie Worrell Orchestra (Hampton NJ)
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Outernational (New York NY)
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Pawn (Los Angeles CA)
Perfect Pussy (Syracuse NY)
Jarell Perry (Los Angeles CA)
Mike Peters And The Alarm (Rhyl WALES)
Bird Peterson (Austin TX)
Petite Noir (Kinshasa DR CONGO)
Petunia & The Vipers (Vancouver CANADA)
Phil Beaudreau w/Dawaun Parker (Los Angeles CA)
Phox (Madison WI)
Pigeon John (Los Angeles CA)
PigPen Theatre Co. (Pittsburgh PA)
Pink Nasty (Wichita KS)
Plastic Visions (Nashville TN)
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Popstrangers (Hamilton NEW ZEALAND)
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Primitive Man (Denver CO)
Printz Board (Los Angeles CA)
Problem (Compton CA)
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RAMS’ Pocket Radio (Belfast NORTHERN IRELAND)
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Rubblebucket (Brooklyn NY)
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Running in the Fog (San Francisco CA)
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Schaffer the Darklord (New York NY)
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Silent Diane (Austin TX)
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Sleepy Man Banjo Boys (Port Murray NJ)
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Something Went Awry (Phoenix AZ)
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Split Single (Evanston IL)
SSLEEPERHOLD (Los Angeles CA)
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Nico Stai (Los Angeles CA)
Star & Dagger (New Orleans LA)
The Stargazer Lilies (New York NY)
Starlings, TN (Austin TX)
The John Steel Singers (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
Step Rockets (Minneapolis MN)
Peggy Stern Trio (Austin TX)
Mike Stinson (Houston TX)
Allen Stone (Chewelah WA)
Angus and Julia Stone (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
Stone Jack Jones (Nashville TN)
St. Paul and The Broken Bones (Birmingham AL)
Strange Talk (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
The Strypes (Cavan IRELAND)
ST 37 (Austin TX)
Suenalo (Miami FL)
The Summer Set (Scottsdale AZ)
Moses Sumney (Los Angeles CA)
Sundara Karma (Reading UK-ENGLAND)
Superfood (Birmingham UK-ENGLAND)
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Sweet Da Kid (Los Angeles CA)
SW/MM/NG (Fayetteville AR)
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Team Me (Elverum NORWAY)
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Teenburger (Halifax CANADA)
Teeth Of The Sea (London UK-ENGLAND)
Tesoro (Tucson AZ)
Texas Never Whispers (Austin TX)
The Victor (Houston TX)
ThinkNoThink (Austin TX)
This Wild Life (Long Beach CA)
Thorcraft Cobra (Los Angeles CA)
Those Darlins (Nashville TN)
Thousand Foot Whale Claw (Austin TX)
Thumpers (London UK-ENGLAND)
Toad the Wet Sprocket (Santa Barbara CA)
Jonah Tolchin (Princeton NJ)
Tom the Lion (London ENGLAND)
The Tontons (Houston TX)
Traams (Chichester UK-ENGLAND)
Trae Tha Truth (Houston TX)
Tom Trago (Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS)
Tribecastan (New York NY)
Troller (Austin TX)
Tronic (Santiago CHILE)
Troumaca (Birmingham UK-ENGLAND)
Trumpeter Swan (Brooklyn NY)
Turbo Goth (Manila PHILIPPINES)
Turboweekend (Copenhagen DENMARK)
Tus Amigos Nuevos (Santiago CHILE)
Twin Forks (Boca Raton FL)
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Twin Shadow (New York NY)
Two Cow Garage (Columbus OH)
Twrk (New York NY)
Tying Tiffany (Bologna ITALY)
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Umbertron (Chicago IL)
Underbaby (Beijing CHINA)
Vancouver Sleep Clinic (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
Sharon Van Etten (Brooklyn NY)
Alex Vargas (London UK-ENGLAND)
Vattnet Viskar (Plaistow NH)
Vedazen (Los Angeles CA)
Verse Simmonds (Charlotte Amalie VIRGIN ISLANDS)
Vertical Scratchers (Los Angeles CA)
Victory (Los Angeles CA)
Vikesh Kapoor (Sunset Pines PA)
Leif Vollebekk (Ottawa CANADA)
von Grey (Atlanta GA)
Waco Brothers (Chicago IL)
Ryley Walker (Chicago IL)
Warm Soda (San Francisco CA)
Adam WarRock (Memphis TN)
WatchOut! (Santiago CHILE)
Waters (San Francisco CA)
Juan Wauters (Jackson Heights NY)
Wave Racer (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
Waylayers (London UK-ENGLAND)
Grace Weber (New York NY)
The Weeks (Nashville TN)
We Have The Place Surrounded (Viña Del Mar CHILE)
Well Hung Heart (Orange CA)
We Met Tomorrow (Oskarshamn SWEDEN)
Wet (Brooklyn NY)
The Wet Secrets (Edmonton CANADA)
Wheelchair Sports Camp (Denver CO)
Wheeler Brothers (Austin TX)
Whiskey Folk Ramblers (Fort Worth TX)
White Arrows (Los Angeles CA)
White Mystery (Chicago IL)
Tony Joe White (Franklin TN)
Whores (Atlanta GA)
Why Not Satellite (Austin TX)
Wick-it the Instigator (Nashville TN)
The Wild Feathers (Nashville TN)
Wildflowers (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
Mack Wilds (Staten Island NY)
Jess Williamson (Austin TX)
Windhand (Richmond VA)
The Wind + The Wave (Austin TX)
Luke Winslow-King (New Orleans LA)
The Winter Brave (Pittsburgh PA)
Sofie Winterson (Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS)
Wiretree (Austin TX)
Withered Hand (Edinburgh SCOTLAND)
Woman’s Hour (London UK-ENGLAND)
Wonder Villains (Derry UK-N. IRELAND)
Worldwide (San Antonio TX)
Wounds (Dublin IRELAND)
Wrekmeister Harmonies (Chicago IL)
The Wytches (Peterborough ENGLAND)
Yoshiki (Chiba JAPAN)
You Me & Apollo (Fort Collins CO)
Young Fathers (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND)
The Young Folk (Dublin IRELAND)
Young Male (New York NY)
Young Summer (Washington DC)
Young Thug (Atlanta GA)
You Won’t (Boston MA)
Yukon Blonde (Vancouver CANADA)
Yuppie Pricks (Austin TX)
Yvette (Brooklyn NY)
Zarigani$ (Tokyo JAPAN)
Zeale (Austin TX)
Zorch (Austin TX)