SXSW (the music part) starts later this week in Austin and local labels will be well represented at this year’s fest. We’ve gathered the various official local label showcases for you to peruse into one post right here, with posters and all.
The first label showcase is represented by the above poster for Sub Pop Records. Happening Thursday March 19 at the Radio Room in Austin, Sub Pop will have an outside and an inside stage going featuring twelve bands in all. I’m feeling like the Sub Pop band to watch this year is the Obits (though the Vetiver album is damn good), so it’s nice to see them on the bill and playing a bunch of official showcases at SXSW. The complete schedule for that show is below:
Sub Pop SXSW 2009 Showcase (2 stages)
The Radio Room
March 19, 2009
8:00 No Age (outside)
8:30 The Baptist Generals (inside)
9:00 Red Red Meat (outside)
9:30 Mark Sultan (inside)
10:00 Obits (outside)
10:30 Daniel Martin Moore (inside)
11:00 Vetiver (outside)
11:30 Tiny Vipers (inside)
12:00 Blitzen Trapper (outside)
12:30 Pretty & Nice (inside)
1:00 Handsome Furs (outside)
Head over to Reverb to get a complete listing of all of Sub Pop’s band appearances in Austin over the week.
Next up is Barsuk Records, who this year is sharing a showcase with Merge Records, a label who this year is attempting to break Seattle band Telekinesis. This line-up is a dream and will be worth the packed Parish.
Merge/Barsuk Showcase
Saturday, March 21
The Parish
Telekinesis – 8pm
The Wooden Birds – 9pm
Lou Barlow – 10pm
Say Hi – 11pm
The Rosebuds – 12pm
Ra Ra Riot – 1am
This year Olympia’s K Records shares a Showcase with Sufjan’s Athsmatic Kitty Records and Tomlab on Two Stages.
The Asthmatic Kitty, K Records, & Tomlab SXSW 2009 All-Star Revue (2 stages)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 (Starts at 8pm)
Beauty Bar (617 E. 7th St.), Austin, TX
(INDOOR)
8 - Jookabox
9 - LAKE
10 - Fol Chen
11- Rafter
12 - DM Stith
1 - Jeremy Jay
(OUTDOOR)
8:15 - What’s Up?
9:15 - NO KIDS
10:15 - Desolation Wilderness
11:15 - Tara Jane O’Neil
12:15 - Parenthetical Girls
1:15 - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
This year Sarathan Records has an afternoon showcase right on 6th Street. Yeah!
SARATHAN’S 2008 SXSW PARTY!
Thu, Mar 13th Noon-5pm
Friends Bar (208 East 6th Street, Austin TX)
FREE SHOW • 21+
RSVP @ sxsarathan08@gmail.com
12:00 Abra Moore
12:45 Peter Bradley Adams
1:30 Jason & Rachel Trachtenburg
2:15 Two Loons for Tea
3:00 The Ettes
3:45 Feral Children
4:30 War Tapes
I’m an Idiot that was last year. Sorry.
Local label Loveless Records will be representing strongly in the form of the New Faces who are playing a couple of shows in Austin most notably SXSeattle, a free (RSVP HERE) Seattle-band centered showcase at the Palm Door. Here’ the complete lineup happening Saturday afternoon:
SXSeattle
Saturday March 21
The Palm Door in Austin
Blue Scholars and Common Market – 5:15
Past Lives (Former members of The Blood Brothers and Shoplifting) – 4:30
Barcelona – 3:45
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head – 3:00
New Faces – 2:15
Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band – 1:30
Dynah – 12:45
Hey Marseilles – 12:00 Noon
Finally we have Kill Rock Stars, who are sharing a bill with Bitch Magazine this year at local hot spot Club Deville for a free day party on Wednesday. This is a positively rad bill and where I would be if I were in Austin come Wednesday.
Bitch Magazine/Kill Rock Stars SXSW Day Party
(This is a FREE event, no RSVP needed)
Wednesday March 18 Noon
Club de Ville, Red River
Featuring (no times are noted yet):
The Thermals
Marnie Stern
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Horse Feathers
The Shaky Hands
Paper Chase
Portland label HUSH Records isn’t having a showcase this year, but will be having a number of its artists playing in Austin. They’ve provided a handy schedule of all of those appearances on their blog!
For all of you headed to Austin here’s a word of advice that I offered earlier this week to another band heading down there: “Ease into it and stay hydrated. There will be just as much free beer on the last day as there is on the first. Trust me.”