With over 1,000 acts performning in the SXSW Music Festival every year, SXSW is one of the biggest industry festivals and showcases in the US. It takes place yearly, in March, in Austin, Texas, and has a reputation for attracting legions of industry insiders looking for a scoop on the "next big thing" in indie and alt rock. In 1994, SXSW added Film & Interactive Festivals to the Music and Media Festivals, giving the event even more cultural capital -- and making it an even greater industry circus.
The SXSX Music Festival -- which is now held in along with Interactive, Film and Media Festivals -- was first held in 1987 in Austin, Texas. Austin was chosen as the site, not because it was a world-class, metropolitan city at the time, but because of the isolated nature of the Austin music scene, and the fact that "Central Austin boasts more original music nightclubs in a concentrated area than any other city in the world." To bring in business, and to celebrate this uniquely eclectic (and somewhat off-the-beaten-path site), SXSW was born in Austin. And in Austin is has stayed.
According to SXSW.com, "the goal from the beginning was to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers." Consequently, many up-and-coming indie bands have been showcased at SXSW on the verge of breaking big, and the SXSW Festival has done a lot of work to launch, and bolster, a large number of careers. Every year, nearly 8000 people attend or are affiliated with the Festival -- a staggering number of people who descend upon the college town to do business, enjoy the music, and decide what direction alt/indie music will be heading in next.
Because the SXSW Music Festival is essentially an industry affair, the cost of admission for any of the sub-festivals is rather steep. Wristbands, that offer access to the music festival only, cost $600 on the day of the festival, $425 if purchased before September 9 (the previous year) and some amount in between if bought in the dates between the 9th and the day the festival begins.
The 2007 SXSW Music Festival took place March 14 through 18 and I was there to cover it. Check out my complete reviews of the following live acts:
- SXSW 2007 Round One @ Mohawk (Teitur, Stars of Track & Field, Architecture in Helsinki, Peter & The Wolf, Apes & Androids)
- SXSW 2007 Round Two @ Emo's (Wolf & Cub, Emma Pollock, Beirut & The Mountain Goats)
- SXSW 2007 Round Three @ Emo's (Clem Snide, Tokyo Police Club & Andrew Bird)
- SXSW 2007 Round Four @ Buffalo Billiards (Rocky Votolato, Jessie Sykes, Aqueduct and Menomena)
- SXSW 2007 Round Five on Friday (Peter Bjorn and John, Hylozoists, Amy Winehouse and The Faint)
About contributor Kerry Skemp attended SXSW 2008 and reported back with four live show reviews. Check out her coverage below.
- SXSW 2008: Day 1
- SXSW 2008: Day 2
- SXSW 2008: Day 3
- SXSW 2008: Day 4
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- [url link=http://altmusic.about.com/od/concertsfestivals/a/sxsw08over.htm]SXSW 2008: Best and Worst Of[/link]