South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference has just kicked off in Austin. It’s the biggest music industry event on the face of this planet and is running until the 22nd of the month.
Such a mammoth event needs some serious planning so if you’re heading along, you’re going to probably need some guidance. We’ve done the hard work for you and found the 8 best events to see and do at this year’s SXSW, so get your diary out and listen up.
The music conference behemoth that is SXSW is now upon us. With so much to see and do you don’t want to miss the good stuff. Here are 8 must see events.
1. A Home Away From Home – Aussie BBQ
The Aussie BBQ was set up by Sounds Australia. It started back in 2003 in a tiny car park and since then, has become a legendary showcase of Aussie bands now held in Brush Square Park, Austin. We can raise our schooeys to Sounds Australia who have made the event the “biggest showcase of Australian music outside of Australia” So if you’re heading to SXSW why not induce your own kind of homesickness by heading down to witness bands like Sydney heartthrobs Bloods, the whacky and wonderful Kirin J Callinan, ripper Adelaide rapper Tkay Maidza along with 19 others sure to make you call Australia home.
2. Snoop Dogg gives Keynote Address
Snoop Dogg once has again officially reclaimed his original moniker (we all remember that strange and brief time when he was Snoop Lion) and will be delivering the keynote address at SXSW this year. This comes with the divulging of his brand new track Peaches and Cream set to be included in his forthcoming album Bush, produced by Pharrell Williams and featuring the legendary Stevie Wonder. The question we all wanna know is what will he speak about? One can only assume it will be a combination of his favourite kinda kush, a mention of the US anti-gun campaign#ImUnloading he wholeheartedly backs and with any luck he’ll stride in with a Crip walk.
3. Music Conference Mentor Sessions
Sick of handing out your demos to people walking down the street? If you’ve ever had burning questions on the music biz then register yourself now.
4. Day lounges with live music!
Choose your lounges wisely. If you’re headed to SXSW this year you should check out some of their day-lounge venues like Tumblr IRL where you can catch ODESZA, Tobias Jesso Jr, Courtney Barnett and more!
5. Did someone say pro bono legal advice?
Getting into legal strife is high on the no-no list for any musician, whether they are a budding bedroom beatsmith or, say, Metallica, who were famously up against Napster back at the turn of the millennium. Thanks to Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, California Lawyers for the Arts and New York Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, musicians residing those areas can attend a workshop to gain pro-bono legal advice on all things music! Phew!
6. Free Shows!
If you haven’t got the dollars, don’t fret because SXSW is offering free-to-the public Spotlight Showcases this year, featuring artists like Spoon, Little Simz, Wavves and more.
7. Everybody loves a bit of down time
At an event as huge as SXSW it might be a good idea to kick back for a while at the Radio Day Stage. It’s also a great chance to catch acts like Laura Marling, The Ting Tings, Ball Park Music as well as a heap more. So head to the Austin Convention Centre, connect to their free wifi, grab a drink and catch some artists who you would otherwise need to fork out the goods for.
8. We like to party with Spotify House
Consider it Festival-ception. For their fourth year in a row, The Spotify House will be returning to Austin for a showcase of artists (like Ibeyi, Run The Jewels, Joey Bada$$, The Vaccines and much much more) and experiences like witnessing Squarespace visual artists do their thing, Truth Truck, keeping visitors entertained, with DJs rolling around on a truck and general good vibes!
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