When it comes to the months leading up to , music fans wanting to attend the country’s biggest music festival and showcase are faced with a long pros and cons list.
Pro: SXSW is where you’ll discover many of the next best new artists.
Con: Lodging is either obscenely expensive, booked or simply non-existent (and no camping).
Pro: Even if you don’t buy a pass, itap possible to get into some shows…
Con: … Although if you don’t buy a pass you’ll likely be stuck in line purgatory watching people with badges breeze into the coolest showcases.
Pro: Flights are oddly cheap from Denver to Austin for that week…
Con: If you even make it there, SXSW is an overwhelming fray of brands wanting your money and bands wanting your attention.
So, itap not an easy decision. And a majority of people will be stuck at home watching the surprise performances, the breakout shows and all the fun on 6th Street in Austin take place.
But just because you don’t make it to , doesn’t mean you have to completely miss out on all the news and music. There are ways to get the most out of SXSW — even if you’re not in attendance. Here’s how:
Before SXSW:
Look at lineups: If you haven’t been to SXSW, you should know that itap six days of individual showcases of music at various venues around Austin. Thousands of bands are playing on hundreds of stages at unofficial and official showcases throughout the week. These showcases are put on by everyone from Fader to Vans to Spin to NPR to IFC to Pitchfork and your very own heyreverb.com. The folks who book these showcases are plugged into the scene and know the acts have the potential to be one of the next big bands out of SXSW. So, what you do is scroll through these lineups — typically they can be found through a quick Google search or on the publication’s website — and take a listen to each one. It might seem overwhelming, but it will give you a good swath of new music heading into SXSW to become familiar with.
During SXSW
Find publications: From March 17-22 it will feel like music news coverage has suddenly switched to an all SXSW all the time model. It’ll be like a plane went missing on CNN or two llamas escaped. So, you need to know the publications that you trust to give you the best reporting and suggestions of the musicians making waves. This is a matter of taste and also a matter of how these publications cover SXSW. If you don’t want to see lists of top 10 fashions, foods, crazy bikes then maybe stay away from BuzzFeed, and focus on something a bit more mature.
Know the accounts to follow: For even more up-to-the-minute coverage, know what specific music writers or critics that you respect and keep an eye on those Twitter and Facebook accounts. People like Bob Boilen of NPR’s All Songs Considered do an insane amount of research and planning for these events and know exactly who to see and when to see. Bob tweets from the All Songs Considered Twitter handle. Other people to follow could be your trusty Denver Post music writers or the folks at OpenAir. And, of course, your favorite musicians will be there.
Beware of branded content: Even from the safety of your own home, you can’t escape the barrage of brands that have taken over SXSW. You don’t want to be getting music advice from Doritos, Subway or Rachel Ray. Be careful and take note of who is presenting you with content and why.
After SXSW:
Lists, lists, lists: Okay, so once people recover from the week and actually decide to write, pretty much every writer for every newspaper, magazine, blog, pamphlet, zine, etc. will be publishing a list of the “Best Acts” or “Bands to Watch” out of SXSW. Are all of these No. 1 picks the best? Probably not. But what you can do is scan through as many of these as you can and try to find the names that pop out the most often.
Put yourself there: If you really want to round out the experience of waiting in lines, weaving through the crowds on 6th Street and watching bands leave it all on the stage as they work to make a lasting impression on every member of the audience, then you’ll have endless hours of video from your favorite publications. You can catch footage of the top performances (no standing in crowds trying to see), and get a sense of how these bands perform live from the comfort of your couch.
See these acts yourself: You’re not completely missing out if you don’t make it to Austin. SXSW is just a kickoff for many of these young acts’ rigourous summer touring schedules. And since Denver is the perfect midway point from the East to West Coast (and a logical stop for bands traveling north from Austin), most of these acts will be here sooner rather than later. Already you can see it taking shape. Some acts who look to be promising at SXSW will be in Denver soon. Viet Cong stops here on March 24, Twin Shadow on April 17, Purity Ring on May 19, Speedy Ortiz on May 30 and more.
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