Also, I’m probably going to move to Austin this fall. I love it here and it seems like there are many more opportunities for someone who wants to have a legitimate business in the music industry in this city.
I love Charleston but being in Austin makes it feel so small.
Since Extra Chill is already established in the music media world, I would not be starting entirely from the bottom in Austin. I would have to make all the venue connections and stuff, but in terms of acquiring tickets and media passes, I have already completed that part of my hustle. Thankfully.
SXSW has been one hell of an experience so far.
And I haven’t even mentioned all the bands who dropped off. People in the crowd are definitely rumbling about that, and longtime attendees have noted the general air about the event is different than it has been in the past.
It does seem pretty fucked up to me how SXSW would take money from war machines for a festival that is supposed to be about music and connection. It’s tone deaf at the very least and a sign of corporate greed at the most likely.
Because you know those checks were fat.
But, I’m here, and I’m enjoying the festival and the city. Many of these events I’ve attended were unofficial showcases anyway. Seems like the lines are pretty blurred between official and unofficial as many of the venues are hosting both at different times in the same day.
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol @ Empire Control Room
The Vices @ Valhalla (late night)
I also saw some sets that were just alright. I won’t even mention them.
Dinner at Casino El Camino was fire. Had the buffalo burger. It’s a dang 3/4 hunk of beef cooked to perfection. And relatively affordable for what you get.
Another day coming up. Including our own jam down at VooDoo Doughnut. Free and open to any artists who want to jam!
Hey @southbysuzie and @texastoasted – thanks for joining! Suze, it was nice chatting with you as well! The creative industries expo at the Austin Convention Center is so cool. It’s like a country fair for technology. I definitely plan on getting back over there today. Just having a slow start this morning. SXSW is quite the marathon!
Just wanted to list off all my favorite acts from yesterday. Don’t have reviews ready because I’m about to head back out for the day, but I saw a lot of great music yesterday.
Gran Moreno @ Vaquero
Greg Freeman @ Cheer Up Charlies
Ringo Death Starr @ Hotel Vegas
Flags @ Volstead Lounge
Font @ Hotel Vegas
Die Spitz @ Hotel Vegas
Sextiles @ Hotel Vegas (i think that was their name, someone correct me if I’m wrong)
To answer your question TexasToasted, yes, I did see Die Spitz last night. Pretty sick band! My buddy was telling me that they are like the most renowned local band in Austin right now. Hope to catch them again later this week, as well as Greg Freeman. That shit was some dope, genre-less rock music!
Also shoutout to the Gray Market for playing some JGB on the street and serving up a delicious lunch for me yesterday.
Getting ready to head back out the door again here shortly. Maybe I’ll run into y’all out and about today! My initially planned schedule went almost completely out the window, which I guess was to be expected.
I like to think of Lil Wayne at his peak as someone who checked all of these boxes. That dude was just the coolest guy in hip-hop across the board for a minute. I was obsessed with his whole image when I was in high school
1. pinned topic at top of homepage – “Featured Discussion”
2. Add the reply button back in, or a jump to reply box feature. Was a good idea in theory but sometimes you don’t want to scroll to the bottom to reply and you don’t want to quote
Some ideas to mark down here for when I get back to coding…
Ability to select “City” from a dropdown when posting a music review
Need to fix the Extra Chill articles forum so that replies from people who aren’t the post author don’t go above the imported post
Plus, the ideas in this thread that I haven’t gotten to yet. Life has gotten busy with the coming of Spring, but this is going to be an ongoing build for a long time.
Gathering my SXSW plans tonight. Breaking down a loose itinerary here by day. Basically just noting anything from the official schedule that catches my attention. Obviously this is subject to change, and there is way more happening than I will be able to attend.
Sunday, March 10th
Arrive in Austin 4pm
Head to Butterfly Bar to meet up with @davidj-edwards, check out the reggae show there.
Then go to Austin Convention Center to pick up my badge
Monday, March 11th
10am – 11am:Brands as Amplifiers: Fueling the Universal Passion of Music
Austin Convention Center room 18cd
Speakers from Mastercard (Raja Rajamannard) and Live Nation (Russell Wallach)
11:15am – 1:30pm: Documentary Screening: How to Build a Truth Engine
Violet Crown Cinema 2
Documentary about modern media and misinformation
11:30am – 12:30pm: AI and the Future of Loneliness Panel Discussion
EU House at Parkside
11:30am – 12:30pm: Featured Session: AI and Humanity’s Co-evolution with OpenAI’s Head of ChatGPT
Austin Convention Center / Ballroom D
2:30pm – 3:30pm: AI and the Future of Truth – panel discussion The Thompson Hotel Austin / Red River Ballroom
2:30 – 3:30pm: Cannabis Around the World: Where are the Big Opportunities?
Hilton Austin Downtown / Salon G
6pm – The Future of Music Dinner hosted by Aimi 7601 S Congress Ave Ste 480 Austin, TX 78745
RSVPed to this with my boy Oliver
7:30 – 8pm: China Bears – Music Showcase
British Music Embassy at Sheraton (Downright Austin)
8pm – 8:40pm: Neptune’s Core @ Cooper’s BBQ
Cool all-female experimental rock group
8:50pm – 9:20pm: Deer Park Avenue @ Mohawk Outdoor
German rock duo (two sisters), but the name reminds me of Long Island
9pm – 9:40pm: Laney Tripp @ Cooper’s BBQ
Singer-songwriter (same venue as Neptune’s Core)
reminds me of Phoebe Bridgers vibes (lots of songwriters go for this vibe nowadays)
10pm – 11:30pm: Mogwai @ the Moody Theatre
10pm – 10:40pm: Shallow Alcove @ Cooper’s BBQ
not familiar with this band, but based on the other stuff happening at this venue i’m probably going to dig
10pm – 10:40pm: ZADA @ Swan Dive
experimental R&B
10:15 – 10:55pm: Living Hour @ Swan Dive Patio
vibey indie rock
10:50pm – 11:20pm: Laney Jones @ Mohawk Indoor
11:40pm – 12:10am: Salsa Windfall @ Mohawk Indoor
12am – 12:40am: Winona Fighter @ Valhalla
Punk rock!
At this point in the night it becomes anything goes… and there is a lot going on, Wow!
1am: The Rare Occasions @ Coopers BBQ
1:20am – 2am: Do Nothing @ Mohawk Outdoor
Then there are some late night sets listed as time TBA… not sure where I’ll be after 2am, it depends how the night goes!
Plastic Palms @ Parkside Lofi punk-inspired rock
Tuesday, March 12th
10am -11am: AI Isn’t Coming for Your Job, But Those Using It Will
panel discussion on AI – the title is something I definitely agree with
JW Marriott / Salon FGH
11:30am – 12:30pm:Eliminating ‘Forever Chemicals’ from the World’s Water
Climate change discussion sesh
C4 Energy – Try it @ registrant lounge?
12pm – 7pm
12pm – 12:30pm – Wez Atlas @ Palm Door on Sixth Patio
daytime hip-hop showcase
12:50 – 1:20pm: Hypnosis Therapy @ Palm Door on Sixth Patio
Electronic vibes following the afternoon hip-hop
1:40 – 2:20pm: Subsonic Eye @ Palm Door on Sixth Patio
continuing the day party with rock & roll
2:30pm – 3:30pm – Harnessing the Power of the Ocean: All-Hands-on-Deck
Hilton Austin Downtown / Salon B
right up my alley as a boat captain
2:30pm – 3:30pm -Salvador Dali, AI, and The Future of Creativity
Austin Convention Center / Room 9AB
AI is the theme of SXSW sessions in 2024 it seems, looking forward to this stuff as someone with a big interest in AI
2:30pm – 4:30pm –Think Like an Innovator: Master Associative Thinking
discussion on creative leadership
Courtyard Marriott / Rio Grande Ballroom 2
4pm – 5pm:The Cost of Admission & the Next Era of Ticketing
as someone who is strongly anti Live Nation and Ticketmaster, it will be interesting to see what gets discussed at this
Austin Convention Center / Room 18AB
6pm – 6:40pm – Bones and Jones @ International Day Stage
alt-country group from Australia. rad!
7pm – 7:40pm – Rain on Fridays @ Low Down Lounge
downbeat indie grunge
8pm – 8:40pm – Daisy Rickman @ Victorian Room at The Driskill
Dreamy singer-songwriter, listening now and love it
8pm – 8:40pm – Gummy Fan @ Chess Club
love the band name, know nothing about them!
8pm – 8:40pm – Mel Bryant and the Mercy Makers @ Low Down Lounge
8pm – 8:45pm – Omni @ 800 Congress
I saw this band play in Charleston once several years back. I remember them being pretty good, and I know they’re one of those hipster craze bands
8pm – 8:45pm – Sugadaisy @ Empire Garage
awesome band name
Alright, looks like I’ll be making some tough calls for the 8pm slot.. and probably all weekend as i come across other things to do.. but it’s always good to start with a plan, right?
8:15pm – 8:55pm – Doohickey Cubicle @ Swan Dive Patio
another great freaking band name, super conflicted on time slots. wowza
8:50 – 9:20pm – The Dumes @ Mohawk Outdoor
rad band
11pm – 11:40pm – Creekbed Carter Hogan @ The Iron Bear
dark folk
11pm – 11:40pm – Seafoam Walls @ Cuatro Gato
experimental jazz
11:15 – 11:55pm – Babe Corner @ Swan Dive Patio
I’m not really sure how close together these places are, or how packed it will be, but I imagine I can just hop around. I know there are unofficial showcases too, which aren’t even listed on the SXSW website. There is like an overwhelming amount of shit to do each day. But, I will trudge on through the schedule and find my bearings somehow.
Most of these bands I haven’t even heard of. I’m just going by who has an interesting name or vibe.
11:45pm – 12:30am – Luna Luna @ Stubbs
Latin music at one of Austin’s most iconic venues
12am – 12:40am – Crabe @ Swan Dive
late night punk rock, bound to be a blast
12am – 12:40am – King Nun @ Seven Grand
more loud late night rock & roll
12am – 12:50am – Library Card @ Low Down Lounge
it’s a tuesday night for rock n roll – more punk rock
12:10 – 12:50am – The Dinosaur’s Skin @ Palm Door on Sixth Patio
late night vibed-out indie
12:30am – 1:20am – Ethan Tasche @ Empire Control Room
this is some cool folk-pop music
1am – 1:40am – The Lottery Winners @ Seven Grand
weird rock music
and then again… the night devolves into TBA set times…
Wednesday, March 13th
This is @davidj-edwards day off and we’ll be having a showcase that night at Voodoo Doughnut from 7pm – midnight. Open jam for any artists who want to be involved. That said, I will briefly run through the daytime events to see what’s going on.
11:30am – 12:30pm –Design for Climate Adaptation
JW Marriott / Salon 7
in the changing world climate, it will be interesting to see how people are preparing design to cope with it and anticipate it.
11:30am – 12:30pm -What is a Magazine in the Digital Age?
of interest for obvious reasons…
Austin Convention Center / Room 9AB
12 – 6pm – Free Lacroix Inn Cahoots Outdoor
2:30pm – 3:30pm -Facing Death Without Fear: Psychedelics for End-of-Life Care
Austin Convention Center / Room 18AB
i love psychedelics
at this point in the day, I imagine I will be heading into unofficial SXSW territory….
Thursday, March 14th
Anticipating a long night on Wednesday, I’m going to only briefly scan the morning events this day and go straight for the music at night.
10am – How to Build a Community on Discord, Circle & Beyond
relevant for me trying to build a freaking forum in 2024, not sure if ill make this
11am – 6pm – FLOODFest @ Mohawk Outdoor
Hosted by FLOOD Magazine. Interesting to see how another magazine handles their festival setup within a larger festival. Cool concept and something I would love to replicate. Maybe I can meet some of these people.
11:30am – 12:30pm – Collaboration vs Competition: Community Building for Creatives
I talk about this all the time. Alright, I guess they’re hooking me with shit that speaks directly to me in the AM hours…
Austin Convention Center / Room 9AB
11:30am – 12pm – Gareth Donkin @ Mohawk Indoor
groovy white boy soul
12pm – 12am – Marshall Funhouse
Parish
seems like an interesting thing to check out if i’m nearby
1pm – 7pm – Rainey Street Revival
Another all-day festival type event
11am – 6:25pm – Sounds Australia Day Party @ Lucille
I guess I’ll pick one of those and float between them.
8:15pm – 8:55pm – Early James @ Mohawk Outdoor
Heard of this guy, never listened
It’s pretty hard to know where exactly I’ll be… again. But this is sounding cooler by the minute! Wow… SXSW… the event I’ve heard about since ages ago when I first got into music…
8:30pm – 9:10pm – McKinley James @ Mohawk Outdoor
Presented by Easy Eye Sound, Dan Auerbach’s label
This night the big dogs seem to come out to play with showcases by Rolling Stone, Billboard, etc. The pinnacle of what Extra Chill could become (but hopefully way cooler).
9pm – 9:40pm – Danny Bonilla @ The Grackle
Latin music. and this dude has an awesome headshot.
9pm – 9:40pm – Dirt Buyer @ Low Down Lounge
another awesome band name. this venue seems to have a lot of lesser known, loud artists
I’m also noticing that several artists are playing multiple showcases. Different venues, different times of day. Cool opportunity but what a grind!
9:15pm – 9:55pm – Good Looks at Las Perlas
Another chance to catch this band that sounds pretty cool.
9:30pm – 10:10pm – Jimmy Duck Holmes @ Mohawk Indoor
blues, baby. Love a good change of pace
9:40pm – 10:10pm – Rose Hotel @ Lambert’s
ayy the first artist that I’m connected with I’ve come across thus far. Rose Hotel used to sing harmonies & tour with SUSTO.
10pm – 10:40pm – Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country @ Antone’s
Oh yeah. The first jam band i’ve come across. But only a 40 minute set! Oh well, you know where I’ll be for this one.
10:50pm – 11:40pm – Dinosaur Jr. @ Parish
Something tells me this one is going to be really hard to get into.
11pm – 11:40pm – Bad Bad Hats @ 13th Floor
Good band.
11pm – 11:45pm – The Barr Brothers @ Speakeasy Ballroom
Another good band.
Oh yeah. This night looks sick!
11pm – 11:40pm – Brainstory @ Antone’s
Sticking around here after DDCC seems like something I would do.
12am – 12:30am – Sweet Spine @ Hotel Vegas
I have heard of this venue. Will probably go to this.
12:15am – 1:45am – The Black Keyes perform songs from Delta Kream @ Mohawk Outdoor
Yeah this is going to be cool. Super packed, probably. But cool if i can get in.
12:15 am – 12:55am – Sam Tudor @ Swan Dive Patio
1am – 1:45am – Bleach Lab @ Valhalla
Late night loud rock baby
1am – 1:40am – Oh He Dead at Antone’s
This has gotta be a United Talent showcase…
I’m pretty decided on Antone’s this night. Seems like it’s set up for the heads.
Friday, March 15th
BMI Brunch – Sometime this morning. My friend Gab invited me, but I don’t have the deets yet. I’ll probably hear about some things to do from people at this event, considering I’ll know at least one person there. This day feels a bit open ended to me. Also, it’s a marathon up to this point.
It seems to me like Thursday is the peak of this thing. The events slow down a bit on Friday.
2pm – 7pm – Wild Fork: Rhythm & Roast Showcase
For some reason, I’m thinking food this day. Maybe I’m just hungry right now.
12:30pm – 4pm – Wasserman Day Party @ Mohawk Outdoor
Another encounter with the enemy possible this day. (the enemy being major music industry agencies)
5pm – 7pm – Music Industry Happy Hour @ Fairmont / Rules & Regs
Will this be sterile or cool? Who knows. Will stop by if I’m nearby and check it out, perhaps enjoy myself a crispy miller lite.
9:30pm – 10pm – Color Green @ Antone’s
Good band, at the venue from the night before. Like this place’s style based on bookings…
9:40pm – 10:25pm – The Red Clay Strays @ Moody Theatre
in case i’m feelin some country vibes
11pm – 12am – Faye Webster @ The Moody Theatre
Another one that is probs goin to be packed. But she is so so good and I’ll try my best to make this one.
11pm – 11:40pm – Pronoun @ The Iron Bear
Pretty sure DJ is filling in on drums for this one.
11:10pm – 12am – Ben Kweller @ Mohawk Outdoor
11:45pm – 12:45am – LSD and the Search for God @ Hotel Vegas Patio
You know this is going to be weird as shit.
12am – 12:45am – Blushing @ Hotel Vegas
While searching for God, we’re Blushing
12:30am – 2am – The Black Keys at Stubbs
Yeah, here’s your headliner.
Lots of other stuff going on late night. I’m not a huge Black Keys fan but it would be cool to see them at Stubb’s. I’ve heard such great things about that place.
Saturday, March 16th
12-6pm @ Cheer Up Charlies Final Day party/showcase, made known to me by @thenewcuriouscity
Lots of good bands. This is probably where I’ll be on my final day in Austin.
8pm – 2am – SXSW Closing Party @ Palm Door on Sixth
Will be tired, but this is the night cap for the week. The next day I fly back to Jacksonville.
Another good one I found on Instagram. Unofficial poster design for the Neal Francis / Psycodelics show at the Music Hall in November. I just hired this kid to make our poster for June 9th at the Pour House after I saw this
Sup y’all, hitting the road today to begin my travels to Texas. I’ll be off grid in terms of CHS for the next week @ SXSW but still plan to be active in the forum and sending people here that I meet to stay connected. Just a quick update on some things as I pack up to head out the door.
It seems to be that when I go to festivals I always end up meeting people who want to stay in touch and this is the perfect way to facilitate that. And, finding new artists at SXSW they will hopefully “stick” to our brand and we’ll be able to develop more relationships with them.
Next New Music Radar update will be March 18th, which is the Monday after I get back.
Again, encouraging the team to post here whenever possible, to start discussions and drum up engagement. It will be really helpful to have the team in here chatting with people who post more often. We are building a brand of loyal followers.
If there is a blatant thing I’m missing that stands as a barrier to entry for you/other people that discourages posting please let me know. If the team ain’t about it, then I gotta figure out why! I feel like the team should be the most engaged here but that hasn’t been the case, maybe I’m not communicating my vision properly. If so, please ask me questions.
Understand that y’all are busy of course, but a team effort here would help us to grow faster which will lead to more opportunities for all of us.
Also, please don’t be afraid to speak up! I built this thing from scratch and only had a few people giving me feedback (thank you @qrisg and @meghanveino). If something is not intuitive or doesn’t seem to work right, please please let me know! I will try to fix it or address it!
