popwreckoning

Wednesday marks the first official day of SXSW: Music; however there are plenty of music events happening before this date. Early arrivals can get a jump start on the festivities even before picking up badges and wristbands.

After getting in late Tuesday night, hitting up an unofficial party with Thee Oh Sees, I stumbled out of bed to pick up wristbands at the Austin Convention Center (Wristbands and badges are like magic skip the longer line passes). Though it was around 10 a.m., the streets were already bustling and music could be heard trickling through the air from random places. Most day parties don’t start until around noon, so after wristband pick-up was the perfect time to grab some much needed caffeine and breakfast tacos. If in Austin or even just anywhere in Texas, it is a requirement that you eat breakfast tacos at some point. The delicious little things consist of tortillas with your favorite breakfast combination: scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese, etc. The beauty about SXSW is that everyone is friendly and talkative. There’s no shyness about talking to strangers. During our breakfast we met four new people and even landed VIP passes to one of our new friends’ showcases. Number 1 SXSW tip: Don’t be shy.

Number 2 SXSW tip: Be curious. Don’t be afraid to just wander into a venue or stop to check out what a random group is watching. From breakfast we began a long walk to Mellow Johnny’s–a bike shop. Bands are playing literally everywhere in this city. During our walk, we saw a large group clustered in a parking lot, which was a curious event for 11 a.m. As we got closer we recognized the music being performed: The White Stripes. Turns out this group had discovered the first stop for Third Man Records Mobile Record Store. As part of the special record store’s debut, Jack White, label founder and member of a zillion projects including the former The White Stripes, was standing out in front of his trailer with a guitar playing “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” and more for a pop-up acoustic set. You couldn’t ask for a better way to start the day.

The Mobile Record Store continues rolling around to new stops daily with unannounced special guests, so there’s a chance that Jack White will repeat the treat.

My editor Bethany informed me that acquiring this press pass means I have to actually post some articles. Having thought about this for a few hours (minutes) I’ve determined my angle.

I had three main goals for attending this year’s SXSW: helping to put on the MidCoast Takeover, promoting the band I’m managing (The Grisly Hand), and to see a ton of bands.

Everyone’s covering the bands, so I’m going to cover my attempts at getting The Grisly Hand on the national stage.

Oh Land
Copenhagen, Denmark
www.myspace.com/ohlandmusic

If you want to know the band that everyone will be talking about after the fest, it’s Oh Land. Oh Land is Denmark’s Nanna Øland Fabricius, a singer and producer that creates danceable soundscapes. She performed previously at SXSW in 2009 and made a splash at CMJ. Her song “Sun of a Gun” has been making its rounds on the blog circuits.

Oh Land has an EP out now, but will drop a full-length just in time for SXSW on March 15. You can stream it now on Hype Machine here. The site already supported her back in the Fall when she killed it at their CMJ show.

Oh Land will be at SXSW with a very busy schedule. You can check the act out at the following shows below:

March 15 @ YouTube Showcase – 11:30pm at Maggie Mae’s
March 16 @ Fader Fort – 3 p.m. RSVP here
March 16 @ Flavorpill + The Musebox + I Rock I Roll + The Bell House NY present Austin BFFs – 5:00pm at Lipstick24 RSVP here
March 16 @ Billboard Bungalow – 1:00am at Buffalo Billiards
March 17 @ Prefix Mag Day Party – 1:30pm at ND @ 501 Studios
March 17 @ Idolator’s Pray For Pop Party – 5pm at Pure Volume House Austin RSVP here
March 18 @ Waterloo Performance & Signing – 4pm at Waterloo Records
March 18 @ Big Ugly Yellow Couch + I Guess I’m Floating present KILLER TOFU – 12:30am at Lipstick24 RSVP here
March 19 @ Brooklyn Vegan Day Party- TBA at Swan Dive/Barbarella 615
March 19 @ Perez Hilton Party – Time TBA at ACL Live

I knew this showcase was going to be huge, but didn’t realize just how awesome it was until they announced the bands.

No Sleep Records and Atticus Clothing team up for one of the biggest SXSW Showcases this year.

Stage One:
Travis Shettel (of Piebald) performing an Acoustic Piebald Set
Fake Problems
Laura Stevenson and the Cans
Into It. Over It.
This Time Next Year
Santah
Mansions
Aficionado
TS & The Past Haunts
White Apple Tree

Stage Two:
Defeater
Native
Make Do And Mend
Moving Mountains
Former Thieves
The Felix Culpa
Now, Now

I have one word for this. BADASS.

There are also special guest appearances that will be announced the day of. I’m crossing my fingers for Charlie Sheen.

This show is free. Get there early and stay for the whole entire thing or you’ll miss out. And bring snacks.

Official press release and flier.

One of our favorite showcase at SXSW just revealed its lineup. This year’s Chop Shop/Atlantic Records  Showcase is Saturday, March 19, and features our local Kansas City favorites The Republic Tigers.

The Tigers are joined by Portugal. The Man, The Joy Formidable, Scars of 45 and Kitten.

The tent has always been a hidden gem of talent poised to explode. Janelle Monae is just one of the many memorable acts from past year’s events. Also, if you’re a fan of the soundtracks to things like the “Twilight” films and “Gossip Girl,” this tent is a must not miss.

To get in to the Saturday party, simply RSVP to rsvp@chopshoprecords.com. Space is limited, so RSVPs don’t guarantee entry. Show up early!

Set times:

4:00 – Kitten
4:20 – Scars on 45
5:00 – The Republic Tigers
5:45 – The Joy Formidable
6:30 – Portugal. The Man

March 19th – Brush Square Park – 409 E. 5th St.

The Naked and Famous
Auckland, New Zealand
Alternative / Electropop
www.myspace.com/thenakedandfamous
thenakedandfamous.com

The Naked and Famous are set to explode and SXSWers are perfectly poised to see this band in some intimate settings before they really take off.

Just this week, The Naked and the Famous was awarded the Philip Hall Radar Award–an award for the band most worth to graduate from NME’s Radar pages–at the Shockwaves NME Awards 2011. Their single “Young Blood,” which you can watch below, is just starting to make impressions on US alternative radio stations. It’s kind of how I picture what Passion Pit would have sounded like with some female members in the band instead of all guys. It’s a catchy dance jam.

They’re playing several sets in Austin amid their European tour. I plan on catching them at the Windish Agency’s Party on Friday, March 18 at Emo’s.

They’ll be back to the US to tour more fully in April and May.

MidCoast Takeover has announced that some of Kansas City’s biggest acts are joining the SXSW showcase: The Republic Tigers and the Beautiful Bodies.

MidCoast Takeover is a two day showcase featuring some of the best Kansas City and Lawrence-based artists down in Austin. The showcase will feature over 20 bands spread out over March 18th and March 19th at the Liberty Bar.

Both the Republic Tigers and the Beautiful Bodies have made waves on Kansas City radio, with 96.5 the Buzz often playing the Tigers’ ‘Buildings and Mountains” and the Bodies’ “You’re a Risk.” Both bands have toured nationally and are known for their memorable shows.

Other acts on the roster include: The Appleseed Cast, Approach, Appropriate Grammar, Atlantic Fadeout, Audiovox, Auternus,, Baby Teardrops, Capybara, Cowboy Indian Bear, Drag the River, Everyday/Everynight, Expassionates, Ha Ha Tonka, Heroes + Villains, John Velghe & His Prodigal Sons, Lazy, Roman Numerals, Soft Reeds, Sons of Great Dane, Vertigone & Trystyl, Waiting for Signal, and Walking Oceans.

The showcase is sponsored by the MidWest Music Foundation (who put on a great showcase last year), The Record Machine (home label to many of the showcase artists), PopWreckoning, Ink Magazine and local KC venues such as the Record Bar, Riot Room and Crosstown Station.

You can help support the MidCoast Takeover and earn cool swag by donating to KickStarter here.

With SXSW approaching sooner than you think, it is time to start planning what bands and showcases you might want to include in your itinerary. PopWreckoning would like to make a little suggestion: MidCoast Takeover.

MidCoast Takeover is a two day showcase featuring some of the best Kansas City and Lawrence-based artists down in Austin. The showcase will feature over 20 bands spread out over March 18th and March 19th at the Liberty Bar.

The showcase is sponsored by the MidWest Music Foundation (who put on a great showcase last year), The Record Machine (home label to many of the showcase artists), PopWreckoning, Ink Magazine and local KC venues such as the Record Bar, Riot Room and Crosstown Station.

The band’s haven’t been announced just yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted once that information becomes official.

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Now with SXSW still a little over a month away, you can get involved with the MidCoast Takeover now by doing two things.

First, the MidCoast Takeover needs a little help making SXSW as affordable as possible for bands. It costs money to put together a showcase, so MidCoast Takeover has a kickstarter going until March 7 to help reach a $2500 goal. If you donate, you have the the chance to earn a variety of prizes. Depending on how much you donate, you can earn prizes ranging from cds, posters, national photo passes, music dvds and private tours of the Boulevard Brewery. Go here to donate.

The other way you can get involved is to attend a MidCoast Takeover pre-SXSW fundraising show at Kansas City’s Riot Room. Local bands Heroes and Villains, Waiting for Signal, Sons of Great Dane, Vertigone and Trystyl will perform a 21 plus show at 9 p.m. More information on the show is available here.

SXSW 2011 has announced a second batch of band’s playing this year’s festival March 16-20. This new batch of bands includes PopWreckoning favorites such as Missouri’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Nashville’s Turbo Fruits and many others.

To see the full list of announced bands go here. More announcements will soon be made.

Newly announced SXSW bands:

Alberta Cross (Brooklyn NY)
AM (New Orleans LA)
Asking Alexandria (York ENGLAND)
Bajzel (Poznan POLAND)
Bare Wires (San Francisco CA)
The Bellrays (Los Angeles CA)
Benjamin Francis Leftwich (York ENGLAND)
Beta Wolf (Los Angeles CA)
Bituaya (Caracas VENEZUELA)
Black Gandhi (Barcelona SPAIN)
Bleu Edmondson (New Braunfels TX)
Blue King Brown (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Bowling For Soup (Denton TX)
Carter Twins (Nashville TN)
Casiokids (Bergen NORWAY)
Chetes (Monterrey MEXICO)
City and Colour (Toronto ON)
Colleen Green (Los Angeles CA)
Curry & Coco (Lille FRANCE)
Dame 55 (Los Angeles CA)
Dawn of Ashes (Los Angeles CA)
Dax Riggs (Austin TX)
The Dears (Montreal QC)
Demon’s Claws (Montreal CANADA)
DeVotchKa (Denver CO)
Eliza Doolittle (London ENGLAND)
Elizabeth & the Catapult (Brooklyn NY)
Endless Hallway (Los Angeles CA)
Fergus & Geronimo (Brooklyn NY)
Francis and the Lights (New York NY)
Frazey Ford (Vancouver BC)
Gary Wilson (San Diego CA)
Gepe (Santiago CHILE)
Grass Widow (San Francisco CA)
Grieves (Seattle WA)
The Happy Hollows (Los Angeles CA)
Harrys Gym (Oslo NORWAY)
Heavy Cream (Nashville TN)
Hell & Lula (Los Angeles CA)
Hey Rosetta! (St John’s NL)
HORSE the band (Los Angeles CA)
Ice Black Birds (Brighton ENGLAND)
J Mascis (Amherst MA)
Janka Nabay (SIERRA LEONE)
JEFF The Brotherhood (Nashville TN)
Joan of Arc (Chicago IL)
Jukebox the Ghost (Washington DC)
Kina Grannis (Mission Viejo CA)
Kopecky Family Band (Nashville TN)
La Sera (Los Angeles CA)
Locos Por Juana (Bogota COLOMBIA)
Maps & Atlases (Chicago IL)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City MEXICO)
Middle Class Rut (Sacramento CA)
Morning Teleportation (Portland OR)
Murfila (Barcelona SPAIN)
MURS (Los Angeles CA)
Noah And The Whale (London ENGLAND)
North Mississippi Allstars (Hernando CO)
O’Death (New York NY)
Onra (Paris FRANCE)
Parlor Mob (Red Bank NJ)
Paul Cary (Chicago IL)
Pedropiedra (Santiago CHILE)
Pernett (Cali COLOMBIA)
Prince Rama (Brooklyn NY)
Professor Green (London ENGLAND)
Protistas (Santiago CHILE)
Pterodactyl (Brooklyn NY)
Pujol (Nashville TN)
Quintron and Miss Pussycat (New Orleans LA)
Rey Pila (Mexico City MEXICO)
Rosie and Me (Curitiba BRAZIL)
The Secret Handshake (Dallas TX)
Shuttle (Boston MA)
Skrillex (Los Angeles CA)
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Denver CO)
Some Community (Sao Paulo BRAZIL)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Springfield MO)
Sounds Under Radio (Austin TX)
The Strange Boys (Austin TX)
Stephen Kellogg (Northampton MA)
Summer Camp (London ENGLAND)
Suzanna Choffel (Austin TX)
Teen Daze (Vancouver CANADA)
Thee Oh Sees (San Francisco CA)
Tôg (Stavanger NORWAY)
Turbo Fruits (Nashville TN)
Ty Segall (San Francisco CA)
The Vaccines (London ENGLAND)
Voxhaul Broadcast (Los Angeles CA)
Wagons (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
War From A Harlots Mouth (Berlin GERMANY)
Whitechapel (Knoxville TN)
The Woggles (Atlanta GA)

The music portion of SXSW 2011 has begun rolling out some of the accepted acts for the upcoming fest.

Accepted bands include our Kansas City favorites The Appleseed Cast as well as dance demons The Klaxons and MSTRKRFT and some of our indie favorites such as Toro y Moi and Wye Oak.

SXSW 2011 is March 15-20, 2011 in Austin, Texas.

See all the bands announced here. More will be announced soon.