SXSW2024: Recap

 Friday March 8

@Hilton
Ransom Brothers
Restos

Monday March 11

@GSD&M
Texas String Assembly
Magna Carda w/ Grace Sorensen
Winona Fighter
Shane Smith and the Saints

Tuesday March 12

@Ray Benson's Birthday
Madam Radar
Shakey Graves
Asleep at the Wheel w/
Jack Barksdale
? (Star of new Eddie Cochran movie)
Wonder Women of Country

Wednesday March 13

@Paste
SNACKTIME-(High Noon outside)
Friko (High Noon indoor)
Smut (High Noon outside)
Holly Macve (Coral inside)
Arny Margret (High Noon indoor)
Sinkane (High Noon outside)
Coach Party (Agave outside)

@Taquero Vaquero
Good Looks

@Side Bar
Near Beer

Thursday March 14

@Luck Reunion
Jobi Riccio
Rett Madison
Mali Velasquez (partial)
Proxima Parada (partial)
OGI
Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country
Tyler Halverson
Kade Hoffman
Harper O'Neill
Durand Jones
Zella Day and Chaparelle
Walker Lukens and The Texas Gentleman with guests (Texas Wild)
Old Crow Medicine Show
Dawes and Lucius
Tyler Childers
Red Clay Strays
Willie Nelson and Family

Friday March 15

@Punch Bowl Social
David Forsyth
Altameda

@Parish
Kiwi Jr.
BALTHVS

@High Noon
The Deslondes

@Coral Snake
Fust

Saturday March 16

@Mohawk
Lo Moon

@Cheer Up Charlie's
Marem Ladson
Friko
Bloomsday
voyeur
Squirrel Flower

@CBoy's
Billy Allen and the Pollies
Barfield, the Tyrant of TX Funk

SXSW2024: Winona Fighter

We may see them tonight. It's a trio out of Nashville.  The lead singer is originally from Boston. Chloe Kinnon is the lead singer (and also the drummer?) who goes by Coco.  Here's an article about her fight with Chronic Lyme Disease she's had since she was 9.  

She played in multiple bands and formed this band with the addition of a guitarist and bassist (who she just married).  They just signed to Rise Records (part of BMG/Warner Records) so expect big things. 

They're playing all over SXSW this year.  

In the vein of Paramore and No Doubt. poppunk.  

Here's their new single: "I'M IN THE MARKET TO PLEASE NO ONE"

This was probably my favorite.

SXSW2024: Altameda

I stumbled on this band thanks to OperationEveryBand. So good. They're out of Toronto but originally from Edmonton.  Per Wikipedia:

Altameda is a Canadian folk-rock and alternative country duo, consisting of singer-songwriter Troy Snaterse and drummer Erik Grice. They are most noted for their 2022 album Born Losers, which was a shortlisted Juno Award nominee for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023.

They play Friday at 2pm at Punch Bowl Social (522 Congress) and 5pm at the Fairmont (not full band). The Fairmont may be that hotel happy hour thing. They also play Saturday at 3pm on Rainey St.

"Dead Man's Suit" is nice. 

They were here last year for SXSW and did a Jam in the Van live taping. It's worth a listen.

This is great.

SXSW2024: Tomato Flower

 Playing Saturday at Meanwhile Brewing at 12:50pm (After Allegra Krieger and before Fust) is this band out of Baltimore. Theyr're also playing a lot of other day parties. This article says:

Tomato Flower is the Baltimore-based experimental pop outfit composed of Austyn Wohlers, Jamison Murphy, Mike Alfieri, and Ruby Mars. Although they each share different musical interests, their collaboration prioritizes the sort of artistic synthesis that’s hard to resist, a blend of free-flowing experimentation and pop hookiness that often takes years to master. 

Their first album has not come out yet but they've released some singles from it.

"Temples of the Mind" is one of those. 

Here's another.

 

SXSW2024: Allegra Krieger

Playing Friday at 2pm at the High Noon indoor stage. She's also playing the High Road Touring Showcase which has almost every buzz band at SXSW playing it.

Aquarium Drunkard says:

New York’s Allegra Krieger has had quite the year. The cosmic folk artist released her fourth studio album, I Keep My Feet On The Fragile Plane, in July via Double Double Whammy. Across its 10 tracks, Krieger sings measured soliloquies recounting her memories, observations, and curiosities straddling the mortal and divine. Finger-picked guitars float like sunlight, illuminating forgotten corners of the universe where Krieger finds inspiration. 

"Nothing In This World Ever Stays Still" is nice. 

 This is really good.

SXSW 2024: Fust

Must-see alert. Need to put this on our list. Playing at 6pm Friday at the High Noon outdoor stage for Paste.  Stereogum named them one of the best new bands of 2023.  Alt-country. This article says:

The musical project — helmed by Duke Ph.D literature student Aaron Dowdy — includes collaborations with some of the state's most acclaimed young musicians, like Indigo De Souza and MJ Lenderman

Here is their last album on Bandcamp. "Evil Joy". The bio on bandcamp says:

Fust is a songwriting project of Aaron Dowdy, carried out with friends Frank Meadows, Avery Sullivan, and John Wallace. It began as a home-recording attempt for Aaron in 2017, self-releasing seven four-song EPs on Bandcamp before it shifted to a live group. The four had played together in a combination of different bands for over a decade in Virginia and North Carolina. This permutation formed in 2018 in Brooklyn where they all lived at the time, meeting in Gowanus to play the lonesome, somewhat hopeless songs as quietly as possible—or as the group would call it, evilly, as it seems a violation to play gently songs of wrongdoing and despair. But Fust is also interested in these themes and moods as tropes, embracing the melodrama of country music, especially the idea that life isn’t adding up to much, or that one’s goodness isn’t being put to use. Fust—the word for the mildewy smell that lingers on unused things—is now based in Durham, North Carolina, and Evil Joy is both their record label debut and the group’s first recordings together.

His new album is here.  Here's an interview with him.

"Genevieve" is great. Right up our alley.

This was wonderful. 

 

SXSW2024: Waterbaby

Playing Friday at 4pm at High Noon outside for the Paste party. She's also playing the KUTX morning session. The Guardian calls her One to Watch.  It says:

Halfway between Big Thief’s folk reveries and SZA’s gossamer indie-R&B lies Kendra Egerbladh, the Stockholm-based, Sub Pop-signed artist making music as Waterbaby.

"911" is nice. 

This was my favorite.

SXSW2024: Shower Curtain

 Playing Friday at 12:40pm inside High Noon at the Paste Party.   This site says:

In 2018, Shower Curtain was born as a solo project of Victoria Winter in Curitiba, Brazil. Since then, it’s become a quartet based in Brooklyn, New York. They have several EPs under their belt.

This article says:

Since 2021, they have become a staple within the New York City music scene, known for their pop sensibilities layered with sludgy guitars, harkening back to their 90s shoegaze and slowcore influences.

"You Make Me Feel" is nice. 

This is their latest.

SXSW2024: Britti

Breakout alert. Friday at noon at the Paste party. She inside at Coral Snake.  Those are the Paste Sessions filmings. Per this site:

Singer-songwriter Britti — born Brittany Guerin in Baton Rouge; reborn in and proudly repping New Orleans now...Emerges From Obscurity To Shine on Dan Auerbach-Produced Debut.

She's also doing the ACL Radio morning show, the BMI Songwriters breakfast, and a showcase at Stubb's (that includes Black Keys).

Here is "So Tired" from her CBS Saturday morning taping.

"Keep Running" is really good.

This has the Yola sound from her debut album. I think we're going to have to see her live.

SXSW2024: The Lostines

 Playing at 6pm Wednesday at the Paste Party inside of the High Noon. This site says:

If there’s a Valentine’s Day dance in heaven, The Lostines are the house band. Superimposing Everly Brothers-style harmonies atop lilting guitar and doo-wop-inspired instrumentation, Camille Wind Weatherford and Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler transmit messages of disillusionment, enduring romanticism, and tenacious hope.

Named after a river in the duo’s native Oregon and cultivated in the New Orleans DIY scene where the pair met, The Lostines’ chemistry is both forward-looking and a throwback, born of seemingly disparate aesthetics — classic country, Louisiana dance hall, mid-century girl groups. 

"West Texas" is them live on a porch in New Orleans. Looks fun. 

They only have one song on their Youtube page and is was just released.  Here it is:

 

SXSW2024: Bathe Alone

 Playing at 4pm at High Noon outside Wednesday. Her Bandcamp says:

Bathe Alone is the dreampop solo project of multi-instrumentalist Bailey Crone based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Bailey plays everything from drums, guitar, bass to vocals on the project and aims to create songs you can "lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling to."

She's playing a lot of parties all week. 

"Missionary Ridge" is good.

 This has 13M streams on Spotify but it's only 1:20 long. It's the lead-int to "Decades and Dreams" on her album.

SXSW2024: Mali Velasquez

Playing at 3:20pm Wednesday at High Noon (Paste party) inside.  This article says:

 When Nashville-based singer-songwriter Mali Velasquez traded her Texas panhandle home for the verdant foothills of Tennessee, she did so with a newfound perspective that mirrored her environment, culminating in the lushly raw edge of her folk-rooted indie rock. Wistfully openhearted and incisive, Velasquez tips the fulcrum between reflection and remedy with melody-forward unction and lyrical tenderness.

Since it's inside she may just play solo.  

"Clovers" is good. 

 I like her. May have to look to see her with a full band. She plays Far Out Lounge April 6th opening for A. Savage. We'll be out of town.

SXSW2024: Bodega

Playing at 2pm at the Paste Party (Coral Snake outside). This is a band out of NYC that plays post-punk.  I liked what I heard. The other option is Arny Margret, a folk singer from Iceland.  I like her sound (KEXP full performance here) but it's inside at High Noon so the noise from the bar and the industry people chatting could make it difficult to hear her.

"City is Taken" is good. Reminds me of Blondie.

This is good, too.

SXSW2024: Smut

Paste came out with their day schedules. Man, I've got work to do. They are in two bars with 4 stages this year: High Noon (same as last year) and across the street at what is now called Coral Snake. 

This band plays Wednesday at 1:20 at High Noon on the outdoor stage. I liked that setup.  It's a 5-piece originally from Cincinnati but now out of Chicago. They also play Friday at 13th Floor probably around noon.

Pitchfork says:

Carefully parsing the nuances of shoegaze, dream pop, and alt rock, the Chicago quintet’s second album amounts to a rigorous study of 1990s guitar sounds.

"Let Me Hate" is good. 

This was my favorite.

SXSW2024: Chance Emerson

Playing at Yeti on Friday at 3pm after wilt and before Zach Person is this band formed at Brown University. Per the college website:

Brown University senior Chance Emerson first arrived on campus in August 2019 with a couple of suitcases and a to-do list. 

A singer-songwriter and guitarist since his early teens, he’d already released his first EP as a junior in high school. But his boarding school was light on musicians to collaborate with — there were only a handful of bassists and drummers, and none of them were playing indie folk.

“As soon as I got to Brown, my goal was to start a band,” Emerson recalls. “I’d been itching for it for so long."

He formed a band and now they're at SXSW.  

"How Can I" is indie folk.  Toe-tapping festival music.

This is his most streamed song.

SXSW2024: Kassa Overall

 KUTX names this artist One To Watch. Jody Denberg says:

Kassa Overall has the jazz chops: he studied at Oberlin, was a gigging musician in New York, and had a stint as the drummer in Jon Batiste’s band on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. But it’s Kassa’s combination of jazz with hip-hop production that sets him apart.

He plays Saturday at 2:30pm at Cheer Up Charlie's.  

Here's his NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

This is his most streamed song. It's also the last song on the Tiny Desk Concert.

SXSW2024: Shannon and the Clams

This band is all over the place this year.  They play Waterloo Wed. at 5pm, SXSanJose, Paste, and the White Horse Sat. at 4:30. Per Wikipedia:

Shannon and the Clams is an indie garage punk quartet based in Oakland, California. Known for a vintage sound that incorporates elements of doo-wop, classic R&B, garage psych, and surf, Shannon and the Clams has drawn comparisons to both Buddy Holly and 1960s girl groups.

They've been around awhile but this last year brought about major trauma and change with the band. According to this article:

 In August 2022, Shannon Shaw’s world was turned inside out. With mere weeks to go until their wedding, the singer’s fiancé, Joe Haener, died in a horrific car accident in front of his family’s vegetable farm in Oregon. It was a devastating loss that hit Shannon & The Clams with cataclysmic force. .. From the shock and trauma of that tragedy comes Shannon & The Clams’ latest album, The Moon Is In The Wrong Place, a powerful exploration of loss, time, love, and resilience that stands as the beloved garage band’s most ambitious, emotionally searing recording to date. 

"Ozma" is one of their older songs. 

"Bean Fields" is a newer one.

This is the title song of their new album. It's really good. The album doesn't come out until May 10th.

SXSW2024: BALTHVS

 Music in the vein of Khruangbin. Per this site:

 BALTHVS, the Bogota, Colombia based psychedelic funk trio was formed in the countryside while the group waited out the 2020 pandemic. The band was escaping the city during uncertain times and according to Balthazar Aguirre “we wanted the music to meld with the peaceful environment surrounding us at that moment”. Alongside Aguirre (Guitar, Vocals) the band consists of Johanna Mercuriana (Bass, Vocals), and Santiago Lizcano (Drums, Vocals).

It also says:

 Known for their dynamic and electrifying live performances, BALTHVS has become synonymous with energetic shows and captivating improvisations.

Could be worth checking out. They play Parish on Friday at 4:10pm before Black Angels (could be crowded). They also play a few other shows but they're not biking distance (Far Out Lounge, Meanwhile Brewing). I'll keep them on my radar.

"Got Caught In Amsterdam (Arc de Soleil)" is good.

Here's a full live set.

This is a nice tune.

SXSW2024: wilt

 This L.A. band is playing the Paste party as well as Yeti on Friday at 2pm.  The SXSW website says:

In the year since releasing their debut single, “gwen,” wilt has gone from relative obscurity to one of the buzzier bands coming out of Los Angeles.  The LA-based outfit counts Radiohead, Hole, Weezer and Alex G among its influences, and dynamic front-woman Chelsea's vocal prowess and vibe have drawn comparisons to Hayley Williams, Debbie Harry, and Joan Jett. 

Here is "gwen".  

Guitar rock. "Moved Along" is pretty good.

This was probably my favorite. I do like her voice.

SXSW2024: Cosmo Pyke

Wednesday at 2pm at the British Music Embassy is this musician from England. This site says:

Peckham’s very own Cosmo Pyke, a multidisciplinary artist known for his unique blend of indie, jazz, blues, and hip-hop...

Apparently he's big in Europe. He's headlining shows and has sold out Paris, Copenhagen and Amsterdam so far.

"Chronic Sunshine" has 42M streams on Spotify. It has a reggae beat.

"Curser's Lament" is a nice mellow tune.

This was probably my favorite.

SXSW2024: Corridor

Waterloo just released their in-store schedule.  Definitely starting Wednesday off with Kathleen Edwards.  

Friday at 1pm is a band out of Montreal.  Per Wikipedia:

Corridor is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of vocalist and bassist Dominic Berthiaume, guitarist Julian Perreault, guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Robert and drummer Julien Bakvis, with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Samuel Gougoux in live performances. The first francophone band ever signed to the influential indie label Sub Pop, they are most noted for their 2019 album Junior, which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.

"Topographe" is good. Throwback to the 80s indie sound. Strong similarities to Animal Collective, too.

Here's a live performance at KEXP. 

This is good.  Indie rock similar to Real Estate. Catchy.  Definite Television influence, too. Could be a fun way to start Friday.

SXSW2024: Sugadaisy

Another band playing Wednesday at CBoys. They play at 2:45pm before Michigander. They are also doing the ACL Radio morning show.  This bio says:

Zach Littleton and Johny Lovan have been aware of each other’s existence since third grade in Bowling Green, Ky. — after all, Littleton “dated” Lovan’s sister in that era “mostly because we were both big redheads and everyone said we should,” he recalls. It took many years for them to start making music together, and even longer for them to realize they worked best as a duo, but since 2016, Sugadaisy has quietly built a substantial fanbase by simply being its weird, wonderful selves.

 Weird and wonderful is a good description of their sound.  "Everything Happens Fast" is a good example. Melancholy lyrics but happy tunes.

This is similar. Lyrics are bittersweet but poignant. Good beach tune.

SXSW2024: The Pink Stones

Alt-country out of Athens, GA.  They're on New West Records and are playing Wednesday at Colton House Hotel (S.Congress next to the Autozone). No times yet. They also play at 7pm Friday at Still Austin and Saturday at Sagebrush. All pretty far away.  They are also opening for Nikki Lane (tour not SXSW).

"Who's Laughing Now?" is catchy.

Speaking of Nikki Lane, she duets with them on this song.

SXSW2024: Lamont Landers

This singer out of Alabama is playing CBoys Wednesday at 4pm and is also playing SXSanJose and the ACL Radio Morning Broadcasts. Some pretty good gigs.  According to this article:

He’s signed on with premier booking agency High Road Touring, whose roster includes the likes of Wilco, Phoebe Bridgers and Graham Nash. Landers also acquired management, in the form of Tom Gimbel, the recently departed general manager of iconic PBS live music series “Austin City Limits.”

That's some serious backing. Most everything I've found is covers. For example, "Love and Happiness" and "Use Me" from Live at the Apollo.

The article says he has recorded an EP but it hasn't been released yet. No date was given.  

This is his latest single. It's also a cover.

SXSW2024: Alisa Amador

Playing at 1pm Wednesday at the Yeti HQ. She won the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest.  do512s bio says:

The winner of the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest, Alisa Amador’s music is a synthesis of the many styles she’s voraciously absorbed: rock, jazz, funk and alternative folk, all wrapped in the spirit of the Latin music she grew up with. NPR's Cyrena Touros calls her “a pitch-perfect rendition of my wildest dreams,” and NPR's Bob Boilen calls Alisa "a powerful voice whose tender performance commands attention and fosters connection." Alisa has opened for such artists as Brandi Carlile, Lake Street Dive, Madison Cunningham, Watchhouse, Hiss Golden Messenger, and countless others. Alisa's soulful singing, poetically incisive lyrics, and syncopated rhythms are likely to make you cry, laugh, and dance all within one set.

Wikipedia says:

Amador is the daughter of Latin folk musicians, Rosi and Brian Amador of the band, Sol y Canto. At age five, she began performing as the band's backup singer on tour. She studied abroad in Argentina. In 2018, she graduated from Bates College with a Bachelor of Arts degree

"Timing" is nice. Reminds me of Lake Street Dive.

Here's her full Tiny Desk Concert.

Here's the song that won the contest.

 

SXSW2024: Vision Arcade

Playing 3pm Wednesday at the Yeti flagship. Mostly rock bands there today. This is a band out of Austin. On do512 they describe themselves as:

We are an alternative rock n’ roll band composed of four high school friends from Austin, Texas. We formed in 2018 after realizing we each had a common passion for creativity, songwriting, and music. 

 "Weight of the Feeling" is a nice ballad.

They have been playing regularly around town at Parish, Empire, Antone's, Mohawk, and Spiderhouse. 

"Hey Honey" has a Gotye feel.

Here's their latest video.  

SXSW 2024: Being Dead

The last band preview for the Cheer Up Charlie's Saturday party. Phew. It's a local Austin trio that has been getting lots of hype and a strong following. Their record release show at Sagebrush sold out. 

Pitchfork says: 

Surf-rock riffs, oddball humor, and warped Americana storytelling define the Austin band’s raucous debut...If Being Dead have a signature sound, it’s anchored in the sun-kissed harmonies and high-octane riffage of surf rock. 

They say: "The shoplifting fantasy “Muriel's Big Day Off” abruptly segues from rollicking acid-pop harmonies to a smoky jazz-pop interval and back."

If the lineup is in order then they will be the closers for the day. Could be a fun way to end the day.

"Daydream" has some good shots of boating on Lake Austin.

This is a total 60s throwback.  It's good. The video is odd.

SXSW2024: Bloomsday

 Another at Cheer Up Charlie's on Saturday. Paste says:

Bloomsday is the project of Iris James Garrison and Alex Harwood, who met in the New York DIY scene several years ago. Their Bandcamp describes their sound as “soft enby rock,” and “soft” is a key word for the quality of their vocals, as well as for their content.

They were here for SXSW last year and I previewed them but we didn't get to see them. 

I had "Phase" in the last preview. I described it as indie folk.

Here's another of theirs. It's nice.

 

SXSW2024: Horse Jumper of Love

 This band out of Boston is playing Cheer Up Charlie's on Saturday and the Paste party.  Pitchfork says:

Since 2013, Horse Jumper of Love have been a comforting outlet for the heart-on-sleeve compositions of singer-guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos...The band’s latest release strips back its sound to meet a slack current. Recorded in the Catskills over five days in 2021, Heartbreak Rules is a mini-album that, save for a brief piano part in “Chariots” played by Margaris, separates Giannopoulos from his bandmates for the first time in a decade. Backed solely by co-producer Bradford Krieger, he returns with a muted collection that taps into the strengths of the band’s earliest material.

It says "At the band’s live shows, audience members sway side-to-side, caught in a state of hypnosis."

 "I Poured Sugar In Your Shoes" is catchy. His voice reminds me of Andy Partridge.

This is a really good song.

SXSW2024: Marem Ladson

 I'll keep going with Cheer Up Charlie's Saturday bands.  Per her bio:

Marem Ladson is a 22 year old Spanish-American singer/songwriter. Blending lyrical, introspective songwriting with a folk pop edge, her music is both intimate and powerful.

Born in 1997 in Galicia, Spain, to african-american father and Spanish mother, she grew up between New York and Galicia. Ladson relocated to Madrid after living for a while in Houston, TX. Her songs and looks honor her American heritage and the diverse sounds she heard while growing up. Citing influences from Mazzy Star to Joni Mitchell, Ladson’s strong command as a vocalist and often folky electric guitar skills set her as one of the most promising artist of the Spanish indie scene.

This article says:

 At the heart of Marem Ladson's music lies a profound exploration of her multicultural identity, skillfully intertwining her distinctive approach to introspective songwriting with elements drawn from folk, pop, and traditional Spanish music. 

"Rayo de Luna" covers the folk and traditional Spanish music side.

This is nice. It's her pop side.

SXSW2024: Native Sun

 More from Cheer Up Charlie's Saturday. This bio says:

No conversation about New York City rock’n’roll is complete without Native Sun. Fronted by Colombian-American songwriter Danny Gomez, the band makes cathartic and timeless songs that are undeniable. Along with drummer Nico Espinosa and bassist Justin Barry, their livewire local gigs are simultaneously welcoming and rowdy and it’s made them a can’t-miss fixture of city nightlife.

 This article says:

 You can hear influences from Rolling Stones to The Stooges to The Beatles’ Revolver across its six tracks of fuzzed-out guitar, swirling psych-rock melodies, heavy riffs, and snarly vocals. 

 "Sister" has a T-Rex feel.

"There's Revolution" is a head-banger. Ear plugs necessary.

This kind of reminds me of Jake Bugg.

SXSW2024: Voyeur

Another band playing at Cheer Up Charlie's Saturday.  This band has even less music out than Villagerrr.  This article and interview with the band says:

No doubt, Voyeur is a New York City band. Lazovick is a filmmaker who used to make music under the name Sitcom, and Freedberg also plays in Porches. Singer and clarinetist Sharleen Chidiac is a choreographer and one of the founders of the East Williamsburg performance space Pageant. Bassist Joe Kerwin is known for both booking shows and writing about them. 

It’s hard to say all that much about a band that has only played a handful of shows and hasn’t even released an EP. Judging from what I saw and heard that night, though, Voyeur seem ready to pick up the ball and run with it. 

They only have one video but released an EP that's on Spotify. Probably a little louder than you'd like. 

"Clue" has Sex Pistols sound. I like the bass in it. 

"Daffodils" reminds me of The Replacements.

Here's their first single. It has a mix of Joy Division and Strokes. 

SXSW2024: Villagerrr

The more bands I listen to on the Cheer Up Charlie's Saturday party the more I love the lineup. If we don't have another place to go we may want to head there early and stay all day.

I can't find much about this band but I like really like it.  His Bandcamp page says:

the solo project of Mark Scott. Sometimes other people help.

I did find a PR page that says:

2022 marked an exceptionally prolific period for Scott. He released three albums, Brain Pain, Ohioan, and Like Leaves as well as an EP, Something or Somewhere Else. All of these releases were quiet uploads on Bandcamp and streaming services, but as he started to perform these songs live they began to resonate beyond his circle. 

His new album doesn't come out until March 22nd.  He has a few other albums on Bandcamp.  It looks like Darling Records signed him and is releasing his latest album.  They also are re-releasing an earlier album Like Leaves.

"See" is a nice song.

This song is great:

 

SXSW2024: Squirrel Flower

Breakout alert. Another band playing both the Saturday Cheer Up Charlie's day party and the Paste party. Per Pitchfork:

For the past few years, Ella Williams has been relentless. The Massachusetts-born, Chicago-based songwriter released her debut album as Squirrel Flower in 2020 and then, after contracting COVID and recovering, recorded and released a follow-up in 2021. Last year, she gathered enough material for a self-produced EP. For a young musician—Williams is 27, and started recording music when she was 18—such a sustained level of output could be exhausting, in many senses of the word: It might lead to burnout, or empty the reserves of what she has to say. But on Williams’ new record, Tomorrow’s Fire, all that effort has only intensified her ambition. It’s a beautiful, searing record in which Williams channels listlessness and desperation into sweltering, explosive rock songs.

It says her latest album was "made with a sharp studio band, including MJ Lenderman (we saw him open for Plains), storied Asheville collaborator Seth Kauffman, and members of Bon Iver and the War On Drugs".  Quite an all-star lineup.

They say "When a Plant is Dying" is

a slow-burning ode to perseverance under grueling conditions, features a full minute of guitar solos that burn bright with indignation and pent-up frustration. 

It would fun to see that live. Great song. 

For a catchy indie rock song she's got "Intheskatepark"

This reminds me of Aimee Mann.

SXSW2024: Meagre Martin

Another band playing both the Cheer Up Charlie's show on Saturday and the Paste party.  Per this article:

Based in their current home of Berlin, Meagre Martin are a three-piece band formed around the songwriting of Boston ex-pat, Sarah Martin. Since relocating to Germany in 2017, Sarah recruited bandmates Max and Freddy, and Meagre Martin quickly established themself on the city’s vibrant music scene.

In it they mention as influences Fleetwood Mac, Big Thief, Snail Mail, Cate Le Bon, Mac Demarco, and Lomelda, just to name a few.

"Mountain" is a nice song. It reminds me of Ratboys especially towards the end.

This reminds me of Real Estate.

SXSW2024: Teethe

The Saturday Cheer Up Charlie's lineup just came out. It's the Winspear and POND Creative party which usually has great artists.  They have Friko and Wishy who I already previewed. I liked both of them. 

This band is out of Denton and plays Slowcore music. Super mellow.  They are also playing the Paste party.

"Moon" is trippy.

This is their most streamed song.

SXSW2024: Brainstory

 Yeti came out with their day schedule. Wednesday at 4pm is this band originally out of Railto, California but now in L.A.  Do512's bio says:

Brainstory is a tale of brothers bounded by blood, by fate, and a small town with nothing to do. Brothers brought together by some unknown magic that would set them free to create, to sing, and to play a music of the soul. To open a window of truth in a world of auto-tuned hamburger egos. To forever be pushing long hair out of their eyes as they explore the cosmos beyond the hot, dusty, world in which they’ve dwelled. And what a universe it is. One part Jazz and one part Psychedelia, with a whole lotta Soul put in the middle. Add some Hendrix and Mayfield, some Bossa, and some afro-latin groove and you’ve got the right idea. Pure fun-love-exploration music.

Throwback 60s sound. "Dead End" is smooth except at the end of the video. Prepare to mute.

They're also playing Austin Psych Fest in April.

 

SXSW2024: David Shaw

Playing the Bloody Mary Morning party as well as the Paste party. He's the lead singer and founder of the Revivalists doing a solo thing. 

"Heavy Soul" is pretty good.

He just dropped this 11 hours ago. Called "Alabama", the chorus is "Alabama you're breaking my heart."  Very timely.

This is a nice solo acoustic tune.

SXSW2024: Beharie

Soul/pop/folk from Norwegian singer/songwriter Christian Beharie. He's playing both SXSanJose and the Paste party.  He has opened for Leon Bridges and is compared to Frank Ocean in this article. 

"We Never Knew" is a toe-tapper.

"Oh My God" is a folk/Americana tune with the pedal steel. Nice.

May want to search him out.

This is good. The chorus reminds me of Bill Withers.