This band from Melbourne is playing Cheer Up Charlie's on Wednesday and the Paste party on Thursday. They call themselves post punk. According to Rolling Stone:
There is something intriguingly Aussie-anomalous to Radio Free Alice’s sound: it’s a heady throwback to the guitar music that spread across the Atlantic at the beginning of the 2010s, when Twin Peaks and Parquet Courts roamed Chicago and Brooklyn, and The Vaccines and The Maccabees did their exuberant thing in Britain.
For the most comprehensive list of all the unofficial parties go to the Austin Chronicle.
I've narrowed that down to the top day parties for each day, mostly in order of my preference. The links are for bands I sampled and a quick overview of them.
These are a work in progress as changes happen daily.
This country artist is playing quite a few evening shows but only one show at a reasonable hour: Saturday at 6pm at the Fairmont Hotel. Per SXSW:
Bobby Dove, the Montreal born singer-songwriter, is quickly becoming a magnetic presence in the world of Country and Americana music. With a voice as powerful as their storytelling, this trans/non-binary troubadour pays tribute to the golden age of honky tonk, while crafting original, emotionally charged songs that “blend genres with the touch of a master.” (Mary Gauthier)
Currently based in rural Manitoba, Bobby Dove is preparing to release a new full-length album in the spring of 2025, including a cowrite/duet with grammy winning songwriter, Jim Lauderdale.
This artist is on the big British Music Embassy night showcases but I find only one day party: Thursday at 1pm at Waterloo Records. Her bio says:
Jo Hill is a singer/songwriter from Cheddar. Taking influence from Fleetwood mac, Remi Wolf, Kasey Musgraves, and Benee, her music is a combination of indie pop/rock/soul with a sweet smattering of country.
"Off the 45" is a single off her new album. Not sure what to think of it.
"Honeymoon" is her most streamed song. Catchy pop.
This band out of L.A. is playing a few big day parties: Paste at High Noon (no date yet), Cheer Up Charlie's on Wednesday at 5pm, Valhalla and the 13th Floor on Thursday. Per their bio:
the LA County-based band of lifelong friends Jack Nugent, Conner Reeves, Davis Stewart, Noah Kurtz, and brothers Shane and Hayden Barton — today announce their Fat Possum debut, Moneyball, out March 21st
This artist is playing Wednesday at 3:30pm at Palm Door for the British Music Embassy. This article says:
Twenty-six year old folk songwriter Amelia Coburn originally hails from Middlesbrough and has spent time travelling and living abroad in Mexico, Russia and France... Despite being classified as a folk singer, she didn’t want to work with someone who had solely produced artists from the folk genre. “The inspirations behind my music are wider than that,” she explains. “I totally get why I was nominated for the BBC Young Folk Artist award, as I am a folk singer in some ways, but I didn’t want to go for a folk producer and then be put into that box forever.”
This artist is playing Palm Door on Wednesday at 4:10pm for the British Music Embassy. Per SXSW:
Finn hails from the industrial town of Middlesbrough in the North East of England and his songs come from places of real truth, deliver anthemic melodies and shine light on the trials and tribulations of his youth told through captivating vocals...Independently featured on BBC Radio 2, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and picked as a ‘BBC Introducing One To Watch’ artist, Finn then signed to Interval Records (Universal/EMI North)
This band plays Yeti on Thursday at 1pm as part of the BMI showcase. They are also playing SXSanJose but they haven't put out schedules yet. Per their site:
A band led by songwriters Casey Walker and Spencer Tweedy, Case Oats hails from Chicago, and creates songs about relationships and experience with an unadorned delivery and an unflinching eye. Casey Walker’s lyrics cut to the “gooey heart” of relationships and experience of bringing a city-dwelling life back down to earth. Their yet-to-be-announced debut album is a well-defined, inviting labor of love that is light on pastiche and heavy on intention.
In case you didn't notice: Spencer Tweedy.
Also, they just signed to Merge Records who will be releasing their debut album.
No other day shows I can find yet.
Here's a cover from a couple years ago. "Drivin' on 9"
They have only one original on Spotify and Youtube. This was just released. "Unflinching" is a good description.
This artist is playing Yeti on Thursday at noon as part of the BMI Showcase. He doesn't have any other day parties at this point. Per BMI:
Raised in small-town central Texas and based in Nashville, Tennessee, Joelton Mayfield crafts hard-hitting alt-country that’s at home in any setting. Mayfield’s distinct take on the genre blends his experimental musicality with a dynamic edge. At the center of it all is Mayfield’s deft lyricism, which draws from a Southern Gothic literary sensibility and deals intimately with the tensions embedded in family, religion, masculinity, and love in the American South.
The small town is Marble Falls.
He only has two songs on his Youtube page. "Pretty Linda" is him live.
Here he is live in Brooklyn. "The Reason". I like him.
This artist is playing Mohawk on Wednesday for the Marshall day party and he's also playing Chess Club the same day at noon. Per this article:
'Can I go again?', the debut full-length album by Richmond, VA-based singer-songwriter Benét (Benét Nutall, pronouns He/Him) is a diverse collection of contemplative, tightly-crafted indie-pop, rock, and soul tracks as emotionally resonant as they are immediate and infectious.
There isn't much online about him other than that but he's on two high profile shows so something is up.
This band is playing all the big shows: SXSanJose, Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, Third Man Records, etc. According to Pitchfork:
fantasy of a broken heart is an art-pop two-piece from Brooklyn. The duo splits vocals, songwriting credits, and guitar duties, while Wollowitz supplies some bass, piano, and drum programming...Feats of Engineering refuses to settle on a single set of styles. Each song follows its own logic as the record expands and contracts on a track-to-track basis.
This is another Artist on the Rise at Luck Reunion. Of the three bands he is the most streamed on Spotify: 865,000 monthly listeners. Damn. According to this bio:
Marlon Funaki is a 22 year old solo artist who songwrites, creates, mixes and masters all of his work. With a very strong voice, Marlon implements a unique alternative rock vocal with a jazzy/ psychedelic style of guitar playing. Marlon’s unique style of playing attracts an energetic yet calming audience to his live performances, making his shows a show for everyone. Marlon is an up and coming artist who was born and raised in California, however his music has reached an audience all over the world.
"When Sunday Comes Around" is one of his most streamed songs. It's really good. Energetic but calming is a good description.
"Running Away" was his Tiny Desk Contest submission. Nice bluesy tune.
This is a more recent song. I like his guitar playing.
This is a Band on the Rise at Luck Reunion. According to this interview:
When asked to describe the project, Improvement Movement spokesman Joel Rogers said:
“Depending on the day of the week, Improvement Movement might be described as a loose amalgamation of Atlanta songsmiths, a hostile corporate takeover of your dads favorite band, or a generous waste of time.”
Breakout alert. We have to go see this guy. He is one of the Artists on the Rise at Luck Reunion. From this article:
Evoking the lush Lauren Canyon sounds of The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, and so on, Luke Tyler Shelton is a fresh face with an old soul: Hailing from the San Fernando Valley, the 25-year-old singer/songwriter captures the sweet heat of the sun and the warm glow of love in his third career single, a radiant, harmony-soaked ode to intimacy produced by Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker) and Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Angel Olsen).
That's some serious backing. He's opening for Joy Oladokun on her current tour. She'll be playing Scoot Inn March 22nd. He's also playing Mohawk on Wednesday for the Marshall day party. No time yet.
"Hell of a Ride" is good. It reminds me of "Tumbleweed Connection"-era Elton John.
This artist is playing Luck as part of Aaron Lee Tasjan's showcase. According to this interview:
Q: What are you best known for?
A: Probably "I'm a Survivor (Lafemmebear Remix)" which I produced last summer as part of Reba McEntire's new REVIVED, REMIXED, REVISITED collection. Because of that remix, I'm now the first ever Black trans woman to produce a record on a Billboard Top Ten-charting album.
Most of her music on Spotify is dance-pop oriented. As to why she's at Luck this may be why:
Q:What are you working on that no one knows about yet?
A:Mya Byrne (she played lap steel and mandolin on the "I'm a Survivor" remix) and I are releasing some new music this year that's going to test the bounds of the country and folk genres - more accurately, it'll test the allyship of the white country audience. There's a Black and queer revolution happening for sure in the country music scene, which is long overdue especially since country music originated with Black folks.
Interesting. She also did a remix of an Aaron Lee Tasjan song which is maybe how she got on his radar. Here it is:
This artist is playing quite a few shows: Brush Square Park on Friday at 4pm after Mobley, and 2pm Friday at Mohawk are the day parties. They are also playing Moody ACL for Rolling Stone and the British Music Embassy. This article says:
Jasmine.4.t is the solo project of Jasmine Cruickshank, a trans, alt-rock/alt-pop singer-songwriter out of Manchester, U.K. She recently announced their debut album You Are The Morning, which will be coming out on January 17 on Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory Records, making them the first U.K. artist to be signed to the label.
"Elephant" is good. In that article she describes the song:
“I wrote ‘Elephant’ very early in my transition about my first t4t love,” says Cruickshank. “It’s about when it hurts because you’re trying to be friends but you both want to be more. My life in Bristol fell apart when I came out and, having no safe place to live, I was staying on queers’ sofas in Manchester, traumatized and in no place to start a relationship. It was beyond healing recording this track in LA with Phoebe, Lucy, and Julien, along with my Manchester dolls Eden and Phoenix, and with extra layers from local trans musicians Vixen, Bobby, Addy and of course the incredible Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.”
Boygenius produced this song and Julien Baker sings on it.
This band is playing Brush Square Park at 2pm on Friday (before Mobley) for the NPR Live Sessions party. According to SXSW:
Ali is a three-piece musical project originating from Jakarta, Indonesia. Initiated by Arswandaru and John Paul Patton, the desire of Ali is to incorporate Middle Eastern culture with elements 70’s Indonesian psychedelic funk, cinematic soul, afro beat, and disco to create a new groove and sound to the contemporary and vibrant Indonesian music scene.
KEXP is curating the Day Stage at Brush Square Park on Monday as part of its Eastern Echos program. It says it is "a new sonic destination to celebrate Asian artists who are shaping the future while honoring the roots that ground them."
This is a husband and wife in Seattle. They are also playing KUTX at Scholz on Wednesday and Lazarus Brewing at 4pm on Saturday. They met in 8th grade in Spokane. This article has a good background on them. Cool story:
“I think we had very different childhoods,” Anne says with a chuckle. She met Bryce in the eighth grade while living in Spokane, but before her and her family landed in Eastern Washington, they lived in a variety of locales after leaving China when she was six or seven years old. Anne and her family lived in Michigan, Arizona, and West Virginia before venturing to Washington State. She recalls having attended seven different public schools before her family found a permanent home in Spokane, due to the nature of her father’s work and “getting settled in the country as immigrants.”
This band is playing at 1pm Wednesday at Cheer Up Charlie's. They are also playing the KCRW day party on Tuesday at 4:20pm. hmm. Per their bio:
Los Angeles-based trio untitled (halo) is composed of Jack Dione, Jay Are, and Ariana Mamnoon. Known individually for their sonic, visual, literary, and film contributions, untitled (halo) come together to create a unique sound inspired by and for the hazy culture of Southern California.
They announced the Wednesday day party at Cheer Up Charlie's, called "Friendship is Beautiful". This band is playing outside at 12:30pm. They also play Tuesday on the Radio Day Stage as part of KCRW's day party and they're doing SXSanJose, too. They'll be busy. The SXSW bio says:
Formed in 2017, Terraplana is a four-piece band from Curitiba, Brazil, blending atmospheric shoegaze with indie rock... their debut album 'olhar pra trás', released via Balaclava Records. Praised as one of the best Brazilian albums of the year, it resonated with shoegaze lovers for its lush guitars, haunting melodies, and introspective lyrics.
This alt-pop band from Dublin, Ireland is playing a few shows: the Paste Party (no date/time yet), Brush Square Park (Tuesday 8pm free to public), and the Full Irish Breakfast at Dead Rabbit on Friday at 2pm. Per Wikipedia:
Soda Blonde are an Irish alt-pop band from Dublin, formed in 2019 by former members of Little Green Cars...Their second album Dream Big was released in September 2023 to critical acclaim, later ranked by the Irish Independent as Number 1 on their list of "Best Irish Albums of 2023".
the band is known for their atmospheric synths, glassy guitars, dynamic rhythms, and introspective lyrics that explore identity, relationships, and self-discovery...With a sold-out orchestral performance at Dublin’s National Concert Hall and new music on the way, Soda Blonde is set to bring their eclectic and captivating sound to SXSW 2025.
Waterloo Records came out with their in-stores. A few Luck Reunion artists are set to play. This artist plays at 5:15pm before Brittany Spencer (6pm) on Tuesday (pre-Ray Benson's birthday). She has a Wikipedia page, which says:
Hope Tala was born in West London to a Jamaican-descended Black father and a mother of British and Irish heritage. She learned to play various musical instruments during her childhood...Tala studied English literature at the University of Bristol. graduating with first-class honours in 2019. Tala turned down the chance to pursue a master's degree at the University of Cambridge in favor of pursuing a career in music.
Most impressively:
Tala's All My Girls Like To Fight was listed as one of Barack Obama's favourite songs of 2020.
I just found the Second Play stages schedule. This is the happy hour shows at hotels. This artist plays the Hilton on Wednesday at 6pm. He also plays the Day Stage at Brush Square park but it's Thursday.
Growing up in Chesterfield, a market town in the English midlands as an only child with a penchant for the spotlight, Casey was exposed to and inspired by the greats of 00s English pop culture, including Robbie Williams and Arctic Monkeys. He initially played the clarinet while developing his musical skills and tastes, before he started writing songs at 14.
It looks like he has just releases singles so far.
He doesn't have many videos up so I'll post a Spotify link. I liked this song:
This is the only video. It starts acoustic but picks up.
This artist is playing KUTX (Thursday morning at 10am), Waterloo Records at 1pm, and SXSanJose, According to Wikipedia:
Born to Iranian and Austrian parents in California, Royer began her studies in violin and viola at the Vienna Conservatoire. She withdrew from the institution to live between New York, London and Los Angeles...In addition to her work in music, Sofie also studies Philosophy, Psychology and English at the Universitaet Wien, as well as painting at the University of Applied Arts. As an active artist, she has exhibited her work at L Art Galerie in Salzburg and at Pina in Vienna.
"Abeja" is her most streamed song. It's all instrumental. Chill.
This artist is playing the British Music Embassy on Wednesday at 5:30pm. Per the BME website:
Hailing from Halifax, Ellur is an infectiously authentic indie-pop artist who sings about the challenges and thrills of modern-day romance and break-ups with compelling originality. In the last year she’s released a number of widely praised singles, including ‘Anywhere’ and ‘Boys’ and picked up support from BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, The Line of Best Fit and Clash.
According to this article she's is selling out headlining shows in England. They say:
It’s a sound that draws from the storytelling prowess of Sharon Van Etten and the anthemic sweep of Wolf Alice, while remaining distinctively her own.
"God Help Me Now" is a mellow ballad. Definite Sharon Van Etten sound.
Brush Square Park is hosting the International Nights and they are open to the public this year. This band is playing at 7pm on Wednesday. They are also playing St. Elmo Brewing on Saturday at 4 or so. Per the SXSW website:
Yndling is the dream pop project of Norwegian artist Silje Espevik, and started - like so many other projects - as soft demos whispered into a microphone at night in an effort not to disturb a sleeping house. Inspired by bands such as Mazzy Star, Beach House, Cocteau Twins and Men I Trust, to name a few, she’s created a distinct sound within the realm of dream pop, characterized by big arrangements surrounding a whispery voice. With the release of her debut EP in 2022, and her first studio album ‘Mood Booster’ in 2024 released on Spirit Goth, she’s cemented a sound blending shoegaze and dream pop.
