BLARE’s 40 Must-Hear Bands At SXSW

While elite summer festivals hold their own with their muddy day tromps, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST is a true music spectacle, showcasing international stars and emerging outfits alike. From March 15-20, waves of industry folk and musicians will infest Austin, Texas, for the annual event. As there’s no physical way to see every scheduled performer, we’ve weeded out the best of the 2,000+ acts bringing you artists who may slightly attract you or wind up becoming your new found addiction.

________________________________________________________________

YOUTH PICTURES OF
FLORENCE HENDERSON

(BODO, NORWAY | WWW.YPOFH.COM)
“That emotional, anthemic rock so many creative rockers failed at capturing”

________________________________________________________________

BOWLING FOR SOUP

(WICHITA FALLS, TX | WWW.BOWLINGFORSOUP.COM)
“Veteran pop punkers who haven’t lost a step in entertaining”

________________________________________________________________

PANIC! AT THE DISCO

(LAS VEGAS, NV | WWW.PANICATTHEDISCO.COM)
“Pop rockers drop the charade and return to their hit-making roots”

________________________________________________________________

ROYAL BANGS

(KNOXVILLE, TN | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ROYALBANGS)
“The Black Keys love them, their label mates won’t play with them”

________________________________________________________________

BEAT CONNECTION

(SEATTLE, WA | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BEATCONNEXION)
“Upcoming duo remind you why summer’s infectious “

________________________________________________________________

EISLEY

(TYLER, TX | WWW.EISLEY.COM)
“Touching and passionate; one of indie rock’s best to see on the live stage”

________________________________________________________________

SURFER BLOOD

(WEST PALM BEACH, FL | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SURFERBLOOD)
“A fresh dose of blissful melodies”

________________________________________________________________

ANALOG REBELLION

(ALEDO, TX | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/PLAYRADIOPLAY)
“One of music’s most talented songwriters”

________________________________________________________________

TURBO FRUITS

(NASHVILLE, TN | WWW.TURBOFRUITS.COM)
“A bit odd, but with their history, what’s not to love?”

________________________________________________________________

JAMES BLAKE

(LONDON, ENGLAND | WWW.JAMESBLAKEMUSIC.COM)
“Making R&B fall in love with electronic, the Brit’s altering music’s boundaries”

________________________________________________________________

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE

(PALM DESERT, CA | WWW.QOTSA.COM)
“Where the term “swagger” comes from “

________________________________________________________________

ROLO TOMASSI

(SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ROLOTOMASSI)
“A riotous storm brewing in the UK’s independent scene”

________________________________________________________________

THE KILLS

(U.S./U.K. | WWW.THEKILLS.TV)
“Edgy, provocative, a reminder of what rock n’ roll is”

________________________________________________________________

 

GROUPLOVE

(LOS ANGELES, CA | WWW.GROUPLOVEMUSIC.COM)
“Indie darlings who know no limits musically”

________________________________________________________________

AMERICAN BANG

(NASHVILLE, TN | WWW.AMERICANBANG.COM)
“Mixing youth with grizzled southern rock”

________________________________________________________________

MSTRKRFT

(TORONTO, ON | WWW.MSTRKRFT.COM)
“National icons who transcend their genre”

________________________________________________________________

ZLAM DUNK

(SAN MARCOS, TX | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ZLAMBAND)
“Raw punk rockers who surprise with their ear for catchy melodies”

________________________________________________________________

THE DEVIL WHALE

(SALT LAKE CITY, UT | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THEDEVILWHALE)
“Stripped alternative rock everyone should have their eye on”

________________________________________________________________

THE STROKES

(NEW YORK, NY | WWW.THESTROKES.COM)
“Founders of NY indie rock return with that familiar sound thousands miss “

________________________________________________________________

ODD FUTURE

(LOS ANGELES, CA | WWW.ODDFUTURE.COM)
“Before there was N.W.A. and A Tribe Called Quest. Now there’s OFWGKTA”

________________________________________________________________

BRIGHT EYES

(OMAHA, NE | WWW.THISISBRIGHTEYES.COM)
“A historic songwriter with 10 albums that prove it”

________________________________________________________________

FAKE PROBLEMS

(NAPLES, FL | WWW.FAKEPROBLEMS.COM)
“Florida rockers who don’t always follow the angst trend”

________________________________________________________________

YUCK

(ALL OVER THE U.S. | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/YUCKBAND)
“What one could call a born-again Sonic Youth”

________________________________________________________________

AUGUSTANA

(SAN DIEGO, CA | WWW.AUGUSTANAMUSIC.COM)
“Ballad composers who know the saying “gets better with age” too well”

________________________________________________________________

GOLD MOTEL

(CHICAGO, IL | WWW.GOLDMOTEL.COM)
“The well-known voice invites new friends and gets intimate”

________________________________________________________________

B.O.B

(ATLANTA, GA | WWW.BOBATL.COM)
“A talented MC, B.o.B doesn’t know when to quit and that’s a good thing”

________________________________________________________________

PORTUGAL. THE MAN

(WASILLA, AK | WWW.PORTUGALTHEMAN.COM)
“A truly unique act born with a restless attitude and an original voice”

________________________________________________________________

ANTHONY GREEN

(DOYLESTOWN, DA | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ANTHONYGREEN)
“Ask anyone you know, Anthony Green is a musical wonder “

________________________________________________________________

DZ DEATHRAYS

(BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA | DZDEATHRAYS.TUMBLR.COM)
“Taking genres and smashing them into pieces until they get it right”

________________________________________________________________

BROTHER

(SLOUGH, ENGLAND | WWW.ACIDLOVE.NET)
“A small-town English rock band looking to pick up where Oasis and Blur left off”

________________________________________________________________

CITY & COLOUR

(ST. CATHERINES, ON | WWW.CITYANDCOLOUR.CA)
“A classic Canadian poet”

________________________________________________________________

FLOGGING MOLLY

(LOS ANGELES, CA | WWW.FLOGGINGMOLLY.COM)
“The godfathers of celtic punk”

________________________________________________________________

ED SHEERAN

(WEST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND | WWW.EDSHEERAN.COM)
“A candid songwriter with the ability to make you listen”

________________________________________________________________

GATSBY’S AMERICAN DREAM

(SEATTLE, WA | WWW.GATSBYSAMERICAN.COM)
“A figment of alternative punk that couldn’t be extinguished”

________________________________________________________________

OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ

(EL PASO, TX | WWW.RODRIGUEZLOPEZPRODUCTIONS.COM)
“An artistic individual born to write, play and entice”

________________________________________________________________

K. FLAY

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/KFLAY)
“K.Flay isn’t the new face of female hip hop, she’s just promising continuation”

________________________________________________________________

LETLIVE

(LOS ANGELES, CA | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LETLIVE)
“An explosive hardcore act you will easily fall in love with”

________________________________________________________________

CHILDISH GAMBINO

(LOS ANGELES, CA | WWW.CHILDISHGAMBINO.BLOGSPOT.COM)
“Looking at Community, Donald Glover is a comprehensive creative mind”

________________________________________________________________

ASHER ROTH

(MORRISVILLE, PA | WWW.ASHERROTHMUSIC.COM)
“An up-and-coming MC looking to ignore the sophomore curse”

________________________________________________________________

TV ON THE RADIO

(BROOKLYN, NY | WWW.TVONTHERADIO.COM)
“There’s a reason people know the title Return To Cookie Mountain

________________________________________________________________

2 Comments

  • stonethecrow says:

    love me The Strokes, but far from the founders of NY indie….a resurrection of NY garage rock maybe but The Strokes literally jacked everything they know from the band Television.

    turbo fruits, QOTSA deff worth checking…..

    bands ur list is lacking:

    Middle Brother – deer tick/delta spirit/dawes = nuff said.

    Epic Ruins – fuck wolfmother (or are they popular still?)

    Odd Future – scratch b.o.b., this is the only crunk u need.

    Trap them – site needs more metal, period

  • Anonymous says:

    Always like your lists

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *