I'm not jaded yet. Although I've been a part of the music industry for the better part of a decade, I still love going to music festivals, conferences, conventions, you name it. So many people in my line of work complain about those types of things, not me; I love it.
Last week was my annual trek to Austin Texas for SXSW 2009. For those who have never been, SXSW is a week long event where anything in greater Austin with a roof and electricity is turned into a venue for the more then 1,500 bands (both signed and unsigned, big and small) that converge on the tiny town to play. My purpose in going of course is to find the best unsigned talent I can, and to hit as many Austinian BBQ joints as possible—the Q in Austin is sick.
What follows is my list of the top 3 unsigned bands that played SXSW 2009 (in no particular order):
U.S. Royalty: I've been hearing about DC's U.S. Royalty for several months now, but never had the chance to check them out. I'm glad I did in Austin. They're a fine mix of Killers and Kings (Of Leon) musically. The singer comes complete with an indie-rock beard and rad suit, and even radder (is that a word?) voice. Check out "Keep It Cool"
Nico Vega: Ok, so technically they are signed to Myspace records, but does that count? I went to Maggie May's to see a band called The Asteroids Galaxy Tour (see next band), and I happened upon this LA three-piece. I seriously couldn't believe how good they were. Aja, the singer has a voice reminiscent of Karen O, but with much more range. Although the music is much heavier then I normally prefer, the band (guitar and drums) made more noise then most bands with three times as many members. Stand-out track "Million Years"
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour: From Copenhagen, Denmark, this six piece's song "Around the Bend" is currently gracing the i-Pod Touch commercial. The music is fresh and unusual, and the singer, Mette Linberg an amazing front-woman. Peep "The Sun Aint Shining No More".
-mm
