As a long-time Austinite, I have mixed feelings about our annual music festivals. South By Southwest and Austin City Limits, not to mention smaller events like the Fun Fun Fun and Reggae fests, are beloved traditions for me as a music lover, but the huge traffic and touristy crowds they attract have a way of turning my chill hometown into a congested mess. This is my first year of the decade not attending Southby, but luckily, Spotify has provided us with the highlights. Over 2100 bands are performed at this year’s festival, which ran from March 15th-20th.
With talks like Will Urban Kale Farmers Invade Your Neighborhood? and The Power of We: Crowdfunding Kenya, Not Kanye, keynote lectures from Obama, and movies starring big names from Jake Gyllenhaal to Kirsten Dunst, Southby is about a lot more than the music – but the music is still absolutely incredible. Bands performing this year include Texas natives/indie legends Neon Indian, alongside Future, X Ambassadors, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Jake Bugg, BORNS, Troye Sivan, Bleachers, DNCE, and hundreds more. Today’s the last day of SXSW; listen through this mix of over sixty performing bands for a taste of Austin at its best.
photo credit: CNBC
Leave a Reply