SXSW 2017: Eleven L.A. artists to watch in Austin (plus our monster ‘SXSW x LA’ playlist)
Kevin Bronson on
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By our count, there are well over 100 Los Angeles artists playing next week at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin — and those are just the ones fortunate enough to have landed official showcases.
The week-long orgy of music in the Texas capital is a test of fortitude. We’ve tried to sort out the many Angelenos who will be playing in Austin — 11 artists we wouldn’t want to miss, followed by our 70-track “SXSW x LA 2017” Spotify playlist. We know people who are making the drive — 23 hours drive time, if we remember right — so we tried to sequence it to help you over the long haul.
Have at it:
Cherry Glazerr
Everything clicks on “Apocalipstick,” the teenagers’ new album. March 15-16-17.
||| Stream: “Told You I’d Be With the Guys”
Chicano Batman
Freedom might not be free, despite the title of their new album, but Chicano Batman makes it sound oh-so-easy. March 16-17.
||| Stream: “Freedom Is Free”
Madame Gandhi
M.I.A.’s Harvard-educated drummer says a lot on one EP, “Voices.” It’s all relevant. Panels. March 13.
||| Stream: “The Future Is Female”
Saro
“In Living Memory,” the debut EP from Evan Mellows in his new Saro persona, immediately vaulted him to the front of the electronic pop class. March 17.
||| Stream: “Test”
Dear Boy
Swoon- and stadium-worthy rock, the likes of which soundtracked every crush we had in the ’80s. Works well today too. March 17.
||| Stream: “Local Roses”
Billie Eilish
Not your average 15-year-old? Yeah, we’ll posit that. Forty million Spotify plays and counting on her early singles. March 16.
||| Stream: “Bellyache,” her latest
Open Mike Eagle
One of L.A.’s premier wordsmiths will make you smile, make you think and help your vocabulary. March 16.
||| Stream: “I Went Outside Today (feat. Aesop Rock)
Lo Moon
Prepare to be immersed in the cinematic sweep of the L.A. trio fans of The xx have fallen for. March 13-14-15.
||| Stream: “Loveless”
Bishop Briggs
The hits keep on coming for the choker-wearing songstress with the big, soulful voice. March 15. Fader Fort.
||| Stream: “Pray (Loaded Gun)”
Magic Bronson
The duo’s witty, bass-driven synth-pop shouldn’t be a secret for long. March 18.
||| Stream: “It’s Happening”
Mondo Cozmo
Because by the time Friday night rolls around, you will need some spiritual uplift. March, 15, 17.
||| Stream: “Shine”
And now dig in to our gobsmacking 70-track SXSW x LA mix, via Spotify:
[…] ‘School Night.’ He also performed at SXSW 2017, which saw buzz from outlets such as Buzzbands LA, DoLA and Billboard, who declared, “At every SXSW there’s the show that could be the ‘I […]