SXSW 2012

R&B singer-songwriter Steven A. Clark broke onto the scene in 2010 with his soul-baring and darkly arranged eight-song LP debut STRIPES, which earned him the title of “Miami’s best independent album of 2011” by local hip hop site The305.com, but it’s with his upcoming project, Fornication Under the Consent of the King that his artistry reaches new heights.

Strong Arm Steady (Los Angeles, CA) | Hip-Hop/Rap | 1 AM
Homeboy Sandman (Queens, NY) | Hip-Hop/Rap | 12:25 AM
MED (Oxnord, CA) | Hip-Hop/Rap | 12 AM
Peanut Butter Wolf (Los Angeles, CA) | DJ | 11:15 PM
The Stepkids (Bridgeport, CT) | R&B | 10:30 PM
Jonwayne (Los Angeles, CA) | Electronic | 10 PM
Jonti (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) | Electronic | 9:25 PM
Vex Ruffin (Chino Hills, CA) | Punk | 8:45 PM
Steven A. Clark (Miami, FL) | R&B | 8 PM

On paper Vex Ruffin’s music is simple: an untrained punk musician who uses a few basic instruments in uncomplicated ways, he calls the style ‘minimalist.’ Although it may not seem like it upon first listen, Vex’s music is rooted in sampling and hip hop beat-making culture. The SP 303 sampler provides the drums and other sounds, a purchase inspired by Madlib.

"When I think of how to write about Jonti's music, I don't feel like writing at all. I feel like drawing a picture, with watercolors and maybe crayon - colorful, abstract, youthfully curious and open to interpretation. Maybe then I'd staple, glue or nail some found objects to it, recontextualizing their intended purpose into something strange and beautiful." - Jeremy Sole (Radio Host, KCRW)

The Stepkids are futuristic electro soul recorded on a reel-to-reel; soaring harmonies sung by three singer/songwriters; Kandinsky-esque visuals that make for enigmatic live performances.

From Luke Winkie, The Austin Chronicle:

Stones Throw founder Chris Manak, aka Peanut Butter Wolf, has been putting out albums he thought sounded cool since 1996. That's a feat. His label's presence at South by Southwest reflects its consistent, refined taste.

"There was one time during South by where I was basically marooned with a stack of records and no transportation," he chuckles. "Me and J Rocc were walking blocks and blocks trying to hail a cab. Eventually, we ended up on one of those pedicabs.

"We laugh about it now."

For Manak, SXSW is about business. A place to break newer troops, an attempt to hustle up the same sort of underground profitability his more famous investments in MF Doom and Madlib have been blessed with.

"We haven't had a lot of success with rap recently," he explains. "I stand by what we've put out, but the sales haven't been the same. I'm not going to stop releasing hip-hop because we don't have the same fan base."

Talking with Manak, you get the sense this man is running a label for his own enjoyment. When we talk about Stones Throw's much-touted subscription service, a monthly fee to get the imprint's music delivered directly to your inbox, he says it simply sounded – again – like a cool idea and was thoroughly surprised by all the attention it earned.

"I started this label because I wanted to release records I liked," he reiterates. "I've been a collector of music for a long time, I've got around 10,000 records. I really couldn't see myself doing anything besides this."

The west coast MC called Medaphoar is known lately by the first three letters of his name: M to the E to the D. Three short letters for a long-awaited, full-length album which arrived at long last in 2005.

From Chase Hoffberger, The Austin Chronicle:

Queens native Homeboy Sandman toiled in conscious rap purgatory for four years before 2010's The Good Sun caught wind and the Ivy League graduate got the invite from Peanut Butter Wolf to record for Stones Throw. First up, January's Subject: Matter EP, a six-song sampling of the happy marriage between Sandman's complex schemes – "Sweet Emotion (Orchard Beach)," "Soap" – and Stones Throw's retro-soul sheen.

Strong Arm Steady was formed in the shadows of the West Coast’s Death Row Records movement, which at one time, loomed large over much of the region’s talent. Many Los Angeles artists—themselves students and children of Death Row—were becoming frustrated at the gang mentality that colored perceptions of their burgeoning underground. Out of that frustration came resourcefulness and unity, and as unity grew into community, L.A.’s indie scene began to blossom, not in opposition to Death Row, but as an alternative. They are the new generation. They are Strong Arm Steady.

Chicken Ranch Records and Friends Day Party presents Electric Eel Shock at Elysium!

Featuring live music from
Peelander-Z (Long Island City, NY) | 4:30 PM
Mr. Lewis and the Funeral 5 (Austin, TX) | 3:45 PM
Willie Heath Neal (Atlanta, GA) | 3 PM
Starlings, TN (Austin, TX) | 2:15 PM
Mystery Twins (Nashville, TN) | 1:30 PM
Mandible (Austin, TX) | 12:45 PM
Electric Eel Shock (JAPAN) | Noon

Chicken Ranch Records and Friends Day Party presents Mandible at Elysium!

Chicken Ranch Records and Friends Day Party presents Mystery Twins at Elysium!

Chicken Ranch Records and Friends Day Party presents Starlings TN at Elysium!

Chicken Ranch Records and Friends Day Party presents Willie Heath Neal at Elysium!

Chicken Ranch Records and Friends Day Party presents Mr. Lewis and The Funeral 5 at Elysium!

Chicken Ranch Records and Friends Day Party presents Peelander-Z at Elysium!

Four years ago Wymond Miles, guitar player and songwriter in San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys, began writing solo material thematically based on the concepts of eschatology, anthroposophy, and Hermetic symbolism. Drawing from a vast musical pool of inspiration, including Scott Walker, Robert Wyatt, Arvo Part, and Nikki Sudden amongst others, Earth Has Doors is Miles’ first solo release. Since beginning Miles had basically shelved these songs to attend school, focus on fatherhood, and commit to the demanding schedule of the F&O’s. He earned a degree in humanities with an emphasis on the philosophical implications of the ecological/economic crisis of our times, and that subject matter can be traced throughout his first EP. These songs concisely yet esoterically document the existential crisis of our current epoch — moving from the nothingness of modern materialism, fragmented reductionist thought, and drug escapism to a world imbued with subjectivity and meaning through a new relationship with the Earth and cosmos as alive and full of inherent intelligence.

SXSW 2012 - SACRED BONES RECORDS NIGHT
LIVE MUSIC

The Men (New York, NY) | Rock | 1 AM
Psychic Ills (New York, NY) | Rock | 12 AM
Zola Jesus (Merrill, WI) | Electronic | 11 PM
Amen Dunes (New York, NY) | Tejano | 10 PM
Led Er Est (New York, NY) | Electronic | 9 PM
Wymond Miles (San Francisco, CA) | Rock | 8 PM

Led Er Est are an analog electronic trio from Brooklyn and now based part in Austin. Born out of the Wierd Records scene on the lower east side of Manhattan, the band began recording together in 2007. They have released a handful of singles, a full length on Wierd and an EP on Captured Tracks. Their new album, "The Diver" is due out on Sacred Bones on May 15th and was mixed by Chris Coady. Led Er Est can be described as the ideal soundtrack to a John Carpenter film, using massive analog synth and drum programming with whispered cold wave inspired vocals and guitar.

Led Er Est are an analog electronic trio from Brooklyn and now based part in Austin. Born out of the Wierd Records scene on the lower east side of Manhattan, the band began recording together in 2007. They have released a handful of singles, a full length on Wierd and an EP on Captured Tracks. Their new album, "The Diver" is due out on Sacred Bones on May 15th and was mixed by Chris Coady. Led Er Est can be described as the ideal soundtrack to a John Carpenter film, using massive analog synth and drum programming with whispered cold wave inspired vocals and guitar.

Amen Dunes, the solo project of Damon McMahon, began with recordings made in the fall of 2006 in upstate New York. Those tapes were initially put on the shelf as personal recordings never intended for release. The following summer, McMahon moved to China, living in Beijing for the next few years, writing and recording music only occasionally. 2009 however saw the release of the upstate recordings as DIA on Locust Music, prompting his move back to the states to form a band around Amen Dunes.

Zola Jesus is an internationally acclaimed electronic performance and recording artist from rural Wisconsin. She currently lives in Los Angeles. Zola Jesus has toured with Fever Ray, the xx, and performed on M83's most recent album. Entirely self-produced, she has headlined five of her own tours in the US, Europe, South and Central America. Her most recent video was featured on MTV's 120 Minutes and she was on the cover of the Fader Nov.2011 issue. She has also graced the covers of several music & fashion magazines in Europe including Modzik. She has been featured in Rolling Stone Germany and Italy, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NME and countless others. Conatus, her third & most recent full length, has charted on Billboard for 18 weeks in a row since street date in Oct.2011. Her most recent single features a reinterpretation of "In Your Nature" by acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch.

Hypnotic, elusive New York experimental rock band Psychic Ills took shape in 2003, when they pressed their own 7" and started playing shows. They’ve remained ambiguous and often hard to classify through the years as they’ve traversed a variety of musical terrain and personnel changes. Recently, Tres Warren, Elizabeth Hart and co. have emerged with a seemingly more streamlined and accessible approach to their original blend of music as displayed on their record Hazed Dream for new label Sacred Bones Records.

Hypnotic, elusive New York experimental rock band Psychic Ills took shape in 2003, when they pressed their own 7" and started playing shows. They’ve remained ambiguous and often hard to classify through the years as they’ve traversed a variety of musical terrain and personnel changes. Recently, Tres Warren, Elizabeth Hart and co. have emerged with a seemingly more streamlined and accessible approach to their original blend of music as displayed on their record Hazed Dream for new label Sacred Bones Records.

The Men are a punk quartet from Brooklyn, NY. Their latest album, "Open Your Heart", was released on March 6th via Sacred Bones. It is their 3rd full length. Last year's full length, "Leave Home", received massive critical acclaim and landed on several year end lists including Spin, Pitchfork, Pazz and Jop, and The Onion; all without the aid of either a publicist nor booking agent. The debut single from "Open Your Heart" premiered on NPR and the band are set to play Primavera, London Field Day and Pitchfork Fest in the summer of 2012. This is their first appearance at SXSW and their only official show.

Reggie's Rock Club of Chicago Presents
Reggie's Day Party

Featuring live music from
Turquoise Jeep
White Mystery
Blackbird Blackbird
Gun
Common Anomaly
Nachtmystium
Rachel Brooke
Bruce Lamont
Ornery Little Darlings

 

RSVP: reggiesdayparty@reggieslive.com

From Dan Oko, The Austin Chronicle:

As the anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami passes, the Pacific island nation's riveting, rocking musical community makes its mark at the annual Japan Nite showcase, beginning with fashion-forward Yokohama-based Rubies, a high-energy pop quartet featuring ex-members of the theatrical Emeralds (a SXSW presence from 2004 to 2008). Also arriving on the bill is the eagerly anticipated 24-year-old banjo phenom Saito Johnny, whose String Cheese Incident/Wasabi Highway sound won his Tokyo bluegrass band an opening slot on Taylor Swift's Far East tour. As usual, you can never count out Japan's latter-day riot grrrls, who follow in Shonen Knife's subversive steps. Lovely ladies include Tokyo's cheeky goth trio Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass, and ZZZ's, a driving, droning post-punk trio from the North Coast community Hyogo (it played in a previous incarnation last year as Hystoic Vein). The remaining bands include Kao=S and Osaka's Nokies! and Vampillia, respectively a grab bag of chaotic acoustic sounds and sword dancing, post-punk pop, and Nipponese nu-metal.

From Dan Oko, The Austin Chronicle:

As the anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami passes, the Pacific island nation's riveting, rocking musical community makes its mark at the annual Japan Nite showcase, beginning with fashion-forward Yokohama-based Rubies, a high-energy pop quartet featuring ex-members of the theatrical Emeralds (a SXSW presence from 2004 to 2008). Also arriving on the bill is the eagerly anticipated 24-year-old banjo phenom Saito Johnny, whose String Cheese Incident/Wasabi Highway sound won his Tokyo bluegrass band an opening slot on Taylor Swift's Far East tour. As usual, you can never count out Japan's latter-day riot grrrls, who follow in Shonen Knife's subversive steps. Lovely ladies include Tokyo's cheeky goth trio Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass, and ZZZ's, a driving, droning post-punk trio from the North Coast community Hyogo (it played in a previous incarnation last year as Hystoic Vein). The remaining bands include Kao=S and Osaka's Nokies! and Vampillia, respectively a grab bag of chaotic acoustic sounds and sword dancing, post-punk pop, and Nipponese nu-metal.

From Dan Oko, The Austin Chronicle:

As the anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami passes, the Pacific island nation's riveting, rocking musical community makes its mark at the annual Japan Nite showcase, beginning with fashion-forward Yokohama-based Rubies, a high-energy pop quartet featuring ex-members of the theatrical Emeralds (a SXSW presence from 2004 to 2008). Also arriving on the bill is the eagerly anticipated 24-year-old banjo phenom Saito Johnny, whose String Cheese Incident/Wasabi Highway sound won his Tokyo bluegrass band an opening slot on Taylor Swift's Far East tour. As usual, you can never count out Japan's latter-day riot grrrls, who follow in Shonen Knife's subversive steps. Lovely ladies include Tokyo's cheeky goth trio Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass, and ZZZ's, a driving, droning post-punk trio from the North Coast community Hyogo (it played in a previous incarnation last year as Hystoic Vein). The remaining bands include Kao=S and Osaka's Nokies! and Vampillia, respectively a grab bag of chaotic acoustic sounds and sword dancing, post-punk pop, and Nipponese nu-metal.

From Dan Oko, The Austin Chronicle:

As the anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami passes, the Pacific island nation's riveting, rocking musical community makes its mark at the annual Japan Nite showcase, beginning with fashion-forward Yokohama-based Rubies, a high-energy pop quartet featuring ex-members of the theatrical Emeralds (a SXSW presence from 2004 to 2008). Also arriving on the bill is the eagerly anticipated 24-year-old banjo phenom Saito Johnny, whose String Cheese Incident/Wasabi Highway sound won his Tokyo bluegrass band an opening slot on Taylor Swift's Far East tour. As usual, you can never count out Japan's latter-day riot grrrls, who follow in Shonen Knife's subversive steps. Lovely ladies include Tokyo's cheeky goth trio Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass, and ZZZ's, a driving, droning post-punk trio from the North Coast community Hyogo (it played in a previous incarnation last year as Hystoic Vein). The remaining bands include Kao=S and Osaka's Nokies! and Vampillia, respectively a grab bag of chaotic acoustic sounds and sword dancing, post-punk pop, and Nipponese nu-metal.

From Dan Oko, The Austin Chronicle:

As the anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami passes, the Pacific island nation's riveting, rocking musical community makes its mark at the annual Japan Nite showcase, beginning with fashion-forward Yokohama-based Rubies, a high-energy pop quartet featuring ex-members of the theatrical Emeralds (a SXSW presence from 2004 to 2008). Also arriving on the bill is the eagerly anticipated 24-year-old banjo phenom Saito Johnny, whose String Cheese Incident/Wasabi Highway sound won his Tokyo bluegrass band an opening slot on Taylor Swift's Far East tour. As usual, you can never count out Japan's latter-day riot grrrls, who follow in Shonen Knife's subversive steps. Lovely ladies include Tokyo's cheeky goth trio Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass, and ZZZ's, a driving, droning post-punk trio from the North Coast community Hyogo (it played in a previous incarnation last year as Hystoic Vein). The remaining bands include Kao=S and Osaka's Nokies! and Vampillia, respectively a grab bag of chaotic acoustic sounds and sword dancing, post-punk pop, and Nipponese nu-metal.

From Dan Oko, The Austin Chronicle:

As the anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami passes, the Pacific island nation's riveting, rocking musical community makes its mark at the annual Japan Nite showcase, beginning with fashion-forward Yokohama-based Rubies, a high-energy pop quartet featuring ex-members of the theatrical Emeralds (a SXSW presence from 2004 to 2008). Also arriving on the bill is the eagerly anticipated 24-year-old banjo phenom Saito Johnny, whose String Cheese Incident/Wasabi Highway sound won his Tokyo bluegrass band an opening slot on Taylor Swift's Far East tour. As usual, you can never count out Japan's latter-day riot grrrls, who follow in Shonen Knife's subversive steps. Lovely ladies include Tokyo's cheeky goth trio Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass, and ZZZ's, a driving, droning post-punk trio from the North Coast community Hyogo (it played in a previous incarnation last year as Hystoic Vein). The remaining bands include Kao=S and Osaka's Nokies! and Vampillia, respectively a grab bag of chaotic acoustic sounds and sword dancing, post-punk pop, and Nipponese nu-metal.

From Kevin Curtin, The Austin Chronicle:

The term "weird" is thrown around Austin a lot but not often enough regarding freaky Japanese music. If bizarre extravagance is your thing, we suggest Vampillia, a band that's stranger than its name is awkward. Imagine a dense swell of an orchestral twister that explodes into chaos, including a gimpy guy in bad Kiss makeup screaming like he's on fire.

Culture Vulture
Day Party

Bands, Booze, DJ's, Food, Fun

Bands:

Yip Deciever
(feat. members from Of Montreal)
www.yipdeceiver.com


//TENSE//
www.myspace.com/tensexxx

Stereo is a Lie
www.stereoisalie.com

Future Blondes
http://futureblondes.tumblr.com/


D E N A (berlin)
http://www.facebook.com/denafromtheblock


Lederhosen Lucil (canada)
www.lederhosenlucil.com

ISHI
www.myspace.com/ishiisound

Blind Tactic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKzRxLbmwMU

Eleven Eleven
http://www.facebook.com/the.eleveneleven?ref=ts


Djs:
Ernest Gonzales 
Dj Cat NYC
Dj Jester the Filipino Fist
Ceeplus Bad Knives
Dj Czech One
Adam Warped

and a Special Surprise Guest!

produced and curated in part by:
Reprogram Multimedia
www.ReprogramMultimedia.com

More info:https://www.facebook.com/events/144666102322282/

Most commonly known as three-fifths of the influential indie-synth outfit, The Faint, Clark Baechle, Todd Fink, and Jacob Thiele have begun their journey into the future of sound with their new project Depressed Buttons. The men behind the drums, vox, and keyboards of the revered Faint were among the first to give punk kids a taste of keyboard-based dance music in the late 1990s -- when dancing was not cool. Now outfitted as Depressed Buttons, they will take on the electronic/dance world with an entirely new sound. With remixes for Of Montreal and Boys Noize under their belts and remixes for Boy 8-Bit and Shinichi Osawa on the way, Mad Decent signed them to release their first EP, "QWERTY," on December 7th.

The four-track EP does not digress from The Faint’s intentions to make an entire audience fill the dance floor, but Depressed Buttons does lead into a new sound of digital dance dimension. With a filthy lust for synthesizers, the band creates all of their own tracks, leaving listeners entranced and entangled within a web of angular stabs and thick pads. Don’t let the word “depressed” fool you, a button that's depressed isn't sad; it's turned on, which is exactly what "QWERTY" does to listeners.

Harouki Zombi is the brainchild of Nina Barnes (of Montreal, the
Apollinaire Rave Art Collective) and Orenda Fink (Azure Ray, O+S.) One part carefully curated dance party DJ set (including original material), one part stunning visuals from Nina Barnes, and one part performance art- Harouki Zombi is a hedonistic celebration of all life's earthly delights.

FEATHERS comes after a sequence of bands for lead singer Anastasia Dimou. (Her previous band Cruel Black Dove who released two EP's drew high praise from the likes of NME, The Fader and The New York Post.) Moving to Austin from NY in 2011 represented a fresh start. With an unfettered self-possession, FEATHERS’ sound represents Dimou with a room of her own.

Jack Colleran doesn’t sleep, and it shows. The 18-year-old producer, who goes by the name MMOTHS, has embraced endless nights and bags beneath his eyes in exchange for something more; a uniquely ethereal sound that’s entirely his own. Disregarding genre conventions, the Ireland-based artist and producer mesmerizes with sparse synths dripping in reverb, transforming digital soundscapes into organic songs, equally fit for both a night on the town and one spent indoors in the company of candlelight. He showcases this on his 2012 self-titled debut EP for SQE Music, where no sound, vibe, or texture is off limits.
Growing up in Newbridge, Kildare, Colleran never had any illusions about what he wanted to be. Armed with his first keyboard at four-years-old, he insisted upon professional piano lessons. In high school, Colleran continued to immerse himself in music by playing in a slew of local bands, while also delving into the burgeoning experimental electronic music that the Internet afforded him access to. The moment he downloaded a demo version of Ableton Live during his final year of high school, he began obsessively creating his own tracks from scratch. There was one tiny problem though.
"The save function was disabled in my demo version of Ableton," Colleran laughs. "I never saw the progress I was making in production because I couldn't save anything and listen back to it. Once I got the full version, I made my first official track."
That track was "Blisters." In the song, a bright keyboard melody shimmers over a precise beat as skittering sounds taper in and out. International tastemaker blog Nialler9 immediately embraced "Blisters" touting MMOTHS as an "Artist to Watch". Quickly, the song spread virally across the blogosphere. As MMOTHS’ popularity continued to grow online, SQE Music got in touch in mid-2011 becoming his official home.
"I actually signed the deal the day I got my final high school grades," he goes on. "It took me a while to tell my mom but I eventually did."
Colleran had gotten used to recording all night, so he fervently began crafting the tracks that would become his debut EP under the moonlight. The subtle effects of this nocturnal writing process can be seen and heard throughout the five tracks.
He adds, "The music doesn't sound like it's coming from another planet though. It sounds natural and organic. There's no manual for writing tracks."
Songs like "Heart" break the mold. A dreamy synth line mounts as Sarah P from Keep Shelly in Athens gorgeously croons the refrain, resulting in a truly 21st century love song.
Colleran explains, "I never have a set plan. Music just happens. I'll find a cool sound and write around that. I'm not a singer-songwriter who writes about a certain event, person, or experience. I just try to write music that makes people feel something. If they feel a bit uplifted, I've done my job."
That's exactly how you'll feel after listening to the melodic warmth of "Summer" featuring Los Angeles’ Superhumanoids. About the song, he adds, "I wrote that song because the winter was coming and it can get pretty horrible over here. Summer was ending, and I wanted to keep it alive forever. This was my way to do that."
The name came about just as organically as the music for Colleran. He reveals, "Guys call girls 'Motts' over here. I was uploading my songs to Soundcloud and I didn't have an artist name. I was talking to my friend on Facebook, and he was having girl problems. He wrote, 'I hate Motts' because he just broke up with some girl. I needed a name at that moment so I called the project ‘MMOTHS’."
Ultimately, MMOTHS is going to kindle a new flame for electronic music, pushing it into lush new territory with the honesty of the young and impassioned. "This is the best job in the world," Colleran concludes. "Even if it all fails, I'm going to make music regardless."

Twenty-four year-old Toronto singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lights has been crafting her own unique synth-pop-rock since she was 14. On the strength of her 2008 self-titled EP, Lights won the 2009 Juno Award for New Artist of the Year. Her full-length debut, The Listening was released to critical acclaim in North America in 2009 and was certified gold in Canada in October 2010. Siberia, her sophomore effort, was released on October 4th, 2011 and showcases Lights' maturity and progression as a songwriter. Collaborations with Toronto electronica band Holy Fuck bring in a darker, dub-grit sound that creates an interesting landscape for Lights' distinct vocals. Juno Award-winning rap artist Shad also appears on two songs to add another notable element to this modern soundscape. 2012 will see Lights hitting the road again for North American and UK tours.