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Mar 19, 2004 12:00 a.m. - KINGBLIND: Music, Art & Entertainment
SXSW Hepped Up on Hip-Hop
Just how do you get BBQ sauce stains out of your bling-bling? Attendees of Austin’s band-, beer- and BBQ-soaked South by Southwest Music Conference & Festival just might find out when it kicked off Wednesday. "We have the strongest festival across the board than we’ve ever had," says SXSW Creative Director Brent Grulke. "I am extremely excited about our hip-hop presence this year. It’s absolutely outstanding. We also have many more international artists, especially those singing in Spanish. We have a huge spectrum." Grulke has the right to brag. Thousands of music fans and music-biz types--and more than 1,200 performing bands--will overwhelm Austin’s clubs and bars during the five-day confab. There’s also a trade show, plenty of informational panels and, this year, a keynote address by legendary piano pounder Little Richard. No wonder the event is often referred to as spring break for the record industry. The diverse showcase lineup includes the established (Los Lobos, Joan Jett, Dwight Yoakam), the buzzworthy (the Thrills, the Walkmen, British Sea Power), the strange (the Polyphonic Spree) and an array of singer-songwriters (Grant-Lee Phillips, Patty Griffin, Ron Sexsmith). R&B ing?nue Joss Stone is even playing at Starbucks. And those hip-hoppers? Streetwise Atmosphere, former Company Flow member El-P, Brit import Dizzee Rascal and Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo’s R&B-styled band N.E.R.D. are performing, the latter to promote the upcoming release Fly or Die. The struggling major labels will have a scaled-back, cost-conscious presence, says Grulke. That leaves indie labels and unsigned artists to be the festival’s backbone. "At the top end of the industry things are pretty grim," he says. "However, there are more avenues for artists to create a career for themselves than ever before. So we’re seeing a lot of independent labels and self-directed artists who know how to use SXSW to help with realistic goals.? Like unsigned Los Angeles pop-rockers, the 88, who are driving to Texas to perform at two afternoon parties, one nighttime show and on a local news program during SXSW. "We’re not going there to get discovered. I don’t think that even exists anymore," says 88 frontman Keith Slettedahl. "Sure, there are a lot of opportunities to meet quote-end-quote important people, but we’re just excited to get out of town and play in front of a new audience.? Others are in it for the good times. "One of our favorite things about Austin is that they don’t only know how to make Flaming Dr. Peppers, but word is that they are the ones who invented the drink," says Scott Kirkland, one half of the techno band the Crystal Method, who is performing at the fest. The duo’s live show promoting their latest, Legion of Boom, will no doubt be driven by said fiery mix of beer, Amaretto and rum. Grulke’s only complaint: "I don’t get to see any of the bands, because I’ll be working to ensure that everybody else is having a good time.? Well, maybe there’s time to sneak in one Flaming Dr. Pepper..
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