SXSW PART 1

South by South West is one of my favorite music festivals of the year. It is an amazing platform to be introduced to so many up and coming artists... a sort of coming-out party if you will. No genre goes uncovered and it's held every year in downtown Austin ( which is a major bonus)! Working on my SXSW schedule for this year has become a grueling task....overwhelming to say the least. Is it even possibe to narrow down some 1,400 bands into a MUST SEE list? Barely, but I did it and today I'll share five (in no particular order).

1. Grimes (ok maybe she is my number one pick, but after watching this clip you wont be able to deny her complete and total radness). Hailing from Canada, Claire Boucher is the new queen of synthe beats in my book. Her music makes me feel like I'm in an 80's movie and THAT I love. Check out Oblivion below. 

FYI: Claire and a friend once tried to sail down the Mississippi on a DIY houseboat loaded with live chickens and 20 pounds of potatoes. NO JOKE.

2. Michael Kiwanuka Michael's got soul. His voice is pure magic. I had a hard time deciding what video to use here but finally decided on Lasan. It's a recent collaboration he did with my pretend boyfriend Dan Auerbach. Listen and Love.



FYI: Michael is the 23 year old son of Ugandan immigrants. Oh and he is a huge fan of Radiohead and Nirvana.

3. Alabama Shakes  These guys (and gal) certainly know how to represent the South. Their tunes make me wanna shake my booty for reals. Check out Hold On below. They are the definition of Southern rock'n'roll'n'rythem'n'blues.

FYI: Their first album Boys and Girls comes out April 10th. I already pre-ordered mine! 

4. ANR ( Awesome New Republic)  Totally diggin their sound. 

FYI:  This video was shot during hurricane Irene and Brian Robertson (1/2 of ANR) broke his foot spinning around at the 2:21 mark.

5. The Lumineers  If this doesn't make you happy then I don't know what will. That's all I have to say about The Lumineers. Prepare to stomp ya feet. 

FYI: Watching this video just reminded me I need to pack my tambourine for this weekend. :)

I'm adding a bonus video. Is that cheating? 

LP  She is brilliant and gives me gooseys. I just wish I knew how to whistle... 

Alright people. You asked for it. I guess I'm officially a blogger. This should be interesting... Part two of my SXSW picks tomorrow.

Yours,

Juli