Writer Cassie Davidson and photographer Daniel Bray headed down to Austin to represent Canadian Musician at this year’s edition of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film + Interactive festival. Here’s their report from Day 1.

The iconic South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival kicked off this week in Austin, TX, and I arrived well-rested and excited to document the insanity for Canadian Musician.

I started the fest in true patriot style at the Canadian Blast BBQ, enjoying great food while watching an incredibly energetic set by Regina’s own Library Voices. Their enthusiasm was infectious and the crowd was enthralled, quickly filling the tent and rocking along. They were followed by Hamilton, ON-based duo Whitehorse, the recent endeavour of Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. Their gritty folk sound was impressive and undeniably sexy, and kept the growing crowd’s attention with little effort.

Next up was Alabama Shakes at the Austin Convention Centre’s Radio Day Stage. The quartet, hailing from Athens, AL, put on a thrilling show and their unassuming yet oh-so-powerful frontwoman Brittany Howard’s gravelly vocals were in strong command of the southern blues-y rock exploding from the stage. Definitely wish I had caught them a second time.

After a quick drive out into Texas hill country to visit the famous Salt Lick barbecue joint (best ever!), I snagged a front row seat at St. David’s Bethell Hall to watch Bahamas. The intimate venue was the perfect setting for Afie Jurvanen’s minimal set-up and charming love songs. Accompanied only by a pared-down drum kit and two gorgeous backup singers, the sound was incredible and showcased Jurvanen’s charismatic vocals and crunchy guitar perfectly. It was without a doubt my favourite set of the festival.

The night was closed out at Beauty Bar with San Francisco bands The Dirty Ghosts and Thee Oh Seesplaying the Panache showcase. The former blasted out some intense punk rock jams, with bassist Erin McDermott and lead singer and guitarist Allyson Baker completely owning the stage. As for the latter, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved

their set. I had been less than thrilled with Thee Oh Sees recorded material, but had never seen them live. After being coaxed by several friends, and reminded that they performed with two drum kits (a weak spot for me), I decided to go and I’m so glad I did. They played a fiercely sweaty, beer-soaked set, and it was refreshing to see the crowd get so into it. It was their third show of the day but you never would have guessed it, they played with such tireless intensity. I’m convinced that if they hadn’t been under a time limit, they would have just kept playing until everyone passed out from exhaustion.

SXSW was off to a great start, and it only got better from here! More posts to come!

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