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. Their adventures from Day 3…

One of my favourite parts of the festival was Flatstock 33, presented by SXSW and the American Poster Institute. It was a great opportunity to check out the work of over 80 poster artists from around the world and see samples of their art. Gig posters are such great pieces of memorabilia and an attractive, effective way to advertise your band.

The two exhibitors I was most interested in seeing were Sonnenzimmer and Crosshair, both based in Chicago. The collaborative duo behind Sonnenzimmer,

Nadine Nakanishi and Nick Butcher, frequently pairs up with different artists to produce some beautiful pieces that are quite different from the posters you usually find at a show. With an emphasis on form over content, their delicate, detailed pieces have featured the likes of Yeasayer, Owen Pallett, Broken Social Scene, and The National.

Crosshair’s Dan MacAdam creates insanely detailed, photorealistic silkscreened posters, sometimes with as many as 17 different colours and layers. MacAdam uses the imagery of industrial landscapes and abandoned buildings to promote events for The Black Keys, Wilco, Blitzen Trapper, and Sonic Youth, among others. Both companies are definitely worth checking out.

In between Flatstock and the evening’s shows, I took a break at my hotel and had the pleasure of meeting the one and only Reggie Watts, who was wonderful and a pleasure to talk to.

Day 3 was dubbed Canada Day for me, as my night was all about celebrating the homeland. I started out in the best way possible, with an intimate performance at the Rooftop Bar by one of my favourite songwriters, Montreal’s Charlotte Cornfield. Most of my night was spent at the Canadian Music Week showcase with Toronto bands The Balconies, Cuff

the Duke, Arkells, and Young Empires, as well as my top show of the day, Current Swell (from Victoria). It was just one amazing band after the other and it was definitely the place to be that night.

SXSW was almost over but wasn’t slowing down. Get ready for Day 4!

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