Megatrax Blog

This year’s SXSW was the usual exhilarating, exhausting experience filled with great music, from exciting new finds to familiar faces.

I had fun saying hello to some of our wonderful clients at several interesting panels (the panel in the slideshow below features l-r Sherry Orson, J.T. Griffith, Amy Rosen, John Anderson, & Ryan Fitch) and special events, and I also caught up with some of our terrific Marquee Music poster artists at the annual Flatstock poster show.

Having been Megatrax’s emissary to SXSW for the past five years as producer and talent scout for our Marquee Music catalog, and also having performed there as an artist for many years, I suppose I’m now officially an “old hand” at navigating the mad crush of SXSW.  I know where the best parking places are (I’ll never tell), and where to get the best BBQ (I will part with that info for brisket and a Lone Star).

The hardest part of SXSW is deciding where you want to be at any given time.  You’ll wish you had a clone of yourself to hit all of the events that run throughout the day and night.  It’s great to hear which artists people are buzzing about, as that has a strong influence on the coming year in music.

This year it was all about Americana.  Some of my favorites were The Lumineers, avant-newgrass from Punch Brothers, and L.A. folk-rockers Milo Greene.  On the scruffier side, Delta Spirit was ripping it up all over town and I caught some vintage-style rockabilly from Wayne “The Train” Hancock.

SXSW hosts stellar artists in every genre, from chart burners Skrillex and Santigold to legendary music vets Jimmy Cliff and Billy Joe Shaver, and everything in between.  Discovering new music is my mission, and I found plenty — from the lush rock of UK’s The Chevin, to the sultry R&B-dub-pop of Erin Ivey and The Finest Kind, to the genre-defying mayhem of Reptar, and the soulful vocals of modern blues queen Ruthie Foster.

There were many great moments, but my favorite this year had to be hearing Bruce Springsteen’s keynote address to the capacity crowd of musicians and fans.  His autobiographical speech took us from his early days as an Elvis-worshipping kid to the seasoned songwriter and rock star of today, highlighted throughout with snippets of his guitar/vocal magic.  It inspirational, educational and moving, and set the tone for a great festival.

Until next time,
Wendie

-Wendie Colter, Director of Production for Megatrax