SXSW 09: WFMU vs. AQUARIUS RECORDS and a Texas-Sized Pile of Live Acts

(Pictured: the line for last year's Bruno Wizard backstage meet-and-greet) We had a total blast last March putting on and broadcasting our first ever bill at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. We got to host bands we loved, meet FMU listeners from all over the USA and beyond, and even Ice Cube and Bushwick Bill showed up in the crowd to watch some of the sets! Needless to say, the ante is now officially upped because we're going to co-curate 2009 with our good pals from Aquarius Records in San Francisco!  AQ is truly one of thee best shops on the planet for music lovers, and a constant inspiration for our own unearthing of new sounds, it goes without saying we're psyched for the happy match. So, we (FMUers Liz, Brian, Trent, and Diane, plus AQers Andee and Allan) will be anxious to see you all on Friday night, March 20th at Spiro's (611 Red River); but if you aren't down in Texas you can tune in live to WFMU that night! We're mixing up our bands over two stages with a bunch of broadcasted sets. Attendees will have their chance to check out live sets from these awesome acts whom we are quite thrilled to have accepted our invitations to play:

The Obits (Brooklyn NY, w/ex-Hot Snakes singer/guitarist Rick Froberg, new LP due on Sub Pop)

Woven Hand (solo project of Sixteen Horsepower's David Eugene Edwards)

The Renderers (New Zealand combo's first USA shows in 11 years)

Major Stars (Cambridge, Mass. psych meltdown, rare non-Northeast USA appearance)

Slough Feg (epic, post-Maiden sounding SF metal giants)

Gunslingers (burnin' psychedelic punk from France, first USA tour)

Absu (total Texas black metal destruction)

Ovens (shredding, hook-jammed pop blasts from SF)

Mayyors (Chrome/Brainbombs-style Sacramento killers)

XYX (hooky punked-out nuevo lo-fi from Monterrey, Mexico)

Wildildlife (heavy Seattle weirdness at the altar of Hawkwind/Sabbath/Buttholes)

Belong (dense, layered walls of dreamy guitar ambience for a late night finale): UPDATE: Belong unfortunately had to back out of the show, but we're happy to have in their place Elm, which is the drone/dark/doomy sideproject of John from Barn Owl.

Prizehog (glacial, weird, heaviness from the SF underground)

Gary War (freaked-out warbley TASCAM psych-wave even better live with members of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Bobb Trimble's band)

Set times TBA, and we'll be posting some sounds to the blog soon. To check out what you missed last year, here's some video clips, some MP3s from sets by Citay, the Homosexuals, Harvey Milk, the Bad Trips, Half Japanese MP3 (and video)  Hank IV (video) and MP3, Carla Bozulich/Evangelista (video), and MP3. We still have some cool posters from 2008 for sale as well in the store. More to come!

Comments

[Bryan]

I've just recently moved to Austin, and this will be the first SXSW I'll be in town for. I am going to probably be too poor to buy the full-blown SXSW ticket, but I want to make sure I get in to see this. What's the likelihood of it filling up before non-SXSW ticket holders can get in?

[Brian Turner]

Bryan, I dont think it will be sold out, we have a pretty good sized venue and last year people came and went all evening without much problem. We hope you can get down!

[TANMAY]

http://www.myspace.com/listentomartian

yea. so we've applied for Sxsw, check us out tell us what you think bloggers

[BrianTurner]

UPDATE: Belong had to cancel on SXSW, unfortunately.

[Reverend Loveshade]

Austin, Texas, is cool, but be careful about stepping outside the city. You might step in something.

Siriusly, I'll see if I can get my crew up there. You've got some seriously out-there bands there.

Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia!

[Joey]

I sure wish i could go! stuck in cali!..grrr...make sure you all check out the side "fests" such as soxsowhat etc..and i think not not fun this year?? im not sure..but Austin have fun and all who venture to that wonderful lil island in TX!