Though the annual South by Southwest Music Conference is known as a place for up-and-coming bands to get noticed, there’ll be several artists at next year’s 16th annual festival who already have hits under their belts.
Hanson, who were discovered at 1994’s SXSW and played at last year’s fest as well, will return again to the music industry schmooze extravaganza in Austin, Texas. They’ll join such other airwave veterans as Marcy Playground (“Sex and Candy”), Girls Against Boys (“Kill the Sexplayer”) and Jesus Jones (“Right Here, Right Now”).
Of course, the underground is still represented in full-force, as the lineup for the March 13 to 17 confab also includes experimental electronic trio Add N to (X), feminist synth-pop group Chicks on Speed, theatrical surf-rock outfit Man or Astro-Man?, San Francisco indie popsters Beulah, New York country rockers Clem Snide, Texas singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston and fire-breathing sleaze rockers Nashville Pussy.
The Webb Brothers, Bare Jr., Brian Jonestown Massacre, Clinic, the Glands, High on Fire and Bullfrog featuring Kid Koala have also been tapped to play. More than 50 acts have been announced, but 90 percent of the complete lineup is still to come, according to organizers.
Robbie Robertson, former guitarist in The Band, has been named the keynote speaker for next year’s SXSW. Currently a film composer and creative advisor for DreamWorks Records, Robertson will speak March 14 at the Austin Convention Center.
Director Martin Scorsese’s 25-year-old “The Last Waltz,” a documentary of The Band’s farewell performance, will be screened at SXSW in its newly restored version, which features 5.1 surround sound.
Some of the panels planned include Attracting Media Attention, Indie Label Opportunities, How Much Does Music Matter?, Artists vs. Technology, The Road to Airplay and Studio Tips.
Last year’s SXSW featured rappers Jurassic 5, Tha Liks and Black Eyed Peas; Austin rockers Fastball; experimental turntablist DJ Spooky; a rare show by the Ike Turner Revue; a reunion of Robyn Hitchcock’s the Soft Boys; and a reunion of Juliana Hatfield’s Blake Babies.
