“I got a spreadsheet for you!” drummer/co-vocalist Nadirah “Nadi” McGill of Minneapolis’ rock group Gully Boys tells Rolling Stone. The indie band is in Los Angeles, in the middle of a 24-date tour that includes stops at Austin’s South by Southwest festival and Boise’s Treefort Music Fest. While McGill pulls …
Read More »Ukrainian Band Closes SXSW With Bold Protest, Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War'
Oleksandra Zaritska — colloquially known as Sasha — does not constitute the whole of Kazka, yet she’s the only member of the Ukrainian electronic-folk band who was able to attend the band’s 2022 showcase at SXSW. Like so many of her peers, this appearance was a do-over for the scrapped …
Read More »Don Toliver Hits With the Focus of a Guided Missile to Close Out SXSW 2022
For two days at Stubb’s BBQ, some of the hottest names in contemporary rap and hip-hop made their presence felt at SXSW. Babyface Ray, Jasiah, Guapo, BillyRacxx and Sheck Wes all made dramatic appearances at RapTV’s Rolling Loud weekend showcase. But it was Saturday’s headliner Don Toliver — a Houston …
Read More »Tequila! Wet Leg, Los Bitchos Show SXSW How to Party
During a day that saw no less than Dolly Parton make her SXSW debut, the hottest ticket was arguably for Wet Leg, the Isle of Wight duo whose charmingly post-punk songs have made their upcoming album one of the most anticipated of the year. The line to see the band …
Read More »Willie Nelson's First Show Since His Sister Bobbie's Death Was Every Bit As Emotional As You'd Imagine
After a two-year break because of the pandemic, this year’s Luck Reunion, the daylong gotta-see-it-to-believe-it festival at Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch outside of Austin, was already destined to be special. Fans and artists alike were eager to commune in one of the most magical festival settings in the country. But …
Read More »Dawn Richard, Kurdish Heavy Folk, and New Africa Showcase Amplify Diversity at SXSW Day 2
SXSW‘s second day was all about diversity. There were revelatory sounds from Africa, Turkey, and the U.K., all of them shot through with a sense of pride for the respective artists’ homelands. In some cases, that meant Texas and Tennessee, too. Here’s what we saw on the stage, in the …
Read More »Phoebe Bridgers and the Saddest Factory All-Stars Stand Up for Trans Youth at SXSW
Haley Dahl took the stage at Austin’s Mohawk bar on March 16 dressed like a witch from folklore, which checks out, considering her band Sloppy Jane’s recent albumMadison was recorded in a cave. She stood head to toe in royal blue, her velvet suit’s sharp shoulder pads providing a trusty …
Read More »Lizzo Says New Album Is Done, Rips Texas's Anti-Trans Legislation During SXSW Keynote Speech
“This is so silly, I’m so sorry, y’all. This is supposed be a keynote speech!” Lizzo exclaimed halfway through her freewheeling keynote address on Sunday at South By Southwest. Sundays at SXSW are always a little sleepy, a situation not helped by this particular one arriving the day after clocks …
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