Your Declassified SXSW Survival Guide

Ethan McConnell  

Local Music Director 

Spring break has been creeping on us being only about two weeks away, and everyone is beginning to plan their activities. You might be going back home to relax with family before midterms, visit South Padre Island along with every other college student, or you might just be staying here in San Marcos. For those who will be nearby or don’t have plans just yet, let me be your guide because your new favorite band is coming down to Austin (you just don’t know it yet). I’ve done my homework so let me put you on to artists you should have on your radar. 

Junior H 

Coming in all the way from Cerano, Mexico, you have the sad sierreño artist Junior H coming down on March 14th. The young international artist has caught traction from both the U.S and Mexico with his raw emotional energy in his lyrics, focusing on themes such as heart break, love, and the duality of his upbringing. He uses this also with his own take of the subgenre Corridos Tumbados which incorporates elements from reggaeton, bolero, and corrido storytelling fused with Latin trap. You’ll hear that requinto and a man pouring his heart out and be caught in a trance. With the recent release of his latest project DEPR<3$$ED MFKZ, he keeps that same feeling in his music while still providing something fresh. 

Flesh Juicer 

Let’s talk about the most active heavy metal band in Taiwan, being the headline artist at EVERY Taiwan festival. This band brings in deathcore and hardcore metal with electronic textures and keeps the traditional Taiwanese structure alive. The lead vocalist, Gigo, has crazy range. You’ll hear long screams at some moments, or a deep sultry voice for more intimate parts of songs. They have truly homed in on their sound and have made it their own as it has evolved through the years, earning them awards in Taiwan and Internationally since 2015. Not only are they able to provide such heavy riffs, but they are also known to tone things down to a much slower pace with their collaborations with Kimberly Chen (famous Australian singer and model based in Taiwan). They haven’t released any new albums in the past couple years except for a single, but You don’t get duality like this in metal bands now a days, so I’d tune my ears in to these guys.  

MOIO 

I’m keeping this international because I want you guys to become so niche it’s disgusting. For my final artist that I want to put you guys onto is Nigerian Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, MOIO. The young artist has been in love with music after growing up in the church and hearing the radio, bringing him to a space between R&B and indie, alternative, and soul, with no one overpowering the other. When listening to his works I hear inspiration from Daniel Cease but with little elements of pop here and there. You have moved bass lines with layered angelic vocal melodies. With well over 200 thousand monthly listeners, MOIO was able to gain attention with his single, “Moments” after gaining 19 million Spotify streams and gaining the #1 spot on Spotify’s viral 50 chart in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Norway, Denmark, and New Zealand. With the attention he’s been getting quickly after dropping his debut EP, Earthday, he is absolutely someone to be on the lookout for. 

Closing Acts 

Now of course there will be big headliner acts coming down to Ausitn like Don Toliver with the release of his album, OCTANE and Lola Young with her, I’m Only F**king Myself. That’s not what I wanted to highlight because the media will already do that for you. This is one of the biggest festivals to happen in central Texas, so why not go out and find artists that are just putting their foot in the door. If you are down here during SXSW and are looking for something to do, go explore downtown Austin. Even if you do not have a badge, you can find a venue spot that will be hosting shows that will be free or affordable. At the end of the day, the real magic of SXSW lives on those spontaneous nights where you stumble into a small room in Austin and discover an artist you’ll be talking about long before the rest of the world catches on.