{"id":347582,"date":"2026-03-15T14:04:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/347582\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T14:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:04:23","slug":"christina-aguilera-don-toliver-wyatt-flores-and-more-reviews-from-friday-at-sxsw-the-austin-chronicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/347582\/","title":{"rendered":"Christina Aguilera, Don Toliver, Wyatt Flores, and More Reviews From Friday at SXSW \u2022 The Austin Chronicle"},"content":{"rendered":"

South By<\/a> Music returned for day two with Sips & Sounds, country group therapy, and a look at the future of Latin music to come. Christina Aguilera headlined Coca-Cola\u2019s annual mini-festival, open to ticket buyers and, for the first time, limited SXSW badgeholders at Auditorium Shores. The Country Music Association hosted a songwriter\u2019s session at Central Presbyterian Church, where rising stars like Wyatt Flores and Tiera Kennedy<\/a> got vulnerable about their mental health in between stripped-down performances. And, of course, Spotify held court at the JW Marriott, where new co-CEO Gustav S\u00f6derstr\u00f6m boasted about the streaming platform\u2019s user experience and took no questions regarding artist pay, ICE ads, or investing in defense companies. A wondrous time for all!\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Chronicle also returned to Hotel Vegas for our 11th annual Hair of the Three-Legged Dog day party, where local acts Free Hamze, \u00c9gaux Sells, Team Trust, and BRUCE shared the sounds of Austin with hometown friends and visiting travelers alike. Read our recap here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Gus Englehorn Credit: Doug Freeman<\/p>\n

Gus Englehorn\u2019s Quirky Punk Carnival<\/p>\n

The most surprising aspect of Gus Englehorn onstage is just how charming and sincere he comes across. His records can collapse in a cataclysm of off-kilter and jagged punk that careens into dark corners, but kicking off Pooneh Ghana\u2019s Freaky Friday day show at Radio\/East, Englehorn exuded more childlike playfulness than psychedelic mayhem. Taking the stage in a brown suit and slicked-backed hair that resembled a caricature of a Seventies used car salesman, the songwriter offered a stripped-down setup, with only his electric guitar and Est\u00e9e Preda on drums. It was enough to capture the smattering of early attendees, though. Leading with \u201cOne Eyed Jack Pt. I and II (The Interrogation\/The Other Side),\u201d the sparse guitar and percussion caterwauled in a rolling train barrage before the slow Velvet Underground groove of \u201cSuburban Garden of Eden,\u201d from this year\u2019s The Broken Balladeer LP \u2013 produced by Butthole Surfer Paul Leary. Yet even as Englehorn spiked into the maddening whirl and narcotic dread of spider odes \u201cPepperina\u201d and \u201cTarantula,\u201d the eccentric crawl felt less intimidating than wondrous, like drifting through a night carnival. Closing the 40-minute set with the gashed kaleidoscope of \u201cBetter Watch Your Step\u201d and self-deprecating \u201cHounds Are Out,\u201d Englehorn\u2019s madcap world unveiled as undeniably inviting.\u00a0 \u2013 Doug Freeman \u00a0<\/p>\n

Tokyo Calling Puts its Loudest and Most Interesting Voices Forward<\/p>\n

Back in Ye Olden Tymes, Japan Nite was a must-see for generations of SXSW attendees. Now rebranded Tokyo Calling and ensconced in the Downright Austin courtyard, the 2026 edition featured two obvious standouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gokumon ratcheted up some heaviness while soundchecking, via Atsushi Osawa\u2019s razor-edged guitar tone. Once go time arrived, the scruffy power trio shattered punk, pop, and thrash, slamming the pieces back together with maximum force and a goofy grin. Between \u201cI Wish I Could Speak English\u201d (sung, of course, in English), \u201cI Don\u2019t Want to Get Out of Futon\u201d and its \u201cFreezing! Freezing!\u201d interjections, and \u201cMuscle My Friend,\u201d which not only advocated for exercising your muscles but called upon the crowd to do a round of squats with the band, Gokumon gave big noise and bigger fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Banshimoku also tipped their hand early during soundcheck, with a quick run through the first verse and chorus of Nirvana\u2019s \u201cBreed.\u201d The trio\u2019s punk-infused power rock hearkened back to the Nineties, but their youthful attack and avoidance of specific thievery made them sound fresh instead of retro. Even if they had been blatantly plundering the sonic wave of 1995, their songs\u2019 catchy hooks and diminutive frontwoman Shion Chiga\u2019s offbeat charisma easily carried the day \u2013 as evidenced by the horde descending on the merch table for CDs and selfies. Name change aside, Tokyo Calling is still one of SXSW\u2019s most reliable parties.\u00a0 \u2013 Michael Toland<\/p>\n

\"\"Spotify Co-Chief Executive Officer Gustav S\u00f6derstr\u00f6m Credit: John Anderson\/Alamy Live News<\/p>\n

New Spotify Co-CEO Hails AI and Ignores Everything Else<\/p>\n

It was clear from the first few minutes of Gustav S\u00f6derstr\u00f6m\u2019s presentation that Spotify\u2019s new artificial intelligence innovations would be the focus of the afternoon. But for many people, the name Spotify now brings to mind a slew of recent controversies faced by the company, including former CEO Daniel Ek\u2019s $600 million dollar<\/a> investment<\/a> into AI military defense technology company Helsing and the running of advertisements<\/a> for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Several artists left Spotify last year in protest, and musicians have long complained how little they are paid per stream on the platform. Inside a packed ballroom at the JW Marriott, however, you might have thought the company was in high spirits as S\u00f6derstr\u00f6m turned on his Swedish charm to sell Spotify\u2019s latest AI advancements in user experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company leader didn\u2019t field any questions. In fact, he spent the second half of the hour asking the questions to David Friedberg, CEO of agriculture biotechnology company Ohalo, and the somewhat out-of-place country star Lainey Wilson. The panelists briefly brushed on the negative effects of AI unspecifically, offering the line, \u201cAnything can be bad in the wrong hands.\u201d They instead opted for techno-optimism as Friedberg mostly threw out ideas for new Spotify features and expressed dismay at a recent poll he saw where Iran was rated more favorable than AI. For now, it seems like the music streamer\u2019s strategy is to act like everything\u2019s fine and keep marching forward toward its definition of progress. The jury\u2019s still out on whether that\u2019ll work. Outside the entrance to the hotel, a small group of protesters waved Palestinian flags and held signs displaying antiwar messages.\u00a0 \u2013 Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n

\"\"The All-American Rejects Credit: Miranda Garza<\/p>\n

The All American Rejects Bring the Stage Back to the Fans\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following their explosive opening night performance<\/a> at Stubb\u2019s, the All-American Rejects sat down with longtime friend and Austin Town Hall founder Nathan Lankford to discuss their viral 2025 house party tour and how becoming fully independent brought the Oklahomans closer to their fans. The session opened with prepared remarks from frontman Tyson Ritter, who took to the podium to reflect on the band\u2019s unlikely DIY resurgence and the venues that shaped it, from a skatepark and bowling alley to an Iowa cornfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis wasn\u2019t something calculated with some sort of certainty of return,\u201d he shared. \u201cBut there was a heart to it, and it was all centered around the hope that we could connect to our fans again and, as a band, find our love for what we do anew by sharing new music.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

After seeing the success of their first impromptu performance at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the outfit issued an open call asking fans where they should appear next, generating 31 billion impressions and more than 25,000 venue submissions. \u201cIf this was a pipe dream, it was alabaster and it would make even Gandalf jealous,\u201d the group\u2019s co-founder quipped. He also introduced Playhouse, a platform designed to help artists gauge demand and organize small-scale events directly with fans, teasing its use for their next wave of tour stops.<\/p>\n

From there, the 41-year-old bassist joined Lankford and the rest of the band to discuss how the intimate performances rekindled their early Aughts spirit and underscored the impact of face-to-face shows. \u201cFor many years now, I think we\u2019ve played very high stages with far barricades, and there\u2019s a distance there,\u201d guitarist Mike Kennerty recalled. \u201cGetting back to playing with nothing separating us, it reminded us of the excitement we had when we first started doing this.\u201d When asked what he would tell his younger self, Ritter kept it simple: He wouldn\u2019t change anything. \u201cI feel like we were always the songs that had that band, and I feel like last year we finally created something that made us a band with those songs and that we did it on the back of this sort of blue-collar crusade,\u201d the \u201cMove Along\u201d singer admitted. \u201cI\u2019ve never been more proud to be a reject.\u201d \u00a0\u2013 Miranda Garza<\/p>\n

\"\"Jesus Ortiz Paz of Fuerza Regida at Rolling Stone\u2019s Future of Music Showcase Credit: Samantha Tellez for Rolling Stone<\/p>\n

The Future Is\u2026<\/p>\n

According to Rolling Stone\u2019s Future of Music showcase, the Latin edition, on Friday (the 13th) for a sold-out ACL Live at the Moody Theater, tomorrow\u2019s soundtrack to Abya Yala \u2013 a utopic, indigenous reimagining (redistricting) of the Americas \u2013 is horny, alcoholic AF, and completely devoid of women. Over the course of four hours, the always expertly produced and curated experience drove home trending by the fistfuls. Literally horn-y, as in a tuba-anchored brass contingent plus a pair of acoustic guitarists and both acoustic and electric bass, ma\u00f1ana sounded raucously backyard, particularly in that three of the four acts drove in from the other great Mexican state of the union, California. Stockton openers Linea Personal best embodied that barbecue aesthetic, pumping out accordion-led trad-regional Mexicana while pouring large quantities of tequila down their upturned throats. Clave Especial, from Salinas, flashed a warning that \u201clos corridos aqu\u00ed no paran\u201d (here corridos don\u2019t stop), so leather-shirted front jefe Alejandro Ahumada paced, punched, swigged, and all but spit the storytelling delivery system of that other great brown valley. Cristian Vega, from Guanajuato, represented the OG Mexico as Chino Pacas, crooning regional balladry high, sweet, and shirtless. Onetime cover band Fuerza Regidal from San Bernardino \u2013 and crucially, all acts utilized the Great Mexican Songbook as set glue \u2013 filled headliner status aptly all in leather cowboy wear, front smolderer Jes\u00fas Ortiz Paz preening and posturing and pouring liquid courage into himself. The screaming theatre slowly filled to a full-on SRO journey through the looking glass.\u00a0 \u2013 Raoul Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Karma Sheen Credit: Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n

Karma Sheen Sages the Flamingo Cantina<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t clear that the crowd at Flamingo Cantina \u2013 many still lingering after a set from flashy Indian American rapper KOAD \u2013 would easily connect with the wild progressive raga-rock sounds of Karma Sheen. But as the traditional Hindustani singing of Sameer Khan traveled through the room, the audience quickly got on board. The remarkably polished London-based group seems as though they were born out of a psychedelic, South Asian pilgrimage, pairing sitar-infused funk with outfits that look just a little bit too much like Sixties hippie cosplay. In the second-to-last set of the South Asian House showcase, incense wafted through the air as the crowd danced in a midnight haze. The band has a knack for shifting from the soft and meditative to burn-the-house-down intensity. In the lengthy, epically arranged set closer, Khan pulled out a flute for a tasteful solo, adding another layer to their colorful sonic texture. It shouldn\u2019t be a surprise that Karma Sheen found a natural home in the state that birthed Khruangbin \u2013 and who\u2019s to say they couldn\u2019t go just as far?\u00a0 \u2013 Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n

\"\"Wyatt Flores Credit: John Anderson<\/p>\n

CMA Convenes a Songwriter Group Therapy Session<\/p>\n

The idea behind the CMA\u2019s Friday night SXSW songwriter session at Central Presbyterian Church was to bring together four rising artists to discuss mental health issues and the stories behind some of their songs. Like any therapy session, it started a bit awkward, reticent, and unsure of itself. The four songwriters \u2013 Wyatt Flores, Ingrid Andress, Chase McDaniel, and Tiera Kennedy \u2013 have all been outspoken about mental health even beyond their songs, and psychotherapist and Amber Health co-founder Zack Borer achieved an admirable balance of prodding the panel with questions and getting out of the way of the music. Flores opened the first round with \u201cOrange Bottles,\u201d poignant in his smooth drawl and high twanging howl, while Andress delivered \u201cLady Like\u201d with a low breathiness behind her keyboard to McDaniel\u2019s baritone croon on \u201cLost Ones\u201d and Kennedy\u2019s uplifting \u201cThe Giver.\u201d By the end of the second round, the group had found its vulnerable footing in discussing some of their journeys, especially with McDaniel\u2019s show highlight \u201cBorn in a Burning House.\u201d Andress\u2019 wit likewise broke a lot of the sincere heaviness of the songwriters\u2019 testimonials: \u201cPart of my mental health journey is that a lot of my problems were caused by churches,\u201d she quipped, gesturing around the sanctuary. But by the end of the two-hour song circle, a genuine catharsis and joyfulness had overtaken the stage and the crowd.\u00a0 \u2013 Doug Freeman<\/p>\n

Don Toliver Brings the Energy<\/p>\n

Houston-bred hitmaker Don Toliver closed out Billboard\u2019s sold-out showcase with a high-octane headlining set packed with pyrotechnics and pulse-pounding production. The wordsmith opened his hourlong set with \u201cE85\u201d and \u201cBody,\u201d back-to-back cuts from his January LP OCTANE, which the overflowing crowd already had memorized word-for-word. Across his performance, Toliver balanced material from his latest release with longtime favorites and earlier hits. Guitarist Spikes helped drive the night\u2019s momentum, adding an electric live dimension to tracks like \u201cOPPOSITE\u201d and \u201cBANDIT.\u201d Mosh pits broke out and crowdsurfing followed, while the rapper matched the energy with restless dancing and stage movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In between tracks, the 31-year-old paused to acknowledge the anniversary of his debut studio album, Heaven or Hell. \u201cYou know I got so many goddamn albums it be an anniversary damn near every other month, but today is very special. I feel it in my heart,\u201d the headliner shared.Toliver also worked through a series of standout collaborations, including Travis Scott\u2019s \u201cCAN\u2019T SAY,\u201d and Metro Boomin\/Future joint \u201cToo Many Nights,\u201d sending the crowd into overdrive. The night closed with a climactic \u201cAfter Party,\u201d capped by Spikes\u2019 behind-the-head guitar flourish. With his live ensemble still in place, the set appeared poised for an encore \u2013 until the lights flipped on and the crowd groaned in audible disappointment.\u00a0 \u2013 Miranda Garza<\/p>\n

\"\"Christina Aguilera Credit: Roger Ho for Sips & Sounds Festival<\/p>\n

Christina Aguilera Performs Sharp Trills, Quick Thrills<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a beautiful journey we\u2019ve had since I was, what, 17 years old?\u201d Christina Aguilera crooned to an eager crowd at Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival, tossing a lock of long, blond hair over her shoulder. Legacy was on the Y2K pop star\u2019s mind as she dedicated 1999 single \u201cWhat a Girl Wants\u201d to those fans who\u2019ve \u201cbeen there since day one,\u201d and treated them to a jarringly composed supercut of her catchiest hooks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The singer has explored many pop terrains throughout her multi-decade career, including two Spanish-language albums and a host of collaborations like Friday\u2019s opening number, 2002\u2019s \u201cDirrty (feat. Redman),\u201d and a feature on A Great Big World\u2019s radio hit \u201cSay Something,\u201d which contained Aguilera\u2019s longest and most emotional vocal performance of the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her powerful alto vibrato has been the unifying note in these at-times disparate sounds. While it still carried a gravelly prowess, the vocalist used it sparingly Friday, opting to ad-lib signature runs while backup singers or a backing track carried the melody. Only occasionally did she complete a verse on her own. Jumping between performance styles and audio mixes, some hits, like \u201cCandyman,\u201d were drowned out by bass, while others, restructured to emphasize crescendo after crescendo, lost their sing-along quality. Adding to the sonic whiplash was a sharp variation in visual presentation on the big screens, switching from music video-esque montages to stylized translations of the onstage action, including a particularly bizarre pixelated version of Aguilera and her eight backup dancers during \u201cGenie in a Bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the crowd, nostalgic and hungry for their favorite tracks, seemed to forgive the abrupt transitions and limited vocal performance. Aguilera\u2019s upcoming album and documentary may be lovingly received, even as she struggles to adapt a legacy-encompassing stage setup.\u00a0 \u2013 Caroline Drew<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A note to readers:\u00a0Bold and uncensored,\u00a0The Austin Chronicle\u00a0has been Austin\u2019s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community\u2019s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCaroline is the Music and Culture staff writer and reporter, covering, well, music, books, and visual art for the Chronicle. She came to Austin by way of Portland, Oregon, drawn by the music scene and the warm weather.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Caroline Drew\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards\u2019 Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews \u2013 first \u201cRecommendeds,\u201d now calendar picks \u2013 his writing\u2019s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Raoul Hernandez\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"South By Music returned for day two with Sips & Sounds, country group therapy, and a look at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347583,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[158433,670,158434,93,1058,61,60,278,157712,158435],"class_list":["post-347582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-all-american-rejects","tag-christina-aguilera","tag-don-toliver","tag-entertainment","tag-feature","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-music","tag-sxsw-2026","tag-sxsw-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}