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Credit: A Wordless Orange<\/p>\nCredit: A Wordless Orange<\/p>\n
A Wordless Orange<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Neo-psychedelic trio A Wordless Orange are translating global rhythmic trends into their own context in Wuhan, China. Their lush, bilingual tracks carry the laid-back ease of vintage soul and the suave playfulness of Afrobeat and jazz to a new genre dimension, which their Instagram bio aptly dubs \u201cAsian-beat.\u201d Their tranquil aesthetic takes cues from the mysterious and maligned genre of background tracks known as Library music, but subverts those easy listening expectations with compellingly smooth vocals and an endless supply of sonic surprises drawn from electronic music, alt-rock styles, and traditional instruments alike. (Editor\u2019s note: A Wordless Orange has dropped out of the festival.) \u2013 Caroline Drew<\/p>\n Ama Louise<\/a><\/p>\n DATE \/ LOCATION TBA<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I looked around that stage and saw how many people were standing there, I was excited but I was [also] scared, I\u2019m not going to lie.\u201d So admitted \u00fcbercharismatic French-Ghanian R&B seductress Ama Louise on her Insta-vlog about showcasing for SXSW London 2025 last June. \u201c[The] biggest crowd I\u2019ve performed to pushed me outside my comfort zone.\u201d Not six months later, the buttery, UK-based throwback singer dropped full-length debut Long Story Short, as enveloping and soul-caressing as Roberta Flack by candlelight. \u2013 Raoul Hernandez<\/p>\n Amri<\/a><\/p>\n Friday 13, 9:10pm, Zilker Brewing<\/p>\n Monday 16, 8:30pm, Marlow\u00a0<\/p>\n Amri\u2019s sound is a satisfying fusion of smooth R&B and polished jazz, with Carnatic flourishes inspired by the British singer\u2019s Indian heritage. Her band\u2019s full-bodied sound \u2013 featuring horns and a sitar, and anchored by sharp, technical drumming \u2013 is so refined it\u2019s hard to believe the group has only one EP under its belt. Amri\u2019s sparkling, intoxicating stage presence and mystically danceable sound should make for a pleasantly rich concert experience. \u2013 Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n Angela Autumn<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday 12, 11pm, 13th Floor <\/p>\n Monday 16, 10pm, Las Perlas<\/p>\n Wednesday 18, 9:10pm, Wanderlust Wine Co.<\/p>\n Sometimes leaning into where you\u2019re from is the best way to figure out where you\u2019re going. Since moving to Nashville earlier in the decade, Angela Autumn has only dug deeper into her sharp western Pennsylvania Appalachian twang. Last year\u2019s I\u2019m Not Around EP quakes behind a high-twinged wail across songs like the catchy swirl of \u201cElectric Lizard.\u201d Recently signed to Gar Hole Records, Autumn unloads an understated fury singed by both a raw emotional vulnerability and a wry sense of humor, as latest singles \u201cMillionaire Money\u201d and \u201cGarbage\u201d ache in lilting uncertainty and a desire to carve her own space. \u2013 \u00a0Doug Freeman<\/p>\n Azamiah<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 9:10pm, Zilker Brewing<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 10:20pm, Swan Dive<\/p>\n Monday 16, 10:30pm, Marlow<\/p>\n Part of the ever-expanding UK jazz scene, Glasgow\u2019s Azamiah turned heads out of the gate with 2023\u2019s In Phases, a confident debut featuring the voice of singer India Blue and a blend of jazz, R&B, electronica, and spaced-out pop. That intoxicating broth soaks several releases from 2025, including the single \u201cNew Moon\u201d and the Two Lands EP, on which the soul gets more soulful, the dreaminess even dreamier, and Blue\u2019s sultry croon more poignant. A series of festival appearances and the quartet\u2019s first headline tour in the UK put the band in position to infiltrate sophisticated consciousnesses. \u2013 \u00a0Michael Toland\u00a0<\/p>\n Big Bill<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday 12, 10pm, Lefty\u2019s Brick Bar<\/p>\n If only all of our favorite artists in these spooky times made their politics as clear as Big Bill.<\/a> In an era where Radiohead \u2013 Radiohead! \u2013 won\u2019t even disavow a genocide, it\u2019s nice to know these Austin\/Philly-based post-punks are unafraid to draw a line in the sand, from ICE (\u201cyou should be shunned by your family\u201d) to fuckboys (they use their emotions \u201clike shotguns\u201d) to the wealth gap (\u201cso tired\u201d). The long-running outfit stays righteous and stays fun, issuing zigzagging, dance floor-filling tunes that get you riled up without bumming you out. What better radicalizing agents could we ask for in our modern shitshow? \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n BigXthaPlug<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 10:55pm, ACL Live at the Moody Theater<\/p>\n BigXthaPlug\u2019s modern-day anthem for the Lone Star State, \u201cTexas,\u201d packed enough charisma to match the unrivaled pride Texans have in their culture. 2024 release TAKE CARE offered sample-based tracks and firmly established him as a leader of Texas hip-hop\u2019s new generation, but the Jessie Murph-featuring track \u201cHoly Ground\u201d from the album\u2019s deluxe edition previewed an unexpected pivot. The Dallas rapper\u2019s latest full-length, I Hope You\u2019re Happy, sandwiches hooks from country music stars between heartbreak-filled verses. He\u2019ll bring along Ro$ama and other artists from his record label as support in anticipation of 600 Entertainment\u2019s debut compilation tape, 6WA. \u2013 \u00a0Derek Udensi\u00a0<\/p>\n bloodsports<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Friday 13, 7:30pm, Shangri-La<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 12:30am, Chess Club<\/p>\n Monday 16, 8:50pm, Hotel Vegas<\/p>\n Bloodsports channel the restless energy of New York into taut riffs and punchy, guitar-driven rhythms. With post-punk roots, the fourpiece\u2019s debut project, Anything Can Be a Hammer, delivers garage rock grit and enough angular urgency to cut through the controlled chaos. Tracks oscillate between explosive bursts and measured grooves, creating tension between their deliberate arrangements and volatile unpredictability. The outfit has carved a reputation for raw, no-frills live performances that match the intensity of their recorded discography. One thing\u2019s guaranteed: Your eardrums won\u2019t be safe. \u2013 Miranda Garza\u00a0<\/p>\n Boutique Feelings<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Friday 13, 10:30pm, Seven Grand<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 12am, Hotel Vegas<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 11pm, Swan Dive\u00a0<\/p>\n It may be an impossible task to put Karim Lakhdar\u2019s music into a box. His latest project as Boutique Feelings is part trip hop, part synth-heavy post-rock, and even part ambient archival political statement, set to sparse Arabic guitar. Where Boutique Feelings strays from Lakhdar\u2019s previous sound with progressive rock outfit Atsuko Chiba is in his charged rapping. With a vocal style reminiscent of B-Real and Andr\u00e9 3000, the Montrealer sounds off on the ailments of modern society, hoping to use his pointed lyrics and hypnotic production to create a shift in your consciousness. \u2013 Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n Buddy Red\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Friday 13, 8pm, Saxon Pub<\/p>\n Monday 16, 9pm, Stubb\u2019s<\/p>\n Wednesday 18, 1am, Inn Cahoots Austin Garden<\/p>\n \u201cScion\u201d remains a double-edged identifier in music, the progeny of stars forced to prove themselves doubly in the shadow of their \u2019rents. Buddy Red\u2019s dad helped put hot \u2019Lanta on the rap map, yet T.I. isn\u2019t the 300-pound penumbra here. The twentysomething singer\/slinger\u2019s soul drawl, the funk lag in his engine room, and a thick, mulchy Strat strum all scream Hendrix. While \u201cWhen I Dream\u201d straight cops \u201cLittle Wing,\u201d last summer\u2019s \u201cSold His Soul\u201d makes the same hairs stand on end that once saluted \u201cHey Joe.\u201d SRV channeled the Voodoo Chile. Buddy Red quite possibly reincarnates him. \u2013 \u00a0Raoul Hernandez<\/p>\n Cashier<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Friday 13, 9:30pm, Valhalla\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 11:35pm, Chess Club<\/p>\n Monday 16, 11:10pm, Seven Grand<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 9:15pm, Hotel Vegas<\/p>\n Cashier will take you back to 2005 with the quickness. Anchored by Kylie Gaspard\u2019s androgynous, emotional vocals and a smattering of thrashing guitars, the Lafayette fourpiece updates the Fueled by Ramen formula with Dinosaur Jr. sludge \u2013 and the much-cooler co-sign of Julia\u2019s War Recordings, the label of They Are Gutting a Body of Water frontman\/contemporary heavy rock innovator Doug Dulgarian. And no, they aren\u2019t the only band on this list to hang out in the middle of the SXSW Music-Julia\u2019s War Venn diagram. The alt-rock renaissance continues! \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes<\/a><\/p>\n Thursday 12, 9:15pm, Swan Dive<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 9pm, Lamberts\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday 19, 12am, Continental Club<\/p>\n While dealing with Stage 4 lymphoma, a newfound love for cumbia music gave Chuck Prophet some relief. After beating the disease, the accomplished songwriter decided to take a creative left turn with his latest project Wake the Dead, a collaboration with California cumbia group \u00bfQiensave? The record mixes Prophet\u2019s roots rock sensibilities with Latin rhythm and melody, creating a surprisingly satisfying blend you never knew you needed. He\u2019ll bring that sound to this year\u2019s SXSW before heading to Willie Nelson\u2019s Luck Ranch to play the Luck Reunion and the Todd Snider Rules! tribute show later in the week. \u2013 Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n Commercial Breaks<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 10pm, Hotel Vegas<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 9pm, Chess Club<\/p>\n Launched just last year, local quartet Commercial Breaks counter the shoegaze craze with a heartfelt ode to power-pop. Their Bandcamp-exclusive self-titled debut piles one taut and ready guitar riff after another onto unpretentious tracks covered in joyful distortion and populated by the appropriate number of oohs and ahhs. Hook is the right word for their catchy melodies, because these sweetly rugged vocal harmonies will sink right into you, ready to reel you into another rambunctiously good-hearted performance anytime their name\u2019s on the bill. \u2013 Caroline Drew<\/p>\n Don Toliver<\/a><\/p>\n Friday 13, TBA, Moody Amphitheater<\/p>\n Perennially traversing between trap and R&B like a Slinky composed of slick melodies, Don Toliver\u2019s ability to stitch the two genres together gives him a distinct sound. The Cactus Jack signee rose to mainstream prominence with 2020 full-length Heaven or Hell and his earworm of a chorus on Internet Money\u2019s \u201cLemonade\u201d later that year. New maiden chart-topper OCTANE ditches the subtle rock elements found on 2024\u2019s HARDSTONE PSYCHO in favor of the Houstonian\u2019s trademark psychedelic backdrops and Auto-Tuned croons about women. There\u2019s a Justin Timberlake sample (\u201cBody\u201d) on there, too. \u2013 Derek Udensi\u00a0<\/p>\n Ella Ion<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday 12, 11pm, Wanderlust Wine Co.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 10pm, Seven Grand<\/p>\n Monday 16, 8:40pm, Downright Austin Global Stage<\/p>\n Wednesday 18, 12am, Saxon Pub\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It only took two singles for Ella Ion to hook me. Last October\u2019s \u201cLooking for Nothing\u201d recalls Bella\u2019s New Moon depression montage: slow-churning acoustic guitar, mournful cello, gauzy vocals likening the Adelaide songwriter to a dog tied to a tree. \u201cBlue Black Crows,\u201d released two months prior, is even better. Ion snaps her strings with one of those stop-start riffs you immediately, involuntarily, nod along to, crooning an insistent \u201coh yeah, oh yeah-heah-heah-heah\u201d refrain alongside it. Add in those searing electric accents and abstract orchestral freakouts \u2013 this name\u2019s on my usually noncommittal South By schedule in pen. \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n Fish Hunt<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Friday 13, 7pm, Low Down Lounge<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 9:50pm, Chess Club\u00a0<\/p>\n I hear twinges of Snail Mail, Lorde, and a long lineage of emo vocalists in Lucy Mondello\u2019s elongated vowels, but on Self-Taught, the New York songwriter stitches such disparate musical stylings into a cohesive quilt all her own. Indie rock acoustics, eerie saw, and sputtering percussion are instrumental to this LP, an unvarnished-yet-meticulous showcase of childlike DIY. As Fish Hunt declares in melancholy manifestation \u201cGo My Way\u201d: \u201cI\u2019m the shit, can\u2019t you see?\u201d \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n Geto Gala<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Wednesday 18, 10:25pm, Swan Dive<\/p>\n Major League, Geto Gala\u2019s<\/a> 2024 debut album, is a celebration, dancing with feather-light piano licks, swaying drum beats, and the honeyed rhymes of rap duo Jake Lloyd and Deezie Brown. Their sound is a true Texas recipe of sun-soaked Southern rap spun through Houston\u2019s chopped and screwed influence and baked in a soulful rock ambience that makes for a head-bobbing, finger-snapping show. Both talented multifaceted musicians in their own right, Lloyd and Brown\u2019s union in Geto Gala is one of creative admiration and community appreciation that shines through in every festive chorus and glorious groove.\u2013 Caroline Drew<\/p>\n Gran Moreno<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday 12, 9pm, Lefty\u2019s Brick Bar<\/p>\n Since the pandemic, ATX\u2019s Latin music scene now manifests every blush, from heartbreak balladeers (Grace Sorensen) and MCs (Anastasia Hera) to funk (Superf\u00f3nicos) and metal (Brown Sabbath). Gran Moreno bends a whole other golden note. Psych rock sibling bomb squad Ricardo and Christian Rodr\u00edguez unsheathed debut full-length El Sol in January, its cataclysmic detonation moving beyond White Stripes and Black Keys to a wholly unique amalgam of mariachi trumpets, hacienda percussion\/strings, y tequila tempos. Thirty-two minutes never sounded so epic \u2013 so gran(d). \u2013 Raoul Hernandez<\/p>\n Gus Englehorn<\/a><\/p>\n Saturday 14, 10pm, Valhalla<\/p>\n Gus Englehorn\u2019s mind must be a fantastic and terrifying place. The pro snowboarder-turned-bizarro pop maestro has released four albums in the past five years, each more wildly ambitious, unhinged, and fascinating than the last. Whereas 2025\u2019s The Hornbook constructed an unraveling of rock history, this year\u2019s The Broken Balladeer spills like of Montreal into the Unicorns, veering between strafing bursts of playful wonder and horrifying shock. Equally appropriate is recruiting Butthole Surfer Paul Leary to produce the album, who adds the perfect complement to the cataclysm of Englehorn\u2019s wildly mutating and eccentric, psychedelic worlds. \u2013 \u00a0Doug Freeman<\/p>\n Ink<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 9:35pm, ACL Live at the Moody Theater<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 4:10pm, Mohawk\u00a0<\/p>\n After writing hit after hit for stars from Kendrick Lamar to Beyonc\u00e9, Atia Chade Boggs, best known as Ink, is now turning her focus inward. Over a decade of songwriting comes to the forefront on the Atlanta-raised musician\u2019s debut project, BIG BUSKIN\u2019, showcasing confessional intimacy and melodic craftsmanship. Sitting atop a neo-soul foundation, the record channels twangy pop, modern R&B, and electronic textures through tactile production and tender vocals. On \u201cTurquoise Cowboy,\u201d Ink paints a cinematic portrait of love and longing, layering memorable hooks with shimmering flourishes. \u2013 Miranda Garza\u00a0<\/p>\n Jazz Re:freshed Outernational<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 7:30pm, Flamingo Cantina<\/p>\n Jazz musicians in the United Kingdom see their genre as foundation more than form, pulling in global influences far beyond swinging, sophisticated blues. The 10th Jazz Re:freshed SX showcase makes that plain in the most entertaining and enlightening way possible. Featured artists include Zimbabwe-born\/London-based jazz\/soul singer-songwriter Zola Marcelle, cosmopolitan jazz\/funk\/hip-hop bassist\/singer Amy Gadiaga, Newcastle jazz fusion trio Knats, veteran Nigeria\/London guitarist\/producer Femi Temowo, London jazz drummer\/producer Mackwood, and Manchester producer\/player Werkha. A decade in, Jazz Re:freshed Outernational isn\u2019t just an event \u2013 it\u2019s a visit with an old friend. \u2013 \u00a0Michael Toland\u00a0<\/p>\n J\u2019cuuzi<\/a><\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 12:50am, Hotel Vegas<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 10:30pm, Swan Dive\u00a0<\/p>\n Elaborate, handmade costumes; raunchy group choreography; frequent trips from the stage to the pit \u2013 every succeeding J\u2019cuuzi<\/a> show is a bigger and bigger spectacle. Gorge Bones and Trey Razeldazl, the romantic partners at the heart of this art-rock, dance-punk, truly indescribable rock & roll affair, know how to keep you entertained \u2013 and how to balance just the right amount of bubbling Bj\u00f6rk synths and sleazy glam rock guitar in the chemistry experiment that is this wondrous musical hot tub. Amid a weeklong barrage of performances, you\u2019re guaranteed to remember J\u2019cuuzi. \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n Joe Harvey-Whyte<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Friday 13, 12:45pm, Hilton Austin Downtown<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 7:50pm, Central Presbyterian Church<\/p>\n Wednesday 18, 10pm, 13th Floor<\/p>\n You might guess that an artist playing experimental pedal steel guitar music at SXSW would be a local, but Joe Harvey-Whyte isn\u2019t even from America. A master of a notoriously hard-to-play instrument, the London native pulls the pedal steel out of the honky-tonk and into the astral expanse. Harvey-Whyte makes you reevaluate an instrument you\u2019ve heard a thousand times, bending your mind\u2019s expectations like he does the tone of his guitar. In addition to composing heady Americana, the award-winning musician further demonstrates his reverence for sound with a side gig as a field recordist for film and radio. \u2013 Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n Jordan Walsh<\/a><\/p>\n Monday 16, 7pm, the Pershing<\/p>\n From his CV, Austin percussionist, composer, and teacher Jordan Walsh is busier than a parent of 10. Straddling the line between chamber music and sound design, Walsh performs with Goliath Was Bigfoot, Maru Haru, Line Upon Line Percussion, and Density512\u2019s new music collective. He also engages in solo performances all over the country that blend vibraphone, percussion, and electronics in a tireless championing of electroacoustic music-making. Holding a doctorate from UT-Austin, he teaches percussion and audio technology at Southwestern University, Austin Community College, and other institutions in Texas and elsewhere. How he\u2019s found the time to showcase at SXSW is a mystery. \u2013 Michael Toland<\/p>\n Joyeria<\/a><\/p>\n Monday 16, 9pm, Swan Dive<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 8pm, Valhalla<\/p>\n The irreverent blond behind London-based project Joyeria is keeping lad rock alive with gruff \u201cyeah yeah yeah\u201d choruses and synthesizer beeps and boops to match every chunky power chord. The bobbed man, known only to us listeners as Joy, nails an exaggerated drawl on early single \u201cWild Joy\u201d despite his Canadian-Polish heritage, while more recent banger \u201cI don\u2019t know, who cares?\u201d (\u201cHow are you doing?\/ How do you feel today?\/ I don\u2019t know, who cares, stop asking\u201d) nods to king slackers Pavement at their twangiest. Production from Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C., Wet Leg) on 2025 EP Graceful Degradation seals the deal. \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n Kaash Paige<\/a><\/p>\n Saturday 14, 11:30pm, Brushy Street Commons<\/p>\n Dallas alt-R&B singer Kaash Paige\u2019s dreamy, Auto-Tuned vocals float with an airlike quality, yet convey plenty of emotion. She returns to SX for her own Kaash Paige & Friends showcase on March 14 after headlining iLL Manner Shows\u2019 A FAT A$$ RAP SHOW last year. First signed to Def Jam as a teenager, the 25-year-old leveled up as an independent artist after departing the label in 2023. She dropped two projects after signing to indie label Rostrum Records last summer: KAASHMYCHECKS and 2 Late to Be Toxic. Arrive early at Brushy Street Commons to catch Lynn and Austin-bred R&B singer Grace Sorensen. \u2013 Derek Udensi\u00a0<\/p>\n Lola Young<\/a><\/p>\n Thursday 12, 9:55pm, ACL Live at the Moody Theater<\/p>\n What defines 24-year-old Lola Young\u2019s sound isn\u2019t genre-hopping, but her raw candor and emotional immediacy. With three studio albums under her belt, the London-born songstress drifts between alt-pop, indie rock, and soulful R&B, with her powerhouse vocals building a common ground between these pulls. Young walked away from this year\u2019s Grammy Awards with two nominations, including a win for her chart-topping hit \u201cMessy\u201d for Best Solo Pop Performance. SXSW will mark one of the singer\u2019s first shows back following a brief hiatus, as she rejoins the live circuit and takes the stage as part of Rolling Stone\u2019s Future of Music showcase. \u2013 Miranda Garza\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucid Express<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Monday 16, 12pm, Downright Austin<\/p>\n Monday 16, 7pm, Downright Austin<\/p>\n Shoegaze will never die \u2013 nor should it when it\u2019s in the hands of a band as good as Hong Kong\u2019s Lucid Express. Not only do singer Kim Ho and her crew get the sonics just right, but they use their dreamy guitar swathes to illuminate the issues facing them and other democracy-minded citizens in what was, until 2014, one of the world\u2019s most cosmopolitan and progressive cities. Ho claims \u201cwe\u2019ve been steadily losing hope for a decade now\u201d in their artist bio, but the sublime six-string beauty found on the quintet\u2019s brand-new Instant Comfort wraps its defiance around us like a warm blanket. \u2013 Michael Toland<\/p>\n Luke Tyler Shelton<\/a><\/p>\n Sunday 15, 8pm, Antone\u2019s<\/p>\n Monday 16, 9:10pm, Las Perlas<\/p>\n Twentysomething singer Luke Tyler Shelton is living the Laurel Canyon lifestyle of yore, and he\u2019s got the outfits, the big-name backers, and \u2013 this is important \u2013 the music to prove it. On his 2025 EP Blue Sky, produced by royal outlaw Shooter Jennings and frequent Father John Misty collaborator Jonathan Wilson, the L.A. native pairs campfire choruses with honky-tonk guitar solos, jaunty piano with pedal steel warmth, and tops it all with the voice of a proper Sixties folkie. Shelton\u2019s opened for Chaparelle and played last year\u2019s Luck Reunion, so this SXSW only furthers the songwriter\u2019s Austin country coronation. \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n Lynn<\/a><\/p>\n Thursday 12, 11:15pm, Mala Fama<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 9:45pm, Brushy Street Commons<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 10:30pm, Venue 6\u00a0<\/p>\n Adversity reveals character. Birmingham, Alabama, transplant Lynn<\/a> gave meaning to that trite phrase during last year\u2019s SXSBreaks showcase as she powered through a headlining set ravaged by technical difficulties. \u201cLife be lifin\u2019,\u201d she said then. The 24-year-old has only increased her stock since, with fall 2025 album Ten Thousand Hours adding personal depth to her brash, confident raps. A clip of \u201cSlow Dreamz,\u201d a quick-hitting track interpolating Twista\u2019s \u201cSlow Jamz,\u201d currently counts over 430K views on TikTok. Expect some doses of R&B, too, and a redemptive showing that\u2019ll demonstrate why she\u2019s one of Austin hip-hop\u2019s brightest young talents. \u2013 Derek Udensi\u00a0<\/p>\n Mama Duke<\/a><\/p>\n Thursday 12, 11:30pm, Swan Dive<\/p>\n The Texas capital has long loved this two-time Austin Music Awards Best Hip-Hop winner, known for a playful, pop-loving streak and a welcoming warmth, but the nation became Mama Duke<\/a> fans this year when the queer rapper earned Mel B\u2019s golden buzzer on America\u2019s Got Talent<\/a> last August. Walking off the show as the first female rapper to reach the Top 10, Mama Duke returns to the SXSW stage with signature charisma and uplifting tracks that joyfully intertwine Eighties synth grooves with Aughts club hooks and an effortless lyrical prowess. \u2013 Caroline Drew<\/p>\n Marley Hale<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Friday 13, 11pm, Saxon Pub<\/p>\n Monday 16, 9pm, Lefty\u2019s Brick Bar<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 12am, Continental Club\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf whiskey were a woman, I\u2019d fuck her.\u201d How\u2019s that for an opening line? Those quotable lyrics open Marley Hale\u2019s \u201cDrunk On You,\u201d a slow-moving country waltz about lost love and alcoholism. Hale\u2019s steely gaze and sentimental vocals make her vintage outlaw sound impossibly alluring. Born in Austin and raised in Northern California, the now-sober singer and guitarist splits time between her birthplace and Brooklyn, New York. She recently completed a February residency at the legendary local Hole in the Wall. \u2013 Joseph Gonzalez<\/p>\n Miss Bashful<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 9:30pm, Speakeasy<\/p>\n After conquering Berlin\u2019s club scene, Miss Bashful is returning to her Texas roots before plotting her electroclash world domination. Pulling from the high-voltage likes of Peaches and Miss Kitten, the Mexico City-born provocateur has cultivated candy-coated electronica with body-forward BPMs and relentless momentum. Her self-proclaimed \u201cslut techno\u201d combines warehouse-ready maximalism with hedonistic hooks and a no-compromise attitude that commands the room. The club siren enlisted German DJ duo GDA on her latest rave-bred cut, \u201cGlamour Snobby,\u201d a sharp burst of peak-hour pressure designed to keep bodies moving. \u2013 Miranda Garza\u00a0<\/p>\n Next of Kin<\/a><\/p>\n Thursday 12, 7:45pm, Zilker Brewing<\/p>\n Friday 13, 2pm, Rivian Electric Roadhouse<\/p>\n Friday 13, 10pm, Continental Club<\/p>\n At the Austin Music Awards<\/a> earlier this month, Next of Kin<\/a> took home top honors as Best New Act. It was a well-earned but unsurprising honor for the trio, who has not only honed their sharp lyrical narratives behind bursting dynamic harmonies, but also galvanized a community of joy and advocacy around their defiant queer and trans country identity. While Madison Baker, Lili Hickman, and Caelin each bring a distinct songwriting style into the band, together they surge into the kind of empowering Nineties country anthems that cut with an emotional independence and sharp wit \u2013 as they do on last year\u2019s standout debut EP, Homemaker. \u2013 Doug Freeman<\/p>\n P.H.0.<\/a><\/p>\n Monday 16, 9pm, 13th Floor<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 10:30pm, Valhalla<\/p>\n Brooklyn\u2019s P-H-zero describes itself as \u201csilkpunk\/cyber-metal,\u201d crediting the former term to sci-fi horticulturalist Ken Liu, while elaborating on a teeth-rattling crucible of trad-Asian elements and instrumentation, plus \u201cthe fragmented chaos of analog modular synthesizers.\u201d Howard Ouyang, Pierre Pi, and Jun Guo core the current quintet\u2019s crossover from clean, ambient melodicism \u2013 rain falling on city rooftops \u2013 to harsh, dystopian mosh incitement in the streets on October EP Gore: DLC. Somebody get P.H.0. the opening slot on a Melt-Banana tour. \u2013 Raoul Hernandez<\/p>\n Pierce Washington<\/a><\/p>\n Thursday 12, 8pm, Swan Dive\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 8:40pm, Taco N Maiz<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 8:25pm, the Creek and the Cave\u00a0<\/p>\n Dallas rapper Pierce Washington sticks a slow jam hook to his infectious 2023 track \u201cSPLIT FARE,\u201d a duet with the namesake lead singer of Vancouver indie-pop quintet DACEY. More often, however, the MC veers into jazz. Twinkling keys and sultry horns adorn Madlib co-write \u201cBILOXI\u201d; upright bass soars throughout \u201cAS WE PROCEED\u201d \u2013 which features an uncredited Lil Wayne, by the way \u2013 and fresh single \u201cBoughtaname\u201d shuffles with the kind of swinging live instrumentation you\u2019d expect to hear in a smoky old back room. Expect big(ger) things from this Dallas Entertainment Awards winner. \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n QUENTIN<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Monday 16, 12am, Continental Club\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t kissed me but you already broke me.\u201d With one line, QUENTIN\u2019s<\/a> latest single conjures not simply unrequited love, but the special kind of hell that is forming a romantic connection with someone who swears that they\u2019re straight. \u201cHello Denial,\u201d the first look at the gender-nonconforming Austin artist\u2019s upcoming album TOMGIRL, is a power pop anthem for the queers who have been strung around by the emotionally guarded. In the track\u2019s Ducky Mane-directed video, the diva struts down South Congress in waist-length braids and knee-high boots. Her best accessory? A Beyonc\u00e9-nodding baseball bat. \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n Total Wife<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday 14, 8:55pm, Chess Club<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 12am, Seven Grand<\/p>\n Name-dropping Dale Cooper and Elliott Smith is one way to get an alternative music fan\u2019s attention, but a different line in Nashville shoegaze project Total Wife\u2019s artist bio looms larger: \u201c[Luna] Kupper sold all of her synths to make rent before she started working on the album, and so every inorganic sound is instead built from samples of the band\u2019s own work.\u201d Besides encapsulating the depressing reality of the modern working musician, this tidbit underscores the innovation showcased on the synthetic-organic merging band\u2019s come back down \u2013 released in September on TAGABOW founder Doug Dulgarian\u2019s Julia\u2019s War Recordings. \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n TTSSFU<\/a><\/p>\n Saturday 14, 11:20pm, Palm Door on Sixth\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 5:10pm, Mohawk<\/p>\n Sunday 15, 7pm, Hotel Vegas<\/p>\n Tuesday 17, 12:30am, Swan Dive<\/p>\n A true blood digital native, Manchester\u2019s Tasmin Nicole Stephens grew up in a world of GarageBand possibility and misinformation manipulation. Her bedroom-based, grunge-for-the-despondent sound and her meme-aware, self-mythologizing PR streak \u2013 she\u2019s claimed to be the daughter of an AC\/DC drummer and the granddaughter of Leonard Cohen \u2013 nod appropriately to the smirking slouchers and winking liars of days of yore (looking at you, Bob Dylan), while planting TTSSFU firmly in the modern moment. Rattling with ambivalent angst, her latest singles \u201cUpstairs\u201d and \u201cSick\u201d set party malaise and religious guilt in a fog-filled world of hypnotic basslines and ethereal vocals. \u2013 Caroline Drew<\/p>\n Victoryland<\/a><\/p>\n Sunday 15, 1:25am, Chess Club<\/p>\n Monday 16, 9:45pm, Hotel Vegas<\/p>\n Monday 16, 10:50pm, Las Perlas<\/p>\n Victoryland bursts with a frenetic energy that settles somewhere in a collision between Car Seat Headrest and LCD Soundsystem. The project of former Blood guitarist Julian McCamman, Victoryland\u2019s new sophomore album and Good English label debut, My Heart Is a Room With No Cameras in It, drives with the classic Brooklyn indie rock angst of sorting through sadness with a danceable catharsis. The lo-fi jagged guitar elements from 2024\u2019s Sprain still slash through McCamman\u2019s howls, but behind producer Dan Howard, he finds a new layered heft that twists like a life-saving tourniquet to stop the bleeding. \u2013 Doug Freeman\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This article appears in SXSW 2026 Festival Guide<\/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 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCarys Anderson moved from Nowhere, DFW to Austin in 2017 to study journalism at the University of Texas. She began writing for The Austin Chronicle in 2021 and joined its full-time staff in 2023, where she covers music and culture.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \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 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \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 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ama-Louise-by-Solarize-Visuals.jpeg\")
Credit: Solarize Visuals<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Amri-by-@stefmartin_.jpeg\")
Credit: @stefmartin<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Angela-Autumn-via-SX.jpg\")
Credit: Garhole Records<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Azamiah-by-Jean-Yuzheng-Zhang-Photography.jpg\")
Credit: Jean Yuzheng Zhang Photography<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Big-Bill-by-Pooneh-Ghana_WEB.jpg\")
Credit: Pooneh Ghana<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BigXthaPlug-Take-Care-Deluxe-album-cover_WEB.jpg\")
Credit: Daniel Prakopcyk<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bloodsports_CreditMeghanHancock.jpg\")
Credit: Meghan Hancock<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Boutique-Feelings-via-Bandcamp-1.jpg\")
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Credit: The Blooom Effect<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Cashier-by-Olivia-Perillo.jpg\")
Credit: Olivia Perillo<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Chuck-Prophet-by-Kory-Thibeault.jpeg\")
Credit: Kory Thibeault<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Commercial-Breaks-by-Joshua-Rankins-.jpeg\")
Credit: Joshua Rankins<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/don-toliver-courtesy-of-atlantic-records-e1773259335293.jpg\")
Credit: Atlantic Records<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ella-Ion-by-Marcelle-Bradbeer-scaled-e1773259424863-1024x768.jpg\")
Credit: Marcelle Bradbeer<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Fish-Hunt-via-Fish-Hunt.jpeg\")
Credit: Fish Hunt<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Geto-Gala-via-SXSW-25.jpeg\")
Credit: Jake Rabin<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Gran-Moreno-via-artist.jpg\")
Credit: Gran Moreno<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Gus-Englehorn-e1773261308240-1024x768.jpg\")
Credit: HERFitz PR<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ink-by-Matty-Vogel.jpg\")
Credit: Matty Vogel<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Zola-Marcelle-jazz-refreshed-via-SXSW.jpeg\")
Zola Marcelle Credit: Kate Kantur<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jcuuzi-by-Vera-Vicious-Velma-Hernandez.jpeg\")
Credit: Vera \u201cVicious Velma\u201d Hernandez<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Joe-Harvey-White-via-artist-1.jpg\")
Credit: Joe Harvey-Whyte\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jordan-Walsh-by-Mackenzie-Coleman.jpeg\")
Credit: Mackenzie Coleman<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Joyeria-via-PIAS-.jpeg\")
Credit: [PIAS]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Kaash-Paige-via-Prysm-Talent-Agency-e1773259728590-1024x768.jpg\")
Credit: Prysm Talent Agency<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lola-Young-by-Eliana-Shymansky.jpg\")
Credit: Eliana Shymansky<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lucid-Express-by-Aileen-Lam.jpg\")
Credit: Aileen Lam<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Luke-Tyler-Shelton-by-Magnolia-Ellenburg-1024x679.jpg\")
Credit: Magnolia Ellenburg<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lynn-via-SXSW.jpeg\")
Credit: EA Visuals<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mama-Duke-by-Jana-Birchum.jpg\")
Credit: Jana Birchum<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Marley-Hale-by-Alice-Loayza.jpeg\")
Credit: Alice Loayza<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Miss-Bashful-b-yLea-Garn.jpg\")
Credit: Lea Garn<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Next-of-Kin-by-Ismael-Quintanilla-III.jpg\")
Credit: Ismael Quintanilla III<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/P.H.0.-by-Yuan-Long.jpeg\")
Credit: Yuan Long<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pierce-Washington-by-Jared-A.-Moody.jpeg\")
Credit: Jared A. Moody<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Quentin-by-Cancerian_WEB.jpg\")
Credit: Cancerian<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Total-Wife-by-Sean-Booz-19.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/TTSSFU-by-Henry-Collier.jpg\")
Credit: Henry Collier<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Victoryland-via-Bandcamp.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cropped-cropped-Headshot-2025-scaled-1-80x80.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Carys Anderson\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
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cropped-Caroline-Headshot-scaled-1-80x80.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\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
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Raoul-Hernandez_800px.jpg-80x80.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\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
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cropped-Derek_Udensi.jpg-80x80.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n