Peter recaps his SXSW experience

commentary by Peter Lewis

All the buzz surrounding this year’s SXSW (one of the world’s largest music festivals held in Austin, Texas) focused largely on the economy and the possible effects that might be felt on the largest of America’s music festivals.

Despite dire figures and foreboding predictions, SXSW, by all accounts, persevered admirably. Though no official figures have been released, it is thought that this years festival will at least be on par with last year’s festival in terms of economic impact to the Austin, Texas area.

Given the nature of the current economic climate, that last fact is particularly important.  Though the level of attendance was noticeably high, there were also distinct differences than past festivals. One of the largest differences was the decrease in the amount of swag (free gift bags and the like) being passed around. In the past the swag was always one of the larger perks for attendees. Despite small things like this, all indicators of financial success seemed positive

The official count on performing acts this year was just shy of 2,000. SXSW is definitely a marathon. According to Phil Wendell, a student and SXSW attendee, it’s something you’ve got to take into account when planning what acts to see.

“The biggest thing with the festival is not going overboard too early. You don’t want to wear yourself out or drink too much on Wednesday, then end up missing acts on Thursday because you need to recover. Planning and moderation are the biggest keys. You always need a back up plan,” Wendell said.

Though it is quite evident the festival is geared more toward industry types and hip, discerning listeners, there are plenty of acts that don’t fit into a niche. Which is something that the festival aspires to. Finding a venue for the countless musicians to connect with an unknown audience is a goal of the festival.

LESSONS FOR FORT SMITH
The positive effects that culture has on a society is not always tangible. The economic impact of cultural events, however, are quite tangible. Whether it’s the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Vermont Mozart festival, or a traveling Reubens exhibit, the power culture has to help fuel an area’s economy is readily evident.

Though it is unlikely the River Valley area will ever experience a festival of this size, at least in the near future, the positive economic benefits of SXSW to the Austin area should serve as a guiding light to the plotters and planners in city halls across the region.

With a very successful blues festival and the continued growth of projects like Second Street Live, Fort Smith has sampled the financially enriching waters of music.

These are two small examples of the economic potential large scale festivals can have on an area. Though the Mulberry Mountain Music Festival is a fairly large event, it does not quite compare with something like the Wakarusa Festival, set to kick off in the River Valley for the first time this year. Previously the festival had been held in Kansas and it seems for the first time our area might be able to taste the financial rewards of a large scale event.

THE MUSIC
Now that a couple of weeks have passed between my swan dive into the festival experience of South By Southwest (SXSW), I feel I’ve finally gained a bit of perspective.  Below is a list of the bands I saw each night accompanied by a short description of their sound. Following this description is a small sampling of acts that have a somewhat congruent musical style. The enormity of the festival negates any chance of a comprehensive list so this is just a tiny glimpse into the array of music available to festival goers.

• Top Five Shows I Witnessed:
The Felice Brothers
Phosphorescent
Dawes
Ha Ha Tonka
Bedouin Soundclash

Wednesday
• The Donkeys — SoCal rock with an alt country, bluesy lilt. For fans of Blitzen Trapper, The Boggs, The Wombats.
• The Travelin’ McCoury’s — Bluegrass. For fans of Del McCoury, Hot Rize, Ricky Skaggs, Flatt & Scruggs,
• The Lee Boys —S acred Steel. For (secular) fans of Junior Kimbrough, Booker T. & the MGs.
• Jim Stringer — Classic country. For fans of Clint Black, Charley Pride.

Thursday
• Bishop Allen — intelligent pop music. For fans of Okkervil River, Voxtrot, Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend, Starlight Mints.
• Phosphorescent — spaced out and introspective rock.A diverse act, also adept at more straight ahead country-rock songs which reminded me of Gram Parsons. For fans of Castanets, Songs:Ohia, Sigur Ros, Nagisa Ni Te
• Vetiver — Somewhat expansive folk rock. For fans of Beck (circa Mutations), Nicolai Dunger, Vashti Bunyan, Devendra Banhart
• Blitzen Trapper — Indie rock. The Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket,

Friday
• The Young Republic — Display tendencies towards both straight ahead hard rock and more intricately orchestrated rock numbers. For fans of The Hot Toddies, Fishboy.
• Dawes — Soulful and laid back American rock. For fans of Son Volt, Patterson Hood, The Band, Ozark Mountain Daredevils,
• The Felice Brothers — American music (their tag). For fans of groups like The Band, The Avett Brothers, Drive By Truckers, Whiskeytown, or artists like Micah P. Hinson and Waylon Jennings.
• Jason Isbell — Both hard rock (with roots in Muscle Shoals) and expansive alt-country ballader. For fans of The Drive By Truckers, Jay Farrar, Centro-Matic.

Saturday
• The Deadstring Brothers — rough, dirty blues rock. For fans of early Rolling Stones, The Dexateens.
• Ha Ha Tonka — Catchy rock tunes. For fans of Bobby Bare Jr, Old 97s, Deadstring Brothers
• Dexter Romweber Duo — Surfer blues rock with the voice of Elvis. For fans of Dick Dale and His Del-Tones, Los Straightjackets
• Justin Townes Earle — Foot stomping Americana. For fans of Hayes Carll, Ryan Bingham, The Felice Brothers
• Bedouin Soundclash — Reggae orchestration with an urban edge. Great party music. For fans of Sublime, RX Bandits, Slightly Stoopid, Long Beach Dub All Stars.