The Biggest Takeaways from SXSW 2025
You don’t enjoy SXSW—the annual musical gathering in Austin, Texas every mid March. You endure it. You survive it. Here are Saving Country Music’s biggest takeaways from SXSW 2025.
SXSW
Iconic Willie Nelson Mural Demolished in Austin
The iconic Willie Nelson mural in downtown Austin, TX located at 407 E. 7th Street was destroyed on Monday morning, February 3rd, as the 100-year old building it was on the side of underwent demolition.
Keystone Artist Connect Illustrates The Key to Success is Connection
A group of women operating under the name Keystone Artist Connect have decided that instead of sitting back and watching their favorite artists continue go under-supported, they’re rolling up their sleeves and doing something.
Artists Who Made Big Impressions at SXSW 2024
South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin last week was an opportunity to scout for talent, see some important up-and-coming bands, and gauge who is on the rise. Here were some of the best.
Artists Are Organizing Against SXSW, and It’s About Damn Time
For years now this organization has fleeced aspiring and up-and-coming musicians with the promise of big exposure to important people in the music industry while charging musicians an application fee simply to be considered to play, and often not even allowing them admittance.
Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion to Broadcast Virtual Fest
This year the Luck Reunion had an incredible lineup. But like everything else, it has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus. Nonetheless, they will be celebrating Thursday (3-19) with a live streaming event showcasing many of the artists originally scheduled to perform, and a few surprises.
Coronavirus Will Create Overcrowded Fall Season for Live Music
This is bound to create a problem in the already-crowded festival and touring space. Even before Coronavirus, we saw many festivals cancelling or postponing 2020 plans due to the inability to secure talent or due to competing festivals moving into their markets. Now you will have spring festivals competing with fall ones.
Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Mike & Moonpies Dates Postponed
The amount of cancellations tied to the Coronavius outbreak can be dizzying to keep up with, even within the confines of independent country and roots. But a few important cancellations are worthy of note, including two dates on the Sturgill Simpson / Tyler Childers tour, and the Mike & The Moonpies Europe tour.
SXSW Organization On The Brink After 2020 Cancellation
SXSW has not just been canceled for 2020 due to concerns over the Coronavirus. The declaration by the City of Austin of a “local disaster” on March 6th has put the entire organization on the brink, and looking at an uncertain future. SXSW was forced to slash 1/3rd of their full-time workforce.
Coronavirus Hysteria Officially Infects SXSW & Music Industry
Without a single case of the Coronavirus either confirmed or even suspected at the moment in Austin, TX or the greater Travis county area, the mayor of Austin, Steve Adler, has declared a “local disaster,” mandating that the music portion of SXSW set to transpire in Austin the 3rd week of March will no longer happen, against the wishes of SXSW itself.
Ray Benson Brings Out The Stars for Annual Birthday Bash
For the benefit of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, or HAAM, Ray Benson hosted his 19th annual birthday bash Tuesday night (3-12) in downtown Austin, which also acts like an unofficial kickoff party for the country side of SXSW. Benson assembled one hell of a talented lineup to come out and play.
Bloodshot Records Co-Owner Nan Warshaw Officially Resigns Amid Harassment Scandal
Blooshot Records co-owner Nan Warshaw is officially out at independent record label Bloodshot Records in the aftermath of a sexual harassment scandal. This is the news coming from the label Saturday afternoon (3-9) as the company prepares to trek to SXSW this upcoming week where they have been one of the fixtures of the event.
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers Add 2019 Tour Dates
The reigning Saving Country Music Album of the Year winners Sarah Shook and the Disarmers have just added a slew of new tour dates to their 2019 itinerary. As recent attendees to Sarah Shook concerts can attest, she brings the party, and many of her recent tour dates have been selling out.
The Country Side of SXSW 2017 (In Words & Pictures)
The biggest takeaway from SXSW 2017 will be that for the first time since the very inception of the idea over 30 years ago, the annual music gathering experienced a palpable draw down in attendance and industry participation to a degree that it fundamentally changed many of the dynamics and rigors one must endure to attend.
Go Home Garth Brooks, You Don’t Belong At SXSW
Garth Brooks, take your free tickets to the Auditorium Shores stage and your Frito bags with your damn brand on them, and go back to Oklahoma and roll around naked in your massive, massive piles of money. You don’t belong at South By Southwest.
Austin’s Spring Fling Offers a Local Alternative to SXSW
The Spring Fling is hosted by A. Michael Uhlmann, a native of Switzerland who moved to Austin over 25 years ago to cover Austin music. Held at the authentic local honky tonk called Giddy Ups south of town in an area called Manchanca (pronounced “Manchank” by locals), the Spring Fling tries to embody what Austin music used to be.
Robbery & Shooting of Musician Spooks Austin at Start of SXSW Week
Saving Country Music has confirmed with the Austin Police Department that the three suspects are still at large, and the incident is still under investigation by the robbery division. The investigation is being called aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. It happened at 3:04 a.m. early Saturday.
Saving Country Music’s 2017 Guide to Unofficial SXSW Showcases
There are so many unofficial parties, we could list 200 here and still leave some out. But in an effort to curate the noses of those Saving Country Music-oriented readers in the right direction, here is a smattering of recommended showcases presented in a similar fashion to SXSW itself, meaning a blobish mess.
SXSW Immigration Issue Exposes Deeper Problem of Restriction and Control
SXSW is an irresponsible mess that puts artists, media, industry, and local citizens in inhumane, and sometimes dangerous positions, even without activating any immigration rules. And hopefully this issue will expose the culture of control that ironically has allowed the event to get completely out of control, and will hopefully encourage SXSW to reform.
FAR Chart and NotSXSW To Continue On After Passing of John Conquest
When the fiercely-independent, renegade music journalist and publisher John Conquest passed away on September 30th, it left the fate of numerous important institutions Conquest had both founded and operated up in the air. Conquest was a dogged champion of independent artists, as well as independent music journalism.
SXSW 2016 in Words and Pictures
It took the death of four people and dozens of others injured after a drunken madman ran his car through a crowded downtown Austin street in 2014, as well as a completely clusterfucked permitting system by the City of Austin so mired in red tape it takes months of dedicated manpower to actually put on a show, but it appears that SXSW has finally reached a point where the annual event has stopped growing uncontrollably.
Free SXSW Country & Roots Showcases for 2016
Screw spending somewhere between $700 to upwards of four figures for some official SXSW badge or wristband just to get turned down at most of the shows you want to get into because you’re not on some VIP list. The smart and frugal SXSW goer knows that the free, all access day parties and unofficial showcases is where it’s at, and many of the events even provide free beer and food.
Brooklyn Country Cantina at SXSW: House Party Feel with World Class Talent
For every officially-sanctioned event, there’s two more that squeeze in where they can and try to keep the original spirit of SXSW alive, including the now 8th Annual Brooklyn Country Cantina, which boasts a stacked 2016 lineup including Sam Outlaw, Daniel Romano, Possessed by Paul James, The Quebe Sisters, Mike and the Moonpies, and many more.
Willie’s Luck Reunion Offers Stupid Good Lineup & Best Alternative to SXSW
Starting around 2011 or so, if you hung around and talked to up-and-coming country and roots bands attending SXSW, you’d hear whispers about an invite-only event out at Willie Nelson’s ghost town outside of Austin called Luck, TX. Luck was originally constructed as part of the set of the movie The Red Headed Stranger released in 1986—a companion to Willie Nelson’s legendary album.