If you are an average music fan heading to Austin for SXSW these days, it’s extremely hard to make a game plan. There are hundreds of bands, scores of showcases, and a good chance you won’t stumble upon something new and magical that you love without a little outside help.
Look no further. We have listened through this year’s performers and picked out ten shining stars you won’t want to miss. Ranging from new-wave rappers to full-on Nashville songwriters, there should be something new for everyone here. And we tried to focus more on the music and less on the fame — just like SXSW should be.
Here are our top 10 artists to check out at this year’s SXSW music festival, or to add to your up-and-comers playlist, if you can’t mess with the trek to Texas:
Anderson .Paak | Big Thief | Rayland Baxter | BJ The Chicago Kid | Snarky Puppy
03/18: Anderson .Paak
When: Friday, March 18, 11 – 11:35PM
Where: Hype Hotel, 1100 E 5th St
Anderson .Paak had one of the most exciting hip hop releases of the last year, and his SXSW performance will not be one to miss. Called Malibu, .Paak’s speech-song effort was the West Coast’s answer to Chance The Rapper’s breakout Acid Rap, a powerful musical journey which earned the young rapper a place on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath records. An extremely talented performer who made waves with his recent TV debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (which included a pretty rad drum solo by .Paak himself), .Paak’s live performances are spectacular and feature a band of talented musicians. An artist who will likely not be playing mid-size venues for long, .Paak’s is a concert you’ll want to tell all your hip-hop head friends you’re going to. They’ll probably all be jealous.
03/16: Big Thief
When: Wednesday, March 16, 12:00AM – 12:40AM
Where: The Sidewinder Inside, 715 Red River St
Brooklyn-based outfit, Big Thief, may be buzzed about in the big city, but they have yet to break into the commercial mainstream. A powerful group which centers on the everbearing ability of songwriters Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek, the quartet’s music swirls in odd meters and classic-sounding melodies, a rock group who is using modern musical ideas to develop their genre instead of bask in its past glory. With a debut record on the way, there is a lot to look forward to from the band this year — and a lot of new material to hear live before they blow up.
03/17: Rayland Baxter
When: Thursday, March 17, 10:00PM – 10:40PM
Where: Blackheart, 86 Rainey St
The son of famed country musician Bucky Baxter (Bob Dylan, Steve Earl, R.E.M.), Nashville’s Rayland Baxter carries on his father’s musical tradition, but with a more modern singer/songwriter vibe. Perfectly-pitched vocals meet clean, well written hooks, and Baxter’s poppy country songs sway like breezy mid-oughts Jack Johnson hits, sinking a little deeper under your skin in the long term.
03/20: BJ The Chicago Kid
When: Friday, March 20, 1:05AM – 1:25AM
Where: Highland, 404 Colorado St
One of the hottest up and comers in the R&B scene, BJ The Chicago Kid has inked collaborations with the whos-who of modern rappers in the past few years — everyone from Chance The Rapper to Kendrick Lamar. A musical disciple of the church of D’angelo, The Chicago Kid layers his vocals in sharply consonant harmony, creating a grooving musical tapestry that is impossible for your ears to avoid.
03/19: Snarky Puppy
When: Saturday, March 19
Where: Cedar Street Courtyard, 208 W 4th St
Grammy Award-winning instrumental ensemble Snarky Puppy play long-form compostions that mix jazz, soul, and classical music, using their unparalleled musicianship to impress all those who come in contact with them. An amalgamation of some of the world’s finest — and least known outside the industry — musicians, the group formed in Texas in 2004, when many of the members were attending the oddly-prestigious University of North Texas’ jazz conservatory. Those instrumentalists now ebb and flow in the group, fitting in time for live shows between tours with huge household names like Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg, and Erykah Badu.
Annabelle Chairlegs | Milo | Day Wave | Bibi Bourelly | Astronauts, Etc
03/16: Annabelle Chairlegs
When: Wednesday, March 16, 8:30PM – 9:00PM
Where: Hotel Vegas at Volstead, 1502 E 6th St
With washed-out telecasters, 50s-inspired dance beats, and a powerful female vocalist, Austin natives Annabelle Chairlegs elevate psychedelic surf-pop to high art. A vibe-y four-piece ensemble among the music city’s most exciting up-and-comers, their 2015 debut, Watermelon Summer, is a barbecue-pit-and-PBR masterpiece; the sort of homestyle rock that sounds just as good in a smoky bar as it does on a festival stage.
03/20: Milo
When: Friday, March 20, 10:15PM – 11:00PM
Where: Mohawk Indoor, 912 Red River St
With twisting beat poetry that perfectly exemplifies the Midwest’s modern hip-hop renaissance, Wisconsin’s Milo puts honest words to confusing emotional insecurities, creating music that feels more fit for an art gallery than a concert hall. A deep thinker who shares his very personal observations over mellow contemporary beats, Milo is as exploratory as he is prolific, with countless mixtapes that have been slow-burning in the background for some time. This is the rare hip-hop show in which you will want to hear the lyrics over and over again.
03/16: Day Wave
When: Wednesday, March 16, 8:30PM – 9:10PM
Where: Cheer Up Charlie’s, 900 Red River St
Clean pop rockers coming straight out of L.A., Day Wave take Animal Collective-like vocals and make them more accessible, crafting the sort of always-chugging jams which keep both mainstream and music-nerd audiences compelled. An up-and-coming group whose debut album, Hard to Read, will drop just before they head to the festival, this is a good chance to grab that “I remember when” moment by the longhorns.
03/16: Bibi Bourelly
When: Wednesday, March 16, 9:50PM – 10:20PM
Where: Empire Control Room, 606 E 7th St
Songwriter Bibi Bourelly is stretching into a solo career of her own after penning hits for major label artists, including the wildly popular Rihanna anthem, Bitch Better Have My Money. An exciting pop artist whose voice sounds remarkably like the Puma-wearing Caribbean superstar, Bourelly’s songs focus on the reality behind the music, where she adds some old time wisdom and bravado to otherwise squeaky-clean anthems.
03/16: Astronauts, Etc
When: Wednesday, March 16, 11:10PM – 11:45PM
Where: ScratcHouse, 617 E 7th St
Falsetto-fueled groove-rockers, Astronauts, Etc, craft clean and simple melodies and execute them with skilled ease. A side project of Oakland’s Anthony Ferraro, now a touring member of popular indie band Toro Y Moi, the jazz musicians in his backing band put on a compelling live show, with Ferraro contributing well-written songs to match.
Want to hear more awesome up-and-coming musicians? Be sure to subscribe to our full playlist of great SXSW artists below.
