“A SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST EXPERIENCE” by Tamoya Daum
Every spring one of the biggest music, interactive, and film events on the planet took place. South by Southwest (SXSW) takes place in Austin, Texas and began in 1987. The music scene has continued to grow tremendously in Austin every year. As a result Austin has become a Capital City that is well known for its reputation of having great music and even better food.
Austin has had this reputation for decades and its origins are not much different from many other areas. The 1960’s were a monumental time in music especially for Austin. Many black owned establishments like the Victory Grill and Charley’s Playhouse continually showcased traveling Blues and R&B musicians such as Bobby “Blue” Bland, B. B. King, and T-Bone Walker. Fast forwarding fifty-five years to 2015. Austin is now arguably home of the biggest multicultural event for showcasing artists of all genres ranging from R&B, Rap, Hip Hop, Reggae, Electronic, Dance, and Pop.
Artists such as Mike Zombie who is known for producing Drake’s chart topping record “Started from The Bottom” was in attendance at South By Southwest (SXSW) and even performed on stage at Lit Lounge. More artists that performed during (SXSW) were Manolo Rose, Fetty Wap, Uncle Murda, Dougie F, Kevin Gates, Mr. Vegas, Gyptian and Alandon just to name a few. One performance that stuck out to me was Mr. Vegas who is a very well known Reggae/Dancehall artist. He performed at the Palm Door on 6th Patio. Mr. Vegas had the crowd jumping up and down to his songs as he performed classics like “Heads High”, “Bruk it Down”, “Hot Wuk”, and “Tek Weh Yuself”. In addition, New Jersey native Fetty Wap had a pretty memorable performance at Lit Lounge while he performed his billboard charting hit single “Trap Queen”.
I had to give it up for new and upcoming Reggae recording artist Alandon. Alandon performed his new hit single “1980”. The song is available for download on iTunes. It is rumored that Alandon is in the works to do a collaboration with EDM musician Dougie F. Dougie F is known for his smash hit “Back Up On It”. He has just signed a single deal with Diplo who has produced records with and for Major Lazer, Walshy Fire, and EDM star Skrillex. Their collab is sure to be something to definitely look out for in the near future.
As for the food, Austin is known for its food trucks. But, these aren’t just any food trucks. These are more like trailers. And since they are always stationary, the trailers can give the customers comforts such as benches and umbrellas. One trailer called Bar-B-Que-T offers its diners an ATM machine and a patch of Astroturf. It is located on South Congress at East Monroe. As you venture from trailer to trailer you get a taste of different ethnic cuisines and flavors. They have trailers that offer authentic Mexican dishes. You can order tasty chicken tacos with guacamole made fresh. If you have a taste for some Middle Eastern food you can even enjoy some Moroccan food there. You can order lamb sausage which seems to be a favorite amongst the regulars. They also have lamb burgers. They even give their diners a vegetarian option which includes hummus with avocado.
As South by Southwest (SXSW) came to an end the town of Austin had yet again set another mark. The fans were left satisfied and the artists contributed to thus furthering the traditional essence of great music being heard and played in Austin. It felt as if nobody wanted the music and the performances to stop. I can’t wait to see what new artists and bands serenade the crowd next year. If it’s anything like it was this year I know I won’t be disappointed.
