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Austin at SXSW: The Rocketboys
Originally from Abilene, the five college friends who make up The Rocketboys now call Austin their home. The band succeeds in crafting a unique blend of earnest, ambient indie-rock. You can see the official SXSW showcase on Thursday, March 18 at 9 p.m. at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop. Justin Wiseman, Brandon Kinder and Mitch Holt answered our questions via e-mail.
Describe your sound. We always try and create original music that is palatable to a wide variety of people. More specifically the music we play falls into an ambient indie rock vein with a distinct pop sensibility.
What can SXSW attendees expect at your showcase? Our music is written to be performed live, so a live performance tends to be the best, most powerful way to experience our music. We’ll be playing almost entirely new music from our latest album “20,000 Ghosts” at our showcase.
What other acts are you excited to check out? Band of Horses, The XX, Fanfarlo, Andrew W.K. — also a lot of our friends are playing: Dignan, All Get Out, This Will Destroy You, Danny Malone, and The City Lives to name a few.
Are you planning to go to any panels? We definitely plan to attend panels. Sometimes as an independent band we feel at a disadvantage to keep up with all you have to know to be at the cutting edge of happenings in the industry without a team of professional help. But fortunately SXSW has a lot of offerings in terms of syncs and placements, advice on signing, booking better tours, as well as other innovative ways to broaden the accessibility of our music.
What are some Austin must-do or must-sees for out-of-towners?
Alamo Draft House, Barton Springs, The Cathedral of Junk, and of course Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon Presents: Chicken (Expletive) Bingo.
Where do you like to hear live music, when it’s not SXSW? We frequently end up at the staples of Austin venues (i.e. Mohawk, Stubb’s, Emo’s) to support friends and bands we like. I think The Parish provides the most enjoyable setting to view a show though.
Finish this sentence: ‘Industry folks and visiting bands, while we love having you as guests of our city, please don’t… ‘ Bring the rain….
Tracks and photo (above) courtesy of Paper Thin Media.
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