For this year’s South by Southwest, KUTX has put together a pretty fantastic lineup of artists for our daily early-morning concerts at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, “KUTX Live at the Four Seasons.” We’ve got four great acts set for Thursday morning, starting right at 7AM. The shows at the Four Seasons will be open to the public, no badge or wristband required. Admission was $10 each day and all proceeds benefited the Seton Shivers Cancer Center.
7AM – Wheeler Brothers
Every show that Wheeler Brothers has played here in their hometown of Austin has sold out. The five-time Austin Music Award-winning band is a local favorite, and it’s not hard to see why. Their roots music blends classic Americana sounds with more modern rock to create a very captivating sound. The five members of the the band have played together since they were in high school, and three of the five are the actual Wheeler brothers. In short: the group has excellent chemistry and it shows in their energetic live performances.
8AM – The Lone Bellow
The Lone Bellow is one of those bands that just sort of happened by accident. Lead singer and songwriter Zach Williams needed a place to test out a few of his solo songs and guitarist Brian Elmquist worked at a diner that wanted artists to perform there. Fellow singer Kanene Pipkin happened to be back in town, and decided to join them to jam. What happened turned into much more than a simple jam session. The trio recently came out with their debut, self-titled album, which is full of the blend of country, folk and gospel that they’ve become known for.
9AM – Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
Just as one starts to get weary of bands that are “folk-inspired,” along comes a band like Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, something that takes their folk inspirations somewhere entirely different and new. Fronted by Thao Nguyen, the San Francisco-based band takes an entire assortment of genres to create their specific brand of pop/rock/folk. Nguyen’s song writing is at time messy, convoluted, and just all around eclectic, but these things are its strengths rather than its weaknesses. The unpredictable nature of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down is what makes the band so great.
10AM – Robyn Hitchcock
Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock has been an enduring presence in music for the past thirty years, performing with the Soft Boys, the Egyptians, the Venus 3, and as a solo artist. Throughout his illustrious career, his music has been marked by a particular brand of alt rock/pop colored by surrealist and sometimes comedic lyrics. Hitchcock’s somewhat oddball tunes have earned him quite the fan following, along with excellent critical reception. His latest album, Love from London, is due out on March 5th and is sure to be full of more of Hitchcock’s wonderful idiosyncrasies.
Thursday photos from the festival
