SXSW has officially arrived and Song of the Day is here to offer some recommendations for this week of shows, starting today with another set of four letters – XIXA. Unlike SXSW, XIXA’s not an acronym; it’s a bold, all-caps re-spelling of “chicha” – the South American tropical genre that’s one of many influences on this band’s sound. This Tucson sextet made their studio debut in 2016 with Bloodline, which sifts through gritty blues and sandy psychedelia to get to XIXA’s Latin core.
XIXA unfurled their second LP Genesis last year, and has since shared a standalone acoustic version of one of the album’s most precious grains, “Velveteen”. XIXA’s given us several opportunities to see them live during SX; they’ll be playing at Flamingo Cantina this Thursday, 2PM on Friday at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul for the Chicha Summit Day Party, 4:30PM that same day at Hotel Vegas for Space Camp, and wrapping things up with Modern English this Sunday at 3Ten. You’ve got plenty of time to do research, so check out Genesis before you figure out which show best suits your schedule, or if you don’t have the time, just click play on “Velveteen”!
–Jack Anderson
