Ones To Watch: SXSW 2017

Must-see artists at SXSW 2017.

Daniel Leopold is a true child of his hometown Detroit. The Leopold and His Fiction frontman Daniel Leopold. Martin do Nascimento/KUTXmusic he makes with the Austin band Leopold & His Fiction is one part soul, and one part rock & roll. He dresses sharp and plays a Flying V guitar. The group’s new album, Darling Destroyer, is a fiery record, and that fire comes from a big change: the birth of Leopold’s daughter.

“When we found out she was on the way, a lot of things changed,” Leopold told KUTX’s Laurie Gallardo. “Switches went on, a lot of them went off. Lot of fear, lot of anxiety, lot of intuition…It was definitely time to pull out all of the resources I had.”

Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.

Leopold & His Fiction at SXSW 2017:

Tuesday, Mar 14 – Hot Burrito Booze Cruise (day party, RSVP here)

Friday, Mar 17 – Hotel Vegas Annex (official SXSW showcase) – 12:30 a.m.

Saturday, Mar 18 – Shiner’s Saloon, inside stage (day party, RSVP here) – 5:15 p.m.



During a music class at NYU, Maggie Rogers played her song “Alaska” to superstar producer Pharrell. The video of his emotional and encouraging reaction soon earned two million views, and Rogers found herself thrust into the spotlight overnight. As she explained to the London Evening Standard,  “I moved out of my college apartment on May 31, 2016. I went viral on June 1. I signed a record deal on August 31. It was a little wild.”

Rogers’ new EP, Now That The Light Is Fading, is a mixture of electronic and folk, part dance floor and partly a reflection of her rural Maryland upbringing. The music feels poised for bigger things but also rooted to the ground—just like Rogers herself.

Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.

Maggie Rogers at SXSW 2017:

Thursday, Mar 16 – KUTX Live at the Four Seasons – 8 a.m.



 

Lizzo is a rapper and singer out of Minneapolis, but herLizzo Ones To Watch musical roots stretch back to Houston, where rapping wasn’t her first choice. “I am a huge music nerd, music geek,” Lizzo recently told KUTX’s Laurie Gallardo. “I studied flute and played piccolo in high school marching band in Houston. So this rapping thing was like, secondary, and now it’s taken me to a place where I never thought I could go, or where the flute could ever take me.”

Lizzo’s unique style has taken her from recording at Bon Iver’s studio to tours with Sleater-Kinney. Her music carries a social message too: it’s body-positive, it’s feminist, and it’s simply joyful.

Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.

Lizzo at SXSW 2017:

Tuesday, Mar 14 – Scoot Inn (day party, RSVP here)

Wednesday, Mar 15 – Stubb’s (official SXSW showcase) – 10:20 p.m.

Thursday, Mar 16 – Backyard at GSD&M (day party, RSVP here)

Friday, Mar 17 – VuHaus SXSW Radio Day Stage (official SXSW showcase) – 1 p.m.

Friday, Mar 17 – French Legation Museum (day party)



 

Last year, the Brooklyn band Big Thief caught a lot of the Big Thief Ones To Watchmusic world by surprise with a debut album that lives up to its lofty name: Masterpiece. For Adrianne Lenker, the band’s singer and guitarist, a small instrumental change led to Big Thief. “I played acoustic guitar my whole life,” she told KUTX’s Deidre Gott, “and then I got an electric guitar and started writing stuff that I felt like needed a band. It was a bit heaver.”

Big Thief is heavier, but also very dynamic. The four-piece band veers between noisy rock songs and more tender moments, like their standout song “Paul.”

Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.

Big Thief at SXSW 2017:

Friday, Mar 17 – Weather Up (day party, RSVP here) – 3:30 p.m.

Friday, Mar 17 – The ABGB (day party, RSVP here)

Friday, Mar 17 – The Barracuda (official SXSW showcase) – 11 p.m.



 

When you listen to Third Root, it’s easy to hear why MCs Third Root Ones To WatchCharles Peters and Marco Cervantes are teachers by day. Last year, Third Root released Libertad, an album that tackles politics and race relations from a Texas Latino and African-American perspective. Peters says that the 2016 headlines pushed Third Root into new creative territory. “We felt like we wanted this album to be a time capsule,” he told KUTX’s Jack Anderson. “Look back at 2016: you put the news up, you put this album up and you will see that it was a reflection of that.”

Third Root also reflects its Texas roots. Austin’s Adrian Quesada produced Libertad, and it features guest appearances from Austin’s hip-hop scene. Pioneering Texas politician Barbara Jordan even inspired “Soul Force,” a song that acts like Third Root’s musical mission statement.

Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.

Third Root at SXSW 2017:

Wednesday, Mar 15 – KUTX Live at the Four Seasons – 9 a.m.

Friday, Mar 17 – Oskar Blues Brewery (night show) – 9 p.m.



 

The Austin band Not In The Face is known for being, well, Jonathan-Terrell-Ones To Watchin your face. But singer and guitarist Jonathan Terrell first came to Austin with dreams of country stardom. “We started Not In The Face kind of as a side project,” he told KUTX’s Rick McNulty. “[It was] kind of a big finger to the Red Dirt scene that we weren’t really wanting to be a part of but kept getting sucked into. So we kind of made a left turn and played some rock and roll.”

Recently, Terrell has turned back to his country roots. His 2016 solo EP, Color Me Lucky, shows just how far he’s come since those humbling early days in Austin. If Not In The Face is his E Street Band, then Terrell’s solo work is his Nebraska: stark, haunting, but still big-hearted.

Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.

Jonathan Terrell at SXSW 2017:

Wednesday, Mar 15 – Maggie Mae’s (official SXSW showcase) – 8 p.m.

Thursday, Mar 16 – KUTX Live at the Four Seasons – 7 a.m.

Friday, Mar 17 – Shiner’s Saloon (day party, RSVP here) – 6:15 p.m.



 

Gabriel Garzón-Montano grew up in New York Gabriel Garzon-Montano Ones To Watchsurrounded by classical music. His mother was a singer in the Phillip Glass Ensemble, and Garzón-Montano picked up violin at age six. But the music he makes now is much more Prince than Bach.

Garzón-Montano’s big break came a few years ago when he toured with Lenny Kravitz and got sampled on a song by Drake. While he’s thankful for all the increased star attention, he told Complex, “I don’t want that to give me my value.” Instead, it’s his own unique music and vision that’s valuable, and it shows on his idiosyncratic 2017 album Jardín. The rest of the world is finally taking note.

Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.

Gabriel Garzón-Montano at SXSW 2017:

Wednesday, Mar 15 – KUTX Live at the Four Seasons – 7 a.m.

Wednesday, Mar 15 – Waterloo Records (day party) – 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Mar 15 – Elysium (official SXSW showcase) – 8 p.m.

Thursday, Mar 16 – Space 24 Twenty (day party) – 2 p.m.

Friday, Mar 17 – 1621 E. 6th St. (day party) – 1:45 p.m.

Friday, Mar 17 – Antone’s (official SXSW showcase) – 3:45 p.m.

Friday, Mar 17 – Lucille (official SXSW showcase) – 12 a.m.

Saturday, Mar 18 – The Main (official SXSW showcase)

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