Group of the Altos will be playing at SXSW 2011.
i am really looking forward to it, as last year was a blast.
part of the reason i love SXSW is that you don't really have to deal with the passive audience syndrome as i like to call it. people are either going to be there to see you, or they won't be there, and accordingly, the type of people who are watching your shows are usually more interested in what your doing (otherwise they probably wouldn't stay to watch) than other "festival" types of events i've played.
thus, it is even more endearing when you amass a big crowd unexpectedly, which i was totally humbled by last year (GotA's first showcase at SXSW), even though our set was at 11:00 on Thursday morning.
hopefully we will have as excellent a time as last year.
88.9 Radio Milwaukee producer Adam Carr had this to say about our 2010 SXSW showcase at Habana Calle 6 (which was presented by our friends at Muzzle of Bees):
(photos by Matt Schwenke via Muzzle of Bees)
it was very special to me to get such a great reaction from everyone last year, and i hope we do again this year. we are playing two showcases, both are free to the public (no wristband/badge necessary) and both are offering free food and drinks.
on thursday, march 17th we will be playing the SXWI showcase put on by the lovely folks at Rock of the Arts. there will be free wisconsin beer and brats galore... i wouldn't want to miss it if i were you. also playing are All Tiny Creatures, who are one of my favorite wisconsin bands right now. can't wait to hear the material from their new record Harbors, which i secretly hope they will sell early copies of. (its release day is a few weeks after SXSW.)
In crafting a showcase for SXSW, Ryan from Muzzle of Bees managed to snag an awesome cross section of Milwaukee’s music scene — a little bit of this, a little bit of that, all top notch. During the process of getting it all together, Ryan said he felt a bit like a coach putting together a lineup for the big game, filling each slot with some purpose and meaning.
So who batted leadoff for the Bees? Milwaukee’s favorite post-rock orchestra, Group of the Altos. Moving from the delicate and contemplative to the soaring and intense, the Altos seemed to make a crowd materialize from nowhere with their inspired set. I’ve seen them a number of times, and they’ve never never sounded as good as they did in the Austin morning sun.
(quoted via 88.9 Radio Milwaukee's mketosxsw.com)
(photos by Matt Schwenke via Muzzle of Bees)it was very special to me to get such a great reaction from everyone last year, and i hope we do again this year. we are playing two showcases, both are free to the public (no wristband/badge necessary) and both are offering free food and drinks.
on thursday, march 17th we will be playing the SXWI showcase put on by the lovely folks at Rock of the Arts. there will be free wisconsin beer and brats galore... i wouldn't want to miss it if i were you. also playing are All Tiny Creatures, who are one of my favorite wisconsin bands right now. can't wait to hear the material from their new record Harbors, which i secretly hope they will sell early copies of. (its release day is a few weeks after SXSW.)
the schedule for this showcase has yet to be determined, but i think we will be playing in the mid-afternoon sometime. facebookers can stay updated here for schedule announcements: SXWI.
then, on saturday, march 19th, we will be playing Hometapes' annual Friend Island. we play at 11:30 sharp and there is apparently free breakfast so don't be late.
here are the details:
here's to a great week of music.Hometapes' Friend IslandSaturday, March 19th11am-7pm, kicking off with breakfast
Kung Fu Saloon - 501 Rio Grande, Austin, TXFREE
11:30 - Group of the Altos
12:15 - Pontiak
01:00 - Feathers
01:45 - The Caribbean
02:30 - Ormonde
03:15 - Birds of Avalon
04:00 - All Tiny Creatures
05:00 - Megafaun
06:15 - The Body
-Complimentary Pop Tarts, Nachos, & Topo Chico.
-Fourteen arcade games set to free play. High scores win stuff.
-Beer & drink specials all day.
-New releases & souvenirs at the Hometapes Portable Record Store.
cheers.
B
