The first and second waves of the 37th annual Texan showcase of new music SXSW lineup have been released, and once again, it looks to be the sound of tomorrow. The festival runs a full six days from March 10-19th, 2023 and registration for tickets is open now. You can see the ticket and lineup information in full at https://www.sxsw.com/.
Texas and March may be far away, but the music is always close. Americana UK journos trawled through the 400+ artists to bring you a list of what hot new Americana artists you could be playing next year. You heard them here first. This is Day One of a Twelve-part series that explores this showcase; enjoy all of these artists “and a pardner in a pantry”.
This North Carolina band have been around for over a decade and has been relatively underrated. Shook is enjoying the success of their third album with the Disarmers, ‘Nightroamer’, which came out on Thirty Tigers earlier this year. Reviewer Jonathan Smith described it as “Fearless, raw and vulnerable“. Not content with this, Shook also has a solo album this year with a project entitled ‘Mightmare‘ on Kill Rock Stars.
After the great success of the debut album ‘Wild Silence’, The Wandering Hearts became the first British band to make their US debut at the Ryman Auditorium and then performed at the Grand Ole Opry in the same week. The band won the Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award and, as well as headline tours, have supported such Americana stars as Tom Petty, Lukas Nelson and Justin Townes Earle. The second self-titled album was recorded with Simone Felice and David Baron in a studio deep in the Catskills. Mark Whitfield called them “Americana’s answer to the New Main Street Singers“. They are on tour in the UK now, so catch them in intimate venues while they are still upcoming!
Having only released her debut ‘Pin-Up Daddy’ last year, Madison is very much up and coming. Originally from West Virginia, Rett Madison is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. She has been described as “simultaneously brazen and vulnerable“. Madison has sung backing vocals for artists such as Lorde and Kate Nash and has opened for artists such as Elle King and Shawn Colvin. Reviewer Jonathan Aird particularly enjoyed the personal lyrics of her debut single ‘Skeptic’s Angel‘.
While this six-piece band are from Geelong, Australia, they call themselves “farm rock” and play mean lap steel. Releasing their sophomore album ‘Ginger Gold’ last year, the band started to get some notice and was nominated for an Australian Music Prize and a Victorian Music Award. Bones and Jones have been touring festivals on both sides of the Pacific and have played alongside bands such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron is not necessarily new but deserves more spotlight. Starting as the bassist for Eric’s Trip, she has ten solo albums since her first in 1996. Her most recent album ‘I Thought of You‘ came out last year after a nine year hiatus and was eagerly awaited.
Come back tomorrow for the second installment of the Twelve Days!
