Each year, musicians, recording label representatives, journalists and fans go to Austin, Texas for one of the biggest music events of the year: the South by Southwest festival. The acts range from indie singer/songwriter M Ward to underground hip-hop act the Kidz in the Hall to '80s new wave legends Devo. This year, five Cincinnati-based performers have made it into the pool of the hundreds of acts participating March 18-22. On the list: Heartless Bastards, Kim Taylor, Bad Veins, Seabird and the Seedy Seeds.
The Seedy Seeds started on a whim in 2005 between Mike Ingram and Margaret Weiner. Four years later, they¹ve perfected their electro-pop style on latest album Count the Days and added drummer Brian Penick into the mix. This will be their first appearance at the festival for the band, but first, they'll be playing a send-off show on Friday at the Mad Hatter with fellow SXSW showcase performers Bad Veins and local band Hazle Weatherfield. This is what they had to say about their upcoming trek to Austin:
First off, congrats on the invite to SXSW! How did this come about and were you surprised at all when you heard the news? This will be the band¹s first trek to Austin for the festival. Do you have any hopes/expectations for the trip?
Margaret: Thank you! The invitation came after our application wowed the pants off the SXSW selection committee. I got the news the night before Brian and Mike heard word, and I practically peed myself with excitement for an entire night before the three of us could hold hands and dance in a circle of celebration.
Brian: We really want to try to utilize our time and opportunity to be a part of this festival. We understand that it is pretty much pure insanity for the week, and that no matter what we will have to miss out on certain aspects of it, but really (we'll be) just trying to take in as much as possible. I can say that we are looking to network as much as we can, and mainly get our name out on a more national level.
You'll be performing your official showcase on Wednesday. Will there be an advantage to getting that show out of the way early?
Margaret: I really think that we can find an advantage to our showcase no matter when we are scheduled. We're kind of like a group of 6-year-old kids waiting as patiently as possible for free pony rides at our neighbor's birthday party, and in a sense it will be nice to play immediately so we aren't constantly thinking about when those amazing free pony rides are going to happen.
Mike: It's pretty awesome because it's the first day, and everybody's out to see music. I feel like later in the festival, people will meet up with people they know, go to certain places, have other plans, or just plain get overwhelmed and can't see every showcase they want to. But the first night, I hope people will be simply excited to see music and get settled in.
Have you gotten any advice so far on how to handle SXSW? There's a lot going on in those five days
Brian: Honestly, the main thing that we have heard is to not force anything, and to just take in as much as possible. We plan on mapping out our schedules ahead of time to the best of our ability, but really we just plan on meeting up with some industry folks that will be expecting us, and securing those relationships. Anything else that happens will just be icing on the cake.
Is there anyone else performing at the festival this year that you're excited to check out?
Brian: We are very excited to be representing Cincinnati at the festival, and plan on giving our other fellow local bands as much support as we possibly can. I personally am excited for: Those Darlins, Maserati, and of course the New York Dolls!
Margaret: Eyedea & Abilities, Explosions In The Sky, and The Pack A.D.
Mike: We've got a lot of friends that are playing, so we're definitely going to try to hit all of their showcases. It's going to take quite a bit of planning, though. Devo is also playing, which makes me pretty happy.
DON'T MISS: South By Southwest Send Off Party with Bad Veins, the Seedy Seeds and Hazle Weatherfield. Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. at Mad Hatter in Covington. $5. madhatterclub.com or cincyticket.com
