South by Southwest 2024 just announced their third set of showcasing artists set to perform at the festival, and let us tell you – it’s a doozy.
South by Southwest is notorious for announcing its artists in rounds, as there are so many artist to choose from. With the music festival portion being only less than 45 days away, the third round of showcasing artists have finally been announced. Topping the announcement were Indie-rock legends the Black Keys, up-and-coming hip-hop duo Flyana Boss, legendary bassist Bootsy Collins and pop singer Fabiana Palladino. The list was endless and featured many great local, regional and international artists, but six artists really stood out to us. Here are five more artists you need to add to your SXSW radar.
Mind Shrine (from Houston, Texas)
While South by Southwest is lacking with music inclusions from Houston (our humble abode), one of the three Houston artists included in the list was Mind Shrine, a standout alternative + indie rock band in the local scene. Through their easygoing dream-pop riffs and infectious rhythms throughout their works, this female-fronted four-piece knows how to get the groove going. With successful release of their debut album Is It You? in 2022, they most recently released their eclectic new single “RUNNER.” After their SXSW appearances, Mind Shrine will be joining Video Age this upcoming spring for their second half of tour.
Cassadee Pope (from West Palm Beach, Florida)
If you were a true emo + scene kid in the late 2000s, Cassadee Pope’s name must ring a bell. Pope is the former lead singer of rock band Hey Monday, who later disbanded in 2011. The band was always associated with female artists and female-fronted bands such as Paramore, No Doubt, Avril Lavigne and Hurray for the Riff Raff, as Hey Monday created a distinguished sound that made them different from the rest. Pope continued a solo career and shifted gears to the Americana + Country genres, but has most recently turned back to her pop-punk roots. In late 2023, she re-recorded her most popular country track “Wasting All These Tears,” and added a pop-punk twist to the song – signifying her momentous return to the rock scene. Her addition to the SXSW artist lineup is crucial, as it serves as an opportunity to see what new musical direction she’s heading in now.
STRFKR (from Portland, Oregon)
STRFKR (pronounced STAR-FUCKER) have been in the indie scene since 2007, and have even contributed to the cult-classic indie sleaze era of music with their self-titled debut album in 2008. Since then, they have released a total of 7 albums, and currently have their 8th album Parallel Realms set for release on March 1st under Polyvinyl Records. They are setting out on tour this Spring, and no one expected for their name to be listed for SXSW as they have a stop in Austin on April 11th. Regardless, this nice surprise means Austin can expect to be the first city to hear multiple new tracks, and party along to some classics like “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second” and “While I’m Alive.”
Ben Kweller (from Dripping Springs, Texas)
Ben Kweller has been making waves since 1993 after to moving to New York with then-girlfriend (now wife) Liz Smith. Through his debut EP Phone Home and debut album Sha Sha, it was proven that Kweller was here to stay. After numerous singles releases like the stand-offish “This Is War” and the wistful “Wasted and Ready,” Kweller made his name and remained a true Texas Indie staple. Unfortunately tragedy struck in early 2023, where one of his sons Dorian Kweller died in a car crash. According to an interview with Texas Monthly, the musician was absolutely devastated but promised to continue with his musical journey as an homage to his son, who was also an aspiring musician. Ben Kweller has made numerous festival appearances, including Austin City Limits in 2023, and his return to this year’s SXSW music festival would marking his second consecutive appearance.
OK Cowgirl (from Brooklyn, New York)
If you are a fan of artists like Indigo De Souza and Snail Mail, OK Cowgirl would serve as the perfect artist to add to your rotation. SXSW has included multiple dream-rock artists to their lineup this year, and this four-piece project stands out from the rest. Fronted by the biracial and bisexual Leah Lavigne, they work on building familiarity and nostalgia within their tunes using steady beats and relatable lyricism. While the group hasn’t released anything since their EP release titled Not My First Rodeo in 2022, they’ve been performing multiple shows across New York with artists like Jackie West and PURR. They are finally making their way back down to Austin this Spring, hopefully with some new tunes fans can jam to.
You can view the third round of showcasing artists here, along with round one and round two of announcements. South by Southwest 2024 will take place in Austin, Texas from March 8th through March 17th. View the official schedule here.
I'm a full-time music journalist/photographer from Houston, number one Paramore fan and Husky dog owner. I have a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from UT Austin and a M.A in Mass Communications from the University of Houston, which makes me smart! On top of being an avid concert-goer and movie fanatic, I love bonding with others over the power of local music and media.
