SXSW Sneak Peek: Casxio

Walking around aimlessly downtown during last year’s SXSW, I overheard this band playing through a speaker from the venue. Intrigued by what I heard, I walked upstairs of Nuno’s to see Casxio playing on stage. Unfortunately, I only caught the last two or three songs from their set, but the funky soul pop music impressed me. I grabbed a free sampler they were handing out and left.

I guess the selection committee for SXSW felt the same way as I did because although, this is their second year performing during the festival, this year is the first year they are an official showcase band.

With the number of applicants that apply to play at SXSW, what do you think made your band stand out above the rest to be selected?

Eric: Well the priority for the organizers of any massive music showcase is to book bands that have a new and unique sound to offer, as well as a powerful live show. There are also less obvious factors that come to play as far as which bands get selected. Relationships with bookers and organizers that bands build over time are most definitely factors that may open doors. The fact is that there is an over saturation of bands these days that are out there hustling and trying to make a legit career out of their music. Hence, meeting people and building relationships is the second most vital aspect of making a career in music. The MOST important is quality. But, unfortunately, as I listen to more radio, I become more and more skeptical. Cold, hard truth.

What preparation have you taken for the upcoming showcase?

Eric: We learned a lot last year about what it takes to set yourself apart from the hundreds of other bands in attendance. Our prep is, for the most part, promo related. We'll be bringing down some t-shirts and stickers but we're not concerned about making a ton of money on merchandise on this trip. Don't get me wrong, we're all about making some cheddar, but our focus is on getting people to our sets and making our show bangin'.

Here are the list of shows you can see Casxio during the week of SXSW:
03/19/2009 1:45PM @ BLIND PIG ROOF DECK – 317 E. 6th St. (near Trinity)
03/19/2009 7:45PM @ BARCELONA - 209 E 6th St. (near San Jacinto)
03/20/2009 3:45PM @ TROUBADOR SALOON - 503 East 6th St. (near Neches)
03/21/2009 12:30PM @ RUSTY SPURS - 403 East 7th St (near Trinity)

Anyone and everyone can download 4 mp3s from Casxio’s website for free just by signing up for their mailing list.
Click here for a free download of their most popular song "Seventeen". (link directs you to a downloading site)

Here is Casxio’s video for “Boiling Point” directed by Fresh Kill (freshkill.com) (released last month):

SXSW Sneak Peek: Choo Choo

Choo Choo, from Bern, Switzerland, will be heading down to SXSW not only for their first officially showcase but also for their first live gigs in the United States. I met this band through their twitter and they were one of the bands I selected to watch from the massive list of SXSW showcased bands.

Lead singer and guitarist, Dan Choo took some time to answer some quick questions I emailed him.

Since this is your first year to attend SXSW, what are your thoughts and expectations of the week?

Dan: Never been to SXSW until now, but read and heard so many good things about it either in blogs and magazines or from befriended bands and people in the music Industry. We are expecting a crazy week full of music, fun and making friends. We will play many daytime parties and are generally trying to get the most out of this week.

With the large number of applicants that apply to play for the festival, what do you think made your band stand out above the rest to be selected?

Dan: There is simply no other band around playing STEAM POWERED GARAGE POP! We have our own Genre and I'm sure SXSW cannot miss out this one.

What preparation have you taken for the upcoming showcase? New songs? New merchandise?

Dan: Nothing special, really, since we released our debut album in Switzerland, we’ve constantly been playing live. We will just rock out as we always do. Of course we’re going to play new songs too, but we do that at every show. A big challenge will be to cut our set down to 30 minutes only, as this is the length of sets at most parties. But I like the idea of playing only 30 short sweet minutes. You need to reduce to the essential. That's what we try with every song.

Choo Choo will be playing a lot of shows during the festival so if you miss an opportunity to catch them live, it will be your fault:
03/17/2009 Red Scoot Inn 11 p.m.
03/18/2009 Trailer Space Records 3:00 p.m.
03/19/2009 BD Riley's 9 p.m. (Official Showcase)
03/19/2009 Space12 3:00 p.m.
03/20/2009 Breakaway Records 2:30 p.m.
03/20/2009 Flipnotics @ Barton Springs 12:00 a.m.
03/21/2009 Rockin' Tomato 2:00 p.m.
03/21/2009 College Houses Cooperatives 10:00 p.m.

YouTube video of “A Little Wiser Now”. Scroll after the video to download a free mp3 from the band!



Download: Choo Choo “A Little Wiser Now” (just click the link to box.net website)

Website: http://www.choochootheband.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/choochootheband

Stay tuned during the week of SXSW where I will actually meet the musicians in person and do a more in-depth interview of the band.