With the Music Lineup Rolling Out, South by Southwest 2022 Finally Feels Real

Maxo Kream performing at Emo's in 2019. (Photo by John Anderson)

142 days until South by Southwest hits. With today’s initial music lineup – including street poet Maxo Kream, glam punks Surfbort, Seventies Zamrock heroes W.I.T.C.H., and Houston’s Monaleo, who went hard on viral hit “Beating Down Yo Block” – the forthcoming festival, 31 months removed from its last physical event, finally feels material.

That's to say that 243 music acts, spanning six continents, are currently planning trips to Austin for SXSW’s music week, running March 14-20.

Among them: recent ACL Fest-performing indie pop songwriter Claud, Kenyan-Ugandan rapper MC Yallah on the Nyege Nyege Tapes roster, San Antonio experimental artist and domestic field recorder Claire Rousay, teenage Matador signees Horsegirl, verbose UK post punk quartet Yard Act, veteran liturgical-industrial-experimental outfit ONO, talented jazz-n-soul informed British singer Poppy Ajudha, and South Korea’s HAEPAARY – a duo that reinterprets electronic dance music with instruments and voices while defying pretenses of formality and gender roles in Eastern music.

Another fascinating inclusion: Vitreous Humor – an underground Kansas band from the Nineties that achieved posthumous acclaim and apparently will now reunite for the first time this millennium.

Meanwhile, local music forces heavily populate the lineup: A Giant Dog, Adam Ostrar, Alex Dupree, Angélica Rahe, Being Dead, Big Bill, Blushing, Buffalo Hunt, Buffalo Nichols, Caleb De Casper, Chief Cleopatra, Curse Mackey, Go Fever, Graham Reynolds (listed solo and with his Golden Arm Trio), Greyhounds, J Soulja, James McMurtry, Katy Kirby, Kevin Galloway, Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Little Mazarn, Lord Friday the 13th, Mobley, Nuevo, Pastel Ghost, Rett Smith, RF Shannon, Ringo Deathstarr, Sir Woman, Star Parks, Sun June, Tele Novella, the Deer, Tiarra Girls, Tomar and the FCs, and Why Bonnie.

And for always-brimming Funny Band Name Files, we have London post-punks Desperate Journalist. Why do I find myself drawn to them?

Anyhow, here’s the full rundown of SXSW 2022’s debut artist list, which historically represents roughly one-tenth of the fest’s full live music binder:

• 2nd Grade (Philadelphia PA)
• 49 Winchester (Castlewood VA)
• A Giant Dog (Austin TX)
• Abigail Lapell (Toronto CANADA)
• Adam Ostrar (Austin TX)
• Aeon Station (Ocean City NJ)
• Aertex (Washington DC)
• Alex Dupree (Austin TX)
• Alien Tango (Murcia SPAIN)
• ANAVITÓRIA (São Paulo BRAZIL)
• Andrea Cruz (Puerto Rico PUERTO RICO)
• Angélica Rahe (Austin TX)
• Antti Paalanen (Kokkola FINLAND)
• Arp Frique (Amsterdam NETHERLANDS)
• Art d'Ecco (Victoria CANADA)
• Authentically Plastic (Kampala UGANDA)
• Ava Vegas (Berlin GERMANY)
• Babehoven (Hudson NY)
• Bandicoot (Swansea UK-WALES)
• Beauty Sleep (Derry UK-N. IRELAND)
• Being Dead (Austin TX)
• Bendigo Fletcher (Louisville KY)
• Big Bill (Austin TX)
• BLACKSTARKIDS (Kansas City MO)
• Blunt Bangs (Athens GA)
• Blushing (Austin TX)
• Bodywash (Montreal CANADA)
• Boulevards (Raleigh NC)
• Bread Pilot (Seattle WA)
• Breanna Barbara (Far Rockaway NY)
• Brigid Mae Power (Galway IRELAND)
• Buffalo Hunt (Austin TX)
• Buffalo Nichols (Austin TX)
• Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard (Cardiff UK-WALES)
• Caleb De Casper (Austin TX)
• CHAII (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
• Charlotte Cornfield (Toronto CANADA)
• Chief Cleopatra (Austin TX)
• China Bears (Guildford UK-ENGLAND)
• Claire Rousay (San Antonio TX)
• Claud (Highland Park IL)
• COBRAH (Stockholm SWEDEN)
• Coco & Clair Clair (Atlanta GA)
• Congee (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Constant Follower (Stirling UK-SCOTLAND)
• corook (Nashville TN)
• Couch Prints (New York NY)
• Creamer (Nashville TN)
• Cuffed Up (Los Angeles CA)
• Curse Mackey (Austin TX)
• Dan Bettridge (Cardiff UK-WALES)
• Danielle Ponder (Rochester NY)
• DEETRANADA (Baltimore MD)
• Delta Spirit (Los Angeles CA)
• Desperate Journalist (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Devin Shaffer (Chicago IL)
• Diamante Perez (Wichita KS)
• Dig Nitty (Brooklyn NY)
• DJ DIAKI (Sanankoroba MALI)
• Doeman (Houston TX)
• Don Lifted (Memphis TN)
• Donna Blue (Utrecht NETHERLANDS)
• DUMA (Nairobi KENYA)
• Ed Schrader's Music Beat (Baltimore MD)
• Elephant Stone (Montreal CANADA)
• Eli Winter (Chicago IL)
• Enjoyable Listens (Oxford UK-ENGLAND)
• Enumclaw (Tacoma WA)
• Estereomance (El Paso TX)
• Evicshen (San Francisco CA)
• Ezra Furman (Chicago IL)
• Family Jools (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
• Fearing (Oakland CA)
• Flossing (Brooklyin NY)
• Flower (New York NY)
• Geese (Brooklyn NY)
• Gewalt (Berlin GERMANY)
• GIFT (Brooklyn NY)
• Glass Spells (San Diego CA)
• Go Fever (Austin TX)
• Goodbye Honolulu (Toronto CANADA)
• Goya Gumbani (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Grace Cummings and Her Band (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
• GRAE (Toronto CANADA)
• Graham Reynolds (Austin TX)
• Graham Reynolds & The Golden Arm Trio (Austin TX)
• Greyhounds (Austin TX)
• Guapo (Houston TX)
• Gully Boys (Minneapolis MN)
• Gustaf (New York NY)
• HAEPAARY (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)
• Hamish Hawk (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND)
• Haru Nemuri (Yokohama JAPAN)
• Henry Brun & the Latin Playerz (San Antonio TX)
• HMLTD (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Holly Macve (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)
• HOODLUM (San Antonio TX)
• Horsegirl (Chicago IL)
• Hrishikesh Hirway (Los Angeles CA)
• India Ramey (Nashville TN)
• J Soulja (Austin TX)
• Jacks Haupt (Dallas TX)
• James Hersey (Vienna AUSTRIA)
• James McMurtry (Austin TX)
• Jay Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel / Acoustic (London UK-ENGLAND)
• JayWood (Winnipeg CANADA)
• Jekyll (Blackpool UK-ENGLAND)
• Jo Schornikow (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
• Jockstrap (London UK-ENGLAND)
• JOPLYN (Berlin GERMANY)
• Joshua Hedley (Nashville TN)
• Junaco (Los Angeles CA)
• KABEAUSHÉ (Nairobi KENYA)
• KAINA (Chicago IL)
• Kampire (Kampala UGANDA)
• Katy J Pearson (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
• Katy Kirby (Austin TX)
• KAWALA (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Kevin Galloway (Austin TX)
• Kiana V (Manila PHILIPPINES)
• Kompas Trio (Santo Domingo DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
• Korine (Philadelphia PA)
• Kristeen Young (New York NY)
• Kristin Hersh (Providence RI)
• Kyle Kidd (Cleveland OH)
• Laura Lee & the Jettes (Berlin GERMANY)
• Lauren Auder (Albi FRANCE)
• Lee Bains + The Glory Fires (Birmingham AL)
• Letting Up Despite Great Faults (Austin TX)
• Linqua Franqa (Athens GA)
• Little Mazarn (Austin TX)
• Living Hour (Winnipeg CANADA)
• Logan Lynn (Portland OR)
• Lord Friday the 13th (Austin TX)
• Lucy Gooch (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
• Luna Luna (Dallas TX)
• Lunar Vacation (Atlanta GA)
• Mace The Great (Cardiff UK-WALES)
• MAITA (Portland OR)
• Mandy, Indiana (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)
• Maria BC (San Francisco CA)
• Mariangela (San Antonio TX)
• Marina Allen (Los Angeles CA)
• Mark Burgess of The Chameleons UK (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)
• Marta Del Grandi (Milan ITALY)
• Mattiel (Atlanta GA)
• Maxo Kream (Houston TX)
• MC Yallah (Kampala UGANDA)
• Me Rex (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Meatraffle (London UK-ENGLAND)
• MENZI (Durban SOUTH AFRICA)
• Mister Goblin (Bloomington IN)
• Mobley (Austin TX)
• Monaleo (Houston TX)
• Moon Panda (Copenhagen DENMARK)
• Moriah Bailey (Oklahoma City OK)
• My Idea (New York NY)
• Native Sun (Brooklyn NY)
• Neighbor Lady (Atlanta GA)
• NewDad (Galway IRELAND)
• Nuevo (Austin TX)
• Nuha Ruby Ra (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Number One Popstar (Los Angeles CA)
• ONO (Chicago IL)
• Ouri (Montreal CANADA)
• Pachyman (Los Angeles CA)
• PACKS (Ottawa CANADA)
• Paisley Fields (Brooklyn NY)
• PASTEL GHOST (Austin TX)
• Paul Jacobs (Montreal CANADA)
• Pays P. (Paris FRANCE)
• Penelope Isles (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)
• Phobophobes (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Plato III (Abilene TX)
• Polyplastic (Los Angeles CA)
• Pom Poko (Oslo NORWAY)
• Poppy Ajudha (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Portrait XO (Los Angeles CA)
• Priya Ragu (St. Gallen SWITZERLAND)
• PYNKIE (Jersey City NJ)
• Renée Reed (Lafayette LA)
• Rett Smith (Austin TX)
• REYNA (Milwaukee WI)
• RF Shannon (Lockhart TX)
• Riley Downing (Kansas City MO)
• Ringo Deathstarr (Austin TX)
• Roan Yellowthorn (Camden ME)
• Roller Derby (Hamburg GERMANY)
• Rosegarden Funeral Party (Dallas TX)
• Ruby (Dumfries UK-SCOTLAND)
• Ryder The Eagle (Toulouse FRANCE)
• Salt Cathedral (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
• Sara King (Dallas TX)
• Sarah Kinsley (New York NY)
• Sarpa Salpa (Northampton UK-ENGLAND)
• Savak (Brooklyn NY)
• Shawn James (Seattle WA)
• Silver Synthetic (New Orleans LA)
• Sir Woman (Austin TX)
• Skirts (Dallas TX)
• Smut (Chicago IL)
• Sonoda (Los Angeles CA)
• Sour Widows (Oakland CA)
• Star Parks (Austin TX)
• Stella Sommer (Berlin GERMANY)
• Strawberry Guy (Liverpool UK-ENGLAND)
• Sun June (Austin TX)
• Surfbort (Los Angeles CA)
• Tagua Tagua (São Paulo BRAZIL)
• Taipei Houston (San Francisco CA)
• Tallies (Toronto CANADA)
• Teenage Halloween (Asbury Park NJ)
• TEKE::TEKE (Montreal CANADA)
• Tele Novella (Lockhart TX)
• Tempers (New York NY)
• THALA (Berlin GERMANY)
• Thallo (Penygroes UK-WALES)
• The Americans (Los Angeles CA)
• The Bad Man (Minneapolis MN)
• The Chris Lee Band (New Orleans LA)
• The Deer (Austin TX)
• The Pink Stones (Athens GA)
• The Red Pears (El Monte CA)
• The Royston Club (Wrexham UK-WALES)
• Thee Sacred Souls (San Diego CA)
• Tiarra Girls (Austin TX)
• Tino Drima (Los Angeles CA)
• Tomar and the FCs (Austin TX)
• Tunic (Winnipeg CANADA)
• Twin Tribes (Brownsville TX)
• Vic Santoro (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Vitreous Humor (Lawrence KS)
• W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend To Cause Havoc) (Lusaka ZAMBIA)
• Walt Disco (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)
• WANDERERS (Adelaide AUSTRALIA)
• WARFIELD (Los Angeles CA)
• Wargasm (London UK-ENGLAND)
• Water From Your Eyes (Brooklyn NY)
• Why Bonnie (Austin TX)
• Wombo (Louisville KY)
• XIXA (Tucson AZ)
• Y2K92 (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)
• Yard Act (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)