Thursday Night SXSW Showcases
By Doug Freeman, Fri., March 18, 2016
Garden & Gun
8pm, St. David's SanctuaryGarden & Gun is Southern Living for the 21st century, the magazine of a hip new South. Their showcase likewise expands beyond expected roots. Aoife O'Donovan opens, the Boston-based songwriter drawing lines across Americana from Celtic to bluegrass in a powerful voice recalling Alison Krauss on sophomore LP In the Magic Hour. Houston native Robert Ellis likewise eschews genres on 2014's The Lights From the Chemical Plant, downplaying his previous classic country inflection for a more folk and jazz turn. Acclaimed songwriter and Buffett band staple Mac McAnally has won the past eight straight CMA Musician of the Year awards, with last year's AKA Nobody demonstrating the Mississippi hitmaker's impeccable melodic touch. At only 22, Minneapolis songwriter John Mark Nelson already has four albums, and 2015's I'm Not Afraid delivers suave pop beats behind his delicate vocals. Austin-to-Nashville transplants the Roosevelts close, unloading infectious jams from debut LP The Greatest Thing You’ll Ever Learn.
