Waterloo Records’ Last Day Parties
Thursday 13 – Friday 14, Waterloo Records
Nearly 43 years after opening its doors, iconic local vinyl hub and live music venue Waterloo Records will relocate to its third (and biggest) Lamar location this spring. To celebrate the upgrade, the shop hosts its final SXSW day parties at its current Sixth and Lamar building. Thursday leans indie-pop-rock with Jo Hill, Sierra Spirit, and Molecular Steve. Friday kicks open with electro-pop by Sofie Royer but forks to country-blues with the Deslondes and Charley Crockett’s release and signing of Lonesome Drifter. No badge or cover required, but each Waterloo purchase of Crockett’s album earns one priority Friday admission wristband. – Amber Williams
Third Man Records and CREEM’s Two-Day Rock ‘N’ Roll Party
Thursday 13 – Friday 14, The 13th Floor
Product giveaways won’t be the only thing making you shout “Boy howdy!” during SXSW. Resurrected rock magazine CREEM and Jack White’s Third Man Records have united once again at the festival to throw a rockin’ two-day unofficial showcase at the 13th Floor. The free event is 21+ and only requires an RSVP. Local chaos commanders Die Spitz and psych rock rippers Frankie and the Witch Fingers top Thursday’s bill, while Aussie post-punk outfit Coldwave and Brooklyn’s TVOD lead Friday. – Catalina Perez
UMAW’s Fair Pay at SXSW Showcase
Friday 14, Hole in the Wall
In 2023, United Musicians and Allied Workers demanded higher pay for artists performing at SXSW; at the time, the Festival offered U.S. bands $250 payment ($100 for solo artists and duos) or an official wristband, while international acts weren’t paid at all. The fest has since increased its payment to $400 for U.S. bands and $175 for duos and solo artists, and bolstered its artist credentials, but UMAW continues to push for $750 and a badge across the board. This free showcase features Fashion Club, Magdalene, Nara’s Room, Nemegata, Free Range, and the Viva Palestina Orchestra, as well as a panel discussion on music industry organizing for Palestine. – Carys Anderson
Texas Is Forever
Friday 14, Sunny’s Backyard
As musicians, filmmakers, and tech bros from across the globe descend on Austin this week, booking collective CMTYProductions organizes a free, all-ages showcase for the locals. Texas Is Forever spotlights seven acts from across the Lone Star State: local rockers Ritual and Stab and tweemo newbies I wear your chain; San Marcos, San Antonio, and RGV shoegazers Ladyluck, fawn, and Violetta; and Houston emos Spright. A merch raffle benefiting the SIMS Foundation and an after-show karaoke session beckon to the OGs too cool for SXSW badges. – Carys Anderson
Scorpion Child Album Release
Friday 14, Crow Bar/The Raven Room
In an era of true crime, unwilling participant Aryn Jonathan Black shows me chilling security footage of the man who torched the Crow Bar on South Congress in 2022. Despite seeing him roam free, Scorpion Child’s singer now marks the resurrection of the venue on 523 Thompson next to Callahan’s, twice as big as before and ambient as Fields of the Nephilim. I Saw the End as It Passed Right Through Me, meanwhile, delivers the band’s third ripper, a marvel of darkened alt-hard rock christening the Crow’s sweet stage. Eagle Claw thus headlines the first annual Crow by Crow Bar (CXCB), with direct support from Scorpion Child. – Raoul Hernandez
Density512 and KMFA present Power Up: The Art of Video Game Music
Friday 14, KMFA Studios
This intriguing collaboration looks at the relationship between symphonic music and its pivotal use in video games. The event will feature two panels: one with composers who worked on scores for video games and another with Lucas Martell, CEO of Mighty Coconut. There will also be a behind-the-scenes look at the music recording process for horror comedy game The Baby in Yellow. Density512 bookends the day with two performances. Entry is free with RSVP for those who have SXSW badges; $10 gets non-badgeholders in. – Derek Udensi
Fourth Annual Fur Will Fly Fest
Friday 14, Cherrywood Coffeehouse
If you’re not familiar with the philosophical comedy of Texan Bill Hicks, you should get familiar, but it’s understandable – he died in 1994 while his star was still on the rise, succumbing to pancreatic cancer at only 32 years old. Posthumous releases helped grow his cult following, and the nonprofit Bill Hicks Foundation keeps his memory alive through work with injured wildlife. They and the Austin Bat Refuge put on a concert to raise funds for these crucial orgs, with talent such as Bubble Puppy’s David Fore, Lisa Gamache y Tres Mas, singer-songwriter Larry Seaman, and a host of other local treasures and guests from every corner of the U.S. Swing through from 1-10pm for the family-friendly fur-flying. – Kat McNevins
SheXSW: SuperWoman Records Takeover
Saturday 15, 506 Congress
Austin-based nonprofit label SuperWoman Records seeks to uplift Black women musicians by providing signees $5,000 and working with them to develop their craft, brand, and business skills. Ten artists perform at the label’s SXSW showcase, which isn’t just an exhibit of SuperWoman talent, but a competition: The community votes to decide which artists join the nonprofit’s six-month cohort program. Two-time American Idol-competing soul singer Kya Monee’, spoken word poet Cassidy “Somethin’ Else” Edison, Austin Chronicle cover-gracing MC Blakchyl, and rising rap/R&B songwriter Lynn are among the women slated to perform at the event, which charges $25 for entry. – Carys Anderson
Fiesta Destructo
Saturday 15, Hotel Vegas
An old-school, hard rock, SXSW day party, aka “J’s 23th Anniversary of Devil Music-n-Drinkin,” with music on both Hotel Vegas stages and the Volstead as well. Heavy lifers High on Fire, a newly energized Riverboat Gamblers, and Tear Dungeon headline the outdoor stage, Southern charmers Thelma & the Sleaze headline the club stage, and Hunch tops the Volstead. It is entirely possible there will be last-minute special guests. Kicks off at 1 pm, free until 7pm. – Joe Gross
St. Pickles Day Pickle Party
Sunday 16, Hotel Vegas
At Grillo’s Pickles’ St. Pickles Day Pickle Party, Hotel Vegas lines up a face-puckering bill with Texas heavies Portrayal of Guilt, shoegaze crushers Narrow Head, psych-prog shapeshifters Wand, and locals like Nuclear Daisies, the Pinky Rings, and Touch Girl Apple Blossom. Josh Adams will be giving pickle tattoos to a brave, pickle-loving few, and free pickles fuel the pit, keeping you salty through every riff, roar, and reverb-drenched breakdown. – Kyra Bruce
SXSnackBar
Sunday 16, Bobo’s Snack Bar
As South by Southwest packs its tents and shuffles off to get ready for next year, Bobo’s keeps the music going with an all-day Austin garage/indie rock jam. Chronicle-recommended Daily Worker (see insert) kicks things off at noon, followed by Beaty Wilson, Bantam Woods, Nilsa No One, Goldwinners, the Ugly Beats, and Sploot. Bobo’s brings the chill old-Austin vibes and the hearty-yet-healthy snacks and drinks. This is your chance to decompress after the Fest, hear some high-quality local music, and talk about how you hope everyone who came to South By doesn’t move here. – Kat McNevins
Altin Sencalar Quintet
Tuesday 18, Monks Jazz
Trombonist Altin Sencalar has done a lot since graduating from the Butler School of Music: He’s recorded several albums, earned a Master of Music from Michigan State, taught all over the country (most recently at the Brevard Jazz Institute and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music), and made music with Michael Bublé, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lyne Carrington, Rodney Whitaker, Christian McBride, and too many more to list. Sencalar may no longer reside in town, but he comes back as often as he can, this time in support of his upcoming record Unleashed. – Michael Toland
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Thursday 20, ACL Live at the Moody Theater
Scion of New Orleans royalty, Trombone Shorty (born Troy Andrews) rose out of the Tremé neighborhood as a prodigy and has grown up to bring the Crescent City’s second-line culture into the mainstream, fusing jazz, funk, and hip-hop. 2010’s Backatown, his Grammy-nominated major label debut, featured this experimental “supafunkrock” melding, while 2011’s For True solidified his name. But Andrews’ third Verve album, the R&B-inflected Say That to Say This, co-produced by Raphael Saadiq, found the trombonist settled and mature in his sound. The balanced Parking Lot Symphony, his first turn for Blue Note, features the bass-heavy “Familiar” and minor-keyed “Where It At?” – Kahron Spearman
Music Notes
by Derek UdensiMusic Mania
Thursday 13, Abe’s Smoke Shop
Keep Austin Live, Loud City Society, and Major Gains tag team for a free, Wrestlemania-sized throwdown. Benny the Butcher associate Fuego Base headlines a lineup featuring a slew of local MCs.
Feels So Good Fest
Thursday 13 – Sunday 16, Feels So Good
In an Instagram post announcing this year’s FSG Fest lineup, the popular print shop inconspicuously revealed it’d also be the last at their current East Alpine location. Names to expect this week before a possible move: TVOD (Thursday), DAIISTAR (Friday), Mer Marcum (Saturday), and SKATELAND (Sunday). Single-day tickets are $15.
BabyTron
Sunday 16, Independence Brewing
BabyTron’s scam-loving persona may seem like one big meme at first, but his penchant for witty pop culture references and creative basketball punchlines give credence to legitimate rap capabilities. The Michigan rapper headlines the first night of RoadRunners World’s RRWXSW event; purchase tickets via Eventbrite.
YOUNG POSSE
Tuesday 18, the Courtyard ATX
Whether it’s naming an EP after XXL – complete with a cover tributing the magazine’s popular Freshman Class series – or rapping over G-Funk beats (“Ate That”), this five-woman K-pop group implements hip-hop sensibilities in a variety of ways. Their Austin stop is part of a five-date Texas tour.
Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what’s happening now or in the coming week.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect that BabyTron’s Independence Brewing performance has been moved from Saturday, March 15 to Sunday, March 16.
This article appears in March 14 • 2025.