Primed to unleash its fourth volume of blistering hardcore and pulverizing extreme metal across March 2-5 – a run of dates that will see the festival expanding to its biggest, most diverse bill yet following a three-year layoff – This Is Austin, Not That Great remains a one-man operation … mostly.
“Save for a couple of friends who help me do pickup runs and stage managing – the booking, the footwork, that’s all me. I open up a couple credit cards and buy flights and hope everything pays itself off,” explains founder and punk lifer Juan-Carlos Silva. “I guess there’s also my mom who helps me with spreadsheets and budgeting, numbers stuff.”
Silva first started his festival in 2016. Though its name cheekily twists the title of classic 1982 thrashcore compilation This Is Boston, Not L.A. into a statement against local gentrification, the gathering was actually born out of the time Silva spent outside Austin, culling its national lineup from the connections he made as a tour manager and driver. This year’s iteration is split between Empire and Mohawk (plus day shows at Chess Club), and structured into nights that respectively highlight traditionalist hardcore, black metal/grind, and thrash/death/slam.
War metal duo Antichrist Siege Machine, goregrind rhythmalists Miasmatic Necrosis, and crust-ridden newbies Quarantine (formed slightly before quarantine) stand out among the assembled riff warriors. Silva recommends hardcore acts Sociedad Bastarda, Mirage, and the Passing, as well as locals Flower City. Most exciting of all, however, is the festival’s Mohawk kickoff featuring an array of internet-famous underground-hip-hop futurists, headlined by emo rapper and Lil Peep associate Cold Hart.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” Silva says. “Rich people are gonna get off the plane for South by Southwest and walk into a nuclear fallout zone.”
This Is Austin, Not That Great’s fourth edition takes place Thursday, March 2, through Sunday, March 5. For more on the fest, read our interviews with visiting acts Cartier God and Fugitive. Find tickets to all-ages shows at Mohawk and Empire, starting at $20, here. Shows at Chess Club are 21+, with $15 tickets available at the door.
This article appears in February 24 • 2023.