SXSW 2016 – The First Saturday Night

Guy Forsyth © Per Ole HagenSXSW is on, and the first part of the Film festival plus Interactive have started. This year, as earlier years, I attend Interactive and Music, so these are busy ten days with seminars during the day and clubs and concerts at night. Saturday consisted of an afternoon concert with my big favorite guitarist Redd Volkaert, a concert with another Austin favorite, Guy Forsyth, then the Peterson Brothers and closing it all with a perfect set from Chuck Prophet. Photo above: Guy Forsyth)

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Austin Music Awards and More at SXSW

Escovedo Sexton Newcombe © Per Ole HagenWednesday night during SXSW is the night for the Austin Music Awards. The readers of the Austin Chronicle have voted for their favorite artists, musicians, venues, and what have you. In earlier years it was held at the Austin Music Hall but moved two years ago to a ballroom at the Convention Center. The show was sold out, and this year it was better and tighter than earlier years, even if the old venue had better atmosphere. After the show, I ran up to the Continental Club to see the end of JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, plus the Waco Brothers. (Picture above, Charlie Sexton, Scrappy Jud Newcombe, Alejandro Escovedo during the Ian McLagan tribute)

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The First Saturday Night In Austin At SXSW

Radd Volkaert © Per Ole HagenSXSW has started, with Film and Interactive. Music starts on Tuesday, and that is also the closing day for the interactive festival. That means the city is filled up with technology oriented people who attend the several hundred seminars and go to the sponsored parties at night. I go to seminars, but I’d rather hear and see some of the great artists and bands here at night before the music festival mayhem starts. Here is what I saw yesterday, March 14. (Picture above: Redd Volkaert)

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Redd Volkaert – Ace Guitarist from Austin

Redd Volkaert © Per Ole HagenSince SXSW is coming up in a couple of weeks, I have found a story I wrote on another blog three years ago about one of the best musicians there, Redd Volkaert.

If you visit the Continental Club on South Congress in Austin any Saturday afternoon or Sunday night, you are sure to see Redd Volkaert, one of the best guitarists I have seen in a long life. He plays with his own quartet on Saturdays and with his band Heybale! on Sundays. I met him before Heybale!’s concert the last Sunday in March 2010.

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