There's a shift that happens midway through SXSW madness here in Austin — the streets get a little drunker, the jeans get a little skinnier, and the median age goes down by about a decade. Music, the original beating heart of SXSW, takes over, and the result is the largest festival of its kind in the world. With an endless parade of sponsored showcases and off-site day parties, what was originally a major hub of music discovery has become the bewildering IRL version of a streaming service: every artist ever, available more or less on demand. The Verge is on the ground trying seeing as much of it as we can — and yes, mom, staying very hydrated.
Mar 23, 2016, 3:30 PM UTCJamieson Cox
Talking to singer-songwriter Julien Baker about art, pain, and Dashboard Confessional
'There are people from five different states here, and I know all of them just from being a touring musician.'
Mar 22, 2016, 6:39 PM UTCJamieson Cox
Faces of 6th Street: a series of SXSW portraits
'People don't care about genres, what you look like, your age. They just want to have a good time.'
Mar 22, 2016, 4:49 PM UTCLizzie Plaugic
Wall-to-wall carpeting and the glory of God: the weird side of hip-hop at SXSW
What happens when you skip Drake and go rogue at a giant festival
Mar 22, 2016, 4:32 PM UTCEmily Yoshida
I want it all: a conversation with Dawn Richard
At one point, I make the observation that she has a huge imagination. "It's too big sometimes," she laughs. "It's so fucking big. My little poor pockets are like, 'Dawn, you cannot fly today. You cannot have wings today.' I'm like, 'I want them.'"
Mar 19, 2016, 9:30 PM UTCLizzie Plaugic
Juiceboxxx, a rapper, made me care about guitar music again
Or, how one 13-minute set at SXSW was the best show I've seen in years
Mar 19, 2016, 9:00 PM UTCJamieson Cox
I danced myself clean at Ninja Tune's SXSW showcase
It was like a musical prix fixe menu, and it was tasty
Mar 19, 2016, 4:00 PM UTCLizzie Plaugic
Atlanta rapper Rome Fortune is just like you, only more famous
Hanging out with the most fun guy in hip-hop right now
Mar 18, 2016, 9:21 PM UTCJamieson Cox
What it's like to be a band on the SXSW grind, as told by Whitney
'Gold Bond powder. Gold Bond in the shoes, in the pants.'
Mar 18, 2016, 8:01 PM UTCEmily Yoshida and Elizabeth Lopatto
Why does music make you lose control?
We've all been in the car or at a show when a song comes on that provokes a seemingly involuntary physical reaction, whether it's goosebumps or a bout of extreme headbanging.
Mar 18, 2016, 6:00 PM UTCJamieson Cox
This is your next jam: our special SXSW selections
Featuring D∆WN, Julien Baker, Rome Fortune, and more
Mar 17, 2016, 10:36 PM UTCEmily Yoshida and Jamieson Cox
Everything you wanted to know about Tumblr's feminist party at SXSW
But were too problematic to ask
Mar 17, 2016, 9:33 PM UTCJamieson Cox
David Bowie's producer is terrified by the music industry's 'downward spiral'
And he has the speculative fiction to prove it
Mar 17, 2016, 4:59 PM UTCLizzie Plaugic
A conversation with Wiwek, the Dutch producer who invented 'jungle terror'
With a Skrillex co-sign, Wiwek will soon be a much more recognizable name
Mar 16, 2016, 7:21 PM UTCJamieson Cox
Michelle Obama tells men to ‘get it together’ during wide-ranging SXSW keynote
'If you're a man at the table and... there are only men at the table, ask yourself: how can I do better?'
Mar 16, 2016, 2:00 PM UTCJamieson Cox
YouTube confidential: a conversation with The Range
"Getting in touch with a real human being isn't as easy as you might think."
Mar 4, 2016, 2:17 AM UTCJamieson Cox
Crystal Castles are being removed from Tumblr's feminism-themed SXSW party
"We don't want the band's presence to distract from this important mission."
Mar 3, 2016, 6:31 PM UTCJamieson Cox
Tumblr will celebrate feminism at SXSW with an event headlined by Crystal Castles
'We're celebrating the female voice on Tumblr.'