Seven more Aussie acts invited to showcase at SXSW

Seven more Australian acts were on South By Southwest’s (SXSW) second round of artists to showcase next March in Austin, Texas.

Vacations (Newcastle), Emerson Snowe (Brisbane), I Know Leopard (Sydney), Denise le Menice (Perth), Odette (Sydney), Jo Schornikow (Melbourne), Haiku Hands (Sydney) join 18 Australian names in the first round, which included Bloods, Amyl & The Sniffers, Catherine Britt, Feels, Gooch Palms, Skegss and Tia Gostelow.

The latest list also includes Jonathan Bree from Auckland.

The first round included eight selections from New Zealand.

This morning’s release included 2000 new names, from 8,000 applications around the world.

Close to 2,000 will be showcasing each night from 7 pm to 2 am in 100+ SXSW official venues and innumerable private parties, branded showcases, activations, national venues (such as AUSTRALIA HOUSE in its second year) and allied official events during the days across the Austin CBD and 6th Street strip.

Phil Tripp, SXSW Australasia's senior development manager for the past 15 years says, “A great showing of top talent being announced at the same time as the ARIA awards.

“But these export-ready bands are the next wave of talent hurtling across the Pacific, fuelled by Austrade’s 15 year involvement in supporting export music, Sounds Australis’s decade of being the peak body for exporting artists and the support of state-based music organisations such as MusicNSW, MusicVictoria, MusicSA, WAM, Music Tasmania, MusicACT, MusicNT, APRA and the Australia Council as well as state government arts bodies.

"As opposed to the US, we’re lucky to have grants programs, bootstrapping, mentoring, artist management initiatives and export strategies from all levels of government and industry.

“It’s why Australia and NZ have developed such powerful brands at SXSW and globally with programs designed to evaporate the tyranny of distance from the rest of the world.”

The Dept. of Foreign Affairs & Trade through GDAY USA and Austrade will again have an open Australia House on Rainey Street as well as a large trade fair presence in the SXSW exhibition area.

Other acts invited to showcase were from the US, UK,  Japan, South Africa, South Korea,  Argentina, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland,  Mongolia, Taiwan, Chile, Colombia,  Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Ireland and France.