Music Business Fri Feb 08 2008

SXSW: Chicago Represent!

SXSW, America's (and perhaps the world's) largest music festival, posted its list of performing bands yesterday, and Chicago bands are legion. A list of all 34 local acts -- and a bunch from within driving distance -- follows after the jump.

Chicago bands playing official showcases at SXSW Music, March 12-18:
• Anathallo
• The Audition
• Bible of the Devil
• Bound Stems
• Nick Butcher
• Cap D
• The Chandeliers
• CoCoComa
• The Cool Kids
• Dreamend
• Flosstradamus
• The Hood Internet
• The Hush Sound
• Icy Demons
• Joan of Arc
• Le Concorde
• Mahjongg
• Make Believe
• Mannequin Men
• Maps & Atlases
• Walter Meego
• Trevor Menear
• Mittens on Strings
• Naked Raygun
• The 1900s
• Office
• Pit er Pat
• The Redwalls
• Russian Circles
• Sybris
• Tub Ring
• Waco Brothers
• Andre Williams
• Yakuza

There's even more if you circle out three or four hours from Chicago: Arrah and the Ferns from Muncie, IN; Call Me Lightning, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Cougar Den and Jon Mueller from Milwaukee; the BoDeans from Waukesha, WI; Headlights from downstate Champaign; Harley Poe from Kokomo, IN; Screamin' Cyn Cyn & The Pons, Droids Attack and The Gusto from Madison, WI; Everthus the Deadbeats and David Moore from Indianapolis; Totally Michael from Bloomington, IN; and The Meatmen from Lansing, MI (well, they were originally anyway). That's a lot of rock.

And that doesn't even include the many local and regional bands who will be making the trek down to Austin for unofficial shows during the conference. We've heard that The Black Oil Brothers, Blueblood, The Debauchers, Netherfriends, Tom Schraeder & His Ego, The Sleepers are playing unofficial shows; if you hear of any other hometown heroes playing, let us know.

Also, South Bend's Umphrey's McGee and Wilco are both still rumored to perform -- we'll know in the coming weeks, obviously.

- Andrew Huff