#SXSW2016

[clairwil]

South by Southwest 2016: Transportation

Smart Cities Challenge Panel at SxSWi 2016 Seven Mayors and the U.S. DOT Secretary Fox #SXSW2016 #SXSWi2016 Austin chosen for the Smart City Challenge. The US DOT has chosen Austin for some transportation connection upgrades. Seven Mayors and the U.S. DOT Secretary Fox #SXSW2016 #SXSWi2016 Austin chosen for the Smart City Challenge. South by Southwest Interactive 2016. #SXSWi2016 #SXSW2016…

[thaskyeisthelimit]

What an amazing performance at #SXSW! Thank you VIBE Magazine for this incredible opportunity! #VibeOnSite

[trnsprtd]

Mitski, Drunk Walk Home

Video de Mitski, tocando la canción Drunk Walk Home en la edición de 2016 del Festival SXSW, publicado el 6 de abril de 2016. Drunk Walk Home fue originalmente publicada dentro del álbum Bury Me at Makeout Creek, publicado el 11 de Noviembre de 2014.

Video of Mitski, performing Drunk Walk Home at SXSW Festival 2016, released on april 6th, 2016. Drunk Walk Home was originally published within the album Bury Me at Makeout Creek, released on November 11th, 2014.

[keneshamusic]

200views already 😊 thank you! My song 'We go up and down' #wixmusic #sxsw2016 #keneshamusic #uk #indie #acoustic #soul #pop #orignalsong #singersongwriter

[cartoonnetwork]

Steven and Connie cosplay goals! ✨👒🌟

[baddiegordy512]

South by Southwest 2016. 

[m00ndanse]

In the beginning, Spyder didn’t accompany me to radio stations. I would have to go myself with our manager, and, you know, they would talk to me before I went in. They would say, “Don’t give the guy the finger when you go in. Don’t swear at the guy, don’t be mean to the guy, don’t do this, don’t do that. And I was like, if he’s going to be a jerk I’m not gonna sit there and take it. I’m not. And of course, he was a jerk!

[m-o-n-d-o]

Me and Metro Boomin at 7/11 (Austin Texas ‘16) 6am

[lovexstereo]

@topochicousa was my keyboard stand 💦 Happened in 2016 @music_madness_atx, SXSW🔥 Missing Austin like crazy 😢 . . #lovexstereo #러브엑스테레오 #sxsw2016 #topochico (at SXSW) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu5s2dXlkg2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=10wcb7brzjjbk

[ppobme]

#tbt to the me at maximum fan girl: sitting on the Iron Throne and visiting the Hall of Faces 🤓Season 7 is coming

[fluffy-jack-blog]

Well we all thought the same, didn’t we? (◕ᴗ◕✿)

[foodisthenewrock]

Just talked to breakout sxsw rocker Mondo Cosmo.

Bbq: Stubbs and Ironworks LA: Craft Sustinance on the road: Alcohol

[folkitall]

New release: “Texas Girls and Jesus Christ” EP

“It seems the public at large has deemed ‘clean vocals’ are the way to go, that having a clear tone is what's beautiful and that's the standard we have to live up to. I'm screwed in that regard.”

Trevor Sensor is the newest artist signed to Jagjaguwar, the independent record label whose roster of artists also includes Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Angel Olsen. 

We caught up with Trevor during his week at SXSW, where he’s performing in Secretly Group & Friends lineups, and chatted about his new label, the fresh EP and his prior journalistic experience. 

Listen to Texas Girls and Jesus Christ, then read on for our interview with Trevor.

Folk It All: You spent time in London last summer and, this May, you're playing a string of shows in Leeds, London and at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton. What has the UK reception been like, compared to playing in the States – especially at SXSW this week? In your experience, how does the folk scene differ across the pond? 

Trevor Sensor: The reception over in the UK has been very flattering. Probably the best crowds I've played to were there. I don't know much about the folk scenes in either the States or the UK (or music scenes in general), but I did notice that it seems the UK cares a bit more about music than the States. At least in London, it seemed like there was a real effort to go to shows, check out new bands, and really delve into challenging art that might not otherwise intrigue passive listeners. The people are lovely over there.

FIA: How do you typically discover new music?

TS: Usually through friends showing me new artists they're digging. I'm not one to sift through Spotify playlists or anything like that. Weirdly enough, I've found a lot of bands through reading books or essays by writers mentioning them in their work. Kerouac got me turned on to Chet Baker, for example. There's just too much on the Internet to go through it all. 

FIA: It’s been a big couple of months for you – you signed with Jagjaguwar (congratulations!), are playing SXSW this week, and you release your debut EP at the end of the month. Till now, what had been the most meaningful milestone in your music career?

TS: Probably being signed to Jagjaguwar. Weirdly enough, they've been my favorite label for a couple years – big fan of what they put out – so getting signed to them has sort of cast me into the Twilight Zone. Now I'm just waiting for Rod Serling to whisper in my ear.

FIA: Who’s a favorite label-mate of yours?

TS: Bon Iver, as they're my favorite band. But I think an artist on Jag who deserves a lot of attention is Angel Olsen. Burn Your Fire For No Witness was one of my favorite records of 2014. She has this quiet intensity about her performance and songwriting – like there's something more going on underneath that you're frightened to look at yet can't help yourself doing so. Favorite song of her's is probably "Windows" (the last track on that record). I think she really embodies the songwriter who understands how to control all these emotions that are flowing out of her by being clever about her wordplay and song structures. I really can't praise her work enough. 

FIA: Your vocal style is so distinct. I’ve seen it draw comparison to Tom Waits, The Tallest Man on Earth and Bob Dylan. From where do you draw inspiration or influence? How did you find your sound?

TS: The voice has always been there. As far as vocalists goes, Tom Waits is my go-to on someone who I think is truly original and has soul. In the age of American Idol and The Voice, though, it seems the public at large has deemed “clean vocals” are the way to go, that having a clear tone is what's beautiful and that's the standard we have to live up to. I'm screwed in that regard. As for influences, I listen to everything from Chet Baker to Kendrick Lamar...so I'd be lying if I said where I knew all these songs and ideas come from.

FIA: You’ve been on the other side of the question mark, so to speak –– you contributed pretty extensively to Alt Citizen. How’d you get started with that? What’d you take away from the experience?

TS: I was looking for places to write, so I emailed a bunch of music and literary blogs (basically begging to work for them) and attached an essay I wrote about this Jeff Magnum show I went to a couple years back. Nasa Hadizadeh (Editor-in-Chief of Alt Citizen) apparently liked my stuff because she emailed me a couple hours later offering me to write for them. If I learned anything, it's that I now understand why so many journalists recycle interview questions. You get assigned some band that you've never listened to, don't care about, but you have to get this piece in by such and such date, so you research past interviews and re-word old questions and statements just to get the piece done and move on. Also that journalists (having been one) aren't void of ego – they want to be known for their work, too.

FIA: What can we expect from the upcoming EP?

TS: A Bruce Cockburn cover, the Devil Satan, purple jeans, drunk rich kids, and sub-par guitar playing.

FIA: I read that you wrote music for the EP on a borrowed guitar. Dying to know: Who’d you borrow it from (and should they ever expect to get that guitar back)?

TS: I borrowed it from a one-legged transvestite who owed me a favor.

FIA: From one English scholar to another, what are you currently reading?

TS: Trying to get through Henry Miller's Tropic of Capricorn. It's one of those books that fills you with joy and despair simultaneously. The character of Miller within his books is extremely paradoxical because the guy's so free of a moral center (as in he has become completely passive and continuously laughs through the suffering of life) that it's almost inspiring...but then you read about how he finds glee in watching a neighborhood kid get beaten by his father, and you end up looking at yourself with horror.

FIA: And, taking a page out of your interview jotter…

Last show you went to?

TS: Last show I went to was Ryan Adams at SXSW. Such an amazing songwriter and performer. Watching him steal a man's jacket from the crowd was the height of my SXSW experience.

FIA: Unknown band you think everyone should know about? 

TS: Typhoon. Kyle Morton may very well be one of the greatest songwriters today. How he continuously wrestles with his own mortality and the possible meaninglessness of life is something to be applauded. I'm surprised he hasn't cracked yet, like Nietzsche. Go listen to their record, White Lighter. Favorite record of 2013.

***

By Ashlyn St. Ours for Folk It All Art by Beau Sims

[djtrase]

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Part 3 - Last year I got the opportunity to rock the Main WorldStar HipHop Stage @worldstar shout out to @jwshh - We gearing up for #SXSW #SXSW2017 @grafh x @djtrase x @dxpegvng_nyc x @panama1124 x @maxxwayne But here is a recap from last years trip to #SXSW #SXSW2016 #AustinTexas #AustinTX #Austin #Texas #djtrase

[djzeke]

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Soul lovers came together to experience the magic of @erykahbadu x @missjillscott on @verzuztv which made me reflect on the time I met Ms. Badu in 2016 at her show in Austin during SXSW. Her energy radiated as she came to greet all of her friends and fans one by one, just as it did last night. I feel blessed to have met so many people who have done so much to push the culture forward. #DJZeke #DJZekeExperience #DJLifestyle #SXSW2016 #SXSW #ErykahBadu #Verzuz #ErykahBaduvsJillScott (at Dallas, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAA5tF9J7RB/?igshid=cazrzibduozv

[novemberreignart]

Throwback Thursday: A view of the Texas State Capitol on my way to a show at SxSW, 2016. R.I.P. to those who lost their lives in the recent bombings in Austin. Hopefully, this madness is finally over. #texasstatecapitol #austintx #sxsw2016 #tbt