The SXSW That Never Was, Pt.2
About two weeks ago, I launched the first part of an ongoing piece about SXSW 2020. Since this is a continuation, I won’t burden everyone with the full introduction again, so if you would like to start from the beginning, please check out part one of “The SXSW That Never Was.”
That being said, I do want to reiterate part of that initial post as an explanation for what is to come:
I listen to every artist announced for SXSW each year in the hope that I will discover someone new that I can share with others and perpetuate what has become my obsession for this industry.
Not all of these bands may be your cup of tea, and in some cases, you may hate everyone I write about, but to be completely honest, this is a selfish endeavor.
This is for me.
So without further ado, here are more of the artists I was most excited to see, but never saw, at SXSW 2020.
Declan J Donovan
I have an affinity for sharing artists from Europe, and Declan J Donovan is no exception. Hailing from the UK, Donovan ascended quickly in the past 3 years in a rather unorthodox fashion.
After writing the song, “Fallen So Young,” for his brother’s wedding, he ended up sharing the song publicly via SoundCloud. The song became a viral hit and catapulted Donovan into the spotlight.
His warm vocals add a special dimension to his, for lack of a better description, addictive pop ballads.
While it isn’t the song that initially put him on the map, “Better” is the song that I find myself hooked on.
Vistas
Yet another group from across the pond, Vistas is the most recent in a long line of acts from Scotland that I have discovered through SXSW.
Similarly to Larkins from part one, Vistas will have you bobbing your head, singing and dancing along, and you just can’t help it. Their songs are upbeat and uplifting, and that helped the initial spread of their popularity via word of mouth.
Since then, the group caught the attention of BBC Music, and I anticipate they will continue to rise with the release of their debut album scheduled at the end of this month.
Vistas have toured supporting two of my other all-time favorites, The Wombats and The Kooks. This is the first song that drew me in, and I hear influences from them both in “Calm.”
Ailbhe Reddy
Ailbhe Reddy is an insanely talented, indie, folk rock vocalist from Ireland. She has been on the rise for quite some time after releasing “Distrust” upon the musical world in 2016. The song was greeted with an overwhelmingly positive response, and since it’s release to Spotify, it has well over 3 million listens.
A series of EPs and singles followed and continued to echo that sentiment. She exploded across Ireland and the UK, but has yet to reach most of the U.S. audience.
Reddy was/is slated to release her debut album this year, so I can only hope that it doesn’t get delayed too long, as it will inevitably place the spotlight firmly back upon her.
To me, her voice is a unique blend that lands somewhere amongst the influences of Rita Ora, Norah Jones and Florence and the Machine. “Personal History" was released in early April, and it is a great introduction to her sound.
Billy Raffoul
This next artist comes by way of Ontario, and brings an old, musical soul with him. Billy Raffoul has a style and sound that is all his own, but he still brings in touches that are reminiscent of Joe Cocker, Ray LaMontagne, and Gregory Alan Isakov to me.
The rugged, raspy, haunting vocals draw you in to Raffoul’s world. His debut album, A Few More Hours at YYZ, is full of soul/rock tracks that will intertwine his words with your emotions.
The album is a fitting soundtrack to quarantine. One of my personal favorites is the next to last on the record, “Easy Tiger.”
That’s all I have time to share today, but trust that there are many more artists to be featured in the coming weeks.
Until then, spread the music; spread the love.
Cheers,
Travis
