FIVE "MUST SEE" ACTS AT SXSW 2017

It's been a while since I've posted, so quick life update:  started a company last year with two buddies called Vectortone and we've been throwing concerts in the Louisville / Lexington area.  The downside has been finding time to write on WLFY -- the upside is I've been catching five-six live shows a week.

With all this recent concert experience, I wanted to share my "CAN'T MISS" acts at SXSW 2017:

5.

RON GALLO

You can't fake having a good time and Ron Gallo never has to.  They turn the stage into their own carnival funhouse, distorting the commonality of a rock show into a musical journey packed with catchy songs and inviting banter.  Ron Gallo isn't for lovers of rock or punk... Gallo is for anybody who loves music and connecting live with musicians who actually give a damn.

4.

JAMES LINDSEY

From the birthplace of the Greatest of All Time... I give you the Greatest Unknown.  A household name in Louisville, KY, James Lindsey (previously Jalin Roze) is all talent and no pretension. With his breezy melodies and a locked-in dedication to his art, Lindsey will be one of those sets you catch at SXSW that makes you feel the amazing power of discovery. An artist of Lindsey's caliber deserves ears and I hope you can make his set. 

3.

HAND HABITS

SXSW can be an exhausting week with a blur of bands being ushered on and off stages.  I always recommend taking a break and catching some singer/songwriters in an intimate setting.  If you have a chance to catch Hand Habits in such a venue... do it.  Meg Duffy's voice will wash away the long days in the sun, the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, and the hangovers.  If you need a mid-week therapy session, let Hand Habits put your mind at ease.  

2.

WHITE REAPER

Now that White Reaper let me go and moved on to better management, I can finally write about them on WLFY and let the world know what I really think about them: they're one of the best live bands going right now.  You don't describe a White Reaper concert... you go to one and become part of it. SXSW 2017 break out band... put it in the books.

1.

BOOGARINS

The best live band I saw in 2016.  Please.  Please.  Please go see the Boogarins.  No words or pitch needed... watch the video below.