Two years ago, I wrote a post about my decades-long history with SXSW, the Austin, Texas music/industry convestival that I’ve been attending singe the last century. According to the SXSW website, over 1,200 artists grace its stages. But let’s not forget the legions of musicians who, while not technically part of the official lineup, flood Austin during that magical week to play countless unofficial gigs and parties. Picture this: a not-so-giant downtown and a few scattered, nearby strips overrun by 10,000 band members. Imagine the constant smell of smokey BBQ and the relentless thump of a band no matter where you are, at every time of day or night. It’s a hectic mess and it’s also a lot of fun—maybe more so now that I’m not in a band.
My first SXSW experience was way back in 1997, when my Seattle band flew down to Austin fueled by dreams of getting signed. Fast forward five years to 2002, I returned with a different band, freshly signed to a major label. This time, our mission was to play one show, meet the label bigwigs, and bask in the imminent release of our new album. Finally, in 2006, I went with yet another band who played several shows to stir up hype for our upcoming album. With each trip, the chaos got a bit easier to handle—or maybe I just got a bit older and wiser.
This year, I had a blast watching acts like Nabihah Iqbal, Hinds, Hermamos Gutiérrez, and YHWH Nailgun, along with some of the excellent artists I work with, like Dry Cleaning, cumgirl8, Gruff Rhys, Bar Italia, and Fabiana Palladino. And while I often found myself feeling envious watching these performers, I made sure to stick around long enough to witness the frantic teardowns and hurried pack-ups before dashing off to another gig across town.
As an industry insider, I started SXSWing around 2002, when I began releasing albums on my own label. Around the same time, SXSW became a hub for record store owners like myself to hash out industry wins and woes. Funny enough, those non-musician meetings sometimes felt more draining than schlepping gear around. Nowadays, I do the most relaxed version of SXSW imaginable: chilling in a comfy hotel, hitting the gym, and actually eating something besides BBQ or queso. The real workout? Endless chatting and listening, all while a live band provides the soundtrack at sometimes deafening volumes. Don't get me wrong—I love catching up with old friends and colleagues, but no matter how you do it, SXSW is exhausting.
Some of the talking and listening I did at SXSW was recorded and filmed, and I’m excited to share more news about that soon.
You might recall my post from December 2023, when I was in Palm Springs for the holidays and hoping to become friends with longtime Guns N’ Roses & The Cult drummer and Palm Springs resident, Matt Sorum. Well it finally happened. Earlier this week I got a tour of Matt’s amazing studio, Good Noise Studio, and heard some great stories from his past, some of which took place at shows I attended as a teenager. I think The Cure co-founder/longtime drummer, Lol Tolhurst was right when he told me, “All drummers are friends.” I’m in the process of convincing my wife AJ that “All drummers should also have a place in Palm Springs that looks like the photo below.” Watch this space for updates.
In 2018 I reissued my uncle, the jazz saxophonist, Alan Braufman’s 1975 album, Valley of Search. It kind of blew up (in an avant garde jazz sort of way), which inspired Alan to write a new album, The Fire Still Burns, released in 2020. Alan is now an unbelievably energetic 72 years old, and we’ve just announced his best album yet, Infinite Love Infinite Tears. We’ll release the album on May 17, and Alan will headline Brooklyn’s National Sawdust on June 7. You can listen / stream / etc HERE. And Bandcamp is the best place to buy the LP / CD / digital album.
My memoir is called My Life in the Sunshine. You can order it here, or listen to the audiobook on Spotify.
I hope to see you somewhere soon. Upcoming events are always listed here, and stay tuned for a big 2024 project.
Nabil Ayers / Brooklyn