Returning for the first, in-person South by Southwest fest in three years, Michigan’s presence takes on a regional flavor with plenty of Mitten State performers in the mix. Check out the lineup.
Eager to Make His First SXSW Appearance: Ohly (Photo/Elise Coates)
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South by Southwest kicks off in Austin, Texas, today for the first in-person conference and festival in three years – one of the world’s biggest music events that’s essentially been on extended hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And amid the hubbub sparked by 100,000-plus attendees and more than 2,000 performing acts, Michigan House has returned to Austin with a new pop-up venue and a fresh, expanded approach to its promotion of regional acts and creative endeavors.
“The big adjustment we made this year is broadening our geographic footprint and inviting the neighbors. This will be the first ever ‘Midwest House’ and we’re incredibly excited to connect with our friends from Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and more,” said Ted Velie, chief organizer of the Michigan House experience.
Furillostar: The Flint hip hop/R&B artist performs on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo)
“There aren’t that many opportunities for the Midwest to come together as one, and we think it’s pretty cool that we get to give it a try.”
Despite the larger “footprint,” the Midwest House pop-venue’s new location on Rainey Street “in the heart of downtown Austin,” will feature performances by plenty of Michigan artists, most of them from the Detroit area.
Tonight’s opening “kick-off” event will include a performance at Half Step Bar by Detroit-area band Remnose, as well as Austin’s Michael Hale Trio featuring Mac McIntosh and James Hersey.
Saturday’s evening “Midwest House Music” lineup will feature Ann Arbor’s Lily Talmers, Detroit’s Ohly and Flint’s Furillostar. And Monday’s final salvo features Detroit’s Jacob Sigman and Stoop Lee, with Austin-based hip hop artist and Detroit native Mike Melinoe headlining. (Sunday’s lineup is still being finalized. View the current schedule below.)
“We are going to have as much music as we’ve ever had this year due to the location of our venue right on Rainey Street,” Velie said.
“With all the certainty in the air, the music program is admittedly coming together at the last minute, but we’re really excited at some of the artists that are coming down.”
‘CAN’T WAIT’ TO PLAY SXSW IN A PRIME AUSTIN LOCATION
That includes Rochester native Christian Ohly, who performs and records as Ohly, which is making its first-ever appearance at SXSW.
“Pretty much everyone knows SXSW and we can’t wait to get down there, despite the 40-hour round trip drive,” he told Local Spins.
“The first time I applied for this opportunity was 2019, so it feels like a long time coming. Midwest House is an amazing organization and we can’t wait to play some new songs for the folks in Austin. The band will consist of myself, Ben Yost (drums) and Ian Lukas (bass).”
Mike Melinoe (Courtesy Photo)
Michigan House partnered once again with Opnr Music to collect applications from more than 200 artists for this year’s SXSW events.
Velie said he’s excited about the prospects for this year’s pop-up venue because it’s so centrally located.
“During SXSW the entire street gets taken over and it’s really going to be something else to be in the middle of so much activity,” he said.
“We’ve got CNN across the street from us, Twitter House down the block, and there’s even a rumor about that Rolling Stone magazine will be taking up residency right next door.”
He added that the team of 26 people involved with Midwest House is “really excited to be a part of what’s looking like the first truly global event since 2020. This year’s team is stacked with photographers, videographers, and more, so be ready for a ton of content coming from our feeds. It really should be fun.”
Until the pandemic canceled plans for 2020, Michigan House had hosted a pop-up venue at SXSW for five straight years.
MIDWEST HOUSE @ SXSW 2022: The Local Spins Playlist
MIDWEST HOUSE: Performance Schedule
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