Whitney Rose - Photo by Jen Squires

Speed Dating with SXSW Americana, Country & Roots Showcasing Artists

Genres are less linear than ever before, proven by the Americana, Country, and Roots artists joining us at the SXSW 2020 Music Festival. The artists included in our On The Rocks playlist mix traditional sounds with new and their childhood experiences with the present in an experimental production of classical sounds to deliver music that stands against the genres' status quo.

Read more about this year’s batch of Americana, Country, and Roots artists below and listen to the On The Rocks playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. And don’t forget to explore the full lineup of Showcasing Artists on the SXSW Schedule.

Sarah Klang

 

Gothenburg’s Sarah Klang catapulted onto the music scene while working as a waitress at her father’s bar. The 26-year old decided to take a stab at songwriting and we sure are glad she did. Her music lies between good old-fashioned ballads, classic sixties and seventies pop, Americana, and country. Her lyrics reflect her self-confessed “saddest girl in Sweden” M.O. and won her a Swedish Grammy with her debut album Love In The Milky Way.

Following her first album, Sarah Klang embarked on two sold-out Scandinavian tours and released her second album last October. Complete with grandiose string sections, bleeding heart piano, dreamy Americana-tinged guitars, and Sarah’s powerful hair-raising vocals, Creamy Blue skirts a very fine line between the deadly serious and the self-satirizing.

Devon Gilfillian

 

Growing up as the son of a wedding singer in Philadelphia on a steady diet of R&B, hip-hop, rock, blues, and soul music, Devon Gilfillian gravitated to records that ignited his mind while making his body move. For Gilfillian, the key ingredient in music he loved seemed to be the “soul” – not simply the genre, but the feeling. In search of a career in music, Gilfillian moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he released his first EP in 2016 followed by various singles since.

His music centers on themes of falling in love, out of love, and everything in between. He has shared the stage with acts such as Local Natives, Brothers Osborne, Keith Urban, Mavis Staples, Anderson East, Trombone Shorty, and will continue to tour in 2020.

Basia Bulat

 

Born in Toronto, Canada, Basia Bulat grew up listening to her mother's piano students, Sam Cooke, and Stax on the oldies station. Soon she became a musician herself, blending a unique intrinsic contemporary sound with her forever love of classic folk, country, and R&B. Basia Bulat’s sound is not only marked by her powerhouse vocals, but also by her being a multi-instrumentalist, recording and performing on electric guitar, piano, autoharp, ukulele, bass, and charango.

She has joined Sufjan Stevens, The National, St. Vincent, Head and the Heart, Arcade Fire, Jim James, Dawes, and more on tour. Along with her impressive touring experience, she is also a three-time Polaris Music Prize finalist and has been nominated for three Juno Awards in Canada.

Join Us This March

 

Register to attend SXSW 2020 today and book your hotel through SXSW Housing and Travel to watch your favorite artists live.

Explore all Showcasing Artists coming to Austin this spring with our Apple Music and Spotify Playlists, YouTube Music Video playlist, SXSWfm mixes on Mixcloud, and with the complete SXSW 2020 Schedule.

As always, don't be a stranger and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage and announcements.

Dive into 2019 Music Tracks

Photos courtesy of artists

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