Building a fan base at South by Southwest music festival

AUSTIN, Texas – You’ll usually find R.E.M. playing arenas and esteemed concert halls. But last week, the rock hall of famers were among the acts trying to catch a break and artists looking to build their audience at the sprawling South by Southwest music festival.

The multiplatinum rockers played Stubbs BBQ shortly after midnight Wednesday before an energetic crowd of a couple thousand, marking the first time they’ve appeared at the annual extravaganza in their nearly three-decade career.

But it’s hardly a downgrade: Playing a showcase at SXSW has often been a way for a veteran act to make a big splash with a new project, or re-establish itself in the spotlight, especially if it has dimmed in recent years.

“That is something that has become over the years what the whole thing is about,” says music journalist Alan Light, a regular participant in SXSW (though he opted to stay home this time).

“It is interesting and I guess a bit ironic that this festival that was really initially about sort of the discovery of new music and really supporting and creating a platform for unsigned and for underexposed bands, because of the kind of audience it gathered, suddenly became a place where Robert Plant or Pete Townshend or the Cult were playing to sort of get their credentials re-established.”

In addition to R.E.M., whose new CD “Accelerate” is out April 1, this year’s festival also featured a performance by Van Morrison (who has a CD, “Keep it Simple,” due April 1 as well).

One of the more memorable examples of how a SXSW performance breathed new life into a languishing artist was Ike Turner.

Though a rock legend, he was known more as the disgraced ex-husband of Tina Turner and hadn’t had an album in more than two decades. But his performance at SXSW – which Light still recalls as “pretty amazing to see” – reminded audiences of his rich musical legacy and helped build excitement as his album was released in 2001.

While established acts have been on the bill throughout SXSW’s 22-year existence, the festival’s reputation was built on fresh faces who used it as a launching pad, whether to secure a record deal or broaden their audience with buzzworthy performances.

But veteran artists and bands have found that SXSW can provide an invaluable boost as well, given the audience of music journalists, record executives, radio programmers and other key industry insiders.

“R.E.M. actually is looking to reconnect with the critics and tastemakers who are there,” says Blender magazine Editor-in-Chief Joe Levy.

“It’s the equivalent of going to a superstore. You don’t have to tour the country and connect with all these critics. … All you need to do is show up in Austin.”

It’s also a way to underscore musical credibility, Light adds.

“It’s a very insider audience, a very sophisticated audience,” he says. “This is to demonstrate that they can really go out and win over real music people.”

This was Daryl Hall’s first year at SXSW, but he doesn’t see the opportunity as an attempt to win over anyone – he’s seeking to connect with younger acts as he looks to build up his monthly Internet show “Live from Daryl’s House,” which features him jamming with newer acts such as KT Tunstall.

“I thought it as a perfect way for me to get to a large number of new bands, and have the opportunity to interact with a number of people,” says Hall, of Hall & Oates. “I’m really looking for a new experience.”

Another veteran performing at this year’s festival was Alejandro Escovedo (who played at Spokane’s Pig Out in the Park in 2006).

While Escovedo does have a new album due out in June, he’s not performing simply to promote it; the Austin resident has played the festival regularly since its inception.

Though he notes the growing profile of veteran acts, he says there’s “always been a great mixture of both. … There is something for everybody.”