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Brekky Boy, the “jazz-not-jazz” project of Sydney pianist Taylor Davis, are also bound for SXSW.
“Brekky Boy falls under the umbrella of jazz, but branches out into a lot of different genres from jazz and electronic to rock and folk elements. Especially lately, it’s been heavier and more on the electronic and prog-ish side ... there’s a lot going on,” Davis said.
Brekky Boy’s Ryan Hurst (left) Taylor Davis and Liam Hogan will play their first American shows at SXSW.Credit:
Almost four years ago Brekky Boy was the house band at the Montreux Jazz Festival, an experience Davis described as “just incredible ... absolute chaos for 16 nights” and a huge learning curve.
Brekky Boy returned to Montreux last year, played sold-out shows at the Melbourne and Perth jazz festivals, and performed at Germany’s Jazzahead Trade Fair and Festival. Next stop, Texas.
“My main thing is to find a booking agent,” Davis said. “It’s been five years and I’m still doing it all myself. A booking agent would be a big help in the US as well as the UK and Europe.
“It’s got to a point where I spend more time at my laptop emailing, when I should be composing. I need someone who believes in us, so I can focus on creating new music every day, basically.”
SXSW has expanded over the years to incorporate film and television, gaming, technology and innovation. The music component is the largest of its kind in the world, attracting musicians, tastemakers, media and industry professionals from far and wide. In October, SXSW will also take place in Sydney, in what will be the festival’s first staging outside Texas.
It’s hard, but if you really want to make any kind of living, you’ve got to tour.
Jim McCullough
Sounds Australia executive producer Millie Millgate and her team provide on-ground support to Australian artists showcasing at SXSW, and she’s attended the week-long event 14 times.
She will again be there in Texas when Civic, the Northern Territory’s King Stingray and Brisbane-based singer and songwriter Jaguar Jonze join the contingent of Australian acts showcasing next month.
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She said the first Asia Pacific edition of SXSW would also throw a huge spotlight on Australian artists aiming to export their music, and that recently announced financial support from the federal government would help grow the market for contemporary music.
Civic, and other artists attending SXSW next month, fund their own travel, accommodation and associated costs with no guarantee of future overseas tours or festival bookings. Millgate said staging SXSW on home soil would create more financially viable opportunities for local artists to build global networks, by bringing key industry players and a “globally-renowned event” to Australia.
She said the Albanese government’s plan to inject $69 million into the local industry, and the creation of Music Australia, would help emerging artists at critical moments in their career and help grow overseas audiences.
Millgate said Burke’s comment that “one of the best ways you can support artist incomes is to help them gain an international following” was encouraging for musicians, and an industry that’s rallied behind them for three bleak years.
Australian artists who’ve gone on to sustained success after wowing SXSW crowds include the Teskey Brothers, Julia Jacklin, Vance Joy and G-Flip. Eight years ago, Courtney Barnett won the festival’s Grulke Award - named after longtime creative director, the late Brent Grulke - for Developing non-US Act, and fellow Melburnian Angie McMahon received the same award in 2019.
”I’ve never even been to America, so the same way I approach everything else, I’ll just go for it,” McCullough said about Civic’s schedule of SXSW shows.
Civic will play more Australian shows later in the year, and will return to Europe in May.
Civic’s new album, Taken By Force, released last week.Credit:
”I really want to see more bands getting out of Victoria, touring beyond Australia and spreading the word about all the great music in this country,” McCullough said. “It’s hard, but if you really want to make any kind of living, you’ve got to tour.“
Civic’s new album Taken By Force is now available on the Cooking Vinyl label.
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