SXSW 2023: Thor Harris & Colin Newman... Oh My!
It's that time of year again – South By Southwest has returned! As a seasoned SXSW performer, I've lost count of the number of times I've played this festival, but I still feel grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. In 2020 and 2021, we all felt the heartache of its disappearance due to the pandemic, so I promised myself that I wouldn't whine about the typical headaches that come with it – like traffic, noise, and an influx of people inspired to move here. By and large, I've managed to maintain a positive attitude: I'm just happy to be playing it again.
This year's festival was a lower-key affair for me. Unlike previous years where I would play multiple gigs, day parties, and radio spots with multiple bands, this year I played with just one band – Thor & Friends – for just one official SXSW showcase. I had other invites and offers, but my Thursday departure to Berlin to work with the Guitar Orchestra of Europe compelled me to turn them down.
Playing an official SXSW showcase is nice and all, but it comes with one not-so-small hassle – picking up your wristband so you can actually get into your show (no joke). Thankfully, I opted for an early pickup to avoid the lines, even though I still needed to park three-quarters of a mile away and hike into downtown for it.
Normally, I play the pedal steel when working with Thor Harris and his crew, but since we're a large ensemble and our stage at Valhalla is not very big, I opted for my 1950s Magnatone lap steel and my Eastwood electric mandolin (and a bunch of pedals, of course). I ended up really enjoying the sounds I could get out of this duo, not to mention that I could haul my whole rig in a few shoulder strap bags. I might stick with this setup for all my smaller-staged T&F shows.
Playing the Valhalla stage again was a blast – I hadn't played there for years, back when it was called Room 710. Hanging out with the lovely Adult Decisions peeps (who sponsored the showcase) was also a highlight. But the most unexpected and mind-blowing moment was discovering that we had a fan in Colin Newman of Wire, who attended the show and dropped by to say hi. Rest assured, I kept my cool and refrained from ranting about how Pink Flag is one of my all-time favorite albums – although I’ll admit I was feeling it pretty hard on the inside!
I'm honestly a little sad to have turned down all the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday gigs, but Berlin awaits. Adios, SXSW… I’ll see you next year!