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SXSW 2015 Music Preview

Top row, left to right: Soak, Little Simz, Andy Shauf; Bottom row, left to right: Bully, Dale Watson, Kero Kero Bonito
Courtesy of the artists
Top row, left to right: Soak, Little Simz, Andy Shauf; Bottom row, left to right: Bully, Dale Watson, Kero Kero Bonito

If you love music as much as we do (we really love music), there's a good chance that this is one of your favorite weeks of the year. This is when the massive South by Southwest music festival and conference bubbles up and spills over into the streets of Austin, Texas. For five days, live music pours out of every alley, doorway, club, restaurant and street corner. Whether it's sensory overload or total nirvana, March 17-21 is all about discovering some new band or sound that sets your ears on end.

NPR Music is heading to SXSW with big hopes and plans to discover and present new music we love. In preparation for our trip, we listened to thousands of songs by the bands who will be in Austin. On this week's All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and NPR contributor Katie Presley to share some of the early discoveries they're most excited to see and hear, from the comical Canadian punk band Needs and English rapper Little Simz to Icelandic singer-songwriter Kaleo and the sparkling twee-pop group Kero Kero Bonito.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.
In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.