After months of planning and preparation, Austin is finally on the horizon.
Our third-annual South-By-Southwest "Boston & Beyond" party with Berklee College of Music (Berklee's 11th event at SXSW) goes down Thursday, March 17 at noon (local time) at Brush Square Park, located next to the Austin Convention Center. If you're at SXSW or heading down very soon, all you need to do to party with us is RSVP here. The party is all ages and open to SXSW badge holders.
If you're staying here in New England, keep it locked to Vanyaland and you won't miss a thing. We'll be broadcasting all of the performances via VanyaRadio, and updating audio and visuals from Brush Square Park all afternoon. You'll be tasting the Lone Star and tableside guac from the Iron Cactus fresh on your lips.
The "Boston & Beyond" party is co-presented by Berklee Alumni, The Red Room @ Cafe 939, and Heavy Rotation Records. Below is the lineup, with individual profiles on each performing band available via our slider.
"Boston & Beyond" 2016 Lineup
12:15-12:45: Rann (Brooklyn)
1:00-1:30: M+E (Heavy Rotation Records, Boston)
1:45-2:15: mar | co (Boston)
2:30-3:00: Lady Pills (Heavy Rotation Records, Boston)
3:15-3:45: Plastic Waves (Boston)
4:00-4:30: IAN (Los Angeles)
4:45-5:15: Great Grandpa (Seattle)
M+E, 1 p.m. set time
We’ve long said there is a alt-pop revolution happening these days at Berklee. From familiar faces like Betty Who and Kiesza to newcomers like Noe, Amy & The Engine, Lili N, and Sarah Kendall, the school is churning out songwriters, producers and voices intent on shaking up the popular music landscape. Next in the queue is M+E, the alt-pop project from songwriter/producer Luke Niccoli that, alongside mar | co, gives our SXSW party a very clean electronic-tinted polish.
Short for Moods And Emotions, M+E worship at the altar of ’90s pop while adding a bit of freshness to the mix. Here’s what we wrote last week when we premiered the video for ‘talkabout.”: “The music of M+E is all about balance. The moods and emotions from alt-pop project mastermind Luke Niccoli pivot between our two favorite styles: the unabashed pop ambition of the ’90s FM dial and the more unfiltered promise of the twenty-teens bedroom project. ‘[It’s] all about nostalgia,’ says Niccoli, who when not creating his own brand of sound as M+E toils as guitarist and co-producer of fellow retro-pop-envelope pushers Amy & The Engine. ‘Musically, I threw it back to some of my favorites ’90s records with the acoustic guitar loop, lead guitar riff, and up-tempo beat. Lyrically, the song is about re-living the memories of a past relationship.’
With an exciting space to grow, check out some of M+E’s early and recent selections below, and take note: those not attending SXSW can catch the project at the Middle East in Cambridge on March 19.
