In the Mix

It’s a long way from Broad Street to Sixth Street, but just as the shrinking music industry migrates to the growing SXSW here every March, so does the Philadelphia music scene.
No matter how hard you try to immerse yourself in the 512, it can still seem like you never left the 215.
That’s not just because the dude working the door at the Norton Records garage rock showcase at the Red 7 wants to shake your hand, ‘cause he’s from 10th and Federal.
Or that on Saturday afternoon at Cream Vintage on Guadalupe Street, over a dozen rockers and rappers and DJs – including the Capitol Years, Plastic Little and Dave Pianka - with play the Philly Jawn, an event that counts the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation as among its sponsors.
(The name, for those not in the know, comes from “the neighborhood slang ‘jawn’ which can be, in various circumstances, taken to mean any given proper or improper noun,” according to the press release sent out by the event’s co-sponsors, Philebrity and Move to Philly.)
It’s that besides all the acts in town – from indie poppers the A-Sides, to producer turned singer RJD2 to rapper Amanda Blank – its seems like you can’t make it from one showcase to another without running into a behind the scenes Philly music bizzer, looking to sign bands to their label, or book acts for their club. Or perhaps, just catch Public Enemy playing for free in the park on Flavor Flav’s birthday, as R5 Productions Sean Agnew was hoping to do on Friday night.
Even as the music industry withers – sales down 16% compared to last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan, SXSW booms. There are over 1400 acts playing official showcases, and more than 12,000 registrants slurping margaritas and chowing on barbecue. But over the years its purpose has changed.
“Bands don’t really come here to get signed anymore,” says Dryw Scully, Philly based music and promotions director for Urban Outfitters, who manages the A-Sides and was running promo events in conjunction with Yaris, the hipster targeted economy car. “They come here for exposure, to raise their profile.”
For Agnew, the availability of information on new acts on Internet mp3 blogs such as Brooklyn Vegan has made SXSW a place to see bands he’s already heard on the web.
“The Internet has made it easier to find out about little bands,” he said, at a party sponsored by Fader magazine and Levis, while the Scottish band Fratellis were playing an acoustic set in the background. “That’s what driving the music industry.”
For Terry Tompkins, though, SXSW offers an unmissable opportunity to scout acts, and hopefully make deals. The Drexel University music business professor who heads up the student run Mad Dragon label was in Austin pushing one of his artists – West Chester roots band Hoots & Hellmouth – but also looking for an artist with an already recorded album to sign to a licensing deal for release this summer.
He had his eye on several acts, including former Philadelphia suburbanites and now Brooklyn band Langhorne Slim, but the group’s Wednesday night showcase underwhelmed him. “I saw them at the Khyber recently and loved it,” he said. “But they played the exact same show down here. Now I believe in it a little less.” He loved north Jersey self described “cinemelodic” vocalist April Smith, who he said, “commanded the room like Capt. Kirk on the Starship Enterprise.”
Meanwhile, Karl Mullen of the World Café Live, was racing from gig to gig, looking for bands that he can bring in to the University City venue.
He found a bunch – northern England r & b rockers Kava Kava, Montreal indie act Besnard Lakes, among them. “This is the one time of the year that you can not only see all these bands, but also meet the band managers, the booking agents, all the people you never see face to face,” he said. “The word of mouth is invaluable. Who’d you see? Who was great, who wasn’t? For all the talk of the digital, there’s no substitute for that.”