Music Blog

It's become an annual part of the annual music bacchanalia that is the SXSW Music Festival: NPR Music's opening night showcase from the outdoor stage at Stubb's BBQ in Austin. This year's version happens March 14th and features a trio of acts worthy of just such a spotlight in Andrew Bird, Sharon Van Etten and The Alabama Shakes, all three of whom will be celebrating new full-length releases.

Bird and Van Etten are the more known quantities, having gained big numbers of fans over the course of a few releases and constant touring. The Alabama Shakes, on the other hand, are very much at the beginning. They score the slot on the strength of a self-released 4-song debut EP that came out last fall and the meteoric rise that's followed. They've been selling out shows all over the place in recent months, including UK dates and their Doug Fir show here in Portland last weekend. It'll be interesting to see how they handle a performance that could very well have close to a million ears on it before all is said and done. Their full-length debut, Boys & Girls arrives April 10th via ATO.

[More via SXSW]

Tagged: SXSW 2012