Saturday, March 19, 2022
Artist: Big Joanie
Presented by: SXSW DAY PARTY British Music @ SXSW
Set time 4:40 pm – 5:10 pm
Venue: British Music Embassy @ Cedar Street Courtyard
Big Joanie are a Black feminist punk band whose passionate live shows and punk rock ethos have led to them becoming one of the most talked-about bands on the UK live scene. The band formed in the heart of London’s DIY punk scene in 2013 and acts as a space where its members (singer/guitarist Stephanie Phillips, drummer Chardine Taylor-Stone, and bassist Estella Adeyeri) can be completely themselves as black women. Big Joanie released their debut album Sistahs in 2018 to wide critical acclaim on Thurston Moore and Eva Prinz’s label Daydream Library. They have since toured with acts like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, and Gossip, and are currently working on their second album.
Artist: THEakasha
Presented by: Care Free Black Girl
Set time 7:30 pm – 8:15 pm
Venue: Sheraton BackYARD
THEakasha is an abolitionist, DJ, and director.
Musically, THEakasha electrifies by evoking the healing spirit of free movement, regarding it as “the most natural, liberating & revolutionary thing we can do with our physical bodies.” Seen spinning records alongside greats like Natasha Diggs, DJ Hourglass, Just Blaze, or commanding crowds with artists like Ivy Sole, Liana Banks, and Kari Faux, THEakasha is known to elevate audiences one blend at a time. Also a former opera singer and violinist, THEakasha feeds their musical appetite with songwriting and production.
Artistically, THEakasha is a voiceover artist and visionary whose unique direction style immerses us in the rawest elements of any subject. Directing early music videos for rappers Bri Steves and Saturn, Alexander, THEakasha has an affinity for post-production and finding synchronicity between waves of sound and waves of light.
Existentially, THEakasha’s brand is built on the principle of honoring your truth. Walking more in theirs daily, THEakasha’s life purpose is to “get free” & be a vessel to those doing the same on this never-ending journey to becoming our highest selves.
Artist: Dolly Ave
Set time 10:00 pm – 10:40 pm
Venue: The Iron Bear
Vietnamese-American artist Dolly Ave’s music touches on intimate, personal topics over soundscapes that weave between pop, R&B, soul, and electronic music. Her Summer 2021 collaboration with rapper Charlie Curtis-Beard titled “Play With It” won 103.5 KISS FM Chicago’s #MusicMeetUp 4 out of 5 nights, topping tracks from Alessia Cara, Bazzi, Dixie D’Amelio and Lil Nas X. Dolly and Curtis-Beard’s previous collaboration “Sunlight, Quiet, Flowers” trended #1 on TikTok’s Original Music charts for 7 straight days.
Dolly dropped her first full-length E.P. on May 7, 2021 titled SLEEP which garnered massive press coverage. Her recent album release show at The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood sold out. Dolly joined international Rock star MIYAVI on his headline 22-date U.S. tour in October 2021. Dolly Ave is also an award-winning photographer.
Artist: QUANNA
Presented by: Care Free Black Girl
Set time 10:15 pm – 10:30 pm
Venue: Sheraton BackYARD
New York Transplant Quanna is a rapper/singer born and raised in Savannah, Ga. Being exposed to the street life at an early age, motivated Quanna to focus on academics and songwriting. She graduated from Clark Atlanta University and relocated to New York to pursue her career in music. Since she began rapping in 2012, the artist has released several independent projects and performed throughout the Southeast. Combining lyrics with melody and rhythm, Quanna is the perfect mix of a southern rapper and a Carefree Black Girl. She is the owner of CareFreeBlackGirl, LLC and a dedicated leader in the movement.
Aiming to be one of the most revolutionary artists of her time. QUANNA is one of the newest voices on the ballroom scene and can be seen all over TikTok and YouTube-making moments. 2021 her single Hybrid made waves. The artist is gearing up to release her latest EP Mistress Valentine where she introduces the world to her dominatrix alter ego.
Artist: Devyn Moon
Set time –
Venue: The Drafting Room
Devyn Moon is a 24-year-old artist, singer-songwriter, and producer from Houston, Texas. Influenced by a blend of R&B, electronic, and bedroom-pop genres helped develop a unique genre-bending style within her own music and sound. Their style has been described as “alternatively icy and warm,” and they have also garnered attention from various music outlets.
Devyn Moon’s debut project has received critical acclaim. They have opened for numerous artists including Shoffy, RKCB, Dorian Electra, and Kina Grannis. Their 2020 collaborations with Mr.Hong, HOMALS, Luna Luna set them on a positive trajectory as well as receiving recognition from San Holo’s “bitbird” radio series.
Artist: Mt. Joy
Set time –
Venue: Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake
An indie-folk outfit with a soulful rock bent, Mt. Joy takes their name from a peek inside a Pennsylvania national park near where founding members Matt Quinn and Sam Cooper grew up. The band rode a series of self-released singles to viral streaming success in the late 2010s before joining the Dualtone label for their eponymous 2018 debut and its follow-up two years later.
Quinn (vocals, guitar) and Cooper (guitar) were high school friends from Philadelphia. The duo had a history of playing music together in their younger days, but life and circumstances pulled them apart for many years. Reconvening in Los Angeles in 2016, they recorded four songs with producer Caleb Nelson using the name Mt. Joy. Released online with little fanfare, one of their songs, “Astrovan,” began to pick up steam digitally, eventually logging over three million streams. Buoyed by their success, Quinn and Cooper decided to quit their day jobs and enlist a full band to complement their live shows. Issued in 2017, their follow-up singles “Sheep,” “Cardinal,” and “Silver Lining” fared similarly well as the group’s reputation grew.
Mt. Joy kicked off 2018 with the understated, slow-building single “Jenny Jenkins,” followed a few months later by their self-titled full-length debut. The band made the rounds of the festival circuit and toured heavily in support of the record before returning to the studio, this time in Oregon with producer Tucker Martine. Appearing in October 2019, the chill-grooved “Rearrange Us” was the first fruit from these sessions. Mt. Joy’s sophomore album, also titled Rearrange Us, arrived in June 2020. – Timothy Monger
