Artists:
Renegade Showcases
J. Bratlie
AP: You’ve got an awesome band and have played renegade shows before – why do you think you haven’t been selected yet for an official showcase?
JB: Not sure. We know our music would be a good fit, but guess we haven't played in front of the right people.
AP: Do you think connections & politics is a big factor in the selection process?
JB: I'm sure knowing the right people is beneficial, but I'm sure if we played Austin more, we'd have a better chance to be selected.
AP: Do you think that unofficial showcases are disadvantaged because they're not being promoted by the SXSW corp or by the Austin Chronicle?
JB: Not necessarily. I've been told by many folks that they check out as many "unofficial" showcases as "official" so it's all about playing as much as possible.
AP: What do you hope to accomplish by playing at the RedGorilla showcase?
JB: Hopefully it will give some people who are attending SXSW the chance to see us live in Austin.
AP: Would you prefer to be playing official SXSW event?
JB: We would love a "real" showcase, but we'd love to play as much as possible.
AP: Why go thru the effort & expense to showcase your acts when there's so much competition?
JB: The whole point is to play as much as you can, you never know who will be in the crowd.
AP: How will you determine if this SXSW was successful for the band? JB: Not sure, I think that doing these type of events are a "right of passage" for up and coming bands.
AP: How much have you budgeted to play/stay at the festival?
JB: Very little.
AP: What are the biggest expenses?
JB: Lodging - food.
AP: How did you justify the costs?
JB: It's just part of us paying our dues.
AP: How are you funding the trip? Did you get any sponsors?
JB: Like everything else, funds come from earnings from previous shows. No sponsors.
AP: How do you expect playing SXSW will impact your career?
JB: Hopefully it will give people of "influence" the opportunity to check us out in a live setting.
AP: What are you doing to make sure that your show is well-attended & makes the most impact?
JB: We've been doing a push through our email list and websites to get people to our shows. Also we've been working the phones hitting up all our Austin friends to make sure we have a good crowd at our shows.
AP: Why do you think SXSW is still important?
JB: It is still an opportunity for bands to get in front of people that wouldn't normally get to here us. It's our job to make sure that we create they hype so they will come check it out. Hopefully the good quality stuff will rise to the top.
