Photo by Valerie Paschall

According to a promotional sign plastered in downtown Austin, SXSW pulled in artists from more than sixty different countries. This sounds believable since without trying too hard, I managed to catch acts from at least ten countries. Although the festival is its own special brand of chaotic, it’s also completely understandable that bands would want to make the trek to Texas. The number of people coming to Austin for SXSW amounts to a small city, and bands can play for audiences that may have never seen or heard of them before.

This was certainly the case for the D.C. acts that made the trip. Whether they played to a full house or a bar filled primarily with labelmates and bar regulars, each made new fans. We took this opportunity to talk to folks in the crowd—specifically people who had never heard of these acts before.. We got their on-the-spot opinions and asked whether it changed their perceptions of music coming out of D.C.

Of note: Although we saw him, we didn’t ask anyone what they thought of Wale. The people “inside” the Spotify House (read: behind the fence at the 80% outdoor Spotify-sponsored muddy, soupy pit of sand) had to wait no less than an hour and were all holding foam circles and signs with his name on them. This crowd went in knowing Wale and he deserves major kudos for pumping them up as the rain really started to come down.

Photo by Valerie Paschall

Rare Essence @ the WE DC Showcase at the Bungalow

We spoke with Darryl, age 34, from Toronto, Canada.

DCist: Had you heard of Rare Essence before today?

Darryl: No.

DCist: How did you hear about this show?

Darryl: A few of my friends from New York asked me to meet them here. I wasn’t far away so it was a question of convenience.

DCist: What was your take on the band?

Darryl: They have good stage presence. I wasn’t super motivated at the beginning because this isn’t usually the kind of music I listen to, but they worked the crowd very well and that’s what got me on board.

DCist: Did you know that this is a kind of music specific to D.C.?

Darryl: I was informed of that halfway through the show. This is my fourth SXSW and coming in—I didn’t dislike it and I hate a lot of the stuff I see at SXSW. But they converted me.

Photo by Valerie Paschall

Prinze George @ Paradigm’s Showcase at Buffalo Billiards

We spoke with Quynh, age 41, from Austin, TX.

DCist: Had you heard of Prinze George before today?

Quynh: No.

DCist: How did you hear about this show?

Quynh: With SXSW, you can just pop in and see bands. You discover a lot of music this way. That’s why this festival is awesome.

DCist: What do you think of them?

Quynh: I like them! They have a little bit of a pop vibe and good energy.

DCist: Where would you guess that they were from?

Quynh: I don’t know why, [but] I think the Midwest.

DCist: Does it surprise you to hear that they’re from D.C.?

Quynh: It doesn’t because what I listen to is a lot of overseas bands, New York bands, and Seattle bands.

DCist: Does this make you want to check out other bands from D.C.?

Quynh: I would. I travel all over the world to see bands.

Photo courtesy of Passenger Photography

Paperhaus @ Community Records/Inflated Records Showcase at Liberty Tavern

We spoke with Josh, age 29, from Dallas, TX.

DCist: Had you heard of Paperhaus before?

Josh: No.

DCist: What did you think of them?

Josh: I though they were really cool. It reminded me of post-rock because there were a lot of instrumental parts. It felt fun. I was into them and they made me happy.

DCist: Where would you have guessed they were from?

Josh: Well, there wasn’t much mystery because they said a lot about D.C.

DCist: Good point. Does it surprise you that they’re from D.C.?

Josh: I don’t know. Have you heard of the band Wu Lyf? They sound most similar to that.

DCist: Does this make you want to check out other D.C. bands and does it change your perception of what kind of music is coming out of D.C.?

Josh: As far as D.C. goes, I know there used to be a big punk scene there but I don’t know what it sounds like these days. If it’s like this, then that’s cool.

Photo by Valerie Paschall

Vandaveer @ Hotel Second Play Stage at the Hyatt Regency

We spoke with Hally, age 29, from Duluth, MN.

DCist: Had you heard of Vandaveer before today?

Hally: No. We knew nothing.

DCist: How did you find out about this show?

Hally: We found out about it an hour before. We met Mark.

DCist: What did you think?

Hally: To be honest, a little misled.

DCist: Really! What had you thought it would be?

Hally: A real rock ‘n’ roll show! And you know what it was? It was real fucking awesome. It was just what we needed. The steel pedal took us away to another place.

DCist: Where would you guess they’re from?

Hally: Kentucky.

DCist: I think Mark has previously lived in Kentucky, but if I tell you that they’re based out of D.C. would that surprise you?

Hally: A little bit, but not too much. Still close enough to the bluegrass down-home sound that we all love but a lot of great people transplant all over the place. I’ve never been to D.C. and I know some musicians that started there, but other than that, it’s like, politics.

Photo by Valerie Paschall

Pree @ Paper Garden Records Showcase at Nasty’s

We spoke with Rusty, age 63, from Austin, TX.

DCist: Are you a regular at the bar? Is that why you came here today?

Rusty: I come here quite frequently.

DCist: So, did you know that there was music happening tonight?

Rusty: They usually have an open mic and it’s expanded for SXSW.

DCist: What do you think of the band that just played?

Rusty: Well, when I was a kid, I was declared tone deaf. So I enjoy music in general.

DCist: I saw you bobbing your head.

Rusty: I did the pigeon bob. It was very enjoyable, thank you. Even though when you’re tone deaf, you can still enjoy music.

DCist: Based on what you heard, would you have guessed that they were from D.C.?

Rusty: No.

DCist: Where would you have guessed?

Rusty: Oh my god. Mars?

DCist: Mars?

Rusty: They’re out of this world!