16 Portraits of the Artists From SXSW 2013

Photos of Brendan Benson, Robyn Hitchcock, Lucius, Nataly Dawn, Ra Ra Riot, Toro Y Moi and more.


For the past five days in Austin, Texas, more than 2,000 artists performed at hundreds of venues as part of this year’s South by Southwest shindig. The massive annual event (where everybody, it seems, has something to sell) can be frantic and overwhelming for performers and attendees alike. This year Mother Jones contributor Jacob Blickenstaff set out to slow things down long enough to shoot portraits of roughly 30 artists—in local streets, hotel lobbies, front porches, and backstages—representing a mix of new, established, and veteran talent taking part in SXSW. We’re serving ’em up in two batches. Here’s part one. (Part two, featuring Jim James, Shovels and Rope, Eric Burdon and more, is here.)
 

Brendan Benson, outside the Embassy Suites hotel. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Lucius, backstage at “South by San Jose,” San Jose Hotel. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff
 
Ra Ra Riot

Ra Ra Riot at La Quinta Inn. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Toro Y Moi

Toro Y Moi (Chaz Bundick) backstage at Red 7. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Charles Bradley

Charles Bradley in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Garrett Lebeau

Garrett Lebeau, East Austin. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Anamanaguchi

Anamanaguchi with pedicab driver, East 6th Street. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Daniel Romano

Daniel Romano (second from left) with band, outside Threadgill’s. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Spain (band)

Spain at Brass House. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Dana Falconberry and The Liberty.

Dana Falconberry (third from left) with band, The Liberty. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Catherine McCandless

Catherine McCandless of Young Galaxy at Waller Creek. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Nataly Dawn

Nataly Dawn, 6th Street. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock at The Main. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Max Gomez

Max Gomez behind Threadgill’s. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside in Austin

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside near the Four Seasons. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

 

You Won't in Austin

You Won’t on South Congress Street. (Listen.) Jacob Blickenstaff

Click here for more music coverage from Mother Jones.

 

 

 

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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