RIP SXSW: So Long and Thanks For All the Tacos

A Canadian perspective from a music writer who has been going down to Austin for more than a decade.

by Glenn Alderson

Photos by Daniel Boczarski

Published on March 17, 2025

Never mind the fact that it was already dicey for Canadians to be making the trek down to Austin, TX this year due to the unhinged political climate and escalating outbreak of measles, but the music portion of SXSW 2025 felt more like a festival in its final hour than the vibrant cultural behemoth it once was.

Sparse crowds, minimal industry presence, very little “star power,” and the looming closure of the convention centre painted a bleak picture of what’s to come for what was once one of the biggest music industry gatherings in the world. We used to call it spring break for hipsters. But we don’t say that word anymore anyway, right?

Yet, amid the decline, RANGE Magazine’s official showcase at Chess Club on Thursday, March 13, stood as a bright spot — a night of musical discovery and camaraderie for music fans of all shapes and sizes. This year RANGE had the pleasure of hosting another official showcase featuring some of our favourite Canadian bands, including The OBGMs, Alix Fernz, Holy Void, and Truck Violence, who recently got a little kiss on the lips from Pitchfork in the form of an 8.0 album review. I’m honestly surprised to see P4k still wielding that much power and influence, but good for them.

Thanks to our Canadian music industry friends and fellow presenters like M For Montreal, Pop Montreal, Breakout West, and Montreal’s Mothland — who this year brought 10 incredible Mothland acts down to Austin with them, including Truck Violence and Alix Fernz, who absolutely killed it at the RANGE showcase – there was still plenty of talent to witness and much to celebrate from a Canadian perspective. But it was hard to ignore the fact that things were just hitting differently down in Austin in 2025. Where was Dolly or 2Chainz? And why was ZHU the Saturday night headliner at Stubbs!? One of the city’s most iconic outdoor music venues boasted the most underwhelming programming throughout the week and ended their music programming with an EDM showcase that appealed to very few actual SXSW delegates.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the I-35 freeway that separates downtown from East Austin, venues like Hotel Vegas and Shangri-La were hosting events with rock and roll spirit, but they had all collectively raised their drink prices so high in an effort to capitalize on SXSW that one single margarita translated to $25 Canadian dollars. How do you say ‘that’s not very punk of you’ in American? Do yourself a favour and just post up at Yellow Jacket Social Club next time you’re in Austin.

Yes, the downsizing announcement that effectively eliminates the traditional official music portion of the festival caught us off guard. But SXSW Music has been struggling since at least 2018, with the pandemic and corporate shifts only accelerating the inevitable. And the boycott in 2024 from artists against U.S. Army sponsorship of the festival (rightly so) made things very difficult for SXSW to bounce back from. Now, it’s the lack of big-name acts, diminishing industry attendance, and rising costs for bands that has made SXSW increasingly unsustainable.

Yet, in the face of all this, RANGE Magazine’s showcase thrived and we had a blast celebrating emerging talent with our friends at Chess Club. We connected with fellow creatives, and proved that the spirit of live music is alive and well — even if SXSW Music isn’t. The RANGE team’s success of activating on an international stage like SXSW for the last few years has been a tremendous honour and a testament to the power of community and curation, something SXSW seems to have lost over time in its endless expansion and corporate entanglements.

And while we likely won’t be returning for SXSW in the future, we’re not turning our backs on music or international collaborations. As Canadians struggling to hang onto our identity and our declining dollars while looming threats of annexation hangs over our heads, it would be easy to retreat, but instead, we’ll forge new paths and build new bridges. The death of SXSW Music may signal the end of an era, but it also opens the door for fresh, independent showcases to rise elsewhere.

I can’t wait to see where we focus our time, energy, and resources next! But for starters we’re going to keep it local at our unofficial, totally unrelated in any way to the JUNO Awards party on Friday, March 28 in Vancouver, BC. You can RSVP here if you’d like to join us.

Special thanks to the bands who performed at our SXSW showcase this year: The OBGMs, Alix Fernz, Holy Void, Truck Violence, Samwoy, and Knitting. And a huge shout-out to our sponsors for helping us connect some of the impossible dots this time around: Manitoba Music, Music BC, Alberta Music, Music Calgary, Club Card, and Take Aim Media.

Here are some photos from the RANGE Magazine showcase at Chess Club on Thursday, March 13: