100 Great Bands to See at SXSW 2013

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To celebrate the festival’s music section, which kicks off tomorrow, we’ve compiled a list of our 100 favorite acts heading out to Austin this week. Read about and listen to them all below.

Elle King
The first single off Elle King’s current EP was arguably the best part of Mob Wives: Chicago, last year’s short-lived VH1 reality TV show. Though it only played as the theme song for one season of the show, “Playing For Keeps” was still a wonderful introduction to the Brooklyn-based artist’s soulful talents as a singer-songwriter. Her bluesy, stripped down vocals help intensify the pervasive themes of vulnerability and loneliness in the lyrics of her four-track EP. But King isn’t without a sense of humor. Within the sadness of those four tracks is a fun, light-hearted live cover performance of Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” and another track that can only be described as a minimalist, wry song about what it must be like to be man, like Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy,” but far less dramatic and heart-wrenching. King’s music combines the dry wit of a comedienne and the emotional depth of veteran musicians much older than her and easily enthralls anyone who stops to listen.—Anita George

Eric Burdon
It’s been over 50 years since Eric Burdon first stepped up to the mic with The Animals and cemented his spot in musical history as one of the key voices of the British Invasion, but he’s nowhere near finished. Til Your River Runs Dry, his most recent solo effort, was released this year after being recorded in 2010 and 2011 in New Orleans and California, and Burdon says it was a true labor of love, a tribute to Bo Diddley (who died during the recording process), Katrina victims and the Big Easy as a whole. “Global warming, the potential disaster of the water crisis… too much water, too little water,” Burdon explains. “I chose the title, because there are so many times in one’s life, when one feels he has nothing more to offer. But no, my river has not run dry. I offer this as a bit of hope that we, as the human race, will find new sources of replenishment and inspiration.”—Bonnie Stiernberg

Fear of Men
Two U.K. art students came together in 2011 to form Fear of Men. Jessica Weiss and Daniel Falvey developed a pop sound that drew in two more members, Alex Flynn-O’neill and Michael Miles. They quickly found acceptance in the industry when they released a cassette featuring some of their earlier music to critical acclaim earlier this year. They’ve said in an interview that they “want to make pop music while thinking about Werner Fassbinder films, forests, afflictions of the flesh and Ancient Egypt.” The band has reportedly recorded new music, which they will be releasing in the form of an album later this year.—Krystle Drew

Field Report
Scores of musicians flock to Austin to premiere new material and (hopefully) reach a wealth of new fans at South by Southwest, but few bands make a SXSW show their literal debut. Field Report, the folk-rock brainchild of Christopher Porterfield, achieved both of these things in a matter of three days last year: They played for the first time as a full band in an alley behind 6th Street and shared their forthcoming album in its entirety with curious festival-goers over the course of nine shows—that was a full two seasons before its official release.The record that came from these sessions—which were recorded at April Base, Vernon’s studio in Fall Creek, Wis.—is the crystallization of Porterfield’s dedication and perpetual challenges, a body of work showcasing his lyrical aptitude while highlighting the gorgeous voices, haunting refrains and complex arrangements that make a modest rock set-up sound as lush and full as an orchestra. And as their meteoric rise propels them through the end of summer and into September, it’s clear that everyone will know who Field Report is the next time festival season rolls around—especially if they keep it “small ball” and quiet. “I recently just quit my job in order to do this stuff, and that’s kind of scary!” laughs Porterfield. “My biggest goal and dream for this project is to be able to look back on a good body of work. I want to put out records regularly, and I want them to just get better. I would love to be able to pay my mortgage. Those two things, that’s all I wanted. I really don’t want this to be a one-record band. I want this to be the opening statement.”—Hilary Hughes

Fol Chen
In the spirit of I’m From Barcelona, Loney Dear or Boy Least Likely To, Fol Chen employs all my favorite electro-fey devices: cheesy ’80s keys, propulsive beats, sporadic strummy guitars that bounce between channels and, of course, xylophone. Beginning with understated, low-register vocals, the keeps building, layering on more instruments and even tossing in a key-change for good measure.—Josh Jackson

Foxygen
One would be forgiven to believe, upon hearing Foxygen, that you’d somehow traveled back in time. Sounding like the ultimate throwback to the late ’60s, Foxygen strike the perfect balance between the folksy pop of The Mamas and the Papas and the literary rock of The Kinks. France’s dreamy choirboy voice perfectly augments his penchant for sharp, evocative lyrics. Like The Kinks’ Ray Davies, France seems to be a storyteller at heart. Rado, meanwhile, wraps his lyrics in delicate yet memorable production, creating earworms like the lovely “San Francisco” and the quirky “Shuggie.”—Mark Rozeman

Free Energy
“Don’t wanna talk now,” sings Free Energy frontman Paul Sprangers on “Time Goes On,” engulfed in bar-rock guitar crunch, echoed by solar-eclipse harmonies. “Ain’t nothin’ new to you.” Sounds about right. This good-time Philly quintet made a splash with 2010’s Stuck on Nothing, their hooky, hammy, James Murphy-produced debut.—Ryan Reed

Generationals
Formed from the remnants of their previous group, the Baton Rouge, La.-based band The Eames Era, Generationals retains the infectious, hook-filled brand of indie pop that their previous band so elegantly demonstrated. The fact that their songs have been prominently featured on so many films and TV shows speaks volumes about their accessible, catchy nature. Their latest release Heza promises to continue that trend with lead single “Spinoza” demonstrating a more guitar-orientated sound than their recent EP, the electronica-influenced Lucky Numbers.—Dacey Orr

Great Peacock
Nashville’s Blount Floyd and Andrew Nelson boast some serious Southern folk-rock chops, lovely harmonies and a list of classic country influences that makes it easy to understand why they’ve declared themselves to be “old art for the new generation.”—Bonnie Stiernberg

GUARDS
Fans of Tanlines and Cults will dig this New York trio—comprised of Richie James Follin, Loren Humphrey and Kaylie Church. Their most recent album In Guards We Trust offers a bold declaration, but you know what? They’ve earned our trust, and they’re not to be missed.—Bonnie Stiernberg