Berklee Hosts Two Parties at SXSW 2011

Berklee College of Music is presenting two public events at Austin's SXSW Music and Media Conference(Opens in a new window), long recognized as one of the music industry's biggest and most important events. The college is bringing three outstanding student artists from its Heavy Rotation Records (HRR) label and is also featuring performances by 10 additional up-and-coming alumni acts in varied genres over two days. A mix of tracks by the artists is available for download below.  

Berklee returns to the Lucky Lounge downtown for a second time on Thursday afternoon, then on Friday hosts its Sixth Annual Official SXSW Party(Opens in a new window) at Friends on frenzied Sixth Street, the busiest street in all of Austin. SXSW celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year, hosting no less than 1,900 bands during its Music week, March 16–20.

Off the Record, Berklee's Party at the Lucky Lounge, Thursday, March 17, 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., features performances by Berklee alumni and students. Artists include psychedelic pop group Royal Forest(Opens in a new window) (formerly Loxsly) from Austin; ambient indie-pop artist Teletextile(Opens in a new window) from New York; pop/rock quintet Tucker Jameson and the Hot Mugs(Opens in a new window) from Austin; loop scientist and pop maven Julia Easterlin(Opens in a new window) (HRR) from Boston; singer-songwriter and guitarist Emily Elbert(Opens in a new window) (HRR) from Coppell, Texas; electrified psychedelic string soul band the Boston Boys(Opens in a new window) (HRR) from Boston; and roots/jazz/swing quartet the Jitterbug Vipers(Opens in a new window) from Austin.

The Lucky Lounge is located at 209A West Fifth Street, Austin. The party is 21-plus and open to the public free of charge (no badge needed).

Berklee's Sixth Annual Official SXSW Party, Friday, March 18, 1:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. at Friends, features Berklee, Berkleemusic.com(Opens in a new window), and Heavy Rotation Records (HRR) alumni and students. Artists include fiery high-energy rock 'n' roll band Aloud(Opens in a new window) from Boston; indie-rock band Art Decade(Opens in a new window) from Boston, featuring a string quartet; loop scientist and pop maven Julia Easterlin(Opens in a new window) (HRR) from Boston; electro/indie-pop duo Stereo Telescope(Opens in a new window) from Boston; electrified psychedelic string soul band the Boston Boys(Opens in a new window) (HRR) from Boston; singer-songwriter and guitarist Emily Elbert(Opens in a new window) (HRR) from Coppell, Texas; electronic music trio Audio Runner(Opens in a new window) from Houston; Los Angeles–based alternative pop artist Laura Jansen(Opens in a new window) (Decca/Universal Records), originally from Holland; and indie-pop duo Black Kettle(Opens in a new window) (HRR) from Los Angeles.

Friends is located at 208 East Sixth Street, Austin. The party is 21-plus and open to SXSW badgeholders. In addition, the public can email sxswrsvp@berklee.edu to attend free of charge. Giveaways include a Berkleemusic online course and copies of HRR albums.

Check out the event pages for Lucky Lounge(Opens in a new window) and Friends(Opens in a new window) on Facebook.

Heavy Rotation Records (HRR)(Opens in a new window) gives music business/management majors at Berklee hands-on experience running a record company. The students oversee all of the label's functions, including A&R, marketing, sales, touring, web development, media, and accounting. HRR's 12 releases since 1995 include Shekinah: 13 Artists, distributed by Epic; Apollo Sunshine's second album, coreleased with spinART; and Dorm Sessions 1–7. Many up-and-coming artists have appeared on HRR compilations, including St. Vincent (as Annie Clark); members of Passion Pit (as the Peasantry); and the Click Five (as Oscar Bravo). The label also serves as a springboard for careers in the industry. Alumni have gone on to work at Interscope, Capitol, DreamWorks, BMG, Universal, Live Nation, AEG Live, and RightsFlow, among other companies. HRR's next release, Under the Influence, features Berklee students and alumni paying tribute to some of rock's biggest names, coupled with covers of the seminal bands that influenced them.

Berkleemusic.com(Opens in a new window) is the continuing education division of Berklee College of Music, delivering online access to Berklee's acclaimed curriculum from anywhere in the world. Berkleemusic's award-winning online courses and certificate programs are accredited and taught by the college's world-renowned faculty, providing lifelong learning opportunities to people interested in music and working in the music industry. As the business of music continues to move online, Berkleemusic is taking a leadership role in educating the next generation of producers, performers, and entrepreneurs on this evolving industry landscape. Berkleemusic's students come from over 80 countries around the world, and include Grammy Award–winners, managers, artists, publishers, music business entrepreneurs, and major international touring acts.

to Royal Forest's "Courtesy in Decline"(Opens in a new window)

to Teletextile's "I Don't Know How To Act Here"(Opens in a new window)

to Tucker Jameson & the Hot Mugs "Give Into Desire"(Opens in a new window)

to Julia Easterlin's "Render"(Opens in a new window)

to Aloud's "Exile in the Night(Opens in a new window)

to Art Decade's "The Queen"(Opens in a new window)

to Stereo Telescope's "Geography"(Opens in a new window)

to Emily Elbert's "Do Without"(Opens in a new window)

to Audio Runner's "Loose Lips"(Opens in a new window)

to Black Kettle's "Spineless"(Opens in a new window)