by Justin Zamudio
I’m happy to again this year showcase my photos from SXSW. I moved to Austin 10 years ago, and every year since 2015 I’ve been an official photographer for SXSW. This year was my eighth stint with the crew.
My two loves are music and photography, and there are few things like being in a photo pit at a concert and capturing a moment of someone pouring their heart and soul into their craft on stage. I love the rush and challenge of it all. SXSW has exposed me to a variety of music, outside of what I listened to before moving to Austin. These days, my playlists are like the concert photography I capture – a mixed bag.
At SXSW 2024, my favorite showcase was headlined by Nashville rock duo Black Keys. The lineup was an eclectic variety of bands signed to Black Keys’ record label, Easy Eye Sound. One of the acts, indie band Shannon & the Clams, were a blast to watch with their unique sound and fun rendition of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” And the Black Keys were incredible. They played all their most popular songs, and treated the crowd to new songs off their then-unreleased album, Ohio Players.
The best 1-2 punch I experienced during the festival was at the We Found New Music showcase at the Palm Door. Los Angeles hip-hop duo Flyana Boss was the most surprising act I saw. Their stage presence was captivating, and their lyrics are crafty, clever and best of all – fun. Following them were L.A. rock group Emi Grace. Their 21-year-old frontwoman has impressive vocals and guitar skills. The group’s high energy and melding of rock and electronic sounds were the perfect nightcap.
A special shout-out goes to 360°Sound’s Chris Bisha and my buddy, writer David Hopper. They recommended U.K. folk-punk band Skinny Lister. Their show at the Parish was all over the place, and I loved it. They had us jumping around singing shanties of past loves. At one point, ukulele-player-backup-singer-hype woman Lorna Thomas jumped off stage and arm wrestled some man in the crowd over the bent back of another man. There was plenty of spilt beer but Thomas emerged victorious and the rowdy crowd cheered on her prowess.
I’ve included a few videos and a collection of photos from my SXSW 2024 experience. I love to share my photographs and showcase the great moments of passion captured from some talented folks on stage.
All images and video courtesy of Justin Zamudio.
