March 2001
Singing for Success
By Nicole Johnson, Southern Living

It's a storybook Texas blue sky day in Austin this Thursday noon. The lunchtime hustle and bustle in Hoover's, a meat-and-three off of I-35, is just gaining momentum on this March day. It is, after all, the week of the city's South by Southwest Music Festival and Conference, one of the largest of its kind in the country. Each year Austin plays host to literally thousands in the music industry. You can spot them in the streets, restaurants, and clubs by the laminated badges dangling from their necks and the fast-paced gait they use between music venues.

One such participant is singer/songwriter Beaver Nelson, a tall, lanky Austin local, a bit disheveled from the late gigs and events of the week. At 29, Beaver is no amateur to the music business. He debuted 10 years ago at an open-mike night in an Austin club, and he's been a regular in the live music scene (around town and Texas) ever since. His first album in 1998, ironically titled The Last Hurrah, garnered shining reviews; a second album is ready—if Beaver can find himself a new label at the festival.

But will he? Such miracles do happen. South by Southwest (SXSW) is the brainchild of Roland Swenson, who attended a similar conference in New York in 1982. Roland, with co-workers Louis Black and Nick Barbaro at the Austin Chronicle, the city's weekly alternative newspaper, organized the first SXSW Music and Media Conference in 1987. Only 150 people were expected to attend; 700 eagerly jammed the inaugural event—and the miracles began.

Now in its 15th year, the SXSW Music Festival is one of the country's largest gatherings of music professionals who come to share knowledge about the business they love. The festival not only benefits Austin economically (bringing in around $18 million), but it helps artistically as well, reinforcing the city's title of "live music capital of the world."

With more than 8,000 registrants at last year's conference, participants include representatives from all areas of the industry, including record labels, radio stations, media law, on-line audio/music companies, journalists, and artists themselves. SXSW lures creative types and business minds from literally around the globe to a smorgasbord of trade shows, discussion panels, and most importantly, great live music. With 40-plus venues, you can bet on finding just about any music genre. Past performers include Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Tony Bennet, Neil Young, and Steve Earle.

But those who really get the attention of SXSW are the unsigned musicians hoping to get their big break. New artists and seasoned musicians alike submit an application and small fee to enter the festival. They also provide a CD or cassette with at least three original songs. A panel of six judges reviews the applications and recordings to determine the list of participants. Over a five-day period during SXSW, more than 900 artists perform 40-minute spots on stages around town, hoping to impress the ears of visiting record agents.

Being from Austin, Beaver explains, can be a drawback. "Most of the music deals are going on in New York, L.A., and Nashville. If someone in one of those cities hears about someone in maybe Texas in general, but Austin in particular, they don't think they have to rush out and see that person. They think, 'I'll see that person at the next SXSW,'" Beaver says. For this reason, an artist's performance must be great.

This particular night, Beaver will try again (this third festival appearance may be the charm). He plays to a full house at Coppertank, a bar and restaurant, with complete hometown advantage. Mixing songs from his first album, with others from the unreleased one, Beaver and his band churn out a solid, gritty performance of their roots-country/rock sound, enriching his soulful lyrics. Fans keep the beat, and Chris Hudson and Jeffrey Reed of Black Dog Records take note.

Third Time's a Winner
After the show, Jeffrey invited Beaver and producer/band mate Jud Newcomb to head over to Monticello, Mississippi, to check out his Route 1 Recording, Black Dog's recording studio in the woods. "I was just blown away by his performance," said Jeffrey, the label's co-owner. "We pretty much decided to sign him even before we heard [the latest recording]. We thought he was out of our league. The guy's an amazing talent." The result of Beaver's festival appearance: He officially signedwith Black Dog Records, which released his latest album, Little Brother. (The CD, introduced last September, met with rave reviews from industry critics.)

Although not all artists may leave with the same experience, Beaver was fortunate to get what he came for—a record deal and a new album on music store shelves. So if you plan on being at SXSW this year, look for Beaver. He'll be there—this time to promote his latest set of songs.