SXSW is here: 22 places I plan to be from 5 minutes to 5 hours! [Kosha Dillz]

It’s that time of the year. You know the time because you can feel the stress. It is the time when everyone gets their Austin vintage clothing from the year before to post on Instagram,  or buys a cowboy hat on 6th street and waits in line for a taco. It is SXSW time!

Here is a list of hot places that people will be going to or places you should hang out at in general because they are locations where fellow SXSW attendees will loiter while yearning for the best music they will hear for a long time.  Achieve the most with the top-tier plan for networking and conquering the playing field with your friend Kosha Dillz. Just kidding.

No plan here, but there are some great places I plan to go to and have some magic happen from the street to the stage and all the countertops in between business card passing activities. Let’s list them off!

1.   The Austin Convention Center Tables 3.11-3.16  Once you go register, or even if you don’t, these tables downstairs are certainly the place for you to schmooze with everyone and anyone. If someone you see is putting up posters in this area, chances are they are working for the event, curating it themselves, or possibly more. Every single artist will walk thru here with their managers because they have to register down the hall, so it is def the place you want to be if that is your desire. 

2. 8th ANnual OY VEY SXSW  @ Latchkey. 3,17  How can you not be here?  The only place with a yearly Shabbat dinner and a lineup of acts ranging from Emp Puppet Band in Fragile Rock to the Eurovision winners Kalusha Orchestra to  Nappy Roots, one of the most legendary groups of the South.  OY VEY SXSW always aims to bring a variety of Jewish cultures together, along with indie, rap, pop, and rock together. This year, we have two acts from Ukraine!  You can RSVP to it here and see all the acts here on my SXSW profile. The hour before the show will be our annual  SX Shabbat dinner if you need some time to nosh on free Value Culture food and be grateful for whatever it is at that moment. If you are reading this, here is your invitation to come to celebrate! (or text 732-335-7573 for the dinner on the community line if you wanna help!) 

3.  Rollingstone in the House (3.14-3.17)  If you want the lineup of SXSW, which is the best of the best,  look no further.  Sudan Archives to Remi Wolf and more. It might be hard to get in, but there are gonna be the right people in that room and they might be a great place to hang.  You can RSVP to it here.  Last year I rapped outside of it and was joined by Hannibal Burress and Subwire.io, who do live-stream concerts in the street and beyond from the power of a phone. I also saw Paris Jackson and crazy fans waiting outside for her autograph.  

4. Jam in the Van Experience  3.12-3.19 The boys from Jam in the van have a stacked line up and it is the place to be for all industries and comedy and music from our boys in Blackillac to Sego and Happy Landing Check out their lineup here from van sessions to comedy and performances. It is pretty stacked. The ambiance of JITV is always top-notch. 

5. Roast Battles and All things Brian Moses 3.11-3.17.  That is right. If you are rocking at the Creek and The Cave there is that, align with the Roast battle to a special collaboration with Freddie Gibbs. Rappers and industry are getting more and more into comedy because it is a breath of fresh air to SXSW, and it attracts everyone before they go back to the networking of whatever tech thing they were sent here for. Follow him here so you can see all the stuff. 

6.  Grit Daily House. @ 206 San Marcos 3.11– These guys have 50 speakers, from Kwasi Asare of Feedia to Erik Huberman of Hawke Media in the Tech, Music, and Web3 metaverse marketing shenanigans. This crew has everything on lock, from brand building, blockchain talk, podcasting, and some interesting bits and pieces from Mark Zuckerberg. Find all the info you need here. 

7. Subwire.io Pop-Up Concerts. 3.14-3.17  – This upcoming tech company Subwire.io is in the “live music streaming game”, but they also have a great crew of hustlers. I literally saw them get arrested last year for putting on a 6th street concert for Eshutune, who is also known as comedian Hannibal Burress. I saw him everywhere last year, and this was pretty cool.  He now is playing some massive showcases. The best thing about this is bands will broadcast this to their fans and I am even doing one on 3.16 at 2 pm!  No performance like a Pop-up. Follow them here for updates.

8. SXSW Stands with Ukraine  3.18 – The War certainly isn’t over and the morale isn’t over for Ukraine. The last night of the festival might be one of the most important for the east side.  Def show love and be here. People from all over the world will come to see this talent and Kozak Siromaha will be a huge blast. I personally will be here for a few shows.

9. Who Gives A Sh!t About Indie Music? 3.16 @ 11:30AM – Bandsintown co-founder and managing partner Fabrice Sergent moderates this all-star panel on the obstacles and opportunities shaping indie music. He’s joined by First Avenue CEO and National Independent Venue Alliance (NIVA) President Dayna Frank, Wasserman agent Trey Many and Secretly Group creative director Roby Morris.

10. Whole Foods Showcase 3.17  If you are looking for the right amount of charity alongside rooftop vibes with a healthy amount of schmooze and goodness, this place is for you. I have never had a bad time here and the bands are always kick ass alongside the sunshine, with a headlining show from Nappy Roots and Talk into the sunset. Grab all info here. I once performed here with Matisyahu and remember getting all those tasty whole foods drinks after. They take great care of the artists here. Lovely for new music discovery if that is what tickles your fancy.

11. Dr. Maartens Showcase (3.16-3.17) Well, you need to stop everything you are doing because Danny Brown is here, and he hasn’t been here for so long, and now you can see him and BalmingTiger headline back to back. This also means that Danny Brown might be doing comedy stuff, as his podcast is hilarious.  RSVP Here. 

12. Aris Take Showcase @ Half Step 3.17 – Ari Herstand is the man when it comes to the music business. I don’t know many performers who are curating their own showcase,  but I do know he has the best music business book out, and he is someone you definitely want to meet when you are at SXSW. If you can pop in to see one of his singer-songwriter acts from Zella Day to Abigail Osbourn for a few songs, I think it is a good idea. Check out the showcase here.

13. Opening Night SXSW party @ Empire Control Room 3.14– 6-9 pm  I just listened to the bands and they are great plus, there is an outdoor chill area that is perfect for a rest and the food here is top-notch.  This venue is the best venue at SXSW hence why they actually have the opening night party here. Start your week off right here and see all bands I just listened to them and wow, RVG and Georgia Lines from Auckland are epic. Frigging epic.

14. WOMEX @ Flamingo Cantina 3.16 – If you want to get international 6th street is the place for you. WOMEX is always bringing the vibes and you can connect with buyers and agents, and music fans from around the globe. Ultimately, this is the best place to go if you want. to “get the hell out of here” attitude of your USA music career. Side note; there are also SXSW reggae shows here during the week and the setup is sick because you can sit down here in their bleachers.

15. Killer Mike @ Stubbs 3.17 12:30 am Don’t be stupid. 1 hour plus of Killer Mike, and you will be ready to have a blast.  I am literally going here after my show. Meet me there?

16. Brooklyn Bowl family reunion  3.17-3.18  @ Empire  If you wanna see Nude Party and Low Cut Connie as well as White Denim and Hannibal Burress and get your jam band vibes on mixed with southern rock, then RSVP to that right here. 

17. Restless Fest @ Far Out Longe 3.15   The creator of So What? Music Fest,  Mike Ziemer,  has leveled up to be the new Texas version of a more authentic Emo Rolling Loud that mixes true Emo, pop punk with Rap and bridges the worlds together. I think it cost like 30 or 35 dollars but you should support the one guy who is booking smaller acts to be on the festivals in real life. I know! I got booked on one and got Covid and couldn’t play it, and I still felt the vibes from NYC while they partied in Dallas, Texas.  I will surely stop by to see Jeleel! rip off his shirt, and newcomer Goner, along with Armani White, do the “Billie Eilish” song. If you dig Emo rap and are looking to bring those acts to wherever you are, this is the place to find them. I love other festivals within a festival. Make sure you buy some tickets and come say hi to me before I drive to Waco later that night for a gig.

18. New Zealand Showcase on the 13th floor: 3.15 12 pm – 5 pm  There is no special reason to go here except we all must know that I am extremely interested in Auckland.   Being Kosha Dillz, I wanna see Pickle Darling and South for Winter and all the great accents of our friends we haven’t met yet. RSVP here for free. Also, this is a good time to let everyone know reading that I got a show offer in New Zealand so I am looking to make new Kiwi companions at this show. They are very nice and the best way to make some headway in a country is to show up to support them outside of their country!  We all love the away team supporters, don’t we?

19. Epoch Coffeehouse 3.13-3.18 I gotta say it is my number. go hang out to put up posters and it is always a vibe to do late-night work / early-morning coffee.

20. Brooklyn Vegan at Mohawk and Empire 3.15-3.16 f you wanna find some of the greatest indie shows, Brooklyn Vegan is the showcase that will draw your exact kind of person.  RSVP here. Bartees Stranger is gonna be rocking and I am super excited to catch them because I once met his drummer on the subway. They also got upcoming star Indigo De Souza, who is literally playing everything at SXSW and opening for Japanese Breakfast on tour. 

21. Floodfest @ Mohawk 3.16 11 am  OK! This might be the best day party I have ever gone to and now I realize that I might not be able to keep catching Sudan Archives as one of my most viewed artists of the fest.  If you are into the mixing of business and pleasure, This will be a dope place to go and will def hit capacity, so RSVP here 

22. Smart Punk @ Ballroom Atx 3/17- 3/18 For anyone looking for a day of punk rock and hip hop, this is surely well-rounded, this show is a little off-site at the old spider house and has a skate park to go along with it. RSVP HERE I also have my last show here as part of Bald Fest, so come by and see some sick acts from Trash Panda to Nappy Roots to Lyons & Co and Teenage Halloween while post-St. Patrick’s Day vibes push all the SX hangovers to the limit. 

Well, there you have it. Those are 22 places I plan to be.

Do you have an event we missed?  Probably.  There are hundreds of events and I am sure we can write about more and go to them also. Let me know what’s up! I’d love to pop by and you never know what can happen if I show up. Maybe we can all meet up for a taco on the street and kick a freestyle! Stay hydrated. Be nice to people.

My best advice is to have a portable phone charger so you can save someone’s life who is obviously not prepared.  Oh yeah. Tip the bike cabbies! They make everything easier in Austin. 

Kosha Dillz is a Brooklyn-based rapper /stand-up comic who curates his own official SXSW showcase. His official events are here. When he isn’t rapping at SXSW, he is a cast member on MTV’s Wild N Out roasting people. Season 19 comes out in April. Hit him up with SXSW events ASAP! rapperfriends(at) gmail.com  Ps. listen to his new song in Hebrew called Chaverim