SXSW Music

SXSW Music unveils first round of 2015 showcasing artists

You can now feast your eyes on the initial lineup of showcasing musicians for SXSW, thanks to the latest in a slew of releases teasing the 2015 festival programming.

SXSW notes, "this is just a small sample of the wide array of artists and conference panels" slated for the 29th annual edition of SXSW Music, but with it comes big names, both local and international.

A host of Austin bands made the cut — festival stalwarts like Ben Kweller, East Cameron Folkcore, Jess Williamson, Emily Wolfe and Ume will showcase this year — as did an impressive set of artists from around the globe. Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, and Chicago's Twin Peaks are included in the eclectic lineup.

In addition to announcing more than 100 bands, SXSW also announced the first round of conference panels on Wednesday. Highlighted sessions include a SXSW interview with Sydney, Australia's The Church, who will also perform during the fest.

SXSW Music 2015 runs March 17-22, 2015. For the full list of first-round showcasing artists and panel programming, visit the SXSW website.

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Reexamining Don Draper

Jon Hamm, Henry Winkler, and more headed to Austin for TV festival

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Jon Hamm is coming to Austin to talk about Don Draper.

From May 29 to June 1, 2025, the ATX TV Festival will take over downtown Austin, and this year Jon Hamm will be joining the festival for the first time.

Hamm will be here for an event called A Mad Men Retrospective, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show's finale. In this panel (the moderator of which is not yet announced), Hamm will reflect on his Emmy-winning performance as Mad Men's Don Draper, the uniqueness of the character in the TV canon, and the show's influence 10 years after it ended.

Jon Hamm may be best known as Draper, but he's also given celebrated performances in several movies and other shows like Fargo, Black Mirror, and — fun fact! — Gilmore Girls.

Celebrating TV is what the ATX TV Festival is all about. This annual summer event is put on by ATX TV and consists of screenings, Q&As, and panel conversations; plus all sorts of parties, live music, happy hours, and other events. It's known for reunions of classic series and cult hits, and according to the website, it's like "TV camp for grownups."

Jon Hamm isn't the only heavy-hitter in this year's lineup.

Programming also includes an acting class and Q&A with Henry Winkler himself, a live script reading of classic episodes from The Golden Girls and Designing Women (guest actors to be announced), a reunion of the creatives and cast of the HBO hit series The Leftovers, a live recording of the podcast Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast with Suits stars and co-hosts Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J. Adams, and much more.

Additionally, the festival's annual Pitch Competition is still accepting open pitch submissions through January 17. This gives creatives in Austin a chance to pitch their show idea in front of some of the industry's biggest showrunners and executives. Those in the top 10 will receive a year of support to make the next steps in their TV careers.

Festival badges and passes ($150-535) are on sale now.

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