A music tech empire
Staple Austin venue turns up the sliders on music tech for free SXSW showcase and talks
Here's the beautiful thing about Austin: Music technology is anything from sound-based NFTs to one musician, to an acoustic guitar to another, and they're probably playing down the street from one another during South by Southwest (SXSW).
Austinites with and without SXSW badges are invited to get together to discuss everything in between and beyond at Empire Garage and Control Room, one of the city's core venues in the Red River Cultural District, on March 13.
This event is an official SXSW panel, but it is open to the public via an online RSVP. Presented by Dentity, an authentication app for internet security, "The Power of Connection with Emerging Technologies" gathers experience in music tech from Dentity CEO Jefferey Schwartz, Rebecca Thorne of See Tickets, Stephen Cilton of Psyko Steve Presents, and more panelists. Each will discuss how progress in the field affects audiences, venues, digital platforms, and other industry experiences.
According to the official SXSW listing, the panel runs from 4-5 pm, but Empire's event goes from noon to 2 am, filling the extra time with shows by some of Austin's best, plus exciting guests. This industry state-of-the-union doubles as the venue's 10th anniversary, and invites performers from several genres to come together and celebrate. It is one of countless unofficial showcases that will be going on throughout the city to celebrate the festival with those who did not officially register.
An Austin-heavy lineup features The Black Angels, Sir Woman, Pearl Z, and more in the Garage, while the Control Room stage welcomes DODO, Jarobi of Tribe Called Quest, Nappy Roots, and other friends.
Of course, this is not the venue's only SXSW showcase. The venue has some official programming on the schedule, plus other free events include a free "weekender" curated by local booking agency Resound; "Lost Weekend" with Resound and famous music blog BrooklynVegan; and the 4th Annual "Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion," in collaboration with the trendy New York venue.
See the full lineup for "Dentity & Empire Presents: Music Tech Mashup — Powered by Dentity" and RSVP at empireatx.com. Other SXSW programming is listed under the "Events" tab.