With South by Southwest (SXSW) on the horizon, the city's entertainment staples are nailing down the final details for their respective parties and shows — many of which are free to attend even if you don't have SXSW credentials. A big one for locals is Austin Sounds, an official showcase organized by EQ Austin, the City of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment Division (AACME), local radio station KUTX, and SXSW itself. Lefty's Brick Bar on East Sixth Street will host the shows.

This free showcase is notable because it's every day of SXSW, the lineup is all local, and it's curated in partnership with KUTX, Austin's most influential music station and the sister to the city's NPR station, KUT. EQ Austin is a local nonprofit dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion within an economically sound music industry.

For this showcase, that means showing off lots of different genres, including Latin music, hip-hop, R&B, punk, Americana, and indie rock, according to a press release. The schedule is grouped by genre each day, so fans can prioritize the days they're most likely to see a new band that speaks to them. Some single-day lineups are credited to local radio stations.

The full lineup from March 12-18 is as follows:

Thursday, March 12

• Gummy Fang — Rock/Indie
• Almost Heaven — Pop/Electronic
• Grand Moreno — Psych Rock
• Big Bill — Rock/Punk

Friday, March 13 — KUTX’s The Breaks Presents

• Foolish TV — Hip-Hop/Rap
• Los Kemet — Hip-Hop/Rap
• Project Baby JV — Hip-Hop/Rap
• Faaris — Hip-Hop/Rap

JSoulja — Hip-Hop/Rap

• Kydd Jones — Hip-Hop/Rap/
• OG Kee — Hip-Hop/Rap
• Anastasia Hera — Hip-Hop/Rap
• Blakchyl — Hip-Hop/Rap

Saturday, March 14 — KAZI Presents

• Camila Rivers — R&B/Neo Soul
• Mélat — R&B/Soul
• GIO — Pop/R&B
• Maya Sampleton — R&B/Pop
• Smooth Nature — R&B/Neo-Soul
• Chief Cleopatra — Rock/Indie Pop

Sunday, March 15

• EddieAngel — "Chicano Soul"
• deCasa — Latin/Alternative
• Short Life — Latin Pop/Hip-Hop
• Vintage Jay — Hip-Hop/Reggaeton

Monday, March 16

• Elijah Delgado — Rock/Indie Pop
• Julie Nolen — Americana/Alt Country
• Marley Hale — Americana/Alt Country
• Montclair — Americana/Indie Rock

Tuesday, March 17

• Ananto — Hip-Hop/R&B
• Jeff Akoh — R&B/Pop
• promqueen — Pop/Hip-Hop
• Cazayoux — Funk/Afrobeat

Wednesday, March 18

• Joel Laredo — Latin/Regional Mexican
• Zenal Nortex — Norteño
• Miguel Ortiz y El Nuevo Estillo — Tejano/Regional Mexican
• Eydrey — Reggaeton/Regional Mexican

A special event before the showcases will set artists up at Waterloo Records for free meet and greets. DJ Shani of The Groove Temple, a KUTX show, will be there to provide tunes.

Lefty’s Brick Bar is located at 1813 E. 6th St. Showcases will start at 7 pm each night. All events connected to Austin Sounds, including the kickoff at Waterloo Records, are free and do not require RSVPs.