Recent News
Billions Announces Official SXSW Showcase
Billions will present one official showcase at this year’s SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas. This year’s Billions showcase will feature Okkervil River, Reading Rainbow, Yellow Ostrich, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, The Submarines and The Head and The Heart.
Billions is also throwing a day party. Details for that event will be announced soon.
Official Billions SXSW Showcase – Friday, March 18 at Antone’s.
8 p.m. The Head and The Heart
The Head and The Heart play catchy piano melodies paired with a tight trio of harmonies and solid minimalist drums. Their eponymous first album was self-released at the end of June 2010. Since then, the band has signed with Sub Pop and played with Vampire Weekend and Dave Matthews Band.
9 p.m. Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow is a boy-girl outift that creates bashing beats, mesmerizing melodies, and an overall crushing display of songwriting simplicity done right. The Philadelphia duo’s sophomore album, Prism Eyes, was released late last year on Hozac Records, prompting Pitchfork to write, “Everton and Garcia have a tight grip on what makes indie pop tick– sincerity, enthusiasm, and a catchy chorus.”
10 p.m. Yellow Ostrich
Though Alex Schaaf has been recording under the Yellow Ostrich moniker for only a couple of years, he has already released 3 EPs, one 7-inch, and 3 full-lengths. KEXP writes, “Though The Mistress album coheres beautifully as a whole, every song seems to stand out on its own.” Yellow Ostrich is Alex Schaaf, Michael Tapper, and Jon Natchez.
11 p.m. Thao with The Get Down Stay Down
Following their breakout success and best-selling record of 2008 for Kill Rock Stars with “We Brave Bee Stings and All,” Thao Nyguyen and the ever-versatile Get Down Stay Down (Adam Thompson on bass, keys and additional guitar, and Willis Thompson on drums and percussion) returned with 2009’s “Know Better Learn Faster,” earning praise from critics as diverse as Spin Magazine, Pitchfork, The Wall Street Journal, and Elle.
12 a.m. The Submarines
Tracks from The Submarines’ 2008 release, Honeysuckle Weeks, appeared everywhere — from television (Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy) and film (Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist) to multiple spots for Apple’s iPhone. The band’s new album, LOVE NOTES / LETTER BOMBS, takes off where Honeysuckle Weeks left off, exploring the tensions, frustrations, and catharsis of love. LOVE NOTES / LETTER BOMBS will be out in April 6th.
1 a.m. Okkervil River
On May 10, Okkervil River will release their new album, ‘I Am Very Far,’ on JAGJAGUWAR. The follow-up to 2008′s ‘The Stand Ins,’ ‘I Am Very Far’ features eleven new songs, produced and arranged by frontman Will Sheff in Austin, New York City and Connecticut. Work on ‘I am Very Far’ started after a year spent on other projects. Sheff contributed vocals to The New Pornographers’ album ‘Together,’ wrote a song for Norah Jones’ ‘The Fall,’ produced an upcoming album for the Brooklyn-based band Bird of Youth, and helmed Roky Erickson’s acclaimed ‘True Love Cast Out All Evil’ with Okkervil River. Sheff was subsequently nominated for a 2011 GRAMMY for his liner notes to ‘True Love.’