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Why SXSW Matters: The Best Of What We Saw, 2017

Clockwise from upper left: Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Fragile Rock (an emo puppet band), Lizzo, Aldous Harding, Allison Crutchfield, Anna Meredith
Courtesy of the artists
Clockwise from upper left: Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Fragile Rock (an emo puppet band), Lizzo, Aldous Harding, Allison Crutchfield, Anna Meredith

SXSW isn't a rock festival, a hip-hop festival or a global music festival — it's a big bundle of everything rolled into five spring-warm Texas days. For artists, the choice to attend can be an expensive risk, traveling from Taiwan, Mebourne, Brixton, Brazil, or Italy hoping to be seen and heard. But sometimes it pays off. We go there to find music we're unlikely to see in our own backyard, find something thrilling, then shout out our fervent support.

On this edition of All Songs Considered, Robin Hilton, Stephen Thompson and I talk about the things we're most excited about following our time in Austin. From the ecstatic music of Britain's Anna Meredith, the dark and alluring work of New Zealand's Aldous Harding, the genuine joy of Bogota's Tribu Baharú, the provocative and fearless soul of Lizzo or simply puppets from Austin (yes, they even crowd surfed), what we hear at SXSW often serves as a signpost for the year ahead.

We also revisit our own showcase in Austin: Watch concerts from PWR BTTM, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Lizzo, and Big Thief. (One more set from NPR Music's showcase is on the way.)

We also shared some personal moments with bands amidst all the craziness — I urge you to take time and watch our escape from the madness with intimate sessions from Nina Diaz & Luz Elena Mendoza, L.A. Salami, Let's Eat Grandma, Valerie June and Jealous Of The Birds (and a couple more still to come) for our South X Lullabies series. — Bob Boilen

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In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.
Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.
Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)