When it comes to music, SXSW Philly wants to share with the crowds of Austin the old and new of Philadelphia’s scene. The old part of that combination will be a legend, DJ Jazzy Jeff. The new will be rapper Lil Dicky.
SXSW Philly, which is coordinating an effort to showcase the best of Philadelphia in tech and music at this year’s South by Southwest, has reached agreements with a total of seven artists for a show scheduled for March 15. In addition to Jazzy Jeff and Lil Dicky, SXSW Philly will feature PNB Rock, Ground Up, Dilemma, Kid Felix and Milton.
“Anyone we thought was really representing our city well,” said David Silver, co-founder of the music and art incubator RECPhilly, “we started thinking of those artists.”
Silver and other organizers began with a list of about 30 to 40 artists. He sought input from many of Philly’s music industry leaders, such as R5 Productions owner Sean Agnew and longtime music executive Marc Byers. They whittled it down based on who they thought would be the best fit for the event, as well as availability.
The first half of the show will be a mix of electronic and alternative. The second half of it will be hip-hop oriented, with artists like Jazzy Jeff, PNB Rock and Lil Dicky.
“I really wanted a big rock band, like Vacationer or War on Drugs or Dr. Dog,” Silver said. “They just weren’t available.”
At first, it seemed Jazzy Jeff and Lil Dicky wouldn’t be available, either. Months of communication with Lil Dicky’s manager led nowhere, and Silver was ready to move on. He reached out one final time and found out Lil Dicky’s schedule had changed. He could do the show. DJ Jazzy Jeff was originally scheduled to be in Europe during SXSW. At the last minute, his plans changed, too.
South by Southwest takes place March 11-20, with interactive, music and film portions of the conference. SXSW Philly has plans to showcase several new and established Philadelphia technology companies during a trade show that begins March 13. Some companies will rotate in and out, and eight will be featured prominently throughout: RJMetrics, Cloudmine, Picwell, Eventuosity, Oz, Zivtech, Arcweb and Chariot Solutions.
SXSW Philly is also hosting a send-off party on March 3. You can visit here for more information or to RSVP.
