SXSW 2014 Interview: The Rich Hands
“Have never checked that out but seems like it would be pretty cool!” Yo, this is what I’m talking about! SXSW Interviews. This is one of the great things about SXSW; you get to discover brand new bands to love and adore. Perhaps one of those bands will be the Rich Hands, the Texas trio who seem to be working as hard as they can to get as many dates lined up for you as possible during the week. They have at least seven shows, so check out what they had to say, and try to hunt them down during the festival (their tour dates are at the bottom).
ATH: There was a lot of hubbub last year concerning corporate sponsors and pay to play and what not at SXSW. As a band, what’s your reason for coming to pay at the festival? What do you hope to get out of it?
RH: We want to fully experience Sxsw. So whether it be paying to playing or getting an invite we would love to play and promote our band as much we possible.
ATH: For most SXSW sets, you get 30 minutes to leave a lasting impression. What’s your plan of attack? You have a set list mapped out yet?
RH: Plan of attack would be to fill the set with fun songs and possibly a cover to close with! Set list isn’t mapped out but it will be!
ATH: The festival caters to music fans, but food and booze are an important aspect of the fans and the bands. What’s your band’s food and beverage of choice?
RH: BBQ, tacos, hot dogs, Lonestars, fireball, and Dr. Pepper.
ATH: There are tons of bands coming into town. Who would you ideally like to play with of the 1000s of bands gracing our city? Make your own optimal line-up.
RH: The Beatles, The Golden Dawn, The Rolling Stones, The Zombies, Roky Erickson, The Flamin’ Groovies, T. Rex, Jimi Hendrix and The Seeds. Gladly open the show!
ATH: We are partial to SXSW obviously, but what festival do you feel is the best around?
RH: SXSW is definitely up there. Austin Psych fest is rad!
ATH: Let’s say your band has been booked an official showcase at a pop up venue somewhere in the middle of 6th street. The lineup features thrash metal, hip-hop, spoken word, and you. The sound is horrible, the lineup is not your style, and the crowd seems angry at the world. How would your band deal with such a situation?
RH: We would just go out and have fun hopefully that gets the crowd into it! Usually works because people feed off the energy!
ATH: What’s your favorite album to come out in the last year? What’s playing in the tour bus?
RH: Favorite albums in the past year are: Wyatt Blair, Warm Soda, Natural Child, Froth, Fuzz, Liquor Store, Fletcher C. Johnson, TurfWar. A lot of our good buddies play in those bands and they pretty much rule! We play everything in our tour van from old to new.
ATH: The digital age is upon us, like it or not. What are your band’s thoughts on streaming services like spotify, pandora, etc.? Blow em all up? Or embrace the future?
RH: I say embrace the future. Any outlet where you can get your music heard is good to me!
ATH: Day parties have replaced showcases for music discovery? Is the conference really completely upside-down?
RH: When I think of SXSW I think of it as an all day thing not just a nightly affair. That’s just my opinion.
ATH: Flatstock is a crowd favorite. Have you ever been to browse? Find a print to buy? Find a print from one of your shows you didn’t know existed?
RH: Have never checked that out but seems like it would be pretty cool!
They’ve got shows here:
3/11 – SXSW lit lounge (official showcase)
3/12 – SXSW burger records tour kick off at trailer space
3/12 – SXSW ping ping show case at hotel vegas
3/14 – SXSW a.i.r showcase at spider house
3/14 – SXSW rubberneck showcase at the grand
3/14 – SXSW @ Brixton