SXSW Interview: Say Sue Me
In just over a month, people from all over the world will be traveling into Austin to grab some tacos and share their music. I’m really excited to see Say Sue Me, as you never know how many chances you’ll get to see your favorite Korean pop group. For many of us, if not most of us, this will be our first chance to hear the tracks off their forthcoming album, Where We Were Together (4/13). If I had to curate a Top Ten for the festival, this group would be pretty high on my list, like a number 2 spot. We tossed them our little interview questions and they shot back with the answers below. You can hear their latest single, and see their dates down there too!
ATH: Every year there is a lot of hubbub concerning corporate sponsors and pay to play and what not at SXSW. As a band, what’s your reason for coming to play at the festival? What do you hope to get out of it?
SSM: Its one of the biggest and most famous festivals on the planet. We want our music to be heard by as many people as possible, and it’ll be a pleasure just to be there together.
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?
SSM: Thats a secret! Its no fun to tell someone what weapon youll use to attack them. As for the set list, we’re constantly revising to get it as sharp and tight as possible.
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?
SSM: We’re never without beer, so we want to try all of Austin’s. Plus, people are always talking Texas BBQ, so that’s the combo were shooting for first. The weird thing is one of our friends went all the way to Texas and developed a mania for, of all things, all-you-can-eat Mongolian. That’s something else we’ll have to research.
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.
SSM: We spent like an hour reviewing the SXSW artist list and got the biggest kick out of seeing names like Broncho, Molly Burch, La Luz, and DYGL. There are too many great bands to name them though.
ATH: We are partial to SXSW obviously, but what festival do you feel is the best around? Are there any you see yourself wanting to play?
SSM: The Gwangalli Fireworks Festival is one of the biggest in Busan. It takes place on this really famous beach, with classical music blasting and fireworks bursting out on the water. Its not a music festival, but weve daydreamed about being the first band to play live under those fireworks. Sounds pretty cool, right?
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?
SSM: I feel like we’ve already experienced something like that. But even if the audience is angry, we’re just thankful that someones watching us!
ATH: What’s your favorite album to come out in the last year? What’s playing in the van/bus?
SSM: We cant keep up with all the music coming out recently, but we listen to Molly Burch’s Please Be Mine pretty often. We think that’s a really cool band.
ATH: Who wins the World Cup this summer?
SSM: Probably England? We played our first overseas tour there, so we like to cheer them up for some reason.
Shows:
3/15 – 12 PM @ Convention Center
3/16 – 8:30 PM @ the Belmont