Free Week 2015: SXSW for Locals

Venue Holy Mountain will host many events during Free Week (Credit: Bob Blakley via Flickr CC)

Free Week. Sounds like a marketing gimmick, right? But it’s what I consider the true Austinite’s version of SXSW. And it’s coming up just around the corner during the first week of January.

Read on to find out all you need to know about Free Week, and finally make a New Year’s resolution you can stick to.

10 Days of Non-Stop Music

Emily Bell is playing January 3rd at Lambert’s

With thousands of free shows taking place throughout the city during SXSW, people new to Austin might think it’s the best time to discover new local music. While SXSW is one of my favorite Austin “holidays,” I have to share this holiday with thousands of tourists who come to Austin to listen to non-local artists.

The real time to discover new local music in Austin? The first week in January. This is when, in true “Live Music Capital of the World” fashion, Austinites can celebrate and discover new artists. 2015 marks the 12th year of Free Week. And since January 1st falls on a Thursday this year, our week of free music will be extended all the way through January 10th!

What to Know

There’s actually not much to explain. Free Week is literally a free week of live music at numerous venues in Austin. Okay, fine. It’s not literally a week since it does span 10 days. But you get the picture.

Venues

The Mohawk is hosting many shows during Free Week (Credit: Aimee Wenske via Flickr CC)

Unlike during SXSW, not every venue participates in Free Week. Below are the venues participating in 2015, many of them located in the Red River area.

Beerland
Historic Scoot Inn
Holy Mountain
Hotel Vegas
Lambert’s
Mohawk
North Door
The Parish/The Parish Underground
Red 7
The Sahara Lounge
Spider House Ballroom
Stubb’s
Swan Dive

Schedules

You’d think that after 12 years of Free Week, it’d be easy to find schedules of who’s playing when. It’s actually kind of difficult to find a consolidated list.

You can check out each venue and/or promoter events page such as C3, Stubb’s or Transmission Events. But I recommend simply following the hashtag #freeweek, the Twitter account @FreeWeekAustin and bookmarking Do512‘s Free Week page.

Bands to Catch

Free Week is a joyous time of year when local bands ring in the new year with their loyal fans, and hopefully gain a few new fans in the process. Don’t be afraid to go outside of your musical comfort zone when doing your research.

For those of you too lazy (or busy?!) to do research, I’ve complied a list of a few bands you’ll not want to miss.

On the stage at Stubb’s during Free Week (Credit: Elias Andrade via Flickr CC)

01/02 – Shivery Shakes (Pop) @ Hotel Vegas
01/03 – Emily Bell (Rock & Roll, Black Fret nominee) @ Lambert’s
01/03 – The Eastern Sea (Folk Indie Rock) @ The Mohawk
01/04 – Crew 54 w/Magna Carda (Hip-Hop) @ Holy Mountain
01/06 – Jess Williamson (Folk) @ The Mohawk
01/08 – East Cameron Folkcore (Folk/Punk/Orchestral, Black Fret nominee) @ Stubb’s
01/09 – The Whiskey Shivers (Bluegrass…on a lot of whiskey) @ Red 7
01/09 – Holiday Mountain (Psychedelic/Dub/Pop) @ The Mohawk

Disclaimer

Every year Free Week falls during my birthday, so it feels like the city celebrates me by giving me many free musical gifts. So I might have a slightly skewed view of Free Week.

But birthdays aside, attending Free Week really is the best kind of New Year’s resolution you can make with yourself. Go out and discover new music!

@jpino9 wants to know:

Have you discovered new local favorites during Free Week?