The Untitled Interview #169 – SXSW Edition: Starring He's My Brother, She's My Sister

One of the first harbingers of Spring is not, in fact, the adorable, fluffy robins hopping along looking for worms or the bold yellow bursts of daffodils blooming. Sure, the longer days and Daylight Savings Time act as pretty good indicators. But they're not what I had in mind. Nay, friends, one of the first signs of the new season is SXSW, the week of music and mayhem down in Austin. I wrangled some of the bands I'd want to see, if I was going, to get their take on this year's installment of South by Southwest.

It's pretty dang hard not to love He's My Brother, She's My Sister. Not only are they helpful in descriptive nomenclature (Rob and Rachel Kolar are bro-sis, obvs), their music is mighty fine to boot. Electric folk pop to make you shimmy, they bring offbeat western promise to each song, and I find them terribly charming. Rob and Rachel and their cohorts are venturing down to Austin, and had the following to say about festivalia 2012.

Fuzzy Logic: How are you getting to SXSW: plane, train, or automobile?
Rob: Jetpack if they can hurry up with that shit.
Rachel: Flying carpet love parade!

FL: Inevitably, you will forget to pack:
Rob: One million dollars.
Rachel: Tie dye undies.

FL: How many showcases/parties will you be playing?
Rob: We are trying not to advertise otherwise people might show up.
Rachel: My thoughts are go big or go home. The more the merrier...

FL: Band you're most looking forward to seeing at the festival?
Rob: He's My Brother She's My Sister. Hoping one of the venues has a mirror or a large pool of water in it.
Rachel: I look forward to discovering bands I haven't heard of yet. I'm not sure if Toubab Krewe is playing, but I'm conceptualizing a party tour with him later this year...though he knows nothing of this quite yet ;)

FL: What's the first thing you plan on doing upon arrival in Austin?
Rob: Find a parking space.
Rachel: Swimming and drenching my body in glitter.

FL: What was the first festival you ever attended, either as a musician or member of the general public?
Rob: My friend Boston had a birthday party in kindergarten with clowns and ninjas. I think there was a dj too. The cake was good if I remember correctly.
Rachel: I don't remember the name of the festival as I attended it while still in the womb, but Stevie Wonder was playing and my parents were backstage. His back up singers saw my very preggers Mum and ran over to bless her belly. Stevie heard the commotion and inquired as to what was going down. Once he found out he too came over and blessed her belly with love!

FL: Favorite thing about festivals?
Rachel: The community vibe. Some festivals become their own cities and it's a beautiful thing to witness and contribute to. Especially when it feel like no one is governing.