South by Meow West

My name’s Mullarkey, and I started South by Meow West in March 2009 as way to help smaller, touring bands on their way to SXSW in Austin while mixing in like-minded Tucson bands. Tucson has always gotten a lot of cross-traffic as bands go to and from SXSW, but until South by Meow West, our town never had an organized, all-ages fest to bring those bands together.

Although the official version of SXSW has become a corporate-sponsored monstrosity, the kind of bands I got at South by Meow West weren’t driving to Austin to score a million-dollar record deal. No, these were bands headed out to play the DIY “unofficial” parties that are the true heart of Austin’s annual music mayhem. I wanted South by Meow West to mirror the fun and independent spirit of the backyard, living room, and shed parties I went to in Austin in 2008.

2009 was the perfect year to start South by Meow West, as I’d just started my own band, Monster Pussy. Yes, I love cats! That year’s South by Meow West was a huge success, held at a great live music/recording/practice/art space called The Hangart. Touring bands made good gas money, friendships were formed, and Tucsonans were exposed to bands they would not have otherwise seen.

Alas, South by Meow West 2010 didn’t match the grandeur of its predecessor. The bands were still great, and anyone who showed up had a good time. But a number of factors such as unseasonable cold and stiff competition from other venues led to a depressed turnout. I had serious doubts about whether there would be another South by Meow West.

One week later, something big opened my eyes and my heart: the first Bröötal Sun Fest. I saw how a fest can be about so much more than bands. You come for the music, and you remember it forever because of the community you become a part of.

In the summer of 2010, I went to my second What the Heck Fest in Anacortes, Washington, and was further inspired by how much more than a music fest a music fest can and should be.

That brings us up to 2011. First, two rad bands from Canada—The Shrapnelles and Topless Mongos—asked me if I could help them find a show on the way to SXSW. That seemed reason enough for me to resurrect South by Meow West. Then, when the Bröötal Sun Fest crew and I realized that we had planned our fests for the same weekend, what else could we do but join together!  The Bröötal Sun Fest Sunday day show at Dry River doubled as South by Meow West 2011.

In 2012, Bröötal Sun Fest will once again feature a South by Meow West stage during the Sunday day show (now held in the Skrappy’s studio space). This year’s SXMW lineup includes Watercolor Paintings, Run-On Sunshine, Brass Tax, Hug of War, Utopia Park, Mumford’s, The Kris Special, Rumble Rumble, Rushmore Beekeepers, Feel Free, and Rise Like Lions.