SACC Austin event with Swedish artists during SXSW a smashing success!

“The Swedish Invasion” continues

Copy and photo: Håkan Thyr, SACC-Texas

Austin is rightfully named “The Live Music Capital of the World”. Every day of the year you can listen to live music at many of the large and small music venues throughout town. Two weeks every year it is no way you can avoid listening to music if you are close to downtown: during the 3-day Austin City Limits Music Festival in October when over 100 bands turn Zilker Park into a buzzing music scene with more than 65,000 visitors every day, and in March during the SXSW (South by Southwest) music, film and interactive festival when 1400 performers play in more than 80 venues, and transform the entire downtown into a 4-day around the clock music event.

Both events draw visitors from all over the world, and bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the Austin economy. Music is not only culture in Austin, it is big business!

“The British Invasion” crashed and burned with Beatles in the mid-60's. “The Swedish Invasion” of the American music life is still going strong 30 years after ABBA established the bridge head in the mid-70's. This year 18 Swedish bands performed at SXSW, an impressive number.

For the 3^rd consecutive year SACC Austin arranged a SXSW music party in cooperation with Export Music Sweden. The event has grown year by year, and this year more than 300 guests showed up to listen to an unprecedented line-up of top-notch Swedish artists.

Picture: Henrik Johansson Vice President SACC Central Texas, Johan Vestermark Trainee SACC Texas, and his fiancee Matilda Holmgren

The party was hosted by Boundless Network, and the founder of the company Henrik Johansson, at their office in downtown Austin.

Picture: Anders Hjelmtorp and Anders Nilsson

Anders Nilsson (former Vice President of SACC Central Texas) and Anders Hjelmtorp (CEO of Export Music Sweden) managed the artist line-up.

Picture: Anton Björkenvall and band

First out on stage was Anton Björkenvall. Anton comes from Kiruna, a town above the Arctic Circle in Northern Sweden, and Anton and the band had taken the opportunity to warm up in the sunny Austin a week before the start of SXSW. After the music festival they planned a old-fashioned American road-trip to Louisiana.

Picture: Jonna Lee reunited with her guitar

Next was Jonna Lee, a singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice. She had just been reunited with her guitar, that had taken a trip to Amsterdam all by itself and magically showed up in time for the performance. Jonna was heading back to Sweden after SXSW to work on her next album.

Picture: Sofia Talvik

Sofia Talvik performed at the SACC SXSW Music event in 2009, and she was back by popular demand this year. Sofia made Austin and SXSW the final stop of a busy US tour, starting off in Honolulu Hawaii, through Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Sofia is known to be a hard working artist, and she had a string of gigs lined up at SXSW, one together with Suzanne Vega.

Picture: Movits!

Movits! changed the pace when they entered the staged and started off with their combination of swing, jazz, and hip hop. The crowd was jumping up and down.

Picture: Miss Li

Miss Li topped off the event. Someone has characterized her music style as "a wild mix of circus-cabare'-balkan-music hall-gypsy pop", and it really struck a chord with the Austin audience. Miss Li was heading up to Washington D.C (House of Sweden) and New York.

“The Swedish Invasion” of the American music scene continues! SACC-Austin wants to thank all the artists, our sponsors, and our guests for a wonderful party.

We hope to see all y'all again next year!