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 draws visitors from all over the world, and brings 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.

The party was hosted by Boundless Network, and the founder of the company Henrik Johansson (left), at their office in downtown Austin. Also in picture Johan Vestermark Trainee SACC Texas and his fiancee Matilda Holmgren.

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

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.

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 by its own and magically showed up in time for the performance. Jonna was heading back to Sweden after SXSW to work on her next album.

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.

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.

Miss Li topped off the event. Someone characterized her music style as “a wild mix of circus-cabaré-balkan-music hall- gypsy pop”, and it really struck a chord with the Austin audience. Miss Li was starting her US tour in Austin, and 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 next year!

The Hilton Garden Inn in Allen receives guests from all over the world, but so far the closest they’ve come to having Swedes stay the night were two Norwegians who recently stopped by. The Swedish chef, Jan Loov, is hoping this will change, especially considering the Hilton Garden Inn just became a member of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce.

 “It’s always fun to meet fellow Swedes and to know you’re not alone,” Loov says. “I definitely look forward to having more Scandinavians come stay.” Loov is the executive chef at the Hilton Garden Inn and is always open to customer’s requests. Should you be in the mood for some typical Swedish fare like meatballs or gravlax, he’s your man. Loov’s philosophy is to cook honestly.

“If you order chicken, your food should taste like chicken,” he says. “The simpler, the better.”

Picture: Executive Chef Jan Loov and General Manager Angela Barfield

He doesn’t specialize in any particular sort of cooking but really likes to cook fish. “Anyone can cook  a piece of meat,” he says. “But it takes special skill to cook fish. And when it’s fresh, you can really tell the difference in quality and flavor.”

But there’s much more to Loov’s cooking than fish or even Swedish food. He’s been a chef for twenty years and has worked in Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and Boston – he’s cooked everything from emu to alligator to Texas-favorite tilapia. He says he really enjoys working in Texas because people are open and friendly and not scared to try new things, including different kinds of food. Cooking here is easier and more fun, he says, because he can be adventurous and try new ideas as much as he wants. Being a chef in a country the size of the US also means there are more ingredients readily available and more people who are willing to try them.

“Here, the only thing that limits me is my imagination,” says Loov. His latest endeavor at the hotel involves trying to reduce its carbon-footprint by preparing food in a more environmentally friendly way. Going green may be a new trend in the United States, but Loov has always been environmentally conscious with his cooking, which not only helps the environment but makes the food taste better. Part of that effort includes buying vegetables that are locally grown to cut down on carbon emissions and cooking farm-raised fish from farms that don’t negatively affect the coastline. Loov has been cooking up some special green meals in preparation for Earth Day, but a visit to the Hilton Garden inn  is sure to bring a tasty experience every time. The Hilton Garden Inn serves only breakfast in the restaurant but specializes in customizing special events, including catering and banquets, in the ballroom and meeting space.

Whether you’re flying in from Sweden or driving from Austin, a visit to the Hilton Garden Inn Allen and a bite of executive chef Jan Loov’s food should enrich both your culinary and cultural experience.