As the year starts to come to a close, we’re approaching the time for the year’s biggest music festival. SXSW’s 2020 music festival has been announced and will take place March 16-22 in Austin, TX. Additionally, the first round of showcasing artist’s at next year’s festival has been announced. It contains a few familiar names and a massive list of up-and-coming artists that are relatively unknown outside of their local scenes.

Highlighting the list of artists that have been announced today are Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses, performing as a solo act, Chicago, Il-based alt-country act The Waco Brothers and Southern California surf-punk band The Frights. They’ll be joined by other nationally-known acts like Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, electronic-indie act Negative Gemini, folk pop songwriter and singer Margaret Glaspy, Horse Jumper of Love, Common Holly, Con Brio, recent Sub Pop signees Corridor, The Yawpers and Polaris-winning Latinx artist Lido Pimienta. Another stand-out act from the first round is the new dream pop band Night Dreamer, which features Jeff Schroeder of The Smashing Pumpkins and Mindy Song. All together there are 288 artists that have been announced in this initial round of showcasing performers.

This lineup is incredibly eclectic, touching on just about every genre. Just a few include artists show this diversity like British singer-songwriters Adam French and Declan J Donovan, electro band Aiming For Enrike, Southern Californian-raised singer songwriter with Mexican and Salvadoran roots singer Angelica Garcia, Canadian glam-rocker Art d’Ecco, Toronto punk band Bad Waitress, experimental rock band Black Country, New Road, Brooklyn noise-rock band Bethlehem Steel, soul singer Tolliver, grindcore band Cloud Rat, Korean skate punk band Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, psych rock band Elephant Stone, Chicago post-punk band Deeper, Coventry, UK rock band FEET, shoegaze-y psych band Flyying Colours, ’80s-influenced post-punk band The Foreign Resort, LA lo-fi punk band Goon, dancey-and-glammy art-rock band HMLTD, post-industrial band HTRK, soul singer Jordan Mackampa, electronic-soul singer KAINA, psych-folk band Mapache, Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital, power-pop band Native Sun, post-punk quartet Necking, technical death metal band Neck of the Woods, British psych-rock band The Orielles, all-female post-punk trio Ötzi, French-turned-Gainsesville, FL (you read that right) punks Pearl & the Oysters, Bella Union-signed Swedish trio Pom Poko, New Zealand sister act Purple Pilgrims, 2019 Tiny Desk Concerts winner Quinn Christopherson, female-fronted indie rock band Roan Yellowthorn, jazz ensemble SHIJIN (Schwarz-Bart/Galland/Braff/David), alternative rock band Strange Ranger, ukuleleist Taimane, a former Pile member’s new band Shell of a Shell, Spanish and English singing artist San Cha, Toronto shoegaze/surf rock/dream pop amalgam Tallies, UK jazz artist Theon Cross, Atlantic Records’ Houston based rapper TisaKorean, English folk band Vanishing Twin and female pop trio The Wandering Hearts.

There are several artists hailing from the city of Austin, TX, where the festival will take place. These artists include funk-rock band Bourgeois Mystics, soul-funk group Tomar and the FCs, soul band Charlie Faye & The Fayettes, Nobody’s Girl featuring local singer-songwriters Rebecca Loebe, Grace Pettis and BettySoo, soul singer Mobley, Armenian-American synth pop artist Kae Astra, twee-pop band Fanclub, vintage pop band Donna Blue. Others include TC Superstar, Why Bonnie, San Saba County, Western Youth, Riders Against the Storm, High Heavens, fuvk, Como Las Movies, BLXPLTN, Barbara Nesbitt and Capyac.

Along with The Waco Brothers, Yawpers and Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, there’s plenty of groups to look forward for fans of Americana music. Bill and the Belles from Johnson City, TN have been added in the first round along with groups like Birmingham, AL blues-garage-punk amalgamators Banditos, folk band Ferris & Sylvester, Bloodshot Records’ singer-songwriter Jason Hawk Harris, Canadian singer-songwriter Jeremie Albino, Leif Vollebekk, Malin Pettersen, Australia’s Ruby Boots, Sammy Brue from New York state and Forth Worth band Vandoliers.

Alternative pop fans will have a lot to look forward with dream pop group Baseball Gregg, Australian band Approachable Members Of Your Local Community, Australian indie pop performer Ali Barter, London bedroom pop songwriter Beabadoobee, Los Angeles fuzz-pop band Blushh, indie pop band Dry Cleaning, Bristol, UK jangle pop band Family Jools and Perth, British Columbia based psych-pop band FRANKIIE, Orange County singer-songwriter Louis Prince, Milk Records artist Hachiku, Swedish pop group Hater, indie soft-rock artist singer ings, anthemic Kalamazoo, MI pop group Michigander, dancey group Stealing Sheep, dream pop band Moon Panda, Melbourne lo-fi pop band Good Morning, psychedelic-laced indie pop artist Shana Falana, DIY bedroom pop performer San Mei, London duo Jadu Heart, Brooklyn-based bedroom pop singer-songwriter Pearla, electronic pop artist Jane Weaver, dream pop performer Gena Rose Bruce, Athens, GA-by-way-of-London indie rocker Leon Of Athens, Australia indie rock singer-songwriter Carla Geneve will be playing at the festival. British pop band Bang Bang Romeo (who opened for P!nk) will be performing, hopefully bringing their spot-on cover of Roxettes’ ’80s hit “The Look.”

Other performers include Accü, ACTORS, AKA, Alex the Astronaut, Alien Tango, Altre di B, Amanda Black, ANAVITÓRIA, Andrea Cruz, Antti Paalanenm, Arre! Arre!, Automelodi, Baker Boy, Bakers Eddy, Barbi Recanati, Beachtape, Ben&Ben, Better Person, Birthday Club, Bootblacks, Borealis Rex, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Cadence Weapon, Campfire Social, Candeleros, Cape Weather, Caracoles, Daniel Casimir & Tess Hirst, Dan García, Cruz Cafuné, Cromosapiens, Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird, Colin Gilmore & Nicolette Good: Ladder To The Moon, Clean Cut Kid, Chestnut ChihiroYamazaki+ROUTE14band, The Chairs, Ceci Juno, Cassper Nyovest, Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, Dawn Avenue, Devarrow, Devours, Do Nothing, DTSQ, The Dunts, Early James, Easy Wanderlings, eldanidonoso, El Dorado, Ellis, Emma Jean Thackray, Enno Cheng, Eoin Smith, eX-Girl, Far Caspian, The fin., Fire EX., Gewalt, Ghetto Kumbé, Glue Trip, GRIP, Grrrl Gang, Hala, Hardwicke Circus, Hedonutopia, Henry Brun & The Latin Playerz, Hiperson, Housecall, Islet, Jan Verstraeten, Jeannel, Jekyll, The Jones Family Singers, Just Mustard, Kælan Mikla, Kate Bollinger, Kate Clover, KAZKA, Kiki Valera, Kings of the Beach, Kiwi Jr., Knife Wife, Kokoroko, Lady Donli, La Garfield, Laveda, LET’S MARS, Lilla Vargen, Lorine Chia, Los Moustros del Espacio Exterior, LOS WILDS, Lower Tar, Luna Luna, Magnolian, Maria y Jose, Martha Wash, The Mastersons, Mauskovic Dance Band, Max Chinasky, me&you, Merk, MICHELLE, Mikie Rivera, Mirella Cesa, Mir Fontane, Model/Actriz, Mojo Juju, Moonchild Sanelly, Moon Kissed, Morena Leraba, Myylo, Nadia Nakai, Nanpa Básico, Natalie McCool, NekoJam, Neoma, Neuza, New Fame, Nico LaOnda, Nicolás Molina, Nonso Amadi, Noya Rao, Olivier Cong, Orchards, Otha, Pachará, Partner, Perfect Son, Petrol Girls, P.H.F, Pictish Trail, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Pizzagirl, Qlowski, Richard Spaven, Rosehip Teahouse, Ruth Koleva, RVG, Samba De La Muerte, Samthing Soweto, Sarah Klang, Savannah Sgro, Sen Morimoto, Shady Nasty, Shah, Simi, Sleeping Brain, $NOT, Sofia Macchi, Sofia Portanet, Sonoda, Spirit Was, Spooky Mansion, Stella Sommer, SUMIN, Tamtam from Saudi Arabia, Israeli band There, Thornetta Davis, The Tomboys, Tony True and the Tijuana Tres, Topographies, Totemo, Tufan Derince, UCHIKUBIGOKUMON-DOUKOUKAI, The Underground Youth, Video Age, Virginia Wing, We Are The Grand, Weird Milk, When Chai Met Toast, WILD, XCELENCIA, YAYOI DAIMON, Young Deji and Young Georgian Lolitaz.

Our vote for most clever band name? Manifest Destiny’s Child.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat