SXSW Mystery - We Are a Sad Band? We Have A Guess…
Every year, there seems to be something that doesn’t quite look right on the SXSW roster. Many times, this ends up being a surprise show of some sort, an event many know takes place all over Austin. After looking through Spotify, I’ll normally hit Google to begin my research. We Are a Sad Band, who are apparently a funk band from “Sadville” , Texas (their website is listed as http://sxsw.com), came up with zero online references and currently sits alone on the schedule for Tuesday night at The Main.
Who are We Are a Sad Band? If there was ever a tongue-in-cheek secret moniker, this would be it. Share any thoughts below as this mystery surely will continue to unravel over the next few weeks…
(Update - 2/20/13) Nate Headden, OEB writer and resident sleuth, put together a solid case that We Are A Sad Band is none other than Thom Yoke’s Atoms for Peace. Again, this is purely a rumor at this point, but some interesting notes:
- If this is a secret show, then the artist would have to be a pretty big name to necessitate a non-listed showcase, especially off the official SXSW roster.
- We Are A Sad Band has a tongue-in-cheek tone to it. Who would be a band that may be hastily called a “sad band” by press? Radiohead ended up being the first name we called out.
- A secret SXSW showcase would normally coincide with a major release. Radiohead hasn’t been in the studio, but Yorke’s Atoms For Peace is releasing AMOK next week.
- Yorke and Nigel Godrich recently inferred there will be some tour dates coming soon in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session this week.
- And our smoking gun. While AMOK is being released next week, a 12” is set to follow in the UK on March 11, which would mean a US release should coincide with March 12, the day of the showcase. Not only that, the 12” will also contain a non-album B-side. The name of the B-side: SAD.
