Austin Attitude, Less Latitude

Randy Bacon presents his second South by Southwest artist showcase.

The South by Southwest Music Showcase returns to Randy Bacon’s Photography Studio & Gallery (600 W. College St., 417-868-8179) March 9, 10, 12 and 13 with a lineup of bands from the cream of indie music’s crop. Need a fix of hair-twirling Swedes, folk-pop septets and buzzing synthesizers but can’t make it to Austin? Drive a few blocks and see them in Springfield. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 each night except Monday ($10), available at the door. Here’s the breakdown night-by-night:

March 9

The Spinto Band, from Delaware, is the headliner in the showcase’s opening-night trio of performers. The frenetic pop septet (yes, they’re a seven-piece band) of musicians age 20 to 25 has opened in the past for recent Outland Ballroom performers Of Montreal. They’ll follow sets by Chicago’s The Changes and Dios (Malos).

How to hear them:

• The Spinto Band, Nice and Nicely Done, 2005
• Dios (Malos), Dios, 2004. Dios (Malos), 2005
• The Changes, Today Is Tonight, 2006

March 10

Following in the proud tradition of one-man bands with one-word names (Smog and Dosh are two examples), Aqueduct (a.k.a. David Terry of Seattle, Washington) offers a relentlessly catchy brand of songwriting for night two. His latest album, Or Give Me Death, is his third released on up-and-coming label Barsuk Records, which is home to acts such as Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of State, Rilo Kiley and Viva Voce.

The night’s opener is Annuals, a group from North Carolina that incorporates folk and synth-pop into its songs. The group’s album, Be He Me, garnered a favorable review by Pitchfork Media and an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

How to hear them:

• Aqueduct, Pistols at Dawn, 2004, I Sold Gold, 2005, Or Give Me Death, 2007;
• Annuals, Git Got (EP), 2006, Be He Me, 2006

March 12

This is the busiest night of the showcase, with four bands. Topping the list is the Indianapolis-based Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, a group with fragile, beautiful harmonies and an eclectic taste in percussion. While recording its album The Dust of Retreat, the group used two drummers and a percussionist in its six-person lineup.

Polyvinyl Records act Headlights plugs in next. This group has arguably the most expansive sound of the acts so far, despite having only three members. Using distorted guitar and playful synthesizers to complement singer Erin Fein’s out-of-breath-Bjork-like voice.

Page France, singer-songwriter Michael Nau’s revolving-door folk project, and heart-on-their-sleeve folk collective Canada round out the lineup.

How to hear them:

• Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, The Dust of Retreat, 2006
• Headlights, The Enemies EP, 2005, Kill Them With Kindness, 2006
• Page France, Come, I’m a Lion!, 2004, Hello, Dear Wind, 2006
• Canada, This Cursed House, 2006

March 13

The final night of the SXSW Music Showcase is a foreign invasion of sorts. The featured act is the Danish experimental group Under Byen, which includes the band’s doctor in its regular lineup. If this suggests a night of Danish thrash metal mere feet from Bacon’s candid portrait photos, think again. The group’s music is reminiscent of Nordic acts such as early Bjork and Sigur Rós.

Speaking of northern Europe, Swedish piano songstress Frida Hyvönen opens the evening with her special blend of Scandinavian-accented singing over songs influenced by Americana, show tunes and a bit of Soviet Kitsch-era Regina Spektor. The lyrics can be a bit frank at times (one example: “I was a serene teenage child/ then I felt your cock against my thigh”), but isn’t that what the indie-rock spirit is all about?

How to hear them:

• Under Byen, Samme Stof Som Stof, 2006
• Frida Hyvönen, Until Death Comes, 2005, Frida Hyvönen Gives You: Music From the Dance Performance Pudel, 2007;