I had the chance to attend SXSW for the third time this year, on behalf of my client Muve Music & Cricket Wireless. It was an awesome opportunity to get to interview and hear nearly 30 bands — all inside a glass cube right on 4th & Congress!

Our headliners Tech N9ne, Ana Tijoux & A Great Big World put on energetic performances – especially Tech N9ne! I’d never seen him in concert before, but he totally rocked the stage. He had so much energy, he had the entire crowd hyped up, and his lyrical delivery was completely on point. Ana Tijoux looked beautiful and sounded amazing.

Ana Tijoux

I was also lucky enough to discover a ton of new bands including Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, a soulful band from Detroit who are fronted by the super talented Hernandez; Ivy Levan, who’s diva style I want to make my own; and Mack Wilds, who I didn’t realize was the actor from The Wire and the new 90210. I also had the chance to talk to R&B songstress Tinashe, Kevin Gates and Chicago’s own Chuck Inglish. Sadly, I missed the performance by Secret Someones, but I hear they totally killed it.

Singer & songwriter Jillette Johnson

Matthew Kona, who’s featured on the Divergent soundtrack & regularly works with Zed

Jamestown Revival

Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas

Queen of swamp hop, Ivy Levan, featuring gold gator earrings & necklace

Our last day in Austin, I had a chance to check out the CrowdNoize showcase, where I had just enough time to see Seattle-based The Flavr Blue perform. I’d never heard of the group before SXSW, but they came highly recommended, and I loved their vibe.

Check out my playlist of some of my fave tracks from the artists we met:

Also be sure to visit the Cricket YouTube channel for artist interviews & performances. You *may* catch a cameo of me on screen — as evidenced by this gif my co-worker made of my jazz hands during an artist intro (yes, I gesture obsessively while talking).