Québecois SOCAN members were ever-present at SXSW 2011, including at the SOCAN-co-hosted boat cruise. Left to right: Marième Ndiaye (CEA), Rafael Pérez (Abuzive Muzik), Thomas Gagnon-Coupal (Karim Ouellet), Karim Ouellet (Karim Ouellet and CEA) and Claude Bégin (Karim Ouellet). (Photo: Rodney Murphy)

SOCAN co-hosted its annual boat cruise, co-sponsored the Canadian Blast BBQ & Showcase, and maintained a presence at the Canada Stand, Canada House and Planet Québec during the 2011 edition of South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference and Festival, held March 16-20 in Austin, Texas.

The cruise, co-hosted by ASCAP, welcomed more than 100 conference delegates and SOCAN members for a leisurely tour around Austin’s Town Lake on March 17. Although the water level of the lake was low this year, attendance among young and emerging acts was high, including the members of Boats, The Sheepdogs and Pom Pom War.

The day before, the Canadian Blast BBQ & Showcase was held under the “Big Top” at Brush Square, featuring performances by Diamond Rings, from Toronto, who captivated the capacity crowd with his unique brand of glam rock; Montreal hip-hop act More or Les, which garnered much word of mouth after their set; East Coast rapper Buck 65 and pop singer Jenn Grant, who played their live debut as a duo; Imaginary Cities, from Winnipeg, which attracted a great deal of attention from European delegates and American record labels; and Polaris 2011 contest prizewinner Karkwa, from Québec, which overwhelmed the crowd despite the language difference.

In fact, a sizable contingent of acts from La Belle Province performed in at the Planet Québec showcases throughout the conference, which saw standout performances from Karkwa, Malajube, Braids, The Dears, Chromeo and Handclaps. Similarly, Canada House showcased strong performances from Sweet Thing and City & Colour; a wildly interactive stage show from Rich Aucoin; and a mesmerizing set from Ron Sexsmith. A movie, Love Shines, about the making of Sexsmith's new album, also recieved its American debut at SXSW.