The Bands We Wanted To See At SXSW 2020

One of the first economic and musical casualties of the spread of the coronavirus was the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, which was canceled on March 6. Hundreds of bands were left not only denied a chance to showcase their music, but many also had to fight to recover economic investments like air and hotel reservations.

As has been the case for the last few years, SXSW had attracted many bands from Latin America. For many, this was going to be their first trip to the U.S. to perform, a sought after opportunity given the vast music market of North America.

In the spirit of offering a helping hand, we decided to continue with our plans to share some of those bands with you. Instead of enjoying fish tacos somewhere in downtown Austin on the last Friday night of the festival, Catalina Maria Johnson and Marisa Arbona Ruiz were sheltering in place from their respective homes while we recorded a show about Bands That We Wanted To See At SXSW 2020.

And a word about the bands: These bands, like many musicians, are counting on support from their fans to make ends meet now more than ever. Here's how you can help out.

Thanks and as always, stay safe.