The Austin City Limits Music Festival is heading into its eighth year and will take place October 2-4 at Zilker Park. However, tickets to this highly anticipated event will go on sale Monday, 04.07, and the full line-up is due out 04.28. Ghostland Observatory, Dave Matthews Band, Beastie Boys, and Pearl Jam are rumored to be headlining this year’s festival.

Punk rockers the Riverboat Gamblers took a chance leaving the confines of Denton, TX to pursue a music career in Austin and since the start of their journey luck has been on their side. They were a big hit during SXSW in 2003 and in 2005 were signed to Volcom Entertainment. The emo-punk sound they create has gained them a massive fan base and their energetic, deranged shows have allowed for a truly punk worthy reputation. You can read a lot about what they’ve been up to in our latest issue.

In a move to preserve, celebrate and educate the public about the original and eclectic fabric of American music, the Texas Folk Music Foundation (TFMF), a 501(c)3 Texas Non-profit Corporation, today announced it has acquired the assets of Kerrville Folk Festival, Inc. This includes the Kerrville Folk Festival and the Kerrville Wine & Music Festival, two of the premier folk and singer/songwriter festivals in the country. The Kerrville Folk Festival will now benefit from the tax-free donation of private and public monies to support and promote songwriters, folk music education, and live performances of traditional folk, bluegrass, acoustic rock, blues, country, jazz and Americana music. Donations from foundation and festival supporters made this transition possible.

Since 1972, the Kerrville Folk Festival (KFF) has been known internationally as a mecca for singer songwriters of various musical styles. For 18 straight days and nights, each May and June, over 30,000 guests come from around the world to experience the magic of what they simply call “Kerrville”. More than just a folk music festival, the event is intended to promote emerging artists as well as recognized, seasoned talent. The likes of which have included musicians such as Peter, Paul and Mary, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Michelle Shocked, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams, and Nancy Griffith.

The Kerrville Wine & Music Festival has the same musical format as the Folk festival, but with an additional focus on Texas Wines. Held each year over Labor Day weekend, this annual three-day event combines camping, music, and the best wines Texas winemakers have to offer. In addition to afternoon and evening concerts, there are Saturday and Sunday wine seminars which pair food morsels with the vintners’ choice of wine.

TFMF was founded in 1999 to educate, preserve, and promote public appreciation and support for songwriters, songwriting, and folk music in all its forms. Since then, the foundation has worked with KFF to deliver a range of music education programs and workshops that include Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, Summer Youth Music, Songwriter School, Blues Guitar Workshop, Professional Development Program for Teachers, Campus Songwriters Competitions, and Memorial Day Blues Workshop.

“The Kerrville Folk Festival will still be the same ‘phenomenon’ our musicians, fans and supporters have come to know and love,” said Dalis Allen, KFF producer. “Combining forces with the TFMF gives us more opportunities to move forward with our mission of support for original music and the education of the world about the importance of music in our lives. It also ensures the continuation of these events and allows for fundraising to make additional improvements to them. As Festival founder Rod Kennedy always said, ‘We are saving the world one song at a time’.”

Both Kerrville Music Festivals and many other TFMF programs are held on the Quiet Valley Ranch, nine miles south of Kerrville, Texas.

The live music capital of the world will be home to a new independent record label called Playing in Traffic that will officially launch during the SXSW Music Festival. Kevin Wommack and Whitaker Elledge are the owners of the new Austin-based label, which is a new division of Loophole Entertainment. Playing in Traffic will represent Los Lonely Boys as well as other notables such as Gary Clark Jr., and the Steps. All releases will be distributed through RED Music.

Playing in Traffic will host some key events during SXSW in celebration of their launch.

Thur. 03.19
3 to 6pm
Playing in Traffic Day Show
GSD&M's Idea City
828 W 6th St, Austin, TX RSVP

Fri 03.20
8pm to 2am
World's End / Playing in Traffic Official Showcase
Maggie Mae's Gibson Room

Performances will include the award-winning Gary Clark Jr., acclaimed rockers The Steps, singer Sahara Smith and the pop group Speak. Los Lonely Boys will participate in the March 19^th showcase at Idea City.

Playing in Traffic founder Kevin Wommack says, “Whether it’s the change in the business of music, the economy or the growth of all things digital, never before has the independent spirit been so strong in the world of music. With Playing in Traffic, we are embracing this self-starting ingenuity and offering our artists a creative and nurturing safe music haven where they can continue to grow and flourish.”

Gary Clark Jr., The Steps, Sahara Smith, Los Lonely Boys and Speak will release albums this summer and fall as a follow-up to the labels launch.