Neil Young, Ray Davies to appear at SXSW

The 20th annual South by Southwest music festival, which begins Wednesday in Austin, Texas, features a few veterans who exemplify the fest’s independent streak.

Neil Young, who has for decades vacillated between country-tinged folk songs and gritty, electric rock, is the fest’s keynote conversation. He will be interviewed onstage Thursday by Jonathan Demme, director of the recently released concert film “Neil Young: Heart of Gold.”

“In South by Southwest world, there is no greater artist than Neil Young,” says SXSW music director Brent Grulke.

This year, the SXSW “world” consists of an estimated 1,400 acts (mostly rock bands) who will vie for the attention of the nation’s music industry and media over the course of four frenzied nights of showcase concerts.

Ray Davies: Hero to indie performers
Also on hand will be former Smiths frontman Morrissey, famed Kinks songsmith Ray Davies and Chrissie Hynde’s still punkish Pretenders.

“The thing about these particular artists is that they’re great artists who have been able to dictate the course of their own careers,” says Grulke.

The essential ideal of SXSW is to facilitate exposure of underground musicians. The acts were chosen from more than 8,000 applicants.

They will play in virtually every venue Austin has to offer, before a crowd of approximately 20,000 registrants meandering through clubs and bars trying to find “the next big thing” — or simply a solid concert.

Many of the bands are clearly attempting to forge careers — like those of Young and Morrissey — that aren’t just long and fruitful, but uncompromising.

The lineage is, in some cases, quite obvious.

Britt Daniel, the singer-guitarist for the critically acclaimed Austin-based band Spoon has never been shy about his reverence for Davies and the Kinks.

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Similarly, Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Company wears his Neil Young influence on his sleeve — often covering Young’s “Tonight’s the Night” and “Walk On.”

They are just two of hundreds of bands that hope they’re in it for the long haul.

Artic Monkeys, Beth Orton, Belle & Sebastian to perform
The Arctic Monkeys figure to be the biggest draw in Austin; the British rock group will be playing one of its first North America gigs. They arrive stateside riding waves of hype after their album, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not,” became the fastest selling debut in British history.

Other notable acts include the New Pornographers, the Magic Numbers, Belle & Sebastian, Robert Pollard, Beth Orton, Secret Machines, Echo & the Bunnymen, Talib Kweli, Ted Leo , the Go! Team and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah .

Rolling Stone magazine senior editor David Fricke, who will be interviewing Morrissey onstage at the Austin Convention Center on Thursday, suggests going off the beaten path.

“What’s important to some people is going to be wholly unimportant to others,” says Fricke. “For some people, the Arctic Monkeys are going to be just another indie rock talking point. They’d rather go the Continental Club and see some old school rockabilly.”

“That’s the great thing about the festival: whatever you like, there’s guaranteed to be something you want to see.”

Fricke, who frequently seeks out and reviews less heralded bands, suggests three SXSW bound groups: British garage rock trio Len Price 3, progressive metal band Circle Takes the Square, and Austin’s own The Sword.

“There’s three of them,” he says. “There’s another 1,397 that I have to think about as well.”