2019 NPR Music @ SXSW South By Southwest : Big Phony

The All Songs Considered SXSW Preview, 2019

The annual South by Southwest music festival is our personal endurance challenge to discover as many great unknown and often unsigned bands as possible in just one week. To train for the event, Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson and I listen to more than a thousand songs by bands playing the festival, from all over the world, and try to map out a calendar to see our favorites.

On this edition of All Songs Considered we play some of the standout songs ahead of the 2019 festival, including the Ghanian artist Jojo Abot, garage rock from Blushh, the Japanese pop group CHAI, music made by robots (I'm not making that up) and much, much more.

Big Phony 'Hanging On A Thread'

Raised in New York City and now living in Seoul, South Korea, Bobby Choy channels delicate folk-pop into Big Phony, with a voice reminiscent of Elliott Smith.

 

The Austin 100 : Big Phony

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Genre: Rock

Why We're Excited: Bobby Choy, who records under the self-deprecating moniker Big Phony, was born and raised in New York City. But these days, he makes his way in his parents' hometown of Seoul, where his sad, plaintively lovely folk sound might seem like an odd fit — imagine Elliott Smith if he were trying to compete for attention with K-pop bands. Later this year, a feature film called Fiction and Other Realities will tell Choy's story; the singer wrote it, co-directed it and stars as... well, himself, naturally.



The All Songs Considered's 'Wow' Moments From SXSW 2019

Each year, the buzz in Austin, Texas, at the South By Southwest music festival can reach a deafening pitch. Our NPR Music team is here to help you cut through the noise. Every evening, we'll gather to roundup and recap the best discoveries of the day.

Keep up with our coverage of SXSW 2019 by subscribing to All Songs Considered. We'll be sharing 'Wow' moments every morning and updating our SXSW 2019 playlist with the best-of-the-fest tunes from the bands that we couldn't get enough of.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

All Songs Considered has been soaking up SXSW all week, so you'll have to forgive the gang for forgetting just how many days it's been. But recommendations and giddiness abound in their latest late-night dispatch, with Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson singing the praises of artists from all over the world.

For Bob, that meant raves for Combo Chimbita, Borzoi and Seán Barna, while Robin loved Cherry Glazerr, Nanook of the North, Tamino and Big Phony. For his part, Stephen saw musicians from six continents — and came away with a long list of recommendations, including Pipo Romero, Stefan Wesolowski, 47SOUL, Jojo Abot, yahyel, Sonambulo Psicotropical and The Comet Is Coming.

International Digital Distribution : DFSB Kollective