Can A SXSW Party Help Keep a Mom and Pop Store Alive?

Editor's Note: Denver rock band In the Whale is in Austin this week for SXSW. The duo of Nate Valdez (vocals and guitar) and Eric Riley (drums and backing vocals) will be documenting their exploits and observations for Westword Music. For more shenanigans, follow In the Whale on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. For the most shenanigans, head to...

By In the Whale

March 19, 2015

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Editor's Note: Denver rock band In the Whale is in Austin this week for SXSW. The duo of Nate Valdez (vocals and guitar) and Eric Riley (drums and backing vocals) will be documenting their exploits and observations for Westword Music.

For more shenanigans, follow In the Whale on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. For the most shenanigans, head to the hi-dive on April 3rd, where the band will be celebrating the release of a new album called Full Nelson.

Every town needs a cool record store. The Mighty Mile High is lucky to have Twist & Shout, Wax Trax, Chain Reaction and many more, but as we’ve all been told countless times, record stores are a dying breed.

The second day of SXSW saw a handful of Denver bands and Denver’s favorite adopted sons, Residual Kid, come together to help Austin’s Trailer Space Records raise funds for a new PA and some store improvements.

Trailer Space holds a special place in the heart of this band. our first “real (non-SXSW)” show in Austin was at Trailer Space back in November 2013. Since then, they’ve hosted several Denver bands as they came through the 512, and when the opportunity came up for us to help them out we jumped at the chance.

Hometown heroes Kitty Crimes, The Royal, Bud Bronson and the Good Timers joined in the fray as well. The real cherry on top was the Dirty Few throwing down one of the best sets we’ve caught at SXSW at the ungodly hour of noon. When Denver’s hardest partying band can roll out of bed that early, you know it has to be a good cause.

SXSW sometimes can go beyond partying… sometimes. If you’ve got a few bucks throw them toward the cause.

Here are a few more snapshots from day two:

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