Aaron Spectre of Drumcorps

Next week, the megalith of indie-music festivals, South by Southwest, launches the hopes of 1500 bands and the throbbing hangovers of 12,000 official attendees. Boston always has plenty of its own headed to Austin, and they’re from all over a map that includes rappers, Brit-rock hybrids, and breakcore madness. Here’s a selection of what Austin has in store from Boston.

Protokoll, “Moving Forward”
Probably the best prospect of a breakthrough comes from the hip kids of Protokoll, who play a trendwatching Joy Division style of rock. The A&R vultures will be out in force March 15 at the Beauty Bar Patio in Austin, when the quartet take the stage on the strength of their 2006 EP from the very very hip LA label iHEARTCOMIX.

The Sterns, “Supreme Call”
Clever, tuneful and off-the-cuff, the Sterns are the jangly, playful sound of now — they’re like an Of Montreal with less in the way of circus pomp. And they’re in demand: they’ll bring their sound to no fewer than four SXSW shows. The trek corresponds with a lengthy Midwest tour that has them playing in some odd places. On March 8, for example, they’re in . . . Wichita? Good luck, fellas . . .

Drumcorps, “Botch Up and Die”
Not for the faint of heart, Drumcorps is the extreme breakcore project of former hardcore drummer Aaron Spectre and a challenge to the eardrums; he comes on like an army of banshees with this four-minute assault. Dude is no stranger to tours, either, having been to Japan, the EU, and back.

k-the-i???, “You’re Not That Beautiful”
Hey, i love mr. i just as much as the next journo, but why the hate? k-the-i??? is the rapper’s rapper, a slinger of words of such velocity it makes your ears hurry to catch up. k plays the showcase of his new label, the hotly tipped Mush Records, home to Her Space Holiday and Boston’s Boy in Static. One thing’s for sure, if you love words, you have a friend in k-the-i???

On the Web
South by Southwest 2007: //2007.sxsw.com/