SXSW 2009 Parties, Part 5: The Black and White Years

I got to interview these fools for Rare's music issue, out this month (and if you've seen it already - how amazing is the art direction? Hats off, Justin Esquivel). The Black and White Years' story is the stuff SXSW dreams are made of:

A) Played to a tiny crowd at Opal Divines at South By '07,
B) A tiny crowd that happened to include the Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison,
C) A tiny crowd that ended up prompting their trip with Harrison to San Francisco to record an album.*

Now, two years later, they will be freaking everywhere.


Yes, they are on a Friday billing with DEVO. (!!)

Here is The Black and White Years' brand new video for the song "Zeroes and Ones," directed by Carlos La Rotta of Austin's Birds On Fire (who, incidentally, have also done a couple of videos for White Denim).




*This is why South By has the mythical aura that ACL does not, non? I dig both festivals, but ACL = bands who've made it, while SXSW = bands who just might blow up.